In February 2019 researchers from India published the results of their study to assess the effect of a yoga-based mind body intervention on inflammatory markers and severity of depression in individuals with active rheumatoid arthritis. A total of 72 individuals, who were all taking anti-rheumatic medication, were divided into 2 groups: a yoga group and a control group. Blood samples were collected before and after the study period for assessment of inflammatory markers and a health assessment questionnaire disability index was used to assess disease activity and functional status at time points throughout the study. Depression severity was assessed at 2 weekly intervals during the 8 weeks of the study period. Results showed that there was a significant decrease in severity of the rheumatoid arthritis at the end of the 8-week study period. The inflammatory markers were reduced and in addition there was a significant time dependent step-wise decline in depressive symptoms when compared to the control group.
Gautam S et al. Impact of yoga based mind-body intervention on systemic inflammatory markers and co-morbid depression in active Rheumatoid arthritis patients: A randomized controlled trial. Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2019 Feb 1. [Epub ahead of print]