Ram Dev Baba Inspired-What are the real and not so real benefits of yoga?

[Niraj]

What are the real - and not so real - benefits of yoga?

Claim: Yoga tones muscles and increases flexibility, strength, and stamina.
Science says: Yoga increases flexibility, strength, and stamina, but no studies show that it tones muscles. Still, tone is partially a function of nervous system stimulation of the muscle; any physical activity, done repeatedly, produces muscle tone.

Claim: Yoga reduces stress and tension.
Science says: It's true! Studies show both a reduction in perceived stress and a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate among yogis.

Claim: The twisting postures in yoga release harmful toxins from internal organs and boost the immune system.
Science says: No studies could be found to bolster such claims. There is some evidence showing that yoga postures may help reduce pain and inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Claim: Yoga aids weight loss.
Science says: Any physical activity, coupled with controlled eating, aids weight loss. Different yoga methods -- vinyasa, hatha, and kundalini, to name a few -- are practiced at different speeds and strength levels, burning calories at different rates.

Claim: Yoga improves circulation, thereby reducing acne, the signs of aging, and other skin disorders.
Science says: No studies yet support these claims. Stress is commonly blamed for causing acne, but most doctors think it has little effect.

Claim: Yoga helps you "stay regular" by stimulating the digestive system.
Science says: A few studies report improvement in bowel patterns among yoga enthusiasts. The mechanism for this effect has not been studied; it's possible that a decrease in stress hormones may have a positive effect on intestinal motility and bowel movements.

Claim: Yoga can help reduce the cause and effects of high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, colds , cancer, backaches, and more.
Science says: Some studies show that practicing yoga can reduce blood pressure, improve blood glucose in people with diabetes, improve mood, improve the pain and discomfort associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients, and reduce the pain from back problems.

[buckminster]

I read few article on Ram Dev Baba

Baba Ramdev – a quack?

Name of Baba Ramdev is getting associated with one after another controversy.

The latest controversy originates from the conflicting reports about his claims to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS through Yoga and Pranayama. Take a look at this report in which Baba Ramdev defends his claims for curing AIDS and cancer. Even his website contains similar claims, e.g., view these samples for AIDS and cancer respectively:

“On 'India TV' & couple of other TV Channels, on Dec. 22 & 23, 2006, Swami Ramdev Ji said that Yoga Pranayama & the Aurvedic & Herbal Medicines suggested by him can control & cure AIDS. He added that the CD4 Cell count of the people affected by AIDS, which had fallen to 50; 100; 150 have gone up to 400; 500; & even 600, which is quite normal. He added that even the people with CD4 Cell count of 5 to 10 have benefited. CD4 cells (T4 count, T-helper cells) are a class of immune cells that gradually get depleted in HIV infection.”

“Quoting from page 55 of the monthly magazine "Yog Sandesh" (English) September 2006 issue, of Swami Ramdev Ji's Trust in India, "Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev while addressing the people said that Yoga & Pranayama have been successful in curing 200 cancer patients and he is ready to give evidence. The ancient science is also beneficial in case of AIDS and experiments are being carried out in that area. He would make formal announcement once the tests are completed". Swami Ji said, "Till now I have completed more than ten thousand scientific experiments. The patients of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, depression, can take part in the seven-day camp and check the results on their own. They will notice 50% improvement within a week".”

On the other hand, there are opposite reports such as this and this, wherein Baba Ramdev is reported to have stated that he never made a claim to cure AIDS and cancer through Yoga.

A couple of days back, calling Baba Ramdev a quack, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) accused him of misleading people about the cure of life-threatening diseases. According to IMA National President Ajay Kumar, people were dying at the Baba Ramdev’s camps and were being administered 'wrong medicines'. “People who do not belong to any of the four streams of medicine approved by the Government of India are quacks.”

The latest reports now suggest that with the IMA dubbing Baba Ramdev a quack, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has now backtracked from conferring an Honorary doctorate on him during the University's annual convocation in March, 2007.

The problem is that Baba Ramdev has been quickly adding one after another disease on his long list (which now has about 140 diseases) curable through Yoga and Pranayam; but the scientific evidence is lacking and no trials are conducted in an independent and scientifically verifiable manner. His desire for more and more publicity is adding fuel to the fire. Moreover, the increasing financial interests in his sprawling business from herbal medicines and other Yoga related products (CDs, etc.) are bound to further add to the controversies.

Similarly I read this Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev and Health Minister Ramadoss and on and off I see him in the TV that he commented on Mahatma Gandhi and sometime some other personality.

I believe in science and science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In a more restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on the scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research.

So, guys lets think scientifically.