Can Yoga make you look younger?
Let us do something converse, and begin by summarizing. This is paradoxical, but is often necessary for the type of person who asks questions like these (in my experience, the yoga-propagating-Ayurveda-subscribing crowd tends to possess a higher affinity for sensational experiences than for statistical analysis).
- Yoga is not a sham, so far as any exhibitionist tendency to twist one’s body into shapes resembling pretzels is capable of lowering body fat and boosting muscle tone. That is to say, it has a very modest effect on weight loss and muscle tone.
- Ayurveda is not a science by the definition of science; its core theories remain unproven and are completely unsupported by the existing framework of science. No Ayurvedic medicine has been proven to cure any disease via a meta-analysis of double-blinded trials published in a prominent indexed medical journal.
- Therefore people asserting any extra biological value of Yoga and Ayurveda, that is to say, arguing that Yoga has more than mild gains, or Ayurveda has more than zero utility, are arguing from the extreme left on the Dunning-Kruger curve. This means they are fundamentally ignorant to the point that they are ignorant about their ignorance, and are thus confident.
- As a bonus, we shall further see that such claims are basically cognitive bias, meaning the questioner carefully picks examples that support his claims and masks the vast majority that do not.
However, I have already covered Ayurveda elsewhere, so let us systematically debunk the claims that Yoga is a cure for hypertension, diabetes, and most of all, a cure for a strange non-medical disease called cancer (in scientific medicine, cancer is not a disease but a category of disease mechanisms, therefore there can be no cure for cancer, rather cures for cancers).
Yoga for anti aging
Let us begin.
The human body has a muscular skeleton (skeletal muscle attached to bones).
Bones attach to bones via ligaments, and muscles attach to bones via tendons.
All muscles and bones receive blood supply via the circulatory system, which contains vascular smooth muscle.
The blood is pumped via the circulatory system by the heart, which contains cardiac muscle.
Let us now discuss growth mechanisms.
The human body has an over-compensatory reaction to stress on any of these components. That is to say, if 2n units of a muscle, were to be damaged in a strenuous exercise, the body would eventually rebuild 3n units to replace the lost units. This is because the body anticipates future stress in the same place.
Thus to grow any of these parts, one is required to simply stress the part to the point of mild structural damage.
This is achieved in skeletal muscle via weightlifting; that is to say, forcing the muscle to contract against a weight.
This is achieved in vascular smooth muscle and cardiac muscle via cardio; that is to say, forcing the heart to pump larger volumes of blood faster than usual.
Let us now consider the “ancient art/science/deep spiritual practice” of yoga.
Before an ethocentricist-bhakt gets triggered by the above image and begins to gnash his teeth, he must first understand what yoga is.
Let us therefore first consider plainly what Yoga is, before we discuss what it claims to be. If we contrast all the three above activities in parallel…
…we see that while weightlifting and running are completely dynamic exercises (requiring near continuous motion or tension) yoga is primarily static. To simplify, weightlifting and running are continual motion, while yoga is poses. In technical terms, the first two induce structural and functional shock, whereas yoga does not. Now this is a problem, since stress and shock are the primary drivers for damage and subsequent over-repair.
So before we discuss what Yoga is, we must determine what Yoga used to be. It wasn’t an exercise for physical excellence. It was a discipline used to make it easier for ascetics, who spent long hours meditating, to prepare for meditation sessions. Do We Need Yoga? | Nirmukta
It wasn’t, was never meant to be, and can never be a substitute for weight-training or cardiovascular activity. No, Yoga Does Not Cure Any Disease | Nirmukta
But you might not bother to open that last link above, so let me directly pull the scientific data right here for you. I’m going to summarize the evidence for the claims made by proponents of yoga. All the below diseases are claimed to be curable by yoga at some point by major yoga teachers or organizations.
- There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of depression.
Anand KS, Verma R. Yoga in Neuro-Psychiatry. J Yoga Phys Ther. 2014;5:e119. Available at http://omicsonline.org/open-acce…
Balasubramaniam M, Telles S, Doraiswamy SM. Yoga on our minds: a systematic review of yoga for neuropsychiatric disorders. Front. Psychiatry. 2013 Jan 25;3:117. Available at http://journal.frontiersin.org/a… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of anxiety. Antonacci DJ et al. CAM for your anxious patient: What the evidence says. Current Psychiatry Oct 2010;9(10):43. Available at http://www.currentpsychiatry.com…
Krisanaprakornkit T, Sriraj W, Piyavhatkul N, Laopaiboon M. Meditation therapy for anxiety disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD004998. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004998.pub2. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy for weight reduction.
