Yoga can promote a greater sense of well-being, peace of mind and help cancer patients sleep more soundly, according to previous studies. Can Tibetan yoga relieve the side effects of chemotherapy? The National Cancer Institute, NCI, is interested in finding out and has awarded the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston $2.4 million dollars to continue research to determine if practicing Tibetan yoga can minimize chemotherapy side effects for breast cancer patients as they undergo treatment. Tibetan yoga involves practices like controlled breathing, mindfulness and visualization. Once shrouded in mystery and considered a secret yoga practiced only by Tibetan monks, it is less known in the West than yoga practices from the Indian tradition, such as hatha yoga. According to Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., director of the Integrative Medicine Program at M. D. Anderson, while the study is designed to look at improvements in quality of life, it could be that Tibetan yoga offers health benefits as well. "Theoretically, if the Tibetan yoga intervention is found to decrease the patient's stress level, it could have an impact on their immune system," Cohen says. "There is extensive evidence showing that stress suppresses cell-mediated immunity, a component of the immune system involved in tumor surveillance. Tibetan yoga also might have an impact on a patient's hormonal activity."
