By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.
“many people who practice yoga report a deep sense of relaxation, substantially increased flexibility and blood and oxygen supply after regular classes—regardless of aerobic exercise. In addition, some reports suggest that because yoga can decrease stress, it may be helpful in controlling glucose levels in people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.” – Jacqueline Shahar
Diabetes is a major health issue. It is estimated that 30 million people in the United States have diabetes and the numbers are growing. Type 2 diabetes is a common and increasingly prevalent illness that is largely preventable. Although this has been called adult-onset diabetes it is increasingly being diagnosed in children. One of the reasons for the increasing incidence of Type 2 Diabetes is its association with overweight and obesity which is becoming epidemic in the industrialized world.
Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. In addition, diabetes is heavily associated with other diseases such as cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and circulatory problems leading to amputations. As a result, diabetes doubles the risk of death of any cause compared to individuals of the same age without diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes results from a resistance of tissues, especially fat tissues, to the ability of insulin to promote the uptake of glucose from the blood. As a result, blood sugar levels rise producing hyperglycemia.
A leading cause of this tissue resistance to insulin is overweight and obesity and a sedentary life style. Unlike Type I Diabetes, Type II does not require insulin injections. Instead, the treatment and prevention of Type 2 Diabetes focuses on diet, exercise, and weight control. Recently, mindfulness practices have been shown to be helpful in managing diabetes.
A mindfulness practice that combines mindfulness with exercise is yoga and it has been shown to be helpful in the treatment of Type II Diabetes. Yoga practice is primarily provided in groups where everyone performs exactly the same postures, body scans, and meditation. Yoga Therapy, on the other hand, is a method of applying yoga practice for the treatment of mental and physical conditions that is customized to the individuals’ needs.
In today’s Research News article “Impact of individualized yoga therapy on perceived quality of life performance on cognitive tasks and depression among Type II diabetic patients.” See:
or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4959323/
Satish and Lakshmi apply yoga therapy, individualized practice, to the treatment of Type II Diabetes. Patients with Type II diabetes were recruited and assessed before and after yoga therapy treatment for diabetes quality of life, depression, cognitive ability, and postprandial blood sugar, fasting blood sugar, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA1c). Participants received yoga therapy in 12 individualized sessions over 3 months, including postures, breathing exercises, chants, and diet advice.
They found that following yoga therapy the patients showed significantly reduced depression levels and frequencies of depression and improvements in cognition, including improved attentional inhibition of irrelevant information and short-term memory. The patients with diabetes also showed lower fasting blood sugar levels. In addition, the patients reported improved quality of life, including better sleep quality, lower craving for food, and improved subjective well-being.
These results are encouraging and clearly demonstrates that yoga therapy is effective in treating Type II diabetes. There are a number of possible mechanism of how yoga could produce these positive effects including the fact that yoga practice involves physical exercise and exercise has been repeatedly found to be beneficial for Type 2 Diabetes patients. Yoga may also act by reducing body weight and body fat, improving the management of stress, reducing physiological activation by the nervous system, or through encouraging a generally healthier lifestyle. But it is unclear if the individualized yoga therapy is superior to group yoga practice. Future research is needed to compare the effectiveness of the two.
So, improve type ii diabetes with yoga therapy.
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
“there’s nothing to fret about because the condition can be controlled with a little awareness and care. Good food, regular exercise, and a few minutes of yoga practice everyday – the three golden rules to remember if you are a diabetic.” – Art of Living
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Study Summary
Latha Satish, V Subbu Lakshmi. Impact of individualized yoga therapy on perceived quality of life performance on cognitive tasks and depression among Type II diabetic patients. Int J Yoga. 2016 Jul-Dec; 9(2): 130–136. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.183707
Abstract
Context: An individualized approach of providing yoga support can address many of the disease-related concerns indicated in the management of diabetes, specifically the impact on other life activities and long-term functional wellbeing.
Aim: To analyze the role of regular yoga practice as a self-management approach to achieve glycemic control and psychological wellbeing in Type II diabetic patients.
Methods: Ninety-one subjects of both sexes responded to the announcement and consented to participate in the study. This was a single group, before and after yoga evaluation without control comparison. The fasting and postprandial blood sugar, glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA1c), cognitive tasks, depression, cognitive failure, and diabetic-related quality of life (QOL) were measured as pretest. The subjects underwent one-to-one individualized yoga therapy sessions, which included 12 supervised sessions spread over a 3-month period. The posttest data were analyzed using paired t-test and Wilcoxon paired rank test.
Results: Showed significant reduction in fasting blood sugar. QOL of the diabetic patients had improved significantly. There was a significant reduction in the frequency (mean difference of 7.58, P > 0.01) of depressive symptoms and intensity of depression (mean difference 1.66, P > 0.05). Concentration and attention span improved significantly and mean discrepancy score reduced (mean difference 3.42, P > 0.01). There were no marked changes in the postprandial blood sugar and HBA1c.
Conclusion: Yoga practice enhances the subjective wellbeing, QOL, improves mood and concentration, and facilitates achievement of adequate glycemic control among Type II diabetic patients.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4959323/