Yoga and Fibromyalgia

Yoga may benefit fibromyalgia patients who get no relief from prescription drugs.
CNN /Health.com (10/15, Storrs) reports, "Fibromyalgia patients who aren't getting relief from prescription drugs and are in too much pain to exercise may want to try yoga," according to a study published in the journal Pain. "A weekly two-hour yoga class reduced fibromyalgia symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and stiffness by 30 percent in more than half of the people who took it," the study found.
For the study, "25 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, were enrolled in a two-hour yoga class that met once a week for eight weeks," HealthDay (10/14, Goodwin) reported. Meanwhile, "another group of 28 women diagnosed with the condition were put on a waiting list and told to continue their normal routine for dealing with fibromyalgia." Notably, "after eight weeks, the yoga group reported improvements in both physical and psychological aspects of fibromyalgia, including decreased pain, fatigue, tenderness, anxiety, and better sleep and mood."
WebMD (10/14, Hendrick) pointed out that "to participate in the study, the women had to have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia using the American College of Rheumatology's criteria for at least one year, and to be on a stable regimen of prescription or over-the-counter medications for at least three months."
According to MedPage Today (10/14, Fiore), "In terms of potential mechanisms for the association, the researchers said that yoga cultivates an acceptance of and a willingness to learn from pain and other stressful experiences." It has also "been shown to produce effects similar to aerobic exercise, potentially improving the fatigue that plagues fibromyalgia patients."