Bernstein AM, Bar J, Ehrman JP, Golubic M, Roizen MF. Yoga in the Management of Overweight and Obesity. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2014;8(1):33-41. Available at http://www.medscape.com/viewarti… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of diabetes.
Birdee GS, Yeh G. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies for Diabetes: A Clinical Review. Clinical Diabetes October 2, 2010;28(4):147-155. Available at http://clinical.diabetesjournals…
Sahay BK. Role of Yoga in Diabetes. JAPI Feb. 2007;55:121-126. Available at http://japi.org/february2007/R-1… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of fatigue.
Boehm K, Ostermann T, Milazzo S, Büssing A. Effects of Yoga Interventions on Fatigue: A Meta-Analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.2012;Article ID 124703. Available at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/… - Büssing A, Michalsen A, Khalsa SS, Telles S, Sherman KJ. Effects of yoga on mental and physical health: a short summary of reviews. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2012;Article ID 165410. Available at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/…
- There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Chu P, Gotink RA, Yeh GY, Goldie SJ, Hunink MGM. The effectiveness of yoga in modifying risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology December 15, 2014;2047487314562741. Available at http://cpr.sagepub.com/content/e…
Cramer H, Lauche R, Haller H, Steckhan N, Michalsen A, Dobos G. Effects of yoga on cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol. 2014 May 1;173(2):170-83. Abstract at http://www.internationaljournalo…
Hartley L, Dyakova M, Holmes J, Clarke A, Lee MS, Ernst E, Rees K. Yoga for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD010072. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010072.pub2. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d…
Kwong JSW, Lau HLC, Yeung F, Chau PH, Woo J. Yoga for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD009506. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009506.pub3. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d…
Singh S, Malhotra V, Singh KP, Madhu SV,Tandon OP. Role of Yoga in Modifying Certain Cardiovascular Functions in Type 2 Diabetic Patients. JAPI.March 2004;52:203-206. Available at http://www.japi.org/march2004/O-…
Posadzki P, Kuzdzal A, Lee MS, Ernst E. Yoga for Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 10 Jun 2015 10.1007/s10484-015-9291-z. Abstract at http://link.springer.com/article… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of geriatric diseases.
Coeytaux RR, McDuffie J, Goode A, Cassel S, Porter WD, Sharma P, Meleth S, Minnella H, Nagi A, Williams Jr. JWW. Evidence Map of Yoga for High-Impact Conditions Affecting Veterans. VA ESP Project #09-010; 2014. Available at http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of hypertension.
Cramer H, Haller H, Lauche R, Steckhan N, Michalsen A, Dobos G. A systematic review and meta-analysis of yoga for hypertension. Am J Hypertens. 2014 Sep;27(9):1146-51. Abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubm…
Wang J, Xiong X, Liu W. Yoga for Essential Hypertension: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE 2013;8(10): e76357. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0076357. Available at http://journals.plos.org/plosone…
Hagins M, States R, Selfe T, Innes K. Effectiveness of Yoga for Hypertension: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2013;Article ID 649836. Available at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of breast cancer.
Cramer H, Lange S, Klose P, Paul A, Dobos G. Yoga for breast cancer patients and survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cancer2012;2:412. Available at http://www.biomedcentral.com/147…
Lin KY, Hu YT, Chang KJ, Lin HF, Tsauo JY. Effects of Yoga on Psychological Health, Quality of Life, and Physical Health of Patients with Cancer: A Meta-Analysis Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine2011;Article ID 659876. Available at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/…
What a bunch of arseholes, preying on the vulnerable by selling hope that yoga cures f**king cancer. - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of depression.
Cramer H, Lauche R, Langhorst J, Dobos G. Yoga For Depression: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis. Depression and Anxiety11/2013;30(11). DOI: 10.1002/da.22166. Abstract at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d…; Full text at https://www.researchgate.net/pub… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of schizophrenia.
