Breast cancer treatment almost always involves radiation. The radiation may or may not follow surgery and chemotherapy. During the treatment and for several weeks following many women will report energy is very low, physical ability is hampered, and quality of life is decreased. As well many women may struggle with feelings of depression and anxiety about their health and treatment.
Mindful-based stress reduction has been proven to improve quality of life in women and men undergoing treatment for cancer. Yoga, in particular has been studied and proven to improve immune function, physical ability, and reduce stress. As an ancient Indian practice, yoga focuses on breathing and meditation coupled with relaxation and core exercises (or postures) that focus on improving balance, strength, and flexibility. There are several different types of yoga practice; Hatha, Ashtanga, Kundalini, and Bikram, each with a different focus or goal of practice.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology published a report this month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that proved yoga benefited women undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer. The study enrolled 62 women and randomized them to a group who practiced yoga twice a week or a group who was placed on a waiting list for yoga. Each of the participants completed quality of life questionaires that assessed symptoms of depression and anxiety. The questionaires also addressed quality of life issues, physical ability, fatigue severity, sleep difficulties, and overall attitude or outlook on life.
Those women in the yoga group reported increased physical ability over women on the waiting list. They had more strength for activities in daily life such as climbing stairs, carrying groceries, etc. They also had a significant improvement in energy, and outlook on life and their health in particular. Sleep was also improved in the yoga group. Yoga did not affect the feelings of depression or anxiety.
This study backs up previous works that showed a positive effect of yoga as a complementary therapy for women during and after breast cancer treatment. The authors state that a new study is underway, funded by the National Institutes of Health that will compare yoga practice with general stretching, both in a group setting. The goal is to determine if the effects are truely due to the ancient practice of yoga, or if the effects are more attributable to the emotional gain from being in a class setting with women in the same life circumstances.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on June 19, 2006 01:18 PM
