| The ancient exercise system of yoga and the | | | | yogis in 45 days. They only asked the participants in |
| controlled breathing technique known as pranayama | | | | the study to do simple poses for a few minutes a day, |
| are popular around the world as verifiable, although | | | | and to add 15 seconds of a more difficult pose once a |
| controversial, methods of maintaining health naturally. | | | | week. They also learned pranayama, a simple |
| The May 2010 edition of the Indian Journal of Medical | | | | technique of controlling inhalation and exhalation of |
| Research reports the latest information about using | | | | breath. |
| these techniques in Type 2 diabetes. | | | | The study volunteers became increasingly proficient in |
| One of the most common but least treated problems | | | | yoga, but they were not expected to become |
| in Type 2 diabetes is a kind of "brain fog". When blood | | | | masters. After 5 days of training, the diabetics in the |
| sugar levels are uncontrolled, the biochemical control | | | | study were allowed to practice on their own schedule, |
| mechanisms that keep blood vessels open don't work | | | | meeting their yoga teacher once a week. |
| well. The brain, in particular, is affected by poor | | | | At the end of 45 days these diabetics were invited |
| circulation. | | | | into the lab for measurements of how fast their brains |
| Many long-term Type 2 diabetics develop a slowing of | | | | responded to various kinds of sensory information. The |
| evoked potential, which is a technical way of saying | | | | volunteers were given a test to measure how fast |
| their thought processes take longer because their brain | | | | and how strong the neurons in their brains reacted to |
| has difficulty obtaining the right amount of oxygen to | | | | an "oddball" or unexpected stimulus. As the |
| use all the sugar delivered by their bloodstreams. | | | | researchers expected, brainpower was uniformly |
| Researchers at the University College of Medical | | | | increased after yoga practice. The diabetics who |
| Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in Dehli set | | | | practiced yoga, even beginning yoga, had faster and |
| out to see if 45 days of yoga might help Type 2 | | | | stronger responses to electrical stimuli. But that wasn't |
| diabetics recover normal cognitive function. | | | | all. |
| The Indian doctors didn't ask diabetics to become | | | | |