Yoga reduces psychosomatic symptoms, severe arthritis and co-morbid depression: Study

New Delhi, June 20: Yoga can be used as an adjunct therapy in the management of severe chronic progressive inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis and co-morbid depression, according to a new study.

In a trial conducted on 66 patients at AIIMS, New Delhi between 2017 and 2020, it was found that yoga reduces the severity and induces remission in these cases and improves the quality of life.

These findings of the study have been published in Frontiers in psychology and it supports adding yoga as an adjunct therapy to treat this chronic debilitating autoimmune disease.

The results of this study suggested that there was a decrease in disease activity after yoga.

Dr Rima Dada, Prof Lab for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Anatomy, explained that the study published in Frontiers in Bioscience, 2021 was done in collaboration with Dr Uma Kumar Professor and Head of the Department of Rheumatology and it focuses on the role of yoga in facilitation of mind's capacity to overcome disease and improve physical symptoms.

'Thus this mind-body intervention is the need of the hour in the age of super specialisation. Yoga holds the immense potential to be an adjunct therapeutic regimen in rheumatoid arthritis patients and has tremendous rehabilitative potential,' the study said.