Study: Yoga Lowers Chances of a Second Heart Attack by 50%

In a first ever study done in the world, doctors from India have revealed that Yoga is safe and improves the quality of life post heart attack and minimises the risk of further cardiac incidents by 50% later in their lives.

The effectiveness of Yoga-based Cardiac Rehabilitation has now been proved a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (MI) from India.

The study was carried on about 4,000 cardiac patients from 24 hospitals across the country for a period five years. For trial, patients were randomly divided into two groups equally: First, Yoga-CaRe and second, Intervention and Enhanced Standard Care (IESC). to compare the effectiveness of yoga with IESC.

The aim of this study was that in India very few private centres provide cardiac rehabilitation for post MI patients. It includes reducing stress, physical activities and lifestyle medications.

Experts say that it is quite expensive and most people cannot afford. Yoga based care on post MI patients is a optimum alternative to conventional cardiac rehabilitation programs as is safe, convenient, affordable and results in a greater quality of life. Hospitals which participated include: All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, DMC Ludhiana, IGMC Shimla, SJICSR Mysuru, JSS Hospital, CARE Hyderbad, KGMU Lucknow etc. It was funded by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and Medical Research Council (UK).

One of the author, Dr Ambuj Roy, professor of cardiology at the AIIMS told Mail Today, “It is the first and biggest study done in the world which has shown that a yoga based cardiac rehabilitation is safe and feasible for post MI patients.

With proper yoga practice for three months, patients in the Yoga-CaRe significantly improved their quality of life and returned to pre-infarct daily activities,” adding that practicing 10 to 13 sessions of yogic postures and meditation for regularly, the recurrent cardiac events such as inheart attacks, stroke, heart-related emergency hospital admissions were reduced by 50 percent.”

The Yoga-CaRe group involved three health rejuvenating exercises, 15 postures, five breathing and meditative techniques. On the other hand, the Enhanced Standard Care received three sessions educational information before discharge from the hospital and printed leaflet delivered by a nurse or another member of cardiac care team, informed Dr Roy.

The prevalence of ischemic heart disease in India has increased by over 50 per cent and in terms of absolute numbers, has increased from 10 million in 1990 to 24 million in 2016. On Saturday, Dr Dorairaj Prabhakaran, executive director Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) presented the study at the American Heart Association 2018 at Chicago.

Talking to Mail Today, Dr Prabhakaran said: “The quality of life in Yoga-CaRe group was higher than in controlled enhanced standard group.

“Yoga is very much effective to achieve greater quality of life. Mediation and breathing reduces stress, yogic postures are as good as any other physical activity and yoga is a healthy way of living lifestyle modifications.

So, in India, there is a need of developing cost-effective cardiac rehabilitations which should be filled by Yogacare,” he said.

Source: IT

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