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Yoga as a Therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Adrijana D'Silva1, Glenda MacQueen2,3, Yasmin Nasser4
1Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
Yoga may be an effective and safe therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), improving both physical and mental health symptoms. However, more high-quality research is needed to confirm these findings and guide clinical recommendations.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Integrative Medicine
- Mind-Body Therapies
Background:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits.
- Current IBS management often involves pharmacological and dietary approaches with variable efficacy.
- Exploring complementary therapies like yoga is crucial for comprehensive IBS treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and evaluate the existing evidence on yoga's effectiveness as a therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
- To explore the potential mechanisms through which yoga may exert therapeutic effects in IBS patients.
Main Methods:
- A narrative review of the current literature, focusing on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating yoga for IBS.
- Analysis of studies examining both physical and mental health outcomes in IBS patients undergoing yoga therapy.
Main Results:
- Yoga demonstrated effectiveness and safety in managing IBS symptoms, outperforming pharmacological treatments in some RCTs.
- Significant improvements were observed in physical health (e.g., symptom severity, motility) and mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression, quality of life).
- Yoga was found to be equally effective as dietary interventions and moderate-intensity walking.
Conclusions:
- Preliminary evidence suggests yoga is a beneficial complementary therapy for IBS, positively impacting physical and mental well-being.
- Yoga may target multiple pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in IBS.
- The current low-quality evidence, due to study heterogeneity, necessitates further rigorous research for definitive recommendations.
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