A new study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology examined the benefits of yoga for asthma sufferers and found the ancient exercise does not seem to improve symptoms. Although many people with asthma practice yoga in the hope of easing their breathing, researchers say they cannot currently recommend it as a primary tool for symptom management.
"We reviewed the available data to see if it made a difference and found only weak evidence that it does," researcher Holger Cramer said in a news release. Cramer is the director of yoga research at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. "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."
The researchers do say that asthma sufferers who feel yoga improves their symptoms can continue their practice as a supplement to more traditional care. However, they emphasized that standard treatments, such as inhalers, allergy shots and oral medications, are still necessary in many cases. The study looked at data from 14 previous reports.
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