Breast Cancer Patients Benefit from Yoga and Meditation, Confirm Two Studies

Two studies have confirmed once again the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation for breast cancer patients.

One study looked at the cellular state of patients undergoing meditation while the other looked at emotional response.

Breast cancer survivors who practised mindfulness-based meditation daily for eight weeks were shown to have a healthy state of telomeres, reports IANS.

Telomeres which are protein complexes at the end of chromosomes maintained their length in cancer survivors who practised meditation.

Longer telomeres are thought to protect against disease.

The study by Alberta Health Services' Tom Baker Cancer Centre was published in Cancer.

The other study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs looked into which therapies benefit breast cancer patients the most.

Meditation, yoga and relaxation with imagery were the winners, reports Time.

These three methods were most effective in addressing the mood disorders in people diagnosed with cancer. Anxiety, stress and effects of chemotherapy treatment trigger emotional side-effects in patients.

The study involved researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, MD Anderson, University of Michigan, Memorial Sloan Kettering and others.

Many studies have highlighted the role of yoga in alleviating stress and depression in cancer patients. In fact meditating daily has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. Check out how to meditate here.