New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yoga (alternative medicine)

Yoga is a healing system of theory and practice, its a combination of breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation, practiced for over 5,000 years.

A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine focused on who used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), what was used, and why it was used in the United States by adults age 18 years and over during 2002. According to this survey, Yoga was the 5th most commonly used CAM therapy (2.8%) in the United States during 2002. Yoga is considered a mind-body intervention that is used to reduce the health effects of generalized stress. Yoga is believed to calm the nervous system and balance the body, mind, and spirit. It is thought by its practitioners to prevent specific diseases and maladies by keeping the energy meridians open and life energy (Prana) flowing. Yoga is usually performed in classes, sessions are conducted at least once a week and for approximately 45 minutes. Yoga has been used to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve coordination, flexibility, concentration, sleep, and digestion.

Related Stories
 


Health & Medicine News

September 5, 2025

A large Brazilian study following more than 12,000 middle-aged adults found that those consuming the most artificial sweeteners—commonly found in diet sodas, flavored waters, and processed snacks—experienced significantly faster declines in ...
Scientists have uncovered a surprising way Parkinson’s disease may start: tiny toxic proteins that punch holes in brain cells like revolving doors. Instead of causing instant collapse, these flickering pores slowly weaken the cells, which could ...
Meal timing shifts with age, and researchers found that eating breakfast later is tied to depression, fatigue, sleep problems, and an increased risk of death. Monitoring when meals are eaten could provide an easy health marker for aging ...
Scientists at the University of Bath have developed a simple three-minute brainwave test called Fastball EEG that can detect memory problems years before Alzheimer’s is typically diagnosed. Unlike traditional memory tests, it passively records ...
Metformin, the world’s most widely used diabetes drug, has long been recognized for its surprising range of benefits beyond lowering blood sugar, from reducing inflammation to lowering cancer risk. Yet its exact mechanism has remained unclear for ...
Overactivation of dopamine neurons may directly drive their death, explaining why movement-controlling brain cells degenerate in Parkinson’s. Mice with chronically stimulated neurons showed the same selective damage seen in patients, along with ...
Scientists have decoded the 3D structure of an ancient viral protein hidden in our DNA. The HERV-K Env protein, found on cancer and autoimmune cells, has a unique shape that could unlock new diagnostics and ...
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have shown for the first time that it’s possible to detect dormant cancer cells in breast cancer survivors and eliminate them with repurposed drugs, potentially preventing recurrence. In a clinical ...
Virginia Tech researchers are investigating how overloaded mitochondria in the brain’s memory circuits may spark early Alzheimer’s damage. Their work focuses on calcium signaling and how it might trigger breakdowns in the entorhinal ...
A long-term study following insomnia patients treated with cannabis-based medical products revealed sustained improvements in sleep quality, mood, and pain management over 18 months. Most participants reported better rest and less anxiety or ...
High-ventilation breathwork with music can evoke psychedelic-like states, shifting blood flow in the brain and reducing negative emotions. Participants experienced unity and bliss, pointing to a natural therapeutic tool with powerful ...
Once a universal feature of human psychology, the “unhappiness hump” in midlife has disappeared, replaced by a new trend: mental health is worst in youth and improves with age. Data from the U.S., U.K., and dozens of countries suggest today’s ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET