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Yoga benefits women with breast cancer

Posted on: Wednesday, 25 February 2009, 16:38 CST

Yoga provides emotional benefits to women with breast cancer by improving mood and reducing fatigue, U.S. researchers said.

The study, published in a special issue of Psycho-Oncology focusing on physical activity, found the women with breast cancer had a 50 percent reduction in depression and a 12 percent increase in feelings of peace and meaning after the yoga sessions.

Forty-four women took part in the study, with 22 undertaking the yoga classes and 22 in the wait list control group. All of the women had breast cancer; 34 percent were actively undergoing cancer treatment while the majority had already completed treatment.

All participants completed a questionnaire at the beginning and end of the 10-week program, asking them to evaluate their quality of life through various measures.

Lead researcher Suzanne Danhauer of Wake Forest University School of Medicine said the results clearly showed that the women who had been given the RY classes experienced a wide range of benefits compared to the control group -- who were later all invited to attend identical RY classes.

RY is a gentle type of yoga which is similar to other types of yoga classes, moving the spine in all directions, but in a more passive and gentle way, the researchers said.

Women in the gentle yoga group also demonstrated a significant improvement in fatigue, while no such change was noted for the control group.

Source: United Press International

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