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 However, women in a comparison group that didn't
take the classes also reported a similar decline in symptoms,
researchers found.
"The yoga group did well — they improved in their PTSD symptoms — and our control group actually did well, which we didn't expect,"
Karen Mitchell told Reuters Health.
Mitchell, from the National Center for PTSD at the VA Boston
Healthcare System, led the new study.
"I do emphasize that the yoga (group) definitely didn't do worse,"
she said. "Yoga could potentially be triggering for people with
trauma, so while that's not as exciting a finding, I think it is
important to say that."
About one in 10 U.S. women is affected by PTSD, according to the
authors. Many say that alternative and complementary therapies — such as yoga — help them cope with the symptoms, which can include
trouble sleeping and having flashbacks related to the traumatic
event, known as re-experiencing.
"It can be very debilitating, and in the general population it
affects women about twice as often as men," Mitchell said. Her
team's findings were published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
A total of 26 women with PTSD completed the study. The women were an
average of 44 years old and included both civilians and military
veterans.
Fourteen of the women attended weekly yoga sessions for 12 weeks or
twice-weekly sessions for six weeks. Each session was 75 minutes
long and focused on mind-body connections, breathing and physical
postures. Women also filled out a symptom questionnaire each week.
Twelve women in the comparison group met once per week for 12 weeks
in small groups to complete the same questionnaires.
All participants completed a follow-up assessment one month after
the sessions ended.
Mitchell and her colleagues found that women in both groups had
significant improvements in their symptoms. The yoga participants
showed decreases in re-experiencing and hyperarousal symptoms, while
the comparison group reported improvements in re-experiencing
symptoms and anxiety.
"Both groups were doing assessments, coming in every week, and
interacting with us — doing these kinds of things that might have
been helpful for both groups," Mitchell said.
Studies that include more women will be needed in the future, she
added. "There are several proposed mechanisms on how
yoga may help reduce PTSD symptoms," Julie Staples told Reuters
Health in an email.
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Staples led a previous study on the same topic at the Southeast
Louisiana Veterans Health Care System in New Orleans. She was not
part of the new research.
"Simply stated, yoga may regulate aspects of the endocrine system
and the nervous system that are out of balance in PTSD," Staples
said. "Yoga also reduces the stress response which plays a role in
PTSD symptoms."
Two of her colleagues, Michelle Hamilton and Madeline Uddo, said
veterans' responses to the Louisiana yoga program have been very
enthusiastic and they report an immediate benefit — feeling better
when they leave the class as well as noticing a positive impact on
their daily life.
Mitchell said people who are interested in trying yoga but don't
know much about it should shop around to find a style they like.
"It varies so much in terms of style and pace — some people might do
better with a slower style that gives them space to meditate and
think," she said. "Some people need the faster pace to help them
focus — their minds might wander too much and they start thinking
about their to-do list with a slower pace class."
Yoga instructors vary in their personality and style and that's
important too, Mitchell added.
"You want to feel comfortable with your instructor, especially if
you're new to this — you want to know that they'll come around and
help you align and feel comfortable with them doing that so you
don't hurt yourself, and also you have a more positive experience if
you feel connected with the instructor," she said.
___
Source: http://bit.ly/1gQDNhf
Journal of Traumatic Stress, online March 25, 2014.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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