Alternative Treatment - Yoga

i know folks who swear by it. great article, now if i could get from the bed to the bathroom tehehe. thanks puppy!

Kathy, I know that you will be an avid yoga goer so very soon :-) I took a few yoga session approximately 5 years ago and have been wanting to give it a go. There's a new studio that opened down the street from me, so I really have no excuse not to go.

Yoga and meditation really helps persons will illness because it enables them to relax and release the negative energies that they have inside.

Angela, thank you so much for giving us more insight on the benefits of yoga.

I recently started practicing yoga and i already feel more energized. Its an amazing exercise and can benefit you in so many ways.

4evr_dreaming16, thank you so much for sharing your experience with yoga, that really motivates me that much more. I have neck and back pain from excessive computer use [because of my business], so I feel that it can really help benefit that pain.

My mom has ovarian cancer & yoga/meditation have been wonderful tools to help ease her pain and relax. Great article!

Marisol6601, thank you so much for sharing how beneficial yoga and meditation have been for you mother. That is really so good to know. She is in my thoughts and prayers.

The Yoga class I take on a weekly basis is in no way considered to be an "alternative" treatment; not by the instructor teaching it nor by the people participating in it.

When labeling something as an "alternative" it implies that it may be a possible "substitute" for something. All the people who participate in the Yoga class I attend already know full well that the exercises and stretching we do does not "substitute" for anything.

This particular Yoga class is specifically designed for MS patients and each participant is currently taking one of the approved MS injections to treat their disease. In fact, the Yoga class is held in the neurology facility of our neurologist.

As a result, Yoga ought to be designated as a "supplement" to a treatment for MS instead of an alternative. Calling it an "alternative" is really an injustice because a true "alternative" to fighting this awful disease does not exist.

At RavenousWolf I think complementary medicine is the scientific term to describe the use of yoga in addition to conventional medical treatments of a disease as oppposed to alternative medicine implying supplementing Yoga instead of conventional medical treatment. This website gives a good definition of the differences bw alternative & complementary medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/

I think it is wonderful that many health care professionals are begining to utilize yoga, accupuncture, etc (once only considered in the range of alternative medicine) in addition to conventional medicine to help treat a broad range of illnesses. I am so excited that modern medicine is begining to think outside of the box & focus on treating the whole person (physical, mental, in many cases spiritual ) as opposed to just treating a particular disease.

I do not have any medical problems-but have benefited from yoga by being able to better relax/de-stress/clear my mind, it has helped my posture, and it has helped me feel more energized.