Yoga alleviates pain and improves function in fibromyalgia patients
Thursday, October 14, 2010 - 04:20
in Health & Medicine
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a debilitating condition affecting 11 million individuals in the US alone. FM carries an annual direct cost for care of more than $20 billion and drug therapies are generally only 30% effective in relieving symptoms and 20% effective in improving function. Standard care currently includes medications accompanied by exercise and coping skills approaches. In a study published in the November issue of Pain, researchers report patients participating in a "Yoga of Awareness" program showed significantly greater improvement in FM symptoms and functioning compared to patients on a standard FM care program.