- Researchers say yoga could assist folks with epilepsy cut back the frequency of seizures.
- They add that yoga can also assist folks take care of the stigma generally related to epilepsy.
- Experts say the examine provides to wealth of proof that mind-body work has bodily advantages in addition to stress aid.
Some “downward dog” may very well be man’s (and lady’s) finest buddy relating to managing epilepsy.
A brand new examine reviews that doing yoga could assist cut back seizure frequency, nervousness, and emotions of stigma that often comes with having epilepsy.
The analysis was revealed immediately in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“People with epilepsy often face stigma that can cause them to feel different than others due to their own health condition and that can have a significant impact on their quality of life,” mentioned Dr. Manjari Tripathi, a examine writer and neurologist with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, in an announcement. “This stigma can affect a person’s life in many ways including treatment, emergency department visits, and poor mental health. Our study showed that doing yoga can alleviate the burden of epilepsy and improve the overall quality of life by reducing this perceived stigma.”
Researchers checked out folks with epilepsy with a median age of 30 in India.
They measured stigma primarily based on individuals’ solutions to questions on being discriminated in opposition to, feeling totally different from different folks, and whether or not they really feel they contribute to society.
The scientists then recognized 160 folks assembly the factors for experiencing stigma. Participants averaged one seizure per week and, on common, took at the least two anti-seizure medicines.
The workforce then randomly chosen topics to obtain yoga remedy or sham yoga remedy.
Yoga remedy included workout routines in loosening muscular tissues, respiratory, meditation and optimistic affirmations.
Each group participated in seven supervised group classes of 45 to 60 minutes over three months. They had been additionally requested to do yoga at home at the least 5 instances per week for half-hour, whereas monitoring seizures and yoga classes in a journal.
After three months of yoga remedy, researchers adopted individuals for an additional three months.
Researchers reported that folks doing yoga had been extra prone to have diminished notion of stigma.
The workforce additionally found individuals who did yoga had been greater than 4 instances as prone to have greater than a 50% discount of their seizure frequency after six months than the individuals who did sham yoga.
There was additionally a big lower in nervousness signs for individuals who did yoga in comparison with individuals who didn’t. Researchers mentioned they noticed enhancements in high quality of life measures and mindfulness.
“These study findings elevate the need to consider alternative therapies and activities for people with epilepsy facing stigma,” Tripathi mentioned in an announcement. “Yoga may not only help reduce stigma but also improve quality of life and mindfulness. Plus, yoga can be easily prerecorded and shared with patients online using minimal resources and costs.”
The authors acknowledged {that a} limitation of the examine was that individuals self-reported their seizure frequency and so they could not have remembered all the knowledge precisely.
Dr. Sandipan Pati, an affiliate professor of neurology with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston who was not concerned within the examine, advised Medical News Today that stress is a vital position in whether or not somebody’s epilepsy worsens.
“If stress is managed well, then the outcome of disease can be better including quality of life,” Pati mentioned. “In epilepsy, stress plays a very important role by precipitating seizures and worsening sleep.”
Ryan Glatt, a senior mind well being coach and director of the FitBrain Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in California who was not concerned within the examine, advised Medical News Today the examine provides to the prevailing physique of proof that mind-body train practices, reminiscent of yoga, can have psychological well being advantages.
“Future studies may incorporate different groups comparing yoga to meditation and standard-of-care treatment to better understand the specific benefits of yoga and other stress-reducing interventions,” Glatt mentioned. “More research is needed to better understand how yoga might benefit those with epilepsy, but there may be effects on stress, brain activity, and neurotransmitter function according to this 2012 study.”
Dr. Juliann Paolicchi, the director of Pediatric Epilepsy of Neurology at Staten Island University Hospital in New York, is a yoga practitioner who was not concerned within the examine.
She mentioned that whereas the results of yoga have been studied extensively, this examine is novel in that it focuses on the stigma of the situation. But there are nonetheless inquiries to be answered, she mentioned.
“The ‘why’ is an even more important aspect? Because they felt better as a whole about themselves? Because they felt less stress, anxiety, and tension overall? Because they felt more control over their epilepsy? These issues lead to even more interesting exploration from this study,” Paolicchi mentioned.
Paolicchi added that yoga doesn’t simply have an effect on the psychological state of somebody with epilepsy.
“Regulated breathing and guided meditation have been shown to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system through the vagus nerve,” Paolicchi mentioned. “Interestingly, vagus nerve activation through directed neuromodulation pacemakers have also been shown to reduce seizures over time and lessen the impact of seizures.”
“Vagus nerve stimulation also decreases the length, severity of seizures and the post-ictal recovery phase. It is just speculation, but the connection between these modalities is intriguing,” she added.
Paolicchi mentioned she will be able to attest to the calming, grounding energy of yoga.
“Regular utilization of breathing techniques can also provide a decrease in anxiety and stress,” she mentioned. “I regularly practice brief sessions of focused breathing in my clinics of epilepsy, anxiety, and migraine patients to demonstrate the ease and accessibility of these techniques. And everyone prefers non-pharmacologic therapies to their conditions.”
