More and more doctors specializing in multiple sclerosis note that yoga, with its emphasis on relaxation, breathing, and deliberate movements, is a good choice for people with MS. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a life-long chronic disease. During an MS attack, inflammation occurs in areas of the white matter of the central nervous system (nerve fibers that are the site of MS lesions) in random patches called plaques. This process is followed by destruction of myelin, which insulates nerve cell fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin facilitates the smooth, high-speed transmission of electrochemical messages between the brain, the spinal cord, and the rest of the body. Symptoms of MS may be mild or severe and of long duration or short and appear in various combinations. The initial symptom of MS is often blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or even blindness in one eye. Most MS patients experience muscle weakness in their extremities and difficulty with coordination and balance.
A recent study at Oregon Health and Science University indicates that both yoga and exercise help reduce fatigue in people with MS. Researchers divided 69 people with MS into three groups for six months. The first group did weekly Iyengar yoga classes adapted for people with MS. The second group did weekly exercise classes -- including workouts on stationary bikes and home exercise -- that were also tailored to people with MS. The third group maintained their normal activity levels. After six months, they were given the chance to enroll in the yoga or exercise classes. The study participants were monitored for changes in their cognitive function, fatigue and quality of life. Yoga and exercise had no effect on cognitive function. However, the people taking the yoga or exercise classes did show significant improvement in their levels of fatigue. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Honolulu in April 2003. On the nutritional front, fish oil capsules, a low fat diet, and ginkgo biloba have shown intriguing preliminary evidence of efficacy.
