(Integrative Medicine) - Adults who suffer from a severe form asthma that does not improve with inhaled steroids, may now find relief in the ancient Indian practice of Sahaja yoga. A new study in the journal Thorax has found that this type of yoga improves certain asthma symptoms in adults who are otherwise resistant to moderate to high doses of inhaled steroids.

Fifty-nine adults with moderate to severe asthma were randomly assigned to either a Sahaja yoga (an Indian system of meditation based on yogic principles) group or a control intervention group. Subjects from both groups were required to attend a two-hour session once a week for 4 months. Participants in the Sahaja yoga group were instructed to accomplish "thoughtless awareness" or "mental silence" for a period of 10 to 20 minutes twice each day. The control intervention group learned relaxation methods and participated in group discussion and cognitive-behavior therapy classes. Researchers measured asthma symptoms at the beginning of the study, at the end of the 4-month treatment period, and at a follow-up visit two months later.

At the end of the treatment period, participants in the yoga group were less sensitive to "trigger" substances (those that normally trigger an asthma attack) than those in the control group. Yoga participants were also less depressed, angry, and moody than those in the control group. These beneficial effects were short-lived, however, and were no longer apparent at the two-month follow-up visit. The researchers also failed to detect any noticeable improvements in lung function at the 2-month visit.

The researchers conclude that "in patients who express an interest in [non-drug] treatments for asthma, the practice of Sahaja yoga does have limited beneficial effects on some objective and subjective measures of the impact of asthma."

References

Manocha R, Marks GB, Kenchington P, Peters D, Salome CM. Sahaja yoga in the management of moderate to severe asthma: a randomised controlled trial. Thorax. 2002;57:110-115.