Cramer H, Lauche R, Klose P, Langhorst J, Dobos G. Yoga for schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry. 2013 Jan 18;13:32. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of post-menopausal diseases.
Cramer H, Lauche R, Langhorst J, Dobos G. Effectiveness of Yoga for Menopausal Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2012;Article ID 863905. Available at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of autoimmune disease.
Cramer H, Lauche R, Azizi H, Dobos G, Langhorst J. Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(11):e112414. Available at http://journals.plos.org/plosone…
Langhorst J, Klose P, Dobos GJ, Bernardy K, Häuser W. Efficacy and safety of meditative movement therapies in fibromyalgia syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Rheumatol Int.2013 Jan;33(1):193-207. Abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubm…
Cramer H, Lauche R, Langhorst J, Dobos G. Yoga for rheumatic diseases: a systematic review. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2013 Nov;52(11):2025-30. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/ket264. Epub 2013 Aug 9. Available at http://rheumatology.oxfordjourna… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of back pain.
Cramer H, Lauche R, Haller H, Dobos G. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Yoga for Low Back Pain. Clin J Pain. 2013;29:450–460. Available at http://www.gpscbc.ca/sites/defau… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of asthma or COPD.
Cramer H, Posadzki P, Dobos G, Langhorst J. Yoga for asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol.2014 Jun;112(6):503-510.e5. Abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubm…
Holland AE, Hill CJ, Jones AY, McDonald CF. Breathing exercises for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews2012, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD008250. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008250.pub2. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d…
Posadzki P, Ernst E. Yoga for asthma? A systematic review of randomized clinical trials. J Asthma. 2011 Aug;48(6):632-9. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubm… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of blood disorders.
Felbel S, Meerpohl JJ, Monsef I, Engert A, Skoetz N. Yoga in addition to standard care for patients with haematological malignancies. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD010146. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010146.pub2. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of congestive heart failure.
Gomes-Neto M, Rodrigues-Jr ES, Silva-Jr WM, Carvalho VO. Effects of Yoga in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis Arq Bras Cardiol. 2014 Nov; 103(5): 433–439. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of cognitive function, including post-stroke rehabilitation.
Marciniak R, Sheardova K, Čermáková P, Hudeček D, Šumec R, Hort J. Effect of Meditation on Cognitive Functions in Context of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Behav Neurosci. 2014; 8: 17. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/…
Longstreth H. The effects of yoga on stress response and memory: A literature review. Roosevelt University, Publication No. 1569658. 2014, 51 pages. Available at http://gradworks.umi.com/1569658…
Lynton H, Kligler B, Shiflett S. Yoga in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review and Results of a Pilot Study. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation July-August 2007;14(4): 1-8. Abstract at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubm…
Meyer HB, Katsman A, Sones AC, Auerbach DE, Ames D, Rubin RT. Yoga as an Ancillary Treatment for Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders: A Review. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2012 Spring;24(2):152-64. Available at http://neuro.psychiatryonline.or…
Mishra SK, Singh P, Bunch SJ, Zhang R. The therapeutic value of yoga in neurological disorders Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2012 Oct-Dec; 15(4): 247–254. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/…
Lazaridou A, Philbrook P, Tzika AA. Yoga and Mindfulness as Therapeutic Interventions for Stroke Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2013;Article ID 357108. Available at http://downloads.hindawi.com/jou… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of ADHD.
Krisanaprakornkit T, Ngamjarus C, Witoonchart C, Piyavhatkul N. Meditation therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD006507. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006507.pub2. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d…
Lange KM, Makulska-Gertruda E, Hauser J et al. Yoga and the Therapy of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. J Yoga Phys Ther2014;4:3. Available at http://omicsonline.org/open-acce… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of ligament injuries. Which is strange, since Yoga literally targets the tendons and ligaments.
O’Connor D, Marshall SC, Massy-Westropp N, Pitt V. Non-surgical treatment (other than steroid injection) for carpal tunnel syndrome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD003219. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003219. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d… - There isn’t substantial evidence for yoga’s efficacy in the treatment of epilepsy.
