By Vera Viner
Breast cancer survivors are often stuck overcoming a multitude of side effects of treatment for months or years after their medical care ends. One major problem is fatigue. Women are often left feeling exhausted, which is troublesome when work deadlines are looming, children need attention, or family obligations are impending.
Luckily, a new study stemming from Ohio State University shows that yoga may help reduce the fatigue and sleeping troubles of breast cancer survivors after they have undergone treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, according to Health Day News. The study was published in the January edition of “The Journal of Clinical Oncology.” As many as 60 percent of breast cancer survivors also claim to have trouble sleeping, which may be adding to the fatigue they feel.
“Even some years out from breast cancer treatment, anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of women report substantial levels of fatigue,” study author Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University, told the source.
Kiecolt-Glaser and her colleagues gathered 200 women between age 27 to 76 as subjects for their study on whether yoga can alleviate fatigue. All of these women had been survivors for three years or less. Half of the women were recruited to participate in Hatha yoga for two 90-minute sessions every week. The rest were left as a control group.
After three months, the women taking yoga reported they were feeling more alive and were sleeping better. After six months, they were feeling 60 percent less fatigue than the women in the control group. Additionally, the measurements of their inflammation were 13 to 20 percent lower than those not practicing yoga. The Boston Globe reported that these women had 20 percent lower levels of proteins that are markers for inflammation circulating the cardiovascular system. Excess inflammation has been linked with breast cancer recurrence, heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes. Clearly, anything that lowers inflammation should be incorporated into your weekly routine!
“It’s pretty consistent now across a number of different studies that yoga can be useful for improving symptoms like fatigue and sleep disturbances, which are extremely prevalent in breast cancer survivors and cancer survivors, in general,” Lorenzo Cohen, director of the integrative medicine program at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, told Health Day News.
Whether you are a breast cancer survivor or just looking to stay healthy, you may want to consider incorporating yoga into your life. It could prevent health issues and keep you more vibrant!
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