Alternative Therapy: Yoga, An Ancient Technique in the Treatment of Panic and Anxiety Disorder
Yoga as an integrated form of exercise can be used for the treatment of panic and anxiety disorder in combination with standard treatment.
Panic and anxiety disorder is a mental condition characterized by recurrent and unexpected panic attacks. of sudden periods of intense fear that cause rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling that something really bad is going to happen.
Yoga, the practice of the ancient technique to harmonize the well-being of the external and internal body, through breath control, meditation, body movement and gestures… has been better known to people in the Western world and some parts of Asia due to health benefits reported by various reputable ones. research institutes and supported by health advocates.
In the study of a total of 20 subjects diagnosed with panic disorder, randomly assigned to both experimental groups: Group 1 (G1-Yoga: 10 subjects) attended yoga classes and Group 2 (G2-CBT + Yoga: 10 subjects) participated in a combined training. intervention of yoga practice followed by a session of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), the researchers presented the following results:
1. Both groups showed statistical analysis in reduced anxiety levels associated with panic disorder, panic-related beliefs, and panic-related bodily sensations.
2. The combination of yoga and CBT (G2) showed better reductions in all observed parameters compared to the yoga only group.
Dr. Vorkapic CF, the lead author, after accounting for other confounders, said: “…improvements in different mental health parameters after the practice of contemplative techniques alone or in combination with psychotherapy” and “(Understanding ) physiological variables could help to better elucidate the mechanisms through which mind-body practices work to improve mental health.”
Another, reviewing the published literature on quality of life in panic disorder from 1980 to 2010 in the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases, indicated that yoga intervention in combination with standard treatment may improve outcomes. substantial quality of life impairments in panic disorder, improve mental and physical health…and be used as post-treatment to improve quality of life (QOL) in this group of patients.
Lead author Dr. Davidoff J went even further in suggesting, “Understanding the nature of comorbidities in panic disorder (PD), as well as determining whether additional interventions that have been studied in other psychiatric disorders, such as exercise, meditation, yoga, humor, massage, and nutritional supplementation can be used to improve quality of life in Parkinson’s disease to normal community levels.
Interestingly, in reviewing the literature published in PubMed in English up to December 2012 to assess the effect of complementary and alternative therapies in panic and anxiety disorder, researchers also found that
1. The database illustrates that the evidence base for depression is significantly larger than that for anxiety disorder
2. Yoga was considered as a level 3 line of treatment for patients with panic and anxiety disorder due to the quality of the available evidence.
Taken together, there is no doubt that yoga can be considered as a complementary exercise in combination with standard therapy for the treatment of panic and anxiety disorder.