Short yoga course improves cancer recovery

U.S. researchers said the use of Tibetan yoga helps cancer patients to sleep.

The researchers, at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, said lymphoma patients who practiced Tibetan yoga for seven weeks went to sleep faster, slept longer, had better overall sleep quality, and used less sleep medication, compared with a “control” group of patients with lymphoma who did not use yoga, say the investigators. There were, however, no differences between the groups in other “quality of life” measures, they said, including anxiety, depression and fatigue. The most likely reason for this is the study’s brief time frame. Two Tibetan practices in particular, “Tsa lung” and “Trul khor” incorporate controlled breathing and visualization, mindfulness techniques and postures, and little is known about this form of yoga and no research has examined its benefits, the researchers added. (Source: United Press International: MedLine Plus: April 2004)