Thanks. Sukla
On 23/06/2015, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > The one disease yoga is proclaimed to be a panacea is hypertension. Yogis > claim that once you are into yoga you can altogether stop anti BP drugs. > Just see what these 3 studies tell us. > 1.Meta analysis published in American journal of Hypertension in 2014 says > > ///Yoga was effective as an adjunct intervention to antihypertensive > medication but not as an alternative. Yoga seems to be equally effective as > conventional exercise or diet.///. Am J Hypertens (2014) 27 (9): > 1146-1151. > 2.The other meta analysis which was published in 2013 which included not > only RCTs concluded > ///The level of overall blood pressure reduction achieved by yoga is > similar > to that of other lifestyle modifications advocated by current guidelines, > including exercise and reduced intake of sodium and alcohol///. > Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2013, Article > ID 649836, > 3. The JIPMER cross over RCT is small but elegantly designed study. > Participants divided into 4 groups. 1. Control 2. Salt reduction 3. Brisk > walking 50-60mts for 3-4 days a week 4. Yoga for 30-40mts at least 5 days a > week > After 8 weeks they change the groups and again continue for 8 weeks > Their conclusion was though BP is reduced in all 3 intervention arms, brisk > walking was the best intervention for lowering the BP when compared to low > salt diet and Yoga. > Dr Saji Kumar > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: Sukla Sen > Date: 06/23/15 22:39:22 > To: [email protected] > Subject: Yoga Facts vis-a-vis Myths: Another Informed Account > > [Most of the mainstream media went into an overdrive with anchors, > experts, celebrities and politicians claiming how great Yoga is. Most > of them said its practice kept them fit, while hardcore fans claimed > that it was effective against a lot of illnesses from cancer to > hypertension. What was however, unanswered in the excitement and hype, > was how different it was from other forms of exercises in terms of > results. Barring the personal testimonies of its diehard fans, many of > whom also believed that ancient India was the repository of even > modern scientific and technological knowledge, the mainstream media > hardly presented any scientific evidence to demonstrate the > superiority of Yoga. Neither were there any counter-views. It was a > one-sided revelry that bolstered the Indian fantasy of a super power. > ... > Not that Yoga is not beneficial. Nobody says that. People feel good > and healthy doing it. But a lot of others, who do regular exercises > also feel the same. Those who run, cycle and do weight training also > vouch for the “high”, the rush of endorphins, they get. There may be > several more millions engaged in exercises such as walking, running, > cycling, stretching and weight training than those practising Yoga and > reaping equal or better benefits - but they don’t make a single cohort > because there is no brand that unifies them as Yoga does and there is > no allure of spirituality and “5000 years” of heritage behind what > they do. > Here’s where scientific enquiry must play an important part. Other > than being a good exercise, does it really have the healing powers as > many claim. ... > ... > If it’s about real numbers and relevance to contemporary India, what > the country should celebrate is the UN’s World Toilet Day, because we > have nearly two-third of the world’s open defecators and half of our > fellow citizens do it openly, often shamelessly in groups. By > revelling in reflected glory of the global popularity of Yoga, we are > not only escaping to an imaginary past to cover up our failures, but > are also indulging in yet another round of delusional cultural > revivalism for political reasons. ] > > http://www.firstpost > com/india/sorry-yoga-fans-heres-a-reality-check-your-hollowed-asanas-are-no-b > tter-than-running-around-the-track-2306408.html > > Sorry Yoga fans, here's a reality check: Your hollowed [read: > hallowed] asanas are no better than running around the track > by G Pramod Kumar Jun 22, 2015 15:58 IST > > With the UN-backed International Yoga Day on Sunday, which apparently > has made into the Guinness Book of records for its sheer numbers, > Indians who are proud of the country’s ancient past can be gratified > that the world has seen it. The day was indeed unprecedented because > such a public display of people stretching and bending in large > numbers in world capitals was new. > > That India, or rather the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was the force > behind this global spectacle will certainly make a lot of Indians > proud. It was him, who had urged the UN General Assembly in 2014 to > set aside a day for yoga. Subsequently, India’s resolution on the > proposal drew the largest ever number of cosponsors in the General > Assembly. Leading the show in Dehli on Sunday, he said: “I believe > that from the 21st of June, through the International Day of Yoga, it > is not just the beginning of a day but the beginning of a new age > through which we will achieve greater heights of peace, good will and > train the human spirit.” > ***Most of the mainstream media went into an overdrive with anchors, > experts, celebrities and politicians claiming how great Yoga is. Most > of them said its practice kept them fit, while hardcore fans claimed > that it was effective against a lot of illnesses from cancer to > hypertension. What was however, unanswered in the excitement and hype, > was how different it was from other forms of exercises in terms of > results. Barring the personal testimonies of its diehard fans, many of > whom also believed that ancient India was the repository of even > modern scientific and technological knowledge, the mainstream media > hardly presented any scientific evidence to demonstrate the > superiority of Yoga. Neither were there any counter-views. It was a > one-sided revelry that bolstered the Indian fantasy of a super > power.