New Delhi, Jan. 25 -- Yoga works much like antidepressants and psychotherapy and helps tackle most mental health problems including depression, attention deficiency and even schizophrenia, researchers have concluded, giving the ancient Indian practice science's most comprehensive thumbs up yet.

Like medication commonly prescribed for major psychiatric disorders, yoga helps modulate levels of key chemicals like serotonin, and stress hormone cortisol, a review by scientists at Duke University has confirmed.

For some illnesses, yoga may work as a standalone remedy, and in others, as an adjunct to medicine, they found.

"Additionally, there is likely to be a positive group effect when one practices yoga in a group," Dr Meera Balasubramaniam, the lead author of the research told HT.

Yoga is estimated as practiced by over 200 million people worldwide, including over 100 million in India and about 16 million in the US.

But while its general use in helping psychical and mental health is widely recognized, medical science - particularly outside India - has till now viewed its potential to tackle specific major illnesses with skepticism.

As the practice gained popularity globally through the latter half of the 20th century, with cultural icons like the Beatles and a galaxy of Hollywood stars subscribing to it, several cases of fraud gurus duping innocent people also started popping up.

Even in India, though yoga is widely accepted and followed as a cure for multiple ailments, medical doctors have had to counter outlandish - and potentially misleading - claims from popular yoga masters like Baba Ramdev.

The Haridwar-based guru in 2006 said be could cure HIV-AIDS, a claim he has been unable to substantiate.

"Yoga has become such a cultural phenomenon that it has become difficult for physicians and patients to differentiate legitimate claims from hype," the authors of the Duke research have written, in their paper published on January 24 in the respected journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. "Our goal was to examine whether the evidence matched the promise."

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Yoga gets biggest science thumbs up yet

By Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily

Some people with certain psychiatric conditions may benefit from yoga, according to a new review.

The review, which examined results from 16 well-designed studies of yoga's effect on mental illness, concluded that yoga may have positive effects for people with depression and sleep complaints even if they don't take medication, as well as for people suffering from schizophrenia and ADHD who are taking medication.

However, the review did not find a benefit for people with eating or cognitive disorders.

Studies that have looked at yoga suggest the practice influences chemical messengers in the brain, inflammation in the body, and other biological factors in much the same way antidepressants and psychotherapy do, said study researcher Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center in. [See The Science of Yoga and Why It Works.]

However, the studies in the review had limitations. Most of the studies on depression included patients with mild depression, so it's not clear if the results will apply to those with more severe forms of the disorder. Also, in many of the studies, people performed yoga in groups, and it's difficult to separate the effect of yoga from that of social interaction, Doraiswamy said.

In one study of 69 older adults with mild depression, weekly yoga sessions reduced depression scores by 40 percent at six months. A comparison group of adults who didn't take yoga, and a group that practiced a form of complementary medicine called Ayurveda, did not show changes in depression scores.

In another study of 39 adults who were sleeping poorly (they were receiving chemotherapy), seven weeks of yoga improved sleep quality and reduced the need for sleep aids. People who did not take the yoga sessions (control group) did not have an improvement in sleep.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) says people should not replace conventional medical care with yoga. Nor should people who practice yoga postpone seeing a health care provider. Patients should tell their doctor about any complementary health practices they use. Anyone with a medical condition should check with a health care provider before starting yoga, NCCAM says.

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Yoga can help depression, sleep problems

Over the past year or so, I've been frequenting a local hot yoga studio. It's one of the most intense workouts I've ever done, and I've developed a bit of an addiction to it. Hot yoga is basically a yoga class taught in a heated room--about 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Most newcomers (including myself!) can have a hard time getting used to this type of exercise, and it often takes a few weeks before they can make it through an entire session without needing a break.

