In order to bring you the best possible user experience, this site uses Javascript. If you are seeing this message, it is likely that the Javascript option in your browser is disabled. For optimal viewing of this site, please ensure that Javascript is enabled for your browser.
 EMAIL TO FRIEND     |      PRINTER FRIENDLY     |    
          advertisement

Yoga

By: National Institutes of Health

Yoga is a way of life that includes ethical precepts, dietary prescriptions, and physical exercise. Its practitioners have long known that their discipline has the capacity to alter mental and bodily responses normally thought to be far beyond a person’s ability to modulate them. During the past 80 years, health professionals in India and the West have begun to investigate the therapeutic potential of yoga. To date, thousands of research studies have been undertaken and have shown that with the practice of yoga a person can, indeed, learn to control such physiologic parameters as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory function, metabolic rate, skin resistance, brain waves, body temperature, and many other bodily functions.

Regular yogic meditation also has been shown to reduce anxiety levels; cause the heart to work more efficiently and decrease respiratory rate; lower blood pressure and alter brain waves; increase communication between the right and left brain; reduce cholesterol levels (when used with diet and exercise); help people stop smoking; and successfully treat arthritis.

Adapted from Alternative Medicine: Expanding Medical Horizons, a report prepared under the auspices of the Workshop on Alternative Medicine, held in Chantilly VA on September 14-16, 1992.

Disclaimer: The NIH cautions users not to seek the therapies described on these pages without the consultation of a licensed healthcare provider. Inclusion of a treatment or resource on the NCCAM Web site does not imply endorsement by the NCCAM, the NIH, or the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

 

advertisement

Sneeze No More

Sneeze No More

You’ll find it easy to avoid allergies.

Love the outdoors again
advertisement
Home  |  Health Centers  |  Health A-Z  |  Staying Healthy  |  Diet & Fitness  |  Woman & Family  |  Pregnancy  |  Community

also on iVillage: Pregnancy & Parenting  |  Beauty & Style  |  Home & Garden  |  Food  |  Weddings  |  Love  |  Entertainment

Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Site Map  |  Newsletters  |  Feedback

Copyright (c) 2000-2008 iVillage Inc. All rights reserved. The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.