Yoga vs Walking

Yoga is probably the most heavily studied wellness practice, and now a study out of Boston University and Harvard (among other participating centers) brings the evidence to a new level. The latest research measures levels of the key brain neurotransmitter, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), before and after yoga sessions, and compares it to GABA levels wrought by a program of brisk walking.

Reduced activity in the brain's GABA systems is a hallmark of a number of mood disorders, anxiety disorders and epilepsy; and treatment with pharmacological agents that increase GABA is known to improve those conditions. Because there is a large body of research on the beneficial effects of exercise on depression and anxiety, researchers decided to make GABA a study target.

In a preliminary study using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the researchers demonstrated that experienced yoga practitioners had a significant (27%) increase in GABA levels after a 60-minute session of yoga postures compared to no change in GABA levels in controls after a 60-minute reading session. This raised the question of whether the associated increase in GABA leves was specific to yoga or related to physical activity in general.

In order to find out, researchers recruited 34 healthy 18-45 year olds not taking psychoactive medications and followed them for 12 weeks of three 60-minute sessions per week of either Iyengar yoga or walking. What they found is that yoga beat walking for improving mood and anxiety measured by standardized psychological tests, but the increase in GABA levels was about the same for yoga and walking.

The researchers commented that yoga has been shown in previous studies to increase activity in the parasympathetic nervous system--the body's built-in system for reversing the stress response--which sends signals to return heart beat, breath rate and blood pressure (among other systems) to normal, non-stressed operating levels after a stressful event. There might also be something to be said here for the placebo effect. Everyone knows yoga is supposed to make you calm and happy, and sometimes knowing it can help makes it so.

To Reap the Benefits of Fish Oil, Take the Right One and Take it Early

This week's study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finding fish oil capsules did not prevent Alzheimers is a classic case of a narrow conclusion upon which the media is making broad sweeping generalizations. In the study, people were given pills containing the Omega 3 Fatty Acid DHA (decosahexaenoic acid), which is only one of a group of omega oils that can reduce inflammation and have the potential to help prevent inflammatory conditions such as Alzheimer's. The negative results of the JAMA study run counter to previous research, and one reason might be the study used the wrong pill.Look for darker-hued fish oil capsules, in which the manufacturing process has not destroyed beneficial properties of the oil.

So-called "whole omega" fish oil supplements (which were not used in this most recent study) contain the Omega 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9's, which are the oils found in wild-caught salmon. It is thought the balance of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids is more important for preventing inflammation than the presence of Omega 3 fatty acids alone. The manufacturing process is also key, it has to be a low-heat process similar to that used in making Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which preserves the natural oil as well as the powerful antioxidant, Astaxanthin, found in wild-caught fish oil. While more research is clearly needed to sort all of this out, this recent study is by no means definitive.

In addition to the researcher's curious choice of a fish oil product that contains only one type of omega fatty acid, the researchers also set the pill a very difficult task by choosing participants already diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Fish oil has not been touted as a cure for Alzheimer's, but rather as a preventive strategy. In order to test fish oil's powers of prevention, a study would have to include only people who had no diagnosis of Alzheimer's, and follow the development of Alzheimer's over time. An ideal group would be people with a family history of Alzheimer's who have not developed symptoms.

So before you throw away your fish oil, check to be sure that it is a whole omega product and not DHA alone... and take it early, at middle age, before inflammation takes its toll on the ol' grey matter.

B Vitamin Not Living Up to the Hype

For years some optimistic scientists and people who are tediously devoted to high-doses of vitamins of all kinds have touted the miraculous properties of the B Vitamin known as Folic Acid. Crucially important to health (without Folic Acid red blood cells produced in the bone marrow fail to divide properly), many have fervently hoped for a panacea in taking high levels of this water soluble vitamin that the body can not produce on its own.Fresh green vegetables are the best source of Folic Acid. Overcooking can rob plants of this nutrient.

