by Nina and Baxter
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| De Jur, Age 57 |
“So, short of unconsciousness, I feel that there is no condition that yoga could not potentially help with!”
In Baxter’s post Health Problems that Yoga Can't Help With, he made the dramatic statement that he felt there is no condition that yoga could not potentially help with. His reasoning was:
“Yoga certainly can bring our minds and bodies into better balance, and seems to support many of the healing systems in our own bodies in working more efficiently. And, of course, stress management, pain management, and bolstering the immune system via yoga can always help at some level with just about any conceivable health issue we may face, even if you are dying.”
Since then, the two of us have been working on identifying the basic strategies that will provide the help he was describing. These six strategies can be used on their own or in any combination as required by the condition. For example, if you are recovering from cancer, you could work on muscular/skeletal health for weakness, immune system support for healing, and stress management for emotional health.
We want to be clear, however. For the most part, these strategies cannot replace Western medicine. In many cases, what you are doing with the yoga is supporting healing, rehabilitating after treatment, or even just providing relief from pain and comfort care. See 5 Ways Yoga Can Affect Your Health for information on this. (Exceptions might include conditions such as anxiety and insomnia that an be managed and even “cured” by yoga practice.)
For information on the specific health problems you can address with yoga, see Common Minor Problems Yoga Can Help With and Common Serious Problems Yoga Can Help With.
Yoga Strategies for Addressing Health Problems
1. Muscular/Skeletal Health. You can use the asana practice to improve the health of the musculoskeletal system by working on strength, flexibility, balance, and agility.
Improving muscle strength can help with any condition that causes weakness, such as sarcopenia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, post-broken bone recovery with secondary weakness from disuse, or having been bedridden as a result of illness or surgery. Improving bone strength can help with osteoporosis and osteopenia (see Yoga and Strength: An Overview).
Improving flexibility can help with any condition that causes stiffness, such as osteoarthritis or Parkinson’s Disease (see Yoga and Flexibility: An Overview).
Improving balance can help with any condition that reduces this physical skill, including frailty from aging and inactivity, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, peripheral neuropathy from diabetes, and poor eyesight (see Yoga and Balance: An Overview).
Improving agility can help with any condition that affects nimbleness and response time, including any condition that affects balance in general as well as the slowing of brain-body nerve conduction resulting from aging (see Yoga and Agility: An Overview).
Overall the asana practice improves posture, which help problems caused by poor physical alignment, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and back pain.
2. Immune System Support. Using yoga to support the immune system can help foster healing from a wide range of illnesses, including post severe flu, auto-immune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer, and can boost immune system functioning in those with immune system disorders, such as HIV/AIDS and adrenal insufficiency. See Yoga and the Immune System.
3. Stress Management. Yoga’s stress management tools allow you to reduce chronic stress, helping to prevent and/or manage stress-related diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, and digestive disorders. See About Stress: Acute vs. Chronic and The Relaxation Response and Yoga for information. Stress management can also help with emotional disorders—including anxiety and depression—that are caused or exacerbated by stress.
Stress management also helps reduce inflammation, potentially helping inflammation-related problems, including as most forms of arthritis, as well as gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac disease and leaky gut syndrome (see Chronic Inflammation and Yoga).
4. Pain Management. Yoga’s pain management techniques allow you to provide relief for a wide range of conditions that cause chronic pain, from migraines to severe osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and cancer. See How and Why Yoga Helps with Pain and Yoga for Pain Management for more information.
5. Cardiovascular and Circulatory System Health. You can use yoga practices to maintain or improve circulation in your cardiovascular system, which is essential for heart health, as well as the health of your other organs (including your brain). Reducing chronic stress also helps prevent heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias, and other circulatory system problems. See Heart Health and Yoga and About Yoga for Heart Health and Circulation for more information.
6. Respiratory Health. Yoga asanas, breath awareness, and pranayama can help improve lung function to foster general health and can help with respiratory diseases, such as mild asthma and COPD. See The Respiratory System and Yoga for more information.
Yoga Strategies for Addressing Health Problems
1. Muscular/Skeletal Health. You can use the asana practice to improve the health of the musculoskeletal system by working on strength, flexibility, balance, and agility.
Improving muscle strength can help with any condition that causes weakness, such as sarcopenia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, post-broken bone recovery with secondary weakness from disuse, or having been bedridden as a result of illness or surgery. Improving bone strength can help with osteoporosis and osteopenia (see Yoga and Strength: An Overview).
Improving flexibility can help with any condition that causes stiffness, such as osteoarthritis or Parkinson’s Disease (see Yoga and Flexibility: An Overview).
Improving balance can help with any condition that reduces this physical skill, including frailty from aging and inactivity, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, peripheral neuropathy from diabetes, and poor eyesight (see Yoga and Balance: An Overview).
Improving agility can help with any condition that affects nimbleness and response time, including any condition that affects balance in general as well as the slowing of brain-body nerve conduction resulting from aging (see Yoga and Agility: An Overview).
Overall the asana practice improves posture, which help problems caused by poor physical alignment, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and back pain.
2. Immune System Support. Using yoga to support the immune system can help foster healing from a wide range of illnesses, including post severe flu, auto-immune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer, and can boost immune system functioning in those with immune system disorders, such as HIV/AIDS and adrenal insufficiency. See Yoga and the Immune System.
3. Stress Management. Yoga’s stress management tools allow you to reduce chronic stress, helping to prevent and/or manage stress-related diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, and digestive disorders. See About Stress: Acute vs. Chronic and The Relaxation Response and Yoga for information. Stress management can also help with emotional disorders—including anxiety and depression—that are caused or exacerbated by stress.
Stress management also helps reduce inflammation, potentially helping inflammation-related problems, including as most forms of arthritis, as well as gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac disease and leaky gut syndrome (see Chronic Inflammation and Yoga).
4. Pain Management. Yoga’s pain management techniques allow you to provide relief for a wide range of conditions that cause chronic pain, from migraines to severe osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and cancer. See How and Why Yoga Helps with Pain and Yoga for Pain Management for more information.
5. Cardiovascular and Circulatory System Health. You can use yoga practices to maintain or improve circulation in your cardiovascular system, which is essential for heart health, as well as the health of your other organs (including your brain). Reducing chronic stress also helps prevent heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias, and other circulatory system problems. See Heart Health and Yoga and About Yoga for Heart Health and Circulation for more information.
6. Respiratory Health. Yoga asanas, breath awareness, and pranayama can help improve lung function to foster general health and can help with respiratory diseases, such as mild asthma and COPD. See The Respiratory System and Yoga for more information.
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