Yoga for MS
This pilot study was found to be feasible and safe for people with moderate disability due to MS. Wonderfully, these 8 weeks of yoga were found to have a positive effect on physical performance, mental function, and quality of life in people with moderate MS-related disability, and statistically significant improvement was noted in several variables.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28243184
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition of the central nervous system.
In MS, the coating around nerve fibres (called myelin) is damaged, causing a range of symptoms. More than 100,000 people in the UK have MS. Symptoms usually start in a person's 20s and 30s and it affects almost three times as many women as men.
A recent meta-analysis concluded that yoga was more effective than usual care in improving mood and perceived fatigue in people with MS. In this new pilot study linked here, 14 participants attended twice-weekly 90-minute yoga sessions included yoga philosophy, breathing practices (pranayama), postures (asanas), meditation, and deep relaxation. In total, 16 classes were provided across 8 weeks. In addition, participants were provided with instructions for home practice that was to be performed on the days that class did not meet.
This pilot study was found to be feasible and safe for people with moderate disability due to MS. Wonderfully, these 8 weeks of yoga were found to have a positive effect on physical performance, mental function, and quality of life in people with moderate MS-related disability, and statistically significant improvement was noted in several variables. Many of the improvements observed at post-intervention carried over to follow-up. Researchers concluded that their findings suggest that yoga is a safe and effective intervention for individuals with moderate MS-related disability when adequate supervision and safety measures are used.
