Yogic Management in various diseases and Benefits :

1) Diabetes:
 
Yogic exercises can either be of high or low intensity, depending on the clinical condition. A young active individual can be made to practice very intense asanas in a dynamic manner, which will increase the cellular activity of the muscle. The advanced asanas require a lot of energy.

Yoga increases the practitioner's sensitivity to body movements and cellular changes. There is no pounding, flogging or forcible action in asana practice. The action on the cells is gentle and soothing and relieves the modified pathology by better blood perfusion, thus healing the area. Depending on the need the asanas can be modified. The intensity of workout is total or regional.

The single advantage of the asana system is that the geometric shape of the asana itself directly affects the internal organs; in other exercises the results are indirect. There is a conscious control over the cellular systems. The advantage in the asana system is that even an elderly person can practice it without any danger. The emphasis in yoga is on controlling the autonomic dysfunction by means of pranayama. The incidence of most health disorders is very low in practitioners of yoga.

2) Circulatory system, heart and lungs :

All the asanas are useful to prevent circulatory disease. Asanas impart strength to tissues, helping them resist cellular alteration in pathological states. Because of intra-arterial massage, the lining of
the vessel wall is kept free of blocks. Moreover, the force of arterial flow can be increased and directed to any organ. Capillary changes are easily prevented by yoga as the action is on the vessel wall.

Foot injuries are avoided because of neural and soft tissue massage and retention of healthy blood flow along with fresh oxygen. Injuries are less likely to occur in comparison with other systems.

Peripheral blockage of arteries never happens if the patient is regular in asana practice. Hence instituting yoga as soon as possible can prevent vascular disease. Of course, the damage may have already occurred; yet, more can be controlled after proper assessment of peripheral flow by investigational procedures. The use of the footrest for improving blood in the calf muscle area is very important. This prevents neurotic pain in the extremities. Peripheral neuritis is prevented and benefited by standing poses .

Back bends are very useful in averting blockage of coronary  arteries. The maximum benefits are derived only with an early diagnosis and asana practice instituted as soon as possible, for atherosclerosis may have already progressed to a considerable extent. Angiographic evaluation of the quality of blood flow to the coronaries
will provide baseline information of the status of the arteries. It is then possible to totally prevent future cardiac problems. As the autonomic systems are balanced, irregularities in heart rate and
rhythm are controlled.

Asanas tone up the lungs also. Back bends, forward bends, standing poses, are all useful. Props may be needed for the elderly who have poor vital capacity. In this respect pranayama is highly useful. Oxygenation being better, tissue hypoxia never occurs.

3) Digestive System:

Yoga is micro cellular in its action. The internal organs are massaged. Gastric and intestinal activity is regulated and diarrhoea or constipation due to autonomic malfunction does not occur. As the vilii are massaged, absorption is better. Twisting poses squeeze the intestines and massage them. Hence, stagnation of colonic contents due to autonomic dysfunction cannot occur. Asanas also pressurise the pancreas in an effort to improve the secretory status.

Back bends improve blood supply to all abdominal and pelvic organs. This ensures healthy cellular integrity and due to the massage no deposits are formed. Forward bends increase the gastric fire and help healthy digestion of food.

4) Renal System:

In renal disease, the increased systolic pressure in the renal artery and the protein load during aerobic exercises might further damage the kidney. Yoga makes arterial flow easier without an increase in systolic pressure. In yoga, it is possible to control the velocity of blood flow to internal organs; in other exercises there is no control over the exercise process once it has begun.

In yoga, there are asanas to shut off blood flow or promote flow without velocity if necessary. Intra- renal massage prevents deposits in the micro cellular areas that damage renal tissues. Back bends are valuable tools against progression of renal lesions. They squeeze the kidneys and prevent stagnation of circulation and deposition of material that blocks blood flow to the cells. Hence, organ atrophy is prevented. In the early stages of a renal lesion, asanas can be very helpful. Even after a renal transplant, practice of asanas is very important to promote fresh blood supply to the donor kidney. Passive back bends improve blood flow in the renal artery without increase in pressure, while active poses enhance pressure; thus both are needed.

5) Nervous system and special senses :

Inverted asanas prevent blockage of cerebral arteries. Most important of all, they prevent the development and progression of retinopathy by enhancing micro cellular perfusion of blood and oxygen into the retina without rise in systolic pressure. This also prevents further complications as oxygen supply to the tissues is maintained and enhanced. Forward bends soothe the nerves of the eye. They are preparatory to inverted poses. The retinal vessels are gently massaged and strengthened by forward bends. Standing inverted poses, like uttanasana with the head on the stool, prasarita padottanasana and viparita karani, have to be done with a bandage on the eyes which acts like a pressure bandage, preventing rise in pressure in the retina. Half halasana is valuable to rest the retina. If the retinopathy is very advanced, much relief cannot be obtained. Competent guidance is essential to learn yoga if the patient has eye lesions.

 If standing poses prevent peripheral neuropathy, back bends prevent central neuropathy; that is, afflictions of the autonomic plexuses and sympathetic and cranial nerves. Yoga is very gentle in its action and the patient can restrain the intensity to any level. This prevents overstretching and injury. Moreover, the movements are very slow in comparison to other exercises.

Standing poses, back and forward bends preserve the integrity of the spinal nerves and the plexuses. In a well-established case of diabetic neuritis, it might be difficult to abolish the symptoms. This is why yoga should be started as soon as the diagnosis is made. Asanas prevent damage to the minute blood vessels, which supply the nerves that normally get occluded due to the pathological state. As healthy microcirculation and massage are provided by asanas, formations of new nerve sheaths are of a healthy nature.

6) Skin :

The skin is massaged and blood supply preserved. As fresh blood flows through, resistance to infections is built up. The skin does not become waxy and -unhealthy, as it would usually be in a diabetic. Elasticity is retained. Standing poses, virasana, padmasana, mula bandhasana, inverted poses, are all helpful in preventing diabetic foot lesions.

Consultant