PGIMER Chandigarh consultants referred 153 patients to yoga centre last year
PGIMER's Yoga centre has been conducting five-minute yoga sessions in 19 departments and for patients' caregivers daily since June 1, 2024.
However, yoga for caregivers is a routine activity which is conducted twice a week in the park behind Bhargava Auditorium at PGI. Yoga offers numerous benefits for both mental and physical health, as it helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, supports the management of hypertension and diabetes, alleviates chronic back pain, and improves posture, among other advantages.
PGIMER has actively taken steps to integrate yoga into holistic healthcare and research, recognising its vital role in promoting overall well-being and executing research in the field of yoga to determine the mechanism behind the effect of Yoga on the body's physiology. The centre, apart from working on evidence for yoga intervention studies, has specialists take daily yoga classes and sessions for healthcare workers and patients referred by doctors and also for doctors' families. The larger intent is to include yoga into holistic healthcare and research to promote well-being, with the programmes designed scientifically and validated internationally. 'Yoga is an important tool for rejuvenation and holistic care,' says Prof Vivek Lal, Director, PGI.
In a pioneering move towards holistic healthcare, PGI's Advanced Cardiac Centre (ACC) started yoga sessions for patients and caregivers to enhance their cardiac and mental well-being. Underpinning the therapeutic potential of yoga in addressing blockages in arteries, Prof Lal said, 'Yoga offers a holistic approach to cardiovascular health, including the potential to address blockages in arteries. Through regular practice, individuals can experience improved blood flow, reduced stress and enhanced overall heart function.'
Dr Neelam Dahiya, Department of Cardiology, the brain behind the initiative, said that integrating yoga into cardiology fosters a holistic approach to health, empowering individuals to nurture their hearts and minds in unison. 'We intend to make this an integral part of our medical advice/treatment.' According to Dr Dahiya, the idea behind the project goes beyond physical well-being and strives to ease the stress and anxiety of patients and their caregivers as they wait in the OPD for their turn.
'We are so encouraged by the response that now specific modules for patients will be designed,' added Dr Dahiya.
In another initiative, Dr Babita Ghai, Professor and Consultant in Charge of the Pain Clinic, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, PGI, Chandigarh, has been evaluating the role of yoga therapy in managing chronic low back pain (CLBP) in the community. This DST-SATYAM-funded research project is aimed at providing a sustainable intervention to reduce pain symptoms and associated disabilities among adults in semi-urban and rural areas of Chandigarh. As part of the project, PGI will conduct free health camps at various community health centres for screening, awareness, and patient recruitment. Recruited patients will receive daily yoga or physical exercise classes for two weeks, conducted by trained yoga therapists at the Sector 25 Public Health Dispensary. In recent years, yoga has been increasingly recognised for its role in managing chronic low back pain (CLBP), and a study by Dr Ghai evaluated the effectiveness of the Integrated Approach of Yoga Therapy (IAYT) in a randomised controlled pilot study. The study compared IAYT with usual care in 29 CLBP patients recruited from the Pain Clinic at PGI. Results showed significant improvements in pain scores, functionality, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in the yoga group after one and three months.
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