More than 12 million Americans are diagnosed with the progressive lung condition, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) is a progressive disease that affects the lungs' ability to process oxygen. While the condition currently has no cure, scientists from Chicago have reported that regular yoga-based breathing exercises may improve the quality of life of people who suffer from it.
Published in the American Journal of Therapeutics, the report is evidently the first study within the U.S. to analyze the effects of yoga on COPD severity and symptoms.
Scientists from Chicago's Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science reported that 22 patients were given six weeks of yoga-based interventions, which included stretching, posing and deep breathing.
The team noted that participants' COPD symptoms became milder after a month and a half of yoga.
In particular, volunteers tended to display a larger measured lung capacity, higher inhalation and exhalation pressures and an improved quality of life.
COPD occurs over time as the lungs' alveoli, or tiny air sacs, gradually harden and fill with mucus. More than 12 million Americans are diagnosed with the condition, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
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Tags: breathing exercises, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, self healing
