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The Effects of Yoga on the Mental Health of Individuals With Autoimmune Disorders: A Scoping Review.

Cureus
January 1, 2025
Stephanie Nagy et al. (12 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Extracted Claims (8)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Yoga
increase
mental and physical health
-
-
has been explored as a health modality to maintain
#1
Yoga
decrease
inflammatory markers
-
-
has been most recently researched for its ability to decrease
#2
Yoga
decrease
stress level
patients with autoimmune disorders
-
Significant improvement was found in
#3
Yoga
decrease
anxiety
patients with autoimmune disorders
-
Significant improvement was found in
#4
Yoga
increase
sleep
patients with autoimmune disorders
-
Significant improvement was found in
#5
Yoga
increase
self-efficacy
patients with autoimmune disorders
-
Significant improvement was found in
#6
Yoga
decrease
depression
patients with autoimmune disorders
-
Significant improvement was found in
#7
Yoga
decrease
emotional fatigue
patients with autoimmune disorders
-
Significant improvement was found in
#8
Abstract

Yoga has been explored as a health modality to maintain mental and physical health and as a complementary therapy for managing various medical conditions. It has been most recently researched for its ability to decrease inflammatory markers responsible for various ailments. This opens the door for its potential role as an adjunct therapy in inflammatory-led dysfunctions such as autoimmune disorders. Although there has been a robust amount of data on yoga and autoimmune conditions, previous reviews have mostly been limited to the physical improvements that patients experience rather than the mental health changes. This scoping review aims to address the role of yoga as an effective therapy choice in treatment and management options for the mental health symptoms associated with autoimmune disorders. The initial search revealed 211 relevant studies, but following an extensive review, 11 articles were included in the final analysis. Yoga interventions ranged from six weeks to up to six months and included Iyengar yoga, Hatha yoga, and generalized yoga practices that did not fit into a specific subtype. Eight articles analyzed patients with multiple sclerosis, two focused on rheumatoid arthritis and one assessed irritable bowel disease. Between the 11 studies included in this review, the key markers analyzed were stress level, anxiety, sleep, self-efficacy, depression, and emotional fatigue. Significant improvement was found in all these subtypes. Yoga is a viable, non-pharmaceutical treatment for both the physical and mental health components of patients with autoimmune disorders.

Study Links
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
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