Yoga Practices for Cancer Survivors

By looking at the picture above, it is none other than one of the very familiar posts in yoga practices. Deriving from wikipedia, yoga is originally a practice where it aims to vary and improve health to achieving Moksha, which is liberation from all worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death. But nowadays, it has been applied by many people, for many people believe that they could get many health benefits out of it.

That is especially true for cancer survivors. A group of US researchers claimed that, a four-week yoga program which covers breathing, meditation, postures and many other techniques can effectively help in fatigue reduction as well as sleep quality improvement in cancer survivors. Cancer survivors often experience fatigue and poor sleeping pattern. These two symptoms are often the results or more precise to say, the two most common side effects which could affect their quality of lives.

Although cancer survivors often are treated with some specific treatments pharmacologically in order to improve their sleeping problems and fatigue suffered, but in the long run, according to lead investigator, Dr. Karen Mustian, such treatment does not really work out. These treatments do show some effect, but they just would not work well for very long. And hence, researches are looking toward non-pharmacological therapy.

Consequently, The University of Rochester have designed a yoga program specially made for cancer survivors, which is called YOCAS, which involves visualization, meditation, breathing as well as other 18 different poses. A number of participants (where 75 percents of them were breast cancer patients) joined the study and were divided into two groups, where one of them was served with normal post-treatment care, and the other one attended the designed yoga program twice a week, for four weeks.

These are the results experienced by the group which joined the program: Improvement on sleep quality (22%), reduced incidence of clinically impaired sleep (31%), less daytime sleepiness (29%). As for the one who were treated with normal treatment, the results for the mentioned three aspects were only 12%, 16% and 5% respectively. Not only the yoga program works so effectively in these aspects, it also works its way to an extent that it reduces fatigue, and also reducing their use of sleep medication by 12%.

Extra Benefits of Ginger

It has been a long time since this blog is updated! And now, latest health information and posts are coming back and will continuously brought to you by GTF Worldwide Sdn Bhd! Today's article will be very much concerning the goods of ginger.

For many centuries, gingers have been used to treat many ailments and discomforts, such as stomach upsets, cold and others. Other than serving as a miraculous remedy for the problems stated, based on a very recent study, ginger is also said to be have the ability to curb muscle pain.

Patrick O'Connor, a professor of the department of kinesiology, pointed out that ginger can exert anti-inflammatory effects in rodents, but as far as human is concerned, no specific experiments have been done on them, and this renders the effect of ginger to human unexplored.

Hence, O'Connor conducted a study just to investigate the effects of ginger on human's muscle problems. In conjunction to this piece of experiment, O'Connor had gathered 34 and 40 participants and were divided into two different groups, which consume raw or heated treated ginger which existed in the forms of capsule (2 grams for each person), and placebo for 11 consecutive days, respectively.

On the 8th day, these people were asked to conduct 18 extensions of exercises which contribute to moderate muscle injury to the arms. To make things sounded more accurate, the conditions of participants were examined three days prior the exercises as well as three days after the exercises were performed.

As a result, participants who consumed daily ginger supplement reduced the pain of inflammation by 25 percents. Although consuming heat-treated ginger does not enhance the reduction of pain (still stays at 25 percents), it clearly shows that those who did not consume ginger supplement did not experience such beneficial effects.