Yoga and Fatigue

A number of breast cancer survivors still have fatigue for months, some even years after they complete active treatment.

It is a common problem whose origin is unknown, and for which there are no validated treatments.

A small new study found that doing yoga helped to reduce the fatigue and gave the women that participated in the study increased energy. The women experienced diminished fatigue after three months of twice-weekly yoga classes. A control group of women who took classes in post cancer health issues, but didn’t do yoga, had no changes in their fatigue or in depression levels.

The study was conducted by Julienne Bower, an associate professor in the psychology department of UCLA and her colleagues. They recruited 31 breast cancer survivors to undergo “treatment” for their fatigue over 12 weeks at the UCLA Medical Center.

Each woman was randomly assigned to participate in either two 90-minute yoga classes every week or a two-hour health class once a week. Before starting the study, each woman took a questionnaire that gauged fatigue levels. All who participated in the study had similar fatigue levels.

The group taking the educational classes experienced about the same amount of fatigue and energy throughout the initial study period, while the group taking the yoga class reported about a 26 percent drop in fatigue and a 55 percent increase in energy after the 12-week yoga regimen.

The findings, published in the journal Cancer, do not prove that yoga caused the improvements in fatigue levels. The researchers report that both groups of women had expectations that their assigned “treatment” would help them, so it is not likely that a placebo effect can be the reason for the benefits seen in the yoga group.

Note: Speak with your doctor before taking yoga for your fatigue to make sure it is appropriate for you given your surgery and follow-up treatment.