A
s a medical doctor and yoga therapist, I am
constantly inspired by the potential of yoga to prevent
and treat health conditions, as well as to relieve
symptoms. I work with clients who have a range of
health issues, including cancer, arthritis, chronic
fatigue syndrome, eating disorders, migraines and insomnia, and
am reminded on a daily basis that yoga is very powerful medicine. It
certainly deserves a more prominent role in our healthcare system
and I am a strong advocate for making it available on prescription in
the NHS.
The NHS website already recognises yoga as “a safe and effective
way to increase physical activity, especially strength, flexibility and
balance” and suggests that there is some evidence that a regular
yoga practice is beneficial for people with high blood pressure, heart
disease, aches and pains, lower back pain, depression and stress.
However, it identifies the need for more rigorous studies into the
health benefits of yoga. More good quality research is required if we
are to support the legitimacy of yoga in the minds of doctors and
policy makers.
The gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of a medical
intervention is the randomised controlled trial, where people are
randomly assigned to two groups, with one group receiving the
intervention being tested and the other receiving an alternative
intervention, a placebo or no intervention. Yoga is a complex, healing
practice that does not necessarily suit such a standardised, inflexible
system. In my experience, the most effective yoga therapy is tailor
made and constantly adjusted to the requirements of each individual
patient. We need to identify and accept alternative types of research
that are better suited to this process, such as outcome studies which
measure the benefits of being treated with one approach compared
to another from the patient’s perspective. This type of study allows
for changes to be made to a yoga programme, if they are in the best
interest of the patient, and can include outcome measures such as
quality of life and cost effectiveness.
Despite the lack of robust evidence, I have noticed a growing trend
in the amount of doctors recommending yoga to their patients.
This is an exciting development and needs to be capitalised on.
Medical students and doctors should be educated about what
yoga can offer, how it can be used to improve physical and mental
health regardless of age or ability and how different conditions can
be helped or even exacerbated by yoga. There is also a need for
more yoga therapists, whom doctors are confident to refer their
patients to, either for private or group classes. These specialised
yoga teachers are trained in anatomy, physiology, pathology and the
application of yoga to medical conditions.
I teach yoga to NHS doctors at residential conferences, with the
aim of helping them to leave behind the heavy workload, conflicting
demands and sedentary lifestyle of the medical world, in order to
focus on their own body and mind. It is often this direct experience
that incites them to recommend yoga to their patients.
If the government and medical profession are to understand the
value of making yoga available on NHS prescription, we need to
focus on good quality research, to evaluate the most effective ways
to study the health benefits of yoga and to educate doctors and
other health care professionals. These are attainable goals and their
achievement will place yoga where it belongs, as an integral part of
our healthcare system.Alternative research and other studies
could help pave the way for more yoga in
the NHS, writes Dr Kiki Morriss
A need for creative thinking
Dr Kiki Morriss studied medicine at King’s College, London
and graduated with distinction. She has worked at University
College Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital, London in various
specialities, including Rheumatology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology,
Urology, Old Age Medicine and A&E. She trained as a yoga
teacher at the Sivananda Ashram, Canada as a yoga therapist
with the Yoga Biomedical Trust, London and as a pregnancy yoga
teacher with Birthlight. She is a regular contributor to OM.
yoga in the