Yogis everywhere have long touted the beneficial side effects of a healthy yoga practice for years. Yoga has been recommended for people who are looking to relieve stress, aid chronic paint pain and joint function, help insomnia, treat symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and of course, increase overall health and well-being.
Well, science is finally catching up and agreeing with us.  A recent study published by Medical Hypotheses states that a Yoga practice can “correct underactivity of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA) systems in part through stimulation of the vagus nerves, the main peripheral pathway of the PNS.”
Low levels of GABA have been linked to depression, PTSD, chronic back pain, insomnia and many other detrimental side effects that Yoga can help reverse. The Parasympathetic System is a part of the nervous system that serves to slow the heart rate, increase the intestinal and gland activity, and relax certain muscles.
Dr. Chris Streeter, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at BUSM and Boston Medical Center stated, “Western and Eastern medicine complement one another. Yoga is known to improve stress-related nervous system imbalances. This paper provides a theory, based on neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, to understand how yoga helps patients feel better by relieving symptoms in many common disorders.”
You can download the paper in its entirety by going here.
– The Alternative Daily
