Dear Readers,
I just came across this article on the power of Yoga to change mood and alleviate anxiety published in the The Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) supplementation has long been used to treat anxiety and mood disorders, but a 12-week study lead by Chris C. Streeter of the Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues has demonstrated significant increases in thalamus GABA levels in subjects after doing Yoga, as well as decreases in anxiety and improvements in mood. GABA has long been regarded as one of the primary "feel-good" chemicals in our brains.
The study compared similar metabolically matched 60 minute sessions of either walking or yoga, 3 times a week, with the subjects performing yoga reporting better moods and more reduced anxiety levels than their walking counterparts. The findings were corroborated by magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans.
This is the first mainline study proving a direct correlation between yoga and increased GABA levels, and is huge leap forward towards validating claims of therapeutic intervention via mind-body methods like yoga.
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2010.0007
Source:
Chris C. Streeter, Theodore H. Whitfield, Liz Owen, Tasha Rein, Surya K. Karri, Aleksandra Yakhkind, Ruth Perlmutter, Andrew Prescot, Perry F. Renshaw, Domenic A. Ciraulo, and J. Eric Jensen. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. November 2010, 16(11): 1145-1152. doi:10.1089/acm.2010.0007.
I just came across this article on the power of Yoga to change mood and alleviate anxiety published in the The Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) supplementation has long been used to treat anxiety and mood disorders, but a 12-week study lead by Chris C. Streeter of the Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues has demonstrated significant increases in thalamus GABA levels in subjects after doing Yoga, as well as decreases in anxiety and improvements in mood. GABA has long been regarded as one of the primary "feel-good" chemicals in our brains.
The study compared similar metabolically matched 60 minute sessions of either walking or yoga, 3 times a week, with the subjects performing yoga reporting better moods and more reduced anxiety levels than their walking counterparts. The findings were corroborated by magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans.
This is the first mainline study proving a direct correlation between yoga and increased GABA levels, and is huge leap forward towards validating claims of therapeutic intervention via mind-body methods like yoga.
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2010.0007
Source:
Chris C. Streeter, Theodore H. Whitfield, Liz Owen, Tasha Rein, Surya K. Karri, Aleksandra Yakhkind, Ruth Perlmutter, Andrew Prescot, Perry F. Renshaw, Domenic A. Ciraulo, and J. Eric Jensen. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. November 2010, 16(11): 1145-1152. doi:10.1089/acm.2010.0007.
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