Breathing exercises for anxiety can help psychiatric patients, scientists say
Millions of people around the world suffer from psychiatric disorders that can severely impact their quality of life. Day to day, these individuals must deal with debilitating fear and anxiety, which can prevent them from striving for their full potential. Managing personal and professional duties may also be more challenging in the face of a mental illness. So what can these people do to feel calmer and more centered?
According to scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in Bangalore, yoga may be the remedy that psychiatric patients are looking for. The holistic Eastern regimen originated centuries ago but has since gained a great deal of popularity among Westerners for its relaxing, rejuvenating qualities. The program features poses, stretches and breathing exercises for anxiety, and is considered one of the more effective pain management options for a variety of ailments.
Lead researcher B.N. Gangadhar and his team, who published their paper in the Journal of Affective Disorders, explained that some physicians are skeptical about the efficacy of yoga as a therapy for illness, rather than as a preventive measure that promotes health. However, they pointed out that there is much evidence supporting the use of the gentle regimen as a method for treating various disorders, including psychiatric conditions.
The scientists recruited 61 individuals who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, assigning one half of them to a four-month yoga therapy class. The other half was asked to engage in typical aerobic activities, such as jogging. At the end of the study period, Gangadhar and his colleagues discovered that the people who had performed yoga showed significantly greater improvement than those in the other group.
Such findings are becoming more common and suggest that the holistic art of yoga may be an effective, natural method of alleviating the symptoms of many illnesses.
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Tags: breathing exercises, breathing exercises for anxiety, pain management, pain management options
