(dailyRx)
You probably think exercising is expending energy. After all that’s what running and aerobics require. But yoga, which involves the opposite, has been shown to be healthy for people. Breathing, meditating, and stretching don’t seem like hard work, much less exercise.
Yet new research shows that yoga is the perfect physical activity for people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and fibromyalgia. It’s important for people with RA to stay physically active. Otherwise, their joints can become stiffer and lose mobility. And it turns out that people living with RA who practiced yoga on a regular basis felt better and saw improvements in their disease.
This new study included 47 patients, where 26 practiced yoga and the remaining people had not. Those who participated in the 12-session yoga study showed better scores in disease activity and health assessments than those who did not practice yoga.
Humeira Badsha, M.D., a rheumatologist and founder of the Emirates Arthritis Foundation says he believes “that practicing yoga longer term could in fact result in further significant improvements”.
A separate study evaluating the impact yoga had on patients with fibromyalgia also showed measurable improvements.
There are a number of types of yoga that offer therapeutic benefits. Learning gentle yoga postures, breathing techniques and practicing quiet meditation on a regular basis can help just about anyone.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
There are approximately 1.3 million rheumatoid arthritis sufferers in the United States, about 75 percent of whom are women. Rheumatoid arthritis damages the joints, most commonly in the hands, feet, and cervical spine. Inflammation can also affects other organs and systems in the body such as the skin, lungs (fibrosis), kidneys (amyloid protein deposits), and cardiovascular system (increased risk for heart attack and stroke, as well as fibrosis and pericarditis).
There are many prescription medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis such as hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), chloroquine (Aralen), leflunomide (Arava), and methotrexate (Rheumatrex ). Non-pharmacological treatment includes psychical therapy, orthoses, and nutritional therapy but these do not stop progression of joint destruction. Analgesics (painkillers) and anti-inflammatory drugs, including steroids, are used to suppress the symptoms, while disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are required to inhibit or halt the underlying immune process and prevent long-term damage.