Breast cancer is one of the most common carcinomas in the U.S., second only to prostate tumors, according to the National Cancer Institute. Though many forms of breast cancer are treatable or even curable, the regimens patients undertake can come with awful side effects. Fortunately, stretching, posing, meditation and yoga breathing for relaxation all appear to reduce the severity of these problems.
The latest report to confirm this effect was recently published by a scientist at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. The author, medical expert Karolyn Chang, reported that yoga-based therapies appear to soothe the nausea and fatigue caused by chemotherapy for breast cancer.
She noted that the source of this effect is unclear, but that it probably stems from yoga's mixture of mental health benefits, physical effects and social interactions.
Chang's results were based on a thorough search of the existing medical literature. She suggested that further research be conducted into the connection between yoga and relief from cancer treatment side effects.
By taking meditation courses, tai chi classes or Dahn Yoga Shim Sung instruction, women with health problems may be able to find some much-needed relief.
