Yoga Benefits People With Common Heart Rhythm Problem

Yoga produces a calming effect, as it is the best method to reduce stress and anxiety. Apart from this, it is a good way to stay healthy.

A recent study suggests that people with common heart rhythm problem can benefit from mild yoga. By adding regular yoga to the treatment list, one can decrease the symptoms of common heart rhythm problem.  This is the first study to test the effect of yoga on heart condition.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University Of Kansas Medical Center, states that this finding demands more research, though the results are promising. It is being led by Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, a cardiologist from the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a common heart rhythm disturbance, can affect adults of any age. Atleast 10 percent of the adults above age 75 are a victim of this condition. It mostly occurs in people with high blood pressure or artherosclerosis.  In this, blood collects in the heart's upper chambers called atria and is not pumped into the lower chambers, as a result of which the chambers don't work together. This increases the risk of stroke.

Generally drugs are given to control the heart's rhythm and rate. To prevent the formation of blood clots, the patients are given aspirin. But these drugs do not prevent this disorder.

To prove their hypothesis, a study was done on 49 people who were victims of AF for an average of five years. The participants' heart symptoms, blood pressure and heart rate including anxiety, depression and general quality of life was monitored for three months by the researchers.

In the second phase, the same participants were sent to group yoga class for three months at least twice a week. Throughout the study, the participants were on stable medication.

The researchers noticed that the participants had fewer symptoms of heart quivering after joining yoga classes. They reported an average of two episodes unlike four in the initial three months before enrolling for yoga. However, according to Lakkireddy, yoga is no replacement for medication.

Due to the lack of a control group in the experiment, it becomes less certain that yoga offers certain benefits to AF patients.

"Just doing yoga alone is not going to cut it," he was quoted as saying in Medical Xpress. "You still need to take the appropriate medications and follow your doctor's recommendations. But this suggests that yoga can be a fantastic adjunct."

The study details are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.