Researchers assigned 195 people with mild to
moderate Parkinson’s disease to one of three classes, resistance training,
stretching, or tai chi – twice a week for six months. People in the tai chi group showed the most
improvement in balance, stride length and ability to reach without
falling. They also had 67 per cent lower
falls than those who stretched. The findings appeared in February 9, 2012, in
the New England Journal of Medicine.
There is also good news about an ancient exercise
called yoga and we will delve into the findings of an associate professor of
medicine-cardiology, University of Kansas School of Medicine. He is going to give us a one-minute
consultation. “Atrial Fibrillation is an
abnormal rhythm that originates in the atrial, the upper chamber of the
heart. The normal rhythm is replaced by
an irregular heartbeat that is often very fast. It’s not life threatening but
causes a range of symptoms, including shortness of breath, fatigue and even
pain. Common causes are diabetes,
hypertension, thyroid disease, severe stress, and too much alcohol consumption. Several patients tell me that their AF
episodes terminated when they practiced yoga.
I would not have believed it until I saw it. I dug into research on the therapeutic
effects of yoga on the human body and it started to make sense. AF is triggered by an imbalance in the
nervous system. It is perpetuated by
systemic heart inflammation. Yoga has
positive effects on all these factors.
We monitored a group of patients for three months to assess the
frequency of their AF episodes as well as their anxiety, depression and quality
of life. Then we switched them to the
ancient practice of Yoga, consisting of breathing exercises, relaxation, and
the poses called asanas – for an additional three months. The first phase of the study found that Yoga
produced a significant improvement in both their arrhythmias and emotional well
being. Since it does involve physical
effort, you should check with your doctor first.
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