Yoga Might Not Help Control Asthma: Research

Yoga might not be as beneficial in reducing asthma-related problems as was earlier believed to be, researchers say.

Yoga is quite popular among Americans with six percent of survey respondents saying that they practiced Yoga last year, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Yoga is recommended for several health complications including asthma.

Researchers have now found that there is no evidence that Yoga helps ease asthma symptoms. They add that there is no harm in practicing yoga.

Data for the study came from 14 studies that looked into the effectiveness of Yoga. The research is published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

"Many people practice yoga for its health benefits, including asthma sufferers," said Holger Cramer, PhD, lead author of the study. "We reviewed the available data to see if it made a difference and found only weak evidence that it does. Yoga can't be considered a routine intervention for patients with asthma at this time. But it can be considered an alternative to breathing exercises for asthma patients interested in complementary interventions."

In all, researchers found data on 824 adults from North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia who had participated in the 14 studies.

"Many asthma sufferers look to complementary therapies, such as yoga, to help relieve their symptoms," said allergist Michael Foggs, MD, ACAAI president, according to a news release. "If yoga helps them to feel better and breathe better, patients should by all means practice it. At the same time, we don't advise that yoga be recommended to asthma sufferers as a treatment."

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, asthma is a chronic lung condition that leads to difficulty in breathing. The condition is treated using steroids.

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) says that when it comes to asthma, prevention is always better than cure. People suffering from the condition should seek help from a board-certified allergist who could determine the cause of allergy. Asthma flare-ups can be reduced by lowering exposures to common allergens. 

Yoga is considered safe; however, the National Institute of Health warns that people with some medical conditions such as glaucoma or heart disease must avoid some postures in Yoga. Learn more about the science behind Yoga, here.