Yoga May Be Beneficial To Prostate Cancer Patients
A new study has suggested that men with prostate cancer undergoing radiation treatment may benefit greatly from practicing yoga. The study was conducted by researchers with the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and led by Dr. Neha Vapiwala. Researchers followed the progress of 27 men who volunteered to attend 75-minute yoga classes twice a week. Patients who attended the yoga classes were also undergoing radiation treatment during the study. What researchers discovered were that the men who who attended the yoga classes saw an improvement to their quality of life and a stabilization of side effects throughout their course of their radiation treatment. Researchers were able to gauge patients results by having the participants fill out a questionnaire following each yoga session.
“Data have consistently shown declines in these important measures among prostate cancer patients undergoing cancer therapy without any structured fitness interventions, so the stable scores seen with our yoga programme are really good news,” Dr. Vapiwala stated.
The authors of the study also suggested that yoga may also help to reduce both prostate cancer and treatment-related fatigue. Yoga may also help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and increase blood flow, which could improve side effects such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Dr. Vapiwala also added,
“There may also be a psychosocial benefit that derives from participation in a group fitness activity that incorporates meditation and promotes overall healthiness. And all of this ultimately improves general quality of life.”
The research group is also planning to conduct a “randomized control trial for men with prostate cancer” to compare the physical effects of Yoga on patients who practice as opposed to patients who do not. Dr. Vapiwala and her colleagues presented their research findings during the 12th International Conference of the Society of Integrative Oncology which was held in Boston. While promising as the results are, the research presented at the conference should be seen as preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.
