BANGALORE, INDIA, July 4, 2011: Yoga is no longer a traditional fitness workout. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (Nimhans) not only has a 45-minute yoga package to treat psychiatric disorders like depression and schizophrenia, but has started comparing its curative effects with general medicine.
Doctors at Nimhans say their studies reveal evidence of biological changes in the body brought about by yoga. They prescribe yoga therapy along with medication in major ailments, while using yoga therapy
alone for less serious disorders.
“In all our investigations, there is a high degree of evidence that yoga in different forms does have a curative effect in diseases like depression, memory loss in elderly persons, schizophrenia and others.
We worked out specific protocols for yoga for specific neurological problems. The degree of improvement is comparable to that of medicine,” said Dr. B.N. Gangadhar, program director, Advanced Centre
for Yoga, Nimhans.
“We found that chanting of ‘Om’ reduces activity of sensors which have become hyperactive in patients suffering from depression,” Gangadhar added.