THURSDAY, April 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Mindfulness yoga is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson disease to help them manage stress and symptoms, according to a study published online April 8 in JAMA Neurology.

Jojo Y.Y. Kwok, Ph.D., R.N., from the University of Hong Kong, and colleagues compared the effects of a mindfulness yoga program versus stretching and resistance training exercise (SRTE) on psychological distress, physical health, spiritual well-being, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson disease. Assessments were completed for 138 patients (randomized 1:1; 47.1 percent male) at baseline, as well as at eight and 20 weeks (T1 and T2, respectively).

The researchers found that the yoga group had significantly better improvement in outcomes than the SRTE group, particularly for anxiety, depression, perceived hardship, perceived equanimity, and disease-specific HRQOL.

“Among patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson disease, the mindfulness yoga program was found to be as effective as SRTE in improving motor dysfunction and mobility, with the additional benefits of a reduction in anxiety and depressive symptoms and an increase in spiritual well-being and HRQOL,” the authors write.

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