While the new findings do not eliminate the need for women to take Folic Acid during pregnancy (Folic acid deficiencies cause neural tube defects), the new study does pull the rug out from under Folic Acid's cure-all status. The vitamin recently caved under the intense scrutiny of a meta-analysis--which is when a group of brainiac scientists come together and go over old research with a fine-toothed comb in search of definitive answers.

Why no one had done this up to now is a mystery, but here's what they found after looking at studies that represent a total of 37,485 people taking Folic Acid for 5 years and experiencing their share of medical catastrophes (3,990 major coronary events, 1,528 strokes, 5,068 revascularizations, 3010 cancers and 5,125 deaths).

Does Folic Acid prevent heart disease? No

Does Folic Acid prevent cancer? No (at least not over 5 years)

Does Folic Acid prevent death? No

Does Folic Acid cause any of the above? No

But let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Folic acid deficiencies are still associated with heart palpitations, anemia and fatigue. The main source of folic acid in the diet is fresh vegetables (and we know how miserably most people are at eating vegetables). So the recommendation to take a multivitamin with folic acid is still wise. This new analysis just tells us that in the case of Folic Acid, more is not better.

Yoga: Alleviates Fibromyalgia, New Research

David Life's partner, Sharon Gannon, shows us how it's done.In a study published in the November issue of the journal PAIN (where yoga is rarely subject to scrutiny) researchers report patients paritcipating in a "Yoga of Awareness" program showed significantly greater improvement in symptoms of Fibromyalgia (a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue) compared to patients on a standard care program of medications accompanied by exercise and coping skills training. Given the much higher prevalence of Fibromyalgia in females (80%), researchers chose to include only women.

The program was designed to specifically address the most common FM symptoms: pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance and emotional distress. Each Yoga of Awareness class included approximately 40 minutes of gentle stretching poses, 25 minutes of mindfulness meditation (awareness of breath, awareness of awareness itself), 10 minutes of breathing techniques (full yogic breath, breathing into sensation), 20 minutes of didactic presentations on the application of yogic principles to optimal coping, and 25 minutes of group discussions (experiences while practicing yoga at home). Let's just say that half of the study lucked out.

At the end of the 8 week program, women assigned to yoga showed significantly greater improvements on standardized measures of FM symptoms and functioning. Dr. Carson and colleagues observed, "In addition, the results suggested the yoga intervention led to a beneficial shift in how patients cope with pain, including greater use of adaptive pain coping strategies (i.e., problem solving, positive reappraisal, use of religion, activity engagement despite pain, acceptance, relaxation) and less use of maladaptive strategies (i.e., catastrophizing, self-isolation, disengagement, confrontation)." If that's all the women achieved, it would seem to be worth the price of a yoga class.

Rolfing Makes a Comeback (But Might We Suggest a Name Change?)

Ida Rolf, shows off her renowned bodywork.The unfortunately-named deep bodywork technique of Rolfing is shedding its vintage-bell-bottoms image, and becoming a credible therapy for chronic pain syndromes. Rolfing aims to manipulate fascia (the sheath-like connective tissue that surrounds and binds muscles together) whereas therapeutic massage targets muscles and chiropractic manipulation targets bones. Rolfers (who take their name from Ida Rolf, a biochemist from New York City who invented the technique in the 1920s) use their knuckles, fists and elbows to go deep enough to loosen tendons and ligaments, and attempt to break up the knots and even scar tissue that cause pain. 

“It’s tough to go to these sessions. It’s painful, very painful, emotionally and physically. But you feel such a relief when you leave that it’s just the most amazing feeling,” dancer and Rolfing devotee, Anna Zahn, told The New York Times.

Dr. Merrell's Take:  Rolfers have a certification program (overseen by the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration), which requires 731 hours of certified instruction, so do look for certified practitioners. Also, don't be afraid to make noise during a session, it helps you relax into the work, which tends to produce better results.