Yoga May Help Breast Cancer Patients During Radiation Therapy | WPN World People News

Women with breast cancer who practiced yoga had lower levels of stress hormones and reported less fatigue and better quality of life, new research shows.

Yoga is having an impact on subjective well-being, as well as better regulation of cortisol, a stress hormone. Better regulation of stress hormones has been linked with better survival and longer survival.

For the new study, the researcher assigned more than 160 women with breast cancer who were undergoing radiation therapy to do either yoga or stretching up to three times a week for an hour each session. Those two groups were compared to a control group that received no instruction in either yoga or stretching.

The women reported on their quality of life, including how fatigued or depressed they felt, and described their daily functioning. They gave saliva samples at the study's start, the end of treatment, and at one, three and six months after treatment, so cortisol could be measured.

Women in the yoga group had the greatest reduction in cortisol levels across the day, which reflected the ability of yoga to help regulate stress hormones, the study noted.

After finishing radiation treatment, which is linked with fatigue, only the yoga and stretching groups reported feeling less tired, the findings showed. The yoga group had more benefits in physical functioning than the other two groups.

No differences were found between the groups for mental health and sleep quality. That may have been because all the women were doing fairly well on those measures at the study's start.

Recommending exercise to a cancer patient who is already tired may sound counterintuitive, but research suggests that's not so.

Yoga provides an important mind-body approach to help patients get physical activity, relax and calm their mind.

While yoga class offerings are widespread, it's important to find the right kind of yoga teacher. It's about doing a gentler form of yoga.

Expert suggested women with breast cancer ask their doctor first if they can participate in yoga, then find a yoga instructor with experience leading a class that includes cancer patients.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services