NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regular yoga classes could help people with a common heart rhythm problem manage their symptoms while also improving their state of mind, a new study suggests.

According to the American Heart Association, about 2.7 million people in the U.S. have atrial fibrillation (AF), in which the heart's upper chambers quiver chaotically instead of contracting normally.

People with AF are often prescribed drugs such as beta blockers to help control their heart rate and rhythm. But the medicines don't alleviate symptoms for all patients, researchers noted - which is where add-ons like yoga could come in.

"This may be something they should consider," said W. Todd Cade, a physical therapy researcher from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"Yoga could be a beneficial treatment for people with atrial fibrillation. Obviously they should talk to their doctor before they start a program," Cade, who wasn't involved in the new research, told Reuters Health.

"There are a lot of other benefits of yoga, and there aren't a lot of negatives," he added.

The new study included 49 people who'd had AF for an average of five years. For three months, researchers led by Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City tracked study volunteers' heart symptoms and their blood pressure and heart rate, as well as their anxiety, depression and general quality of life.

For the second phase of the study, the same participants went to group yoga classes at least twice a week for an additional three months, again reporting on their symptoms and quality of life.

All of the patients were on stable medications throughout the study period.

Nonetheless, the number of times they reported heart quivering - which was confirmed by a heart monitor - dropped from almost four times during the first three months to twice during the yoga intervention phase. Their average heart rate also fell from 67 beats per minute at the start of the study to between 61 and 62 bpm post-yoga.

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Yoga may aid people with irregular heart rhythm

DEAR DOCTOR K: I know yoga has a lot of physical benefits, but is it true yoga can help reduce stress as well?

DEAR READER: Many people initially come to yoga to become physically fit, but they soon discover the psychological benefits. In addition to being great exercise, yoga is one of the best antidotes to the stress of modern living. I won't go as far as saying it is a fountain of youth, but I will say it can be a fountain of calm and equanimity.

The first person I ever knew who regularly practiced yoga was an intense and ambitious young doctor. Any conversation with him was short and difficult; he completed your sentences for you and interrupted you at will. He was very smart and had a lot of valuable things to say, but that didn't mean you looked forward to talking with him.

Then something odd happened. I had a conversation with him in which he didn't interrupt me. A few weeks later, I had another. What was going on? I learned from his wife that she'd suggested, strongly, that he try yoga -- and he loved it.

In addition to physical postures and exercises, traditional yoga incorporates breath control, deep relaxation, meditation, concentration and mindfulness. These mind-body practices counteract stress by evoking the relaxation response.

When we feel stress, our bodies enter fight or flight mode. We release stress hormones that put our brain and body on high alert. This fight or flight response was of great help to our

The relaxation response is essentially the opposite of the stress response. It lowers heart rate and blood pressure and decreases the production of stress hormones. Practicing yoga leads to changes in the mind and body that promote feelings of tranquility and well-being.

My friend Dr. Herbert Benson, a famous meditation researcher here at Harvard Medical School, described the following exercises to elicit the relaxation response. Give them a try to see if they help you to feel more relaxed:

-- Select a word, mantra, prayer or thought. Focus your attention on it in a relaxed manner.

-- When other, everyday thoughts intrude, let them go. Refocus your attention on step one in a relaxed and patient manner without frustration or judgment.

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ASK DOCTOR K: Yoga can be a good antidote to stress