Women going through treatment for breast cancer felt better when they tried yoga, according to one of the first scientific studies of its kind.
"Our belief is something as simple and brief as a short (yoga) programme would be very useful" at combating side effects from cancer treatment, said Lorenzo Cohen, a psychologist who led the pilot study.
Yoga incorporates meditation, relaxation, imagery, controlled breathing, stretching and physical movements. Although the study was small and preliminary, it's one of the few to try to rigorously measure the benefits of this form of exercise, Cohen said.
Researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre focused on 61 women who had surgery for breast cancer and now were getting six weeks of radiation treatment. Thirty women were assigned to a test group that took twice-a-week yoga classes. The others did not.
