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Objective * This article reports a systematic review and critical appraisal of the effect of yoga on stress management in healthy adults.
Methods * A systematic literature search was performed to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and clinical controlled trials (CCTs) that assessed the effects of yoga on stress management in healthy adults. Selected studies were classified according to the types of intervention, duration, outcome measures, and results. They were also qualitatively assessed based on Public Health Research, Education and Development standards.
Results * The systematic review was based on eight RCTs and CCTs that indicated a positive effect of yoga in reducing stress levels or stress symptoms. However, most of the studies had methodological problems in that the intervention duration was short and limited follow-up data was available.
Conclusion * This review revealed positive effects of yoga on stress reduction in healthy adult populations. However, the result should be interpreted with caution due to the small number of studies and the associated methodological problems. Further studies to ascertain yoga's long-term effects and the underlying biological mechanisms leading to its stress reduction effect should be conducted. (Altern Ther Health Med. 2011;17(1):32-38.)
Stress is defined as "the inabUity to cope with a real or imagined threat to one's mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being which results in a series of physiological responses and adaptations."1 Unfortunately, stress is a universal problem that has a detrimental effect on the mental, physical, and psychological health of individuals. Unmanaged stress may reduce an individual's immune function2 and increase his or her vulnerability to chronic pain, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease.35 Additionally, it has a negative impact on quality of life.6 If the stress is so prolonged that the body cannot adapt to it, the individual will enter a stage of exhaustion, which in extreme situations results in physical illness or emotional disorders.7 Research reveals that almost 80% of all diseases and illness are related to stress, particularly coronary heart disease, cancer, migraine headache, hypertension, and insomnia.1 In Hong Kong, local statistics show that more than 92% of the population felt stressed.8 This suggests the need for effective stress management interventions.
Mind-body intervention, a category of complementary and alternative therapy, has been increasingly used for stress reduction. There has been...