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If yoga has provided relief for ailments like low back pain and panic attacks, then can a highly progressive neurodegnerative disorder like Parkinson's Disease also be treated by this ancient Indian science.

Confirming improvement in a test group of patients suffering from Parkinson8217;s disease, yoga proves its mettle once again

If yoga has provided relief for ailments like low back pain and panic attacks, then can a highly progressive neurodegnerative disorder like Parkinson8217;s Disease PD also be treated by this ancient Indian science. For the first time, evidence based clinical trial that involved neurologists concluded that practicing yoga significantly improves the quality of life of PD patients.

Dr Rajvi Mehta, Research associate with Light on Yoga research Trust, who is in Pune to participate in the 90th birthday celebrations of yogacharya B K S Iyengar told The Indian Express that the disease is primarily characterised by tremors, rigidity, slow movements, poor balance and poor gait.

Patients suffering from this disease cannot perform simple tasks like cutting food, buttoning garments or handling utensils. Initially the symptoms are mild but as the disease progresses, it needs medical intervention. With no controlled trials so far, the researchers with the trust in association with the Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder Society initiated the study with a total of 30 patients in Mumbai.

The intensity of the PD was evaluated using the Unified Parkinson8217;s Disease Rating Scale UPDRS and the Parkinson8217;s Disease Quality of Life. All the four scales of UPDRS were evaluated. The study aimed at determining the efficacy of yoga, particularly Iyengar yoga in alleviating the most common symptoms of patients suffering from PD.

Iyengar method of teaching emphasises on bringing alignment to the body through different asanas. To achieve this goal, various props such as belts, chairs, ropes, blankets, bolsters and other wooden supports are used.

PD patients in the yoga therapy group were initially instructed daily for five days a week consecutively for two weeks and the sessions lasted for more than an hour. The patients were in the age group of 60-65 years while other 30 patients were assigned to the group without yoga therapy. The yogic asanas taught were tadasana, urdhva hastasana, shoulder and neck traction, bharadvajasana, setu banda sarvangasana and others.

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The baseline measures of the UPDRS and PDQ showed that the mental state, mood and behaviour improved in the yoga group and the extent of improvement was more significant than the control group, says Mehta.

While there was no change in the motor examination of the group without yoga therapy, there was considerable improvement among patients undergoing yoga therapy. Mehta however added that further studies need to be conducted to determine whether any physiological changes are occurring by practicing the yogasanas.

Yoga is one of the systems of Indian philosophy, which has been discussed in various Indian scriptures, such as, Bhagwad Gita, Upanishads and Yoga Sutras of Sage Patanjali. According to Sage Patanjali there are eight aspects of yoga referred to as Ashtanga yoga, which includes yama social discipline, niyama personal discipline, asana moulding the body into various positions, pranayam regulation of breath pratyahara involution of senses, dharana concentration, dhyana meditation and samadhi state of bliss.