Though yoga is touted to have many health benefits, it may not be as beneficial for asthma sufferers as previously believed, a new study reveals.
A team of researchers examined 14 previously published studies to determine the effectiveness of yoga in the treatment of asthma. It included 824 adults from North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. After checking for evidence that yoga improves control, symptoms, quality of life and lung function in patients with asthma, researchers found no significant evidence that confirmed yoga alleviates asthma symptoms.
"Many people practice yoga for its health benefits, including asthma sufferers," said Holger Cramer, PhD, lead author of the study, in a press statement. "We reviewed the available data to see if it made a difference and found only weak evidence that it does. Yoga can't be considered a routine intervention for patients with asthma at this time. But it can be considered an alternative to breathing exercises for asthma patients interested in complementary interventions."
According to the study authors, the best way to deal with asthma is to prevent its symptoms. This can be done by getting a clear idea about the situations that prompt attacks so that they can be avoided in the future. If asthma attacks are severe, unpredictable or flare up more than twice a week, then asthma treatment with a long-term control medication is recommended. Long-term medications are preventive, taken daily and can achieve and maintain control of asthma symptoms.
Since only one study included children as participants, researchers were not able to determine how effective yoga is in dealing with asthma symptoms for kids.
"Many asthma sufferers look to complementary therapies, such as yoga, to help relieve their symptoms," said allergist Michael Foggs, MD, ACAAI president. "If yoga helps them to feel better and breathe better, patients should by all means practice it. At the same time, we don't advise that yoga be recommended to asthma sufferers as a treatment."
Findings of the study were published in the June issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
