Yoga, aquatic exercise can relieve symptoms of MS

Now, there is a way to reduce your multiple sclerosis flare-ups. A new study has suggested that yoga and aquatic exercise can help combat certain symptoms.

Patients who do yoga and aquatic exercise suffer less from fatigue, depression and paresthesia, as reported by researchers from the University of Basel and the Psychiatric University Clinics Basel in a joint study with colleagues in Iran.

In a random trial, researchers showed that these symptoms significantly improved after an eight-week program of yoga and aquatic exercise. In comparison to the control group, fatigue, depression and paresthesia were significantly reduced in patients who took part in a three-time weekly training program.

In the non-exercising group, the likelihood of moderate to severe depression was 35-fold higher than in the groups who had done yoga or aquatic exercise.

Fifty-four women with MS and an average age of 34 were assigned to one of three groups: yoga, aquatic exercise or no exercise. Before and after the trial, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about their symptoms. All patients continued with their existing treatment, including any medication taken to regulate the immune system.

"Exercise training programs should be considered in the future as possible complements to standard MS treatments," write the researchers.

The study appears in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.