Yoga Class at a Gym (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you enjoy yoga, well…let’s just say more people are joining your “camp”

Does it seem to you that more of your friends and acquaintances are opting to become involved in yoga? Well, it turns out that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) opts to gather statistics on yoga as a complementary health approach.

You should also know the CDC and NCHS is simultaneously interested in determining if yoga is gaining in popularity with children ages four to 17. This week the CDC and NCHS issued two reports with results of their examination of trends as they relate to complementary health approaches.

National Health Statistics Reports on Complementary Health Approaches

Again two reports were issued:

• Trends in the Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among Adults: United States, 2002-2012
• Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among Children Aged 4-17 Years in the United States: National Health Interview Survey, 2007-2012

By using data gathered by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) the adult survey results compared information gathered from 88,962 adults aged 18 and over from 2002, 2007 and 2012. Researchers are careful to point out that none of these 88,962 adults are institutionalized. The results for the adult survey showed:

Although the use of individual approaches varied across the three
time points, nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements remained the most
popular complementary health approach used. The use of yoga, tai chi, and qi
gong increased linearly across the three time points; among these three
approaches, yoga accounted for approximately 80% of the prevalence. The use of
any complementary health approach also differed by selected sociodemographic
characteristics. The most notable observed differences in use were by age and
Hispanic or Latino origin and race.

The children survey compared data gathered in 2007 and 2012 from 17,321 interviews. These interviews were not with the children themselves, but with adults with knowledge of the child’s routines. The results of the children survey showed:

The use of complementary health approaches among children did
not change significantly since 2007 (from 12.0% in 2007 to 11.6% in 2012).
However, one approach, the use of traditional healers, showed a statistically
significant decrease in use, from 1.1% in 2007 to 0.1% in 2012. No other
significant decreases were identified. An increase in the use of yoga was
observed during this period (from 2.3% in 2007 to 3.1% in 2012). Nonvitamin,
nonmineral dietary supplements; chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation; and
yoga, tai chi, or qi gong were the most commonly used complementary health
approaches in both 2007 and 2012. Also consistent between 2007 and 2012 was
that complementary health approaches were most frequently used for back or
neck pain, head or chest cold, anxiety or stress, and other musculoskeletal
conditions.
 

Yoga is part of Cottonwood Tucson treatment modalities

At Cottonwood Tucson our commitment to excellence is evidenced by our treatment program, which is comprised of a variety of treatment modalities and facilitated by our skilled and compassionate staff. Each patient is facilitated by a physician, psychiatrist, and primary counselor.

This multidisciplinary team works, together with the patient, to develop an individualized treatment plan. This plan provides a structure by which to help each patient achieve specific and meaningful treatment goals. Yoga is one of the modalities that we offer not only in our adult and young adult programs, but also as part of our Cottonwood Assessment Program (CAP) and our InnerPath workshops.

Some final thoughts…

We have often written about yoga. In the recent past both the Pentagon and the Veterans’ Administration have added yoga into their treatment modalities for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Interestingly and obviously yoga is not new. It dates back to at least the sixth or fifth centuries BCE. How each individual learns about yoga can vary from a friend, to a medical professional, to a need to take a class, any class, for college credit. It is not unusual for adults to encounter a yoga class as an extra feature at a gym.

We came across an interesting article How to Start Doing Yoga. You might want to check out this article, as it answers a lot of questions you may have. The beauty of Yoga is that once you have learned how to practice and enjoy yoga you can pursue it at home. It can be social or solitary. And for sure, it is peaceful and inexpensive!