Doctors give a thumbs up to yoga

​Hyderabad: The best advocates of yoga if there were to be one it would be doctors. Thanks to the stressful lives that the medical fraternity leads, doctors in the city are taking to yoga like never before.

So much so, several doctors even recommend a few yoga exercises before a major operation. For instance, Dr N Bheerappa, Professor and HOD, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) says, “We give a few respiratory exercises that help the patients in many ways. It is nothing but pranayama.”

Though yoga is as old as the hills, it is in the last decade or so that it has caught the fancy of the people. Consumerism, fast life and modern living have taken a toll on the human body and even doctors are affected.

Dr Seshagiri Rao, HOD, Cardiology, NIMS says, “A German study conducted in 2005 proved that yoga helped in combating depression. It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that yoga helps. It may not reduce the blocks in heart but helps in reduction in pain.”

Even pregnant women get benefit, says Dr Moksha Prasuna of Osmania General Hospital. “Pregnant women can start yoga exercises after 20 weeks and stop at the end of the seventh month. Yoga helps in the chances for normal delivery to a great extent,” she said.

Popularity of yoga is gaining ground not only in schools and colleges but also among doctors. Dr A V Guruva Reddy, Chief Joint Replacement Surgeon & Managing Director, Sunshine Hospitals, says, “I know a lot of doctors who are into yoga in spite of their busy schedule as they know its benefits. I have been doing yoga for the last six years and gaining a lot. Yoga produces good chemicals and boosts one’s immune system.”

Critics who are skeptical of medical benefits of yoga say that it is like any other exercise. Yoga gurus say that it is not that simple. Yoga has a capacity to control respiratory asthma, improve digestion and memory.”

A recent trend that doctors notice is that many professionals from various fields complain of irritable bowel syndrome which is induced due to stress and a lot of doctors and journalists complain of the problem. Dr Bheerappa says, “I tell my patients that medicine can give you temporary relief but yoga can reduce stress levels.” Narrating how he overcame a nagging joint pain in 2004, he says, “I went to Saraswati Vidya Mandir in Anandnagar and after practising it for just a month I got relief.”

Yoga can also help children who have a problem being attentive. Dr Venkateshwar Rao, pediatric ophthalmologist, Shreya Eye Care Centre says, “Yoga helps to focus well especially for those who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” Echoing the benefit of yoga especially for patients suffering from allergy, Dr A V S Hanumantha Rao, Professor of ENT, Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal says, “Though I do not subscribe to the view that it helps in fighting sinusitis, yoga does help in controlling and increasing tolerance levels.”

Recent studies have shown considerable benefit by practicing yoga says Dr Vishnun Rao, consultant in Allergy and Asthma, Swasa Hospital. He further adds yoga brings semblance and peace of mind. We have seen allergies get controlled.

Saicharan, a yoga exponent and resident of Sainikpuri says, “This ancient discipline is the need of the hour for people today. The union of body, mind and spirit goes a long way in fighting diseases such as hypertention, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, reproductory disorders and irritable bowel syndrome.

No doubt that doctors are giving yoga a thumbs up and not only is the medical fraternity using yoga as a tool for medical treatment but the fraternity is also taking to yoga in right earnest. Revathy, a resident of West Marredpally says, “We have at least four doctors in our group and this is a testimony to yoga.”

Among the many things that India has given to the world, yoga surely stands tall and has been practiced for hundreds of years. Ravi Kiran, a yoga practitioner says, “Yoga invigorates the brain and enhances the power of the mind. Yoga can be life changing and the time has come to go back to our roots.”

By: T P Venu