*** [Emphasis added.] > > PTI image.PTI image. > > ***Not that Yoga is not beneficial. Nobody says that. People feel good > and healthy doing it. But a lot of others, who do regular exercises > also feel the same. Those who run, cycle and do weight training also > vouch for the “high”, the rush of endorphins, they get. There may be > several more millions engaged in exercises such as walking, running, > cycling, stretching and weight training than those practising Yoga and > reaping equal or better benefits - but they don’t make a single cohort > because there is no brand that unifies them as Yoga does and there is > no allure of spirituality and “5000 years” of heritage behind what > they do.*** [Rmphasis added.] > > ***Here’s where scientific enquiry must play an important part. Other > than being a good exercise, does it really have the healing powers as > many claim.*** [Emphasis added.] The best way to answer these claims > are Randomised Control Trials (RCT) than personal testimonies. RCTs, > which are the gold standard for clinical trials, in simplest terms > means a study (with random sampling) in which people receiving > treatment (Yoga, in this case), called treatment group, are compared > with those who don’t receive it, called control group. (To know if > Yoga is better than other forms of exercises, the treatment group > should be Yoga practitioners and the control group, people who are > doing other exercises.) > > Although a lot of RCTs have been done for Yoga, for the tall > therapeutic claims its apostles make, the body of work is quite > limited. And importantly, the results are far from impressive. At > best, the trials show nothing more than some benign, positive signs. > It’s impossible to do a meta-analysis in a media column, but let’s > take a look at some of the RCTs published in reputed, peer-reviewed > journals. > > One of the common ailments that Yoga seems to help is lower back pain. > A lot of people vouch for it, but what has scientific studies say? > According to this RCT in the Journal of American Medical Association > (JAMA), it’s not more effective than stretching exercises. In fact, > the study says:”Yoga classes were more effective than a self-care > book, but not more effective than stretching classes, in improving > function and reducing symptoms due to chronic low back pain, with > benefits lasting at least several months.” > > Asthma is another common illness that Yoga apparently alleviates. Does > it really help? Take a look at this 2014 study in the journal “Annals > of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology”, which took into account the > results of 14 RCTs. And the result? “Yoga cannot be considered a > routine intervention for asthmatic patients at this point. It can be > considered an ancillary intervention or an alternative to breathing > exercises for asthma patients interested in complementary > interventions.” > > What it practically says is that Yoga doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t > help either. A Cochrane (a global medical research network that > academics and medical practitioners rely on) review in 2013 was even > more direct, when it said that “no conclusive evidence in this review > supports or refutes the efficacy of such intervention in the treatment > of adult patients with asthma.” > It doesn’t help in arthritis, another great reason to practice Yoga > for many, either. This German study, which analysed eight RCTs, in > Oxford Rheumatology journal finds no reason to suggest even ancillary > use of Yoga for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, > the common arthritic diseases. > > Now, the bigger claim - cancer. This study published in The Journal > of Clinical Oncology in 2007 did find that Yoga improved emotional > well-being and mood among breast cancer survivors, not their survival > rate or treatment effectiveness. However, the huge limitation of the > study is that it compared people doing yoga with people not doing it, > not with people doing some other form of exercise. > > So, the summary of the story is that there is no conclusive evidence > that demonstrates Yoga’s health benefits or its superiority over other > forms of structured exercises. As this Scientific American article > notes, any form of regular exercise gives one a high, makes one feel > physically and mentally good, and less stressful. > > There’s no denying the fact that Yoga is popular all over the world, > but what drives it is its commercialisation and the sex-appeal as a > spiritual-lifestyle fad. In the US alone, it’s a 27 billion dollar > industry and its popular image is that of a slender and taut female, > as this Huffington Post article notes”. The yoga body is Gwyneth > Paltrow's body -- the elongated feminine form.” How true! > > Therefore, the numbers of people and countries that made some Indians > proud on Sunday doesn’t mean much because, it’s a free brand of > pop-spirituality and exercise that thousands of entrepreneurs cash in > on. India’s call for a UN day for the brand is great news for them, > because it means free publicity and more money. Mobilising people to > the streets to do those fancy stretches (unlike in India where people > with ungainly paunches were struggling) is in their interest. > > ***If it’s about real numbers and relevance to contemporary India, > what the country should celebrate is the UN’s World Toilet Day, > because we have nearly two-third of the world’s open defecators and > half of our fellow citizens do it openly, often shamelessly in groups. > By revelling in reflected glory of the global popularity of Yoga, we > are not only escaping to an imaginary past to cover up our failures, > but are also indulging in yet another round of delusional cultural > revivalism for political reasons.*** [Emphasis added.]] > -- > Peace Is Doable > > -- > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > Sacred Illusions" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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