he University of Texas and a Bangalore-based institution have joined hands to validate the age-old belief that mind-body interventions have a beneficial impact on the health of cancer patients.

The collaboration between M D Anderson Cancer Center of the university and the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (VYASA) will strengthen cross-cultural relationship between researchers, representing a shared mission to increase integration of yoga-based therapies into cancer treatment regimens to enhance quality of life.

Representatives of both institutions plan to utilise brain-imaging technology in an effort to pinpoint precisely where changes take place in the brain and to confirm previous research that showed certain brain regions were affected by
meditation-based programmes.

"Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana has an outstanding history of clinical and research-based discoveries related to the effects of yoga on both healthy people and those suffering from cancer," says Thomas Brown, M D, vice president for Extramural Programs at M D Anderson.

"By sharing our expertise in multidisciplinary cancer care and transnational research, together we can advance scientific understanding of how the mind works in concert with the body to benefit cancer patients around the world."

Researchers from both institutions are currently studying the effects of Indian-based yoga on breast cancer patients
undergoing radiation treatments, MD Anderson officials said during signing of the MOU last week.

They are exploring whether participating in a yoga programme diminishes patients' fatigue and sleep disturbances, while improving overall quality of life, mental health, stress hormone levels, and aspects of immune function. 

The trial will monitor patients' physiological responses to yoga as determined from blood and saliva samples, lung
function tests and goniometric (joint motion) measurements. 

A follow-up study funded by the National Cancer Institute in July 2005 will measure the benefits of yoga on similar outcomes, including more objective measures of sleep quality as measured by actigraphy (sleep restfulness), and in a sleep laboratory compared to patients participating in an educational support group that includes learning relaxation skills.

The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Boulevard
Houston, TX 77030

Phone: (001) 713 792 6161  

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SVYASA
Prashanti Kutiram
Giddenahalli
Kallabalu Post
Jigani Hobli
Anekal Taluk
Bangalore

Phone: (080) 2782 5122; 2782 5385

e-mail: svyasablr@yahoo.com