News from the Medical Field:

Yoga for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

A study published in JAMA 1998;280:1601-03 revealed that a yoga-based regimen was more effective then wrist splints or no treatment in relieving symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The investigators used the Iyengar approach to hatha yoga, which emphasizes proper structural alignment of the body. Why it may work is that stretching may relieve compression in the carpal tunnel, better joint function may decrease intermittent compression, and blood flow may be improved to decrease ischemic effects.

For information about Iyengar Yoga, go to our yoga pilates database and search for "Iyengar" Classes

Yoga Can Lower Blood Pressure

The American Journal of Hypertension published research presented by Dr.B.H. Sung and colleagues from Kaleida Health-Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo, New York. The researchers measured whether yoga and listening to classical music or nature sounds could relieve stress. Twelve individuals aged 22 to 55 with normal blood pressure were subjected to a task that caused mental stress, for 5 minutes. Researchers measured increases in heart rate and blood pressure to gauge stress levels.

Results show that systolic blood pressure - the top number of a blood pressure reading which reflects blood pressure when the heart contracts - returned to normal in an average time of 3.7 minutes with no intervention. Deep breathing allowed the systolic pressure to return to normal in 2.7 minutes, a significant reduction in time. Classical music brought systolic pressure down in 2.9 minutes and natural sounds in 3.0 minutes, investigators found. There was no significant reduction in heart rate recovery with any of the techniques, Sung and colleagues note.