[See Need Fitness Motivation? There's an Avatar for That]

Because of the combination of an elevated heart rate, focused breathing, and balancing poses, it's essential that you have laser focus on the task at hand--if you let your mind wander, you'll find yourself falling out of poses. One thing that helps is staying focused on the instructor's voice as she delivers pointers on perfecting the various poses, sprinkled with reminders on keeping your attention within and listening to your body. Maybe it's the heat getting to my brain, but I'm frequently inspired to apply these yoga mantras to the way I talk about food. Consider a few of my favorites:

"Always listen to your body." In yoga, you're encouraged to take breaks when needed, and to not judge others when they do the same. In fact, taking a break is celebrated because you're honoring your body's request. How might we eat differently if we always checked in with our body first? Think of all the times we eat without checking in--when we eat even though we're not actually hungry, or we eat beyond the point of being full, or we eat because it's fast, not because it's good. Think of the times we devour something "forbidden" because we plan to start dieting the next day. If you've gotten away from checking in with your body when it comes to eating, give yourself a few days to do just this one task: Focus on your internal cues of hunger, fullness, and desire for certain foods. See if it makes a difference in calming the chaos of your eating patterns.

[See Benefits of Yoga: How Different Types Affect Health]

"Keep your eyes on yourself." Humans are competitive, and we're constantly measuring ourselves against others. During a yoga session, if you focus on your neighbor, who's holding each pose to perfection, you're not focusing on your own body. This won't serve you because you won't be getting better at your own practice. I find that this also applies to how we eat. When we're so focused on what other people are eating, we have a harder time realizing what works for us, and we can't fine-tune our eating habits in a way that really improves our overall diet. Instead of trying to mimic that celebrity diet you read about, or live up to your friend who makes home-cooked meals for her family every night, turn your focus to the way you eat today, and adjust it to make it better. Small daily changes can make all the difference.

[See How to Find Your Ohm...]

"Allow the practice to become a moving meditation." The more you do yoga, the more it becomes second nature--and your mind will shift into a meditative state while flowing through each pose. I like to think of cooking the same way. The more time you spend in the kitchen, the more it becomes a soothing introspective process. At first, your brain has to focus on learning the cooking basics (just as you have to learn various yoga poses). Once you're more comfortable in the kitchen, you can surrender to the process of dicing and sauting, and allow it to take on a type of moving meditation. I find that spending time in my kitchen at the end of a busy day can be a great de-stressor, which ultimately helps my overall diet and my mood.

Namaste!

[See Spice Up Your Exercise Life]

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What My Yoga Instructor Taught Me About Food

Some people with certain psychiatric conditions may benefit from yoga, according to a new review.

The review, which examined results from 16 well-designed studies of yoga's effect on mental illness, concluded that yoga may have positive effects for people with depression and sleep complaints even if they don't take medication, as well as for people suffering from schizophrenia and ADHD who are taking medication.

However, the review did not find a benefit for people with eating or cognitive disorders.

Studies that have looked at yoga suggest the practice influences chemical messengers in the brain, inflammation in the body, and other biological factors in much the same way antidepressants and psychotherapy do, said study researcher Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center in. [See The Science of Yoga and Why It Works.]

However, the studies in the review had limitations. Most of the studies on depression included patients with mild depression, so it's not clear if the results will apply to those with more severe forms of the disorder. Also, in many of the studies, people performed yoga in groups, and it's difficult to separate the effect of yoga from that of social interaction, Doraiswamy said.

In one study of 69 older adults with mild depression, weekly yoga sessions reduced depression scores by 40 percent at six months. A comparison group of adults who didn't take yoga, and a group that practiced a form of complementary medicine called Ayurveda, did not show changes in depression scores.

In another study of 39 adults who were sleeping poorly (they were receiving chemotherapy), seven weeks of yoga improved sleep quality and reduced the need for sleep aids. People who did not take the yoga sessions (control group) did not have an improvement in sleep.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) says people should not replace conventional medical care with yoga. Nor should people who practice yoga postpone seeing a health care provider. Patients should tell their doctor about any complementary health practices they use. Anyone with a medical condition should check with a health care provider before starting yoga, NCCAM says.

Pass it on: Yoga may have positive effects for people with depression, complaints, schizophrenia or ADHD.

Follow Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner, or MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

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Yoga May Help Depression, Sleep Problems

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