Yoga and psychological health of breast cancer

BackgroundBreast cancer is a major stressor for any woman, there is great variability in women’s emotional responses and their ability to mobilize the resources to cope with distress. Complementary medicine and yoga is among the most commonly used complementary treatments for breast cancer-related impairments.Methods This study was a comprehensive literature review performed through searches in databases such as Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar using the terms Breast Cancer, Yoga, psychological health, coping skill .Findings Previous systematic reviews found favorable effects of yoga interventions on health-related quality of life and psychological health in cancer patients and survivors. Yoga is a holistic system of practices that aims to create balance in the physical, mental and emotional self. The practices of breathing, meditation and relaxation have been reported to improve the psychosocial functioning of women during and afterbreast cancer treatment. Then, the clearly positive effects of yoga on psychological health in breast cancer patients should warrant its use in this patient population. ConclusionsYoga tailored for cancer patients aims to be a gentle practice that appropriately accommodates the needs of the patients. For patients, approval from an oncologist is typically needed before beginning the practice.

Keywords:

Breast Cancer , yoga , psychological health