Re:Being a doc...

[Guest guest]

Hey, I'm curious... wouldn't padangustasana or

other forward bending poses increase bloodflow to the

thyroid-like the inversions also do-and wouldn't this increase

oxygenation? Is that part of why certain poses heal organs?

I'm curious about this and other yoga and healing

theories from a western medical point of view.

[Guest guest]

<<Is that part of why certain poses heal

organs?>><br><br>personally, i'm not yet willing to agree that certain

poses

heal certain organs. lets use the thyoid for example.

in some areas of india, goiter or a swelling of the

thyroid gland is not uncommon. goiter is usualy secondary

to iodine deficiency in the diet. it doesn't matter

how much blood is flowing to the thyroid, if there's

not enough iodine present, that person is going to be

hypothyroid. <br><br>the theory that a given pose may increase

blood flow to a given organ is questionable but

testable. the theory that increased blood flow will somehow

cure a disease is even more questionable, unless the

disease were from insufficient blood supply to start

with. many of the disease processes that yoga mala says

can be improved by doing certain poses, such as

diabetes, prostate disease, asthma, etc are not diseases

caused by insufficient blood supply. diabetes for

example, is caused by either a congentital lack of the

ability to produce the hormone insulin or by an eventual

loss of effectivenss of the insulin by the

diappearance of insulin receptors. as far i am aware, these

problems are not occuring because the blood flow to the

pancreas is deficient. that is an easy enough theory to

test in animal studies, however. the altered blood

supply explaination sounds to me like a platitude to

satisfy questioning minds when they aren't able to

understand what is really occuring<br><br>that's not to say

that yoga postures don't improve diseases. just that

there do not yet exist plausible physiologic

explainations to explain how they might improve the disease

process. of course, there is not any physiologic evidence

that prana exists either. not to say that there isn't

prana, just that i couldn't demonstrate to you what it

is. david swenson has a nice analogy for

understanding some things that can not be readily shown. you

cannot see the wind, but you know that it exists, from

its effects. we may not be able to physically

demonstrate the existence of something like prana, but some

feel they know it is there from its effects. whetehr

healing of illness from yoga is a function of blood flows

or prana flows or some other factor remains to be

'shown'. the point made in yoga mala is that it works, not

so much how it works

[Guest guest]

I understand. But let's say that if a person

practices yoga it is likely that certain lifestyle related

diseases will be prevented. And it is true that "lifestyle

related diseases" are a luxury most people in the world

cannot afford. In some parts of the world people are

just poor. Lets say also that improved circulation

slows deterioration and the aging process. In the west,

most of us have the option of a good diet and a

healthy lifestyle so healthy impulses arising as a result

of a yoga practice can be satisfied.<br>Also, I am

certain that yoga has sped the healing process in my own

body - damage from smoking, free radicals, pollution,

etc. <br>And, since the body's metabolism seems to be

brought into balance, isn't it likely that diseases like

diabetes (especially adult onset - whatever it is called -

type II???) could likely be reversed, because that

type of diabetes is generally lifestyle and diet

related isn't it?<br>I'm not arguing with you and I

understand that it is difficult if not impossible to explain

these things. Some of it is just plain common sense

though, really.<br>Luckily we get plenty of iodine in New

England.<br><br>Also, Shining Skull - you are very insightful, but a

little harsh, yeah?