Yoga Therapy

Effect of yoga on patients with CKD

The anatomical overview of postural exercises in yoga suggests that yoga is centered on stretching and strengthening the muscles and increasing blood supply throughout the body. Some yoga exercises implement breathing practices that stretch the lung tissue, producing inhibitory signals from the action of slowly adapting receptors and hyperpolarizing currents. Breathing exercises modify various inflators and deflationary lung reflexes and interact with the central neural element to bring homeostasis to the body. Thus, breathing exercises can help reduce sympathetic tone and improve parasympathetic tone, thereby reducing pulse rate, SBP, DBP, and metabolic rate. Moreover, supportive studies have shown the significant role of yoga in its ability to control renal dysfunction as assessed by blood urea and serum creatinine values. Thus, more studies focused on CKD patients should consider pairing conventional treatment with yoga exercises.

In a study, it was found that 30 min of hatha yoga practice daily for 4 months showed a significant reduction in oxidative stress and an increase in antioxidant activity in patients with CKD who were on hemodialysis.

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