Can yoga be used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease?

An article published by the Dept of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, The University Hospital, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey concluded that practicing yoga in conjunction with medications can be helpful in controlling and/or alleviating symptoms related to digestive diseases.

The article said : "Yoga methods including Pranayama are the best ways to prevent many diseases and their progression. Even though,Yoga is widely practiced, its effects on certain medical conditions have not been studied or reported. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of them. GERD is extremely common condition requiring frequent consumption of over-the-counter or prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPI). In severe symptoms of GERD and in the presence of multiple etiologies, PPIs are insufficient to relieve the symptoms of gastric reflux. Regular and proper use of the Yoga along with PPI can control the severe symptoms of GERD and can avoid or delay the necessity of invasive procedures. This evidence-based case report focuses on the effects of Yoga on GERD. 

Our case report showed that regular practice of Kapalbhati and Agnisar kriya along with PPI, patients with hiatal hernia had improvement in severe symptoms of GERD, which were initially refractory to PPI alone."

Even with PPI therapy, a large percentage of patients do not achieve full symptomatic relief and can worsen to esophagitis, esophageal ulcers, strictures, laryngeal disease, chronic cough, Barrett's esophagus, and adenocarcinoma. Patients who have symptoms refractory to PPI therapy may benefit from adjunctive therapy such as yoga, which can be carefully employed to control the patient's GERD symptoms.

Recently, the positive impact of yoga has been seen in studies on functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease.[4,5,6] Forms of yoga like, Kapalbhati and Agnisar kriya.

Kapalbhati is one of 10 types of Pranayama (breathing control techniques), in which inspiration is passive and expiration is active through abdominal muscles, in order to clear the respiratory passage and strengthen the diaphragm. Agnisar Kriya is a method of contracting or “flapping” abdominal muscles in and out in order to promote improved digestion and gastrointestinal motility.[7] The combined practices of Kapalbhati and Agnisar Kriya yoga have found to increased diaphragmatic tone and lead to reduced transient LES relaxation and increased LES tone. This synergistic effect can thereby decrease the reflux episodes experienced in GERD.

Yoga may also be beneficial in alleviating GERD through impacting autonomic nervous system which limits the ability of the gastrointestinal tract to continue peristaltic contractions and prevents appropriate fluid and secretion shifts needed for digestion.

The original article can be found here :
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3734640/

For more information or to contact the authors of the study :

Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, The University Hospital, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Address for correspondence: Dr. Shamik Shah, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, USA-07103. E-mail: moc.liamg@kimahshahsrd