Mind over data

Posted by Liz on Feb 2, 2009 in mind-body therapy | 0 comments

Can the positive effects of mind-body medicine truly be measured by Western methodology?  Does the one-size fits all paradigm work?

I stumbled across an extensive, well-designed review of the value of yoga for menopausal symptoms in the online edition of the journal Menopause. While I generally provide a link, the site is having some technical issues so you’ll need to take my word.

Mind-body interventions, e.g., yoga, have been shown to stabilize the nervous system, increase overall sense of well-being and decrease stress. Some data support its use in alleviating menopausal symptoms.  However, Western researchers have not been able to find research that consistently supports these positive effects.

In the present review, researchers were able to identify 7 studies that met their criteria for critically assessing evidence demonstrating whether or not yoga ameliorated symptoms such as mood change, hot flash, night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness, decreased libido and  impaired cognitive function, etc.

• 2 trials compared the effects of y0ga to walking or other physical exercise
• 2 trials compared yoga to wait list (guess this means that subjects were on a waiting list for yoga sessions) or no treatment
• The remaining studies were either uncontrolled (meaning that participants are given a treatment and then observed for a specific period of time) or non-randomized (meaning that all participants had the same treatment)

Most of the studies used Iyengar, integrated or restorative yoga, and participants attended yoga sessions anywhere from 2 to 3 times weekly.

Overall, the researchers found that there was not enough evidence to support yoga’s effectiveness in treating menopausal symptoms.

Note that the researchers, in their review (and to their credit), pointed out the following:

• Yoga might be ineffective or studies were not adequately designed or treatment may not have been administered optimally in the particular study setting. Additionally, the study groups may not have been suitable for treating menopausal symptoms.
• There are significant differences in the various forms of yoga, begging the question, can data be sufficiently pooled or compared?

Their overall conclusion? That “the current best evidence is not convincing to suggest that yoga is an effective treatment” for menopausal symptoms. And that “further and better research is required to investigate whether there are specific benefits of yoga for women with menopausal symptoms.”

I applaud these researchers because they recognize the many caveats of applying Western philosophy to alternative interventions. So, the jury’s still out.

Okay Jury…..What do you think? Has yoga helped your symptoms?