Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a degenerative condition, usually caused by smoking. It results from the death of the lung wall and over times reduces oxygen availability to the cells. In later stages, it is incredibly painful debilitating. In early to middle stages COPD can include symptoms of shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing.
According to the NHS “1.2 million people are affected by COPD in the UK.” Although there is no cure for COPD there are treatments to manage the condition, improve breathing, and improve quality of life.
A recent research study published in Cureus found that online yoga therapy (YT) is just as beneficial when dealing with symptoms of COPD as pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).
In this randomised controlled trial, COPD patients were assigned to YT or PR groups. The study compared the groups over three months, focusing on primary outcomes like exercise capacity (6-Minute Walk Distance) and quality of life in COPD patients.
Among 150 patients, YT and PR both showed significant improvements, with YT demonstrating comparable benefits to PR. This highlights YTs potential as an effective COPD management tool, presenting a viable alternative to traditional PR methods when the resources may not be available.
This is exciting to us for two reasons:
1. It is important to understand that yoga therapy as an online intervention is effective.
2. That yoga therapy is being compared to common intervention and that in being compared it is equally as successful. This is incredibly important for pushing the mission of yoga therapy into healthcare forward.
In PR, many clinicians are involved in treatment to manage a host of biopsychosocial goals, while a yoga therapist, on their own, works with a collection of these aspects.
Shockingly, the NHS reports that COPD exacerbations are the second most common cause of emergency hospital admissions, accounting for 1 in 8 UK hospital admissions.
The NHS goes on to project a 40% increase in COPD prevalence and an annual cost to the NHS of £2.5 billion by 2030.
In light of this, there is an obvious need for further therapies to support the needs of this population.
Share this with your community and email marketing@themindedinstitute.com if you have experience with COPD either personally, or professionally.
Interested in expanding your knowledge in Yoga Therapy and breathing practices? Learn Therapeutic Yoga Skills for Anxiety and Depression with Heather Mason at The Minded Institute this July.