Panebianco M, Sridharan K, Ramaratnam S. Yoga for epilepsy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD001524. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001524.pub2. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d… - But there are plenty of adverse effects associated with yoga that these gurus will blissfully omit when gushing about yoga’s benefits.
Cramer H, Krucoff C, Dobos G. Adverse events associated with yoga: a systematic review of published case reports and case series. PLoS One. 2013 Oct 16;8(10):e75515. Available at http://www.plosone.org/article/C…
So it is time we debunked this common notion. The Yoga Delusion | Nirmukta.
But the kind of person who would ask a question like this is also the kind that is given to theatrics, or rather, subscribes to theatrical performances. Therefore let us approach this another way.
These are Olympic-level sprinters. Observe their extremely low levels of body fat and their near-anatomy-textbook musculature.
These are US Navy SEALs. TO be one of them, you must successfully pass Hell Week, one of the hardest tests of stamina invented by man. In Hell Week, recruits exercise 20 hours a day, and sleep a total of 4 hours over 5 days (less than one hour per day).
Observe their build. Note the pectoral muscle mass and upper limb tone. Note the abdominal musculature and the low (but still normal) fat level.
But perhaps we are setting too high a bar for a comparison. After all, although it seems fair to compare a professional sprinter or professional hybrid athlete to a professional yoga guru… …to the average yoga fanatic, since they are already aware of the difference between actual athletes and posers, this fair comparison appear objectionable. Therefore let us scale down.
Let us instead, consider people who run a 10k under 60 mins, like I do.
And let us consider the build of an average soldier in training. Nothing special, just say, a British Royal Marine.
Have I lowered the bar enough? Good. Now, with a reasonably sub-optimal strength and cardio standard, let us consider a professional yoga guru who runs a yoga-and-Ayurveda empire worth billions, namely the same yoga guru bombastically referenced in this same question: Baba Ramdev.
Note his muscle tone and definition. Below are pictures of Baba Ramdev acing actual tests of physical strength, such as passing Hell Week, and running a marathon or a 10k.
Just kidding. It’s yoga. The same people who invented it also think the body has seven chakras and three doshas.
But it wouldn’t be fair until we can compare a professional yoga guru with, say, a professional Olympic wrestler under the same light. Let us consider the time Baba “I-will-behead-anyone-who-refuses-to-chant-Bharat-Mata-ki-Jai” Ramdev went head-to-head with 2008 Olympic silver medalist Andriy Stadnik in a promotional bout of the 2017 Pro Wrestling League.
Contrast the difference in their physique.
Now, Ramdev won the match 20–0, but that is where it gets hilarious. Given the difference in physique, a more realistic fake score would have been 6–2 or 7–3. There can be only one reason for Stadnik letting The Human Knot win: it’s a promotional match. In the real world, that could never take down that twenty times in a row.
But Ramdev is famous for this. He’s a performer, as all people who do yoga are. Yoga is fundamentally for posers. The individual asanas are referred to as poses. By the inventors (and re-branders) themselves. When you call a yoga-actor a poser, you are merely re-purposing theirown vocabulary. You perform yoga. You do yoga. You don’t perform running or do running. You just run. Period.
So most of Yoga’s 21st-century reputation is simply because the people who do it talk a lot about it (or more accurately, won’t shut up about it). Runners, on the other hand, just run. Although when they do write about it, they manage to sound awesome, like this guy: The terrible and wonderful reasons why I run long distances – The Oatmeal.
So, seriously, man, you saw a poser beat an actor (also essentially a poser) on the tee-vee (and as we know, TV always tells the truth) and just believed it, like that? Get out of here, man. Take your eyes off your tee-vee and you’ll find greater counter-examples.
You will find men running 10 km under 36 minutes after the age of 50 years.
You will find 77-year-old vegan bodybuilders.
You will find 67-year old grandmothers running their first marathons with zero training. In a saree. And winning. Like Lata Kare.
And those NAVY Seals, of course, quietly sneak into the dark places, where the bad things live, and kill them while they dream dreams of killing you…
…so that you can wake up tomorrow, drink your green tea and take a deep breath to recharge yourself before you start your yoga-meditation to align your chakras.
Such sadhana. Much education. Amaze.
My gratitude to Mr.Asher Nitin, Physician,Athlete for giving such a in-depth analysis about the benefits of yoga.
