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Rayne Quinn

Brower

Adv. Comp.

22 Oct. 2020

The Effects of Yoga on Cancer Patients

When struggling with cancer it is important to keep the body as strong as possible.

Cancer has lasting effects on the body that can cause permanent suffering. A research study,

done by the University of Calgary, wanted to find out the effects of yoga on cancer survivors.

The study looked at the physical and psychological benefits of yoga on cancer survivors. This

research took place during 2005 in Canada and included survivors that were 18 years or older

and 3 months cleared. After being accepted to participate in the study, participants were

randomly chosen to be in the controlled group or the intervention group. In the control group,

participants were given tests to show their current physical and emotional health and then were

to proceed with their daily life. The intervention group had to go to a 7-week yoga class. The

yoga performed was a specific kind so that it was fit for their bodies. Overall the results showed

that there was no difference in physical aspects but there was a change in emotional aspects

within the yoga group. Both groups had basic physical changes that came with time as any

groups would like: weight, weaker left hand, and further in the reach test. The results of the

study show that yoga does improve psychological health in cancer survivors.
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Stress can affect every part of the body. For a person with cancer, stress is the last thing

they need. In a research study done in 2020, Dr. Pattnaik and others wanted to see how yoga

affects stress in oral cancer patients. The hypothesis was that stress would be reduced and

beneficial because yoga has already been proven to improve the body. The study was done in

India and involved 200 participants that volunteered and were selected based on: if they had

oral cancer, never done yoga, and no tobacco use at the time. Participants were asked to

answer a 10-point questionnaire before and after the study. Yoga was to be practiced for a

month long consistently. At the end of the month, every participant showed improvement in

stress levels. Overall it was concluded that yoga helped patients with coping, stress, and

treatment.

Within both of these studies it is shown how effective yoga is with cancer patients. The

benefits are also around the same in both studies. Research done by Dr. Pattnaik is the most

reliable. Although the studies both contain similar tests, the study in India used more

participants. The study done in Canada also was only a week long while the study in India was

for a month. The duration of these studies matters because it allows for a more accurate

conclusion. Another reason the Canada study was not reliable is because they had people in

their control group who admitted to doing some type of physical activity during the test. Dr.

Pattnaik’s study used many other research examples to support his study as well. In conclusion,

the study done in India is more reliable than the one done in Canada.
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Works Cited

Culos-Reed, S.Nicole, et al. “A Pilot Study of Yoga for Breast Cancer Survivors: Physical and

Psychological Benefits.” Psycho-Oncology, vol. 15, no. 10, Oct. 2006, pp. 891–897. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1002/pon.1021.

Pattnaik, Samarjeet, et al. “Yoga as a Holistic Approach for Stress Management in Oral Cancer Patients.

A Prospective Study.” Journal of Family Medicine & Primary Care, vol. 9, no. 8, Aug. 2020, pp.

4200–4204. EBSCOhost, doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_612_20.