Yoga therapy for NIDDM: a controlled trial

Abstract

Yoga offers a largely unexplored, widely available resource for the management of stress-related ailments. Research has demonstrated its effectiveness for hypertension1, bronchial asthma2 and several other conditions 3. The recent report that a combination of diet, exercise and yoga can reverse coronary heart disease4 has drawn widespread interest. There is evidence5 that yoga can also benefit people with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). We report here the first randomized, controlled trial of yoga for NIDDM. We have simply compared yoga with non-intervention, omitting controls for attention and exercise. While these may well contribute to the effects of yoga, they are themselves known to be complex phenomena, and we consider it to be judicious to make a preliminary confirmation that yoga is feasible and beneficial before embarking on expensive investigations into all its possible modes.