Patanjali Yog Peeth (UK) Trust

In the summer of 2006, Swami Ramdevji Maharaj visited the UK and ran 4 Shivirs in Ilford, Bolton, Leicester and Harrow. It was during this visit that a simple medical analysis was undertaken at the Shivirs.

The results were quite remarkable. It was apparent that the philosophy and practice of Yog and Pranayaam needed good scientific validation of the positive outcomes, which hitherto comprised anecdotal experiences. Under the aegis of Swami Ramdevji and Acharya ji, the MAB was created in August 2006 to facilitate, co-ordinate and if necessary initiate, key research studies to show the impact of Yog and Pranayam in various disease states and in primary prevention.

It was agreed that initially 4 disorders were to be studied - these would be hypertension, diabetes, obesity and asthma/allergies representing major health problems in the UK. Studies were to be well constructed, peer-reviewed (through grants and ethic committee submissions) and using the best methodologies so as to result in good peer-reviewed publications in leading western journals.

 

                                  Swamiji and Acharyaji with the Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt and Prof. Gokal

 
Composition of the MAB

Members

Prof Raman Gokal MBChB MD FRCP FASN (Chairman)
Consultant Nephrologist and Prof of Medicine (retired)
University of Manchester UK

Prof Nilesh Samani BSc MD FRCP FACC FMedSci
BHF Professor of Cardiology and Head of Dept
Dept of Cardiovascular Sciences
University of Leicester UK

Dr Pratibha Datta MBBS MPH MSc FFPHM
Director of Public Health
Redbridge Primary Care Trust
Illford Essex UK

Shristee Damree SRN
Clinical nurse specialist in palliative and cancer care
Nurse manager
Marie Curie Palliative Care Unit, London UK

Dr Hemantha Kumar MBBS MBE
General Practitioner
Bharani Medical Centre
Slough UK

The areas where MAB will be (or likely to be) involved are:

1. Facilitating research
2. Co-coordinating research (advisory capacity) in Hardwar, India and other parts of the world; linking when necessary to research projects in India
3. Dissemination of research and study data through publications, lectures, meetings
4. Through the above, promoting the virtues of Yog and Pranayam to health bodies, governments and other relevant bodies so as to make a positive contribution to the well-being of people and the NHS.
5. Drawing up and maintaining a bibliography of publications in the area of Yog and Pranayam
6. Medico-legal aspects of the teaching, practice and prescription of Yog and Pranayam within the NHS.

Various forms of data and research studies are needed.

1. Specific disease studies - longitudinal cohort
2. Community based studies (randomised, longitudinal)
3. Randomised Controlled Trials  -focused, well designed in specific disorders
4. Case studies by GPs
5. Basic science - cellular, physiological, genetic, biochemical 

Studies in the planning phase

Diabetes.

There is already a study well into the preparatory phase (protocols, feasibility and funding) led by Dr Pratibha Datta. This will be conducted at the Redbridge PCT to assess the role of Yog and Pranayama in diabetic patients with poor diabetic control. Initially this will be a pilot feasibility study, moving on to a full randomised controlled trial. The study will run in conjunction with the University of London.

Obesity

The data from India and the 4 Shivirs in UK show a dramatic impact on this disease state. A RCT, in a hospital/academic setting would seem pertinent and desirable. Such a study is being planned in Glasgow with the Academic Dept at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. This study is being spearheaded by Sunita Poddar (PYP UK Trust - Scotland) and is in the early stages. It is hoped that participants attending Swamiji's Glasgow Shivir in July this year will be asked to register their interest in participating in the study.

Results and Initiatives to date.

1. Meeting of MAB with Secretary of State for Health in Leicester August 2006 in the presence of Swami Ramdev. During this meeting the results of the studies at the Shivirs were presented and Patricia Hewitt was impressed but looked forward to seeing good evidence- based data to support the data from these preliminary studies.
   
   
2. Results of the study undertaken at the 4 UK Shivirs. In 2006, Swami Ramdev, a renowned proponent of this technique, visited England to conduct yoga and pranayama camps in four different locations: Ilford, Leicester, Bolton and Harrow. The camps between them attracted over 8000 participants, many from South Asian minority ethnic groups. Before and after data was collected after informed consent on a cohort of volunteers who had diabetes, hypertension, obesity and dyslipidaemia. They attended the camps for 7 days (3 hours daily) during which they practiced the various breathing techniques of pranayama, and undertook yoga postures. The assessments were made at the start and 6-7 days later. Patients with more than one of these disorders were asked to volunteer for the analysis at the start of the camp in each centre.

Initial assessments were done on 510 volunteers. Eighty-two did not return for follow-up, leaving 428 on whom both before and after data was collected. Analyses were done on these 428 (150 male; 278 female) volunteers with a mean age of 58 years (20-80), in whom paired data are available. Sixty-five percent (n=280) had diabetes mellitus, 81% (n=349) had hypertension, 65% (n=280) had hyperlipidaemia and 41% (n=177) were obese (BMI >25kg/m2). The conditions were self reported to researchers by the patients themselves. Twenty-one percent of the subjects had all four conditions. Each volunteer had the following measurements done: weight, height, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol (finger prick using the Accu-Chek system). The results are shown in the table.

The effect on BMI appeared most pronounced among the severely obese patients (BMI >40Kg/m2), in whom the mean BMI dropped by 0.58kg (p=0.004, n=18) and the obese patients (BMI 30-39.9) in whom mean BMI dropped by 0.62kg (p=0.012, n=135). Conversely, among the underweight patients (BMI <21) there was no statistically significant decrease in BMI or weight. Overall, 56% of subjects lost weight and 36% had no appreciable difference in weight after the yoga camp. In 38% of the hypertensive patients a normal blood pressure was recorded after 6-7 days of the yoga camp. In total, random blood glucose decreased in 62% of the patients. Sixty-six percent of patients had decreased cholesterol after the study period.

 

Although these results are promising in terms of the effect of yoga on disease markers, they are not conclusive. We recognise that the study has several drawbacks and shortcomings and were not controlled. However, the study looked at a group of self selected people for a relatively short duration, over which time the mean values for the four parameters seemed to change favourably with yoga. A much larger randomised controlled trial over a much longer period is needed to confirm the positive effects found here and this is planned.

This study has been submitted for publication to a leading UK Medical Journal as a letter to the editor. 

 

Future Projects and Plans

It is very much in the interest of the movement and the philosophy that we are able to substantiate the impact of Yog and Pranayam in various disease states through well conducted scientific studies. This remains the MAB's primary objective. It is also facilitating longitudinal observational data (>6 months) through the regular Yoga classes being run across the country (simple measurements of weight, height, hip/waist ratio, BP). Additional studies will be planned in 2008 in other relevant areas pending the outcome and progress of the current ones.

MAB will also be collaborating with other centres in India and US in studies in other areas (genetics, cancer, hypertension, respiratory disease, psychiatry).