Times of India
05 July 2011
By, Jayashree Nandi
Bangalore, India

Yoga is no longer a traditional fitness workout. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (Nimhans) not only has a 45-minute yoga package to treat psychiatric disorders like depression and schizophrenia, but has started comparing its curative effects with general medicine.

Doctors at Nimhans say their studies reveal evidence of biological changes in the body brought about by yoga. They prescribe yoga therapy along with medication in major ailments, while using yoga therapy alone for less serious disorders. Nimhans is currently doing rigorous clinical trials on the impact of yoga in treatment. Doctors are also measuring biological parameters in patients after yoga therapy. This project has been taken up as the scientific community has still not accepted the role of yoga despite even mainstream doctors prescribing it with allopathic treatment.

“ all our investigations, there is a high degree of evidence that yoga in different forms does have a curative effect in diseases like depression, memory loss in elderly persons, schizophrenia and others. We worked out specific protocols for yoga for specific neurological problems. The degree of improvement is comparable to that of medicine,„ said Dr B N Gangadhar, programme director, Advanced Centre for Yoga, Nimhans.

“We found that chanting of ‘Om’ reduces activity of sensors which have become hyperactive in patients suffering from depression, “ Gangadhar added.

Healing Power

• Yoga reduces cortisol levels (cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and low level of blood glucocorticoids)
• Yoga increases brain derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF). The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the nerve growth factor family. Expression of this gene is reduced in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and Huntington. It may regulate stress response
• Yoga helps reduce TNF alfa (tumour necrosis factor)