The Truth About Yoga

November 3, 2007

We've heard it makes your skin look less wrinkly, banishes back

pain, and cures asthma. Here's what's true.

By Dana Sullivan

Claim: Yoga reduces lower-back pain. | TRUE

Several studies suggest that yoga can help ease the ache. One of the

most recent, published in the ls of Internal Medicine in 2005,

found that yoga does an even better job at relieving lower-back pain

than traditional exercises.

Claim: Yoga can help you lose weight. | TRUE

How much depends on the type, how often you do it, and your diet (of

course). More-athletic styles—most notably ashtanga, a.k.a. power

yoga—burn more calories and help build more muscle (which translates

into an even higher number of calories torched) than more-meditative

versions. A 150-pound woman can work off more than 460 calories

during a single hour of power yoga (versus around 170 calories for a

traditional yoga session). Many celebrities, including Serena

, love how yoga helps them stay in shape.

Claim: Yoga cures asthma. | FALSE

Many asthma patients believe doing certain types of breathing

techniques can help reduce their symptoms. But research published in

the medical journal Thorax suggests that yogic breathing isn't one

of them: Participants who used a device that mimicked the breathing

technique pranayama saw no improvement in their asthma symptoms.

Claim: Yoga can ease carpal tunnel pain. | TRUE

In a study published in The Journal of the American Medical

Association, researchers found that a yoga regimen can help relieve

pain and improve grip strength in people with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Claim: Yoga makes your skin look younger. | FALSE

We've seen books and Web sites that make this claim, but yoga alone

can't improve your skin (although it can relax your facial muscles).

Making healthy yogic choices, however, like exercising, going easy

on the alcohol, and getting enough rest, certainly can't hurt.

Recommended Posts