A new study from the University of Limerick-Ireland found that a basic, twice-weekly program of lunges, lifts, squats and crunches (sometimes using equipment like dumbbells) led to 20% better scores on tests for anxiety. The researchers noted that the effect was larger than expected, and with so much anxiety in the world, resistance training looks to be a promising stress-management tool. ACCESS STUDY
A new study from Swedish researchers found that people with depression and other mental health issues slept much better through the night when using a weighted blanket. At the end of the experiment, 42% of those that slept with an 18-pound blanket scored so low on the Insomnia Severity Index to be considered in remission from their sleep troubles, compared with 3.6% of the control…
A new double-blinded randomized trial from Stanford University found that six weeks of electroacupuncture (which uses a small electric current passed between needles) helped people with chronic lower back pain: They reported improvements in walking comfortably, standing for longer periods, bending and kneeling, etc. It did not seem to help with pain intensity. The researchers concluded that with back pain, it’s best to use a…
Pranayama is a set of techniques for controlling the breath, and a new randomized controlled trial from Brazilian doctors showed that this yoga breathwork led to significantly decreased anxiety and negative affect. It’s the first study to show how it impacts the brain: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they found that Pranayama exercises led to changes in areas of the brain implicated in emotional…
A new study from the University of California, San Francisco found that people consciously aware of the vistas and objects around them on a walk—researchers call these “awe walks”—reported being more hopeful and upbeat than walkers who did not. Study participants were older men and women, and one group was instructed on how to cultivate awe (i.e., look at the world with fresh, childlike eyes)…
A new randomized clinical trial from Harvard Medical School and Boston University (published in JAMA Psychiatry) compared a 12-week program of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Kundalini yoga (which involves traditional yoga components, breathwork and meditation) against a stress education control group, for people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). They found that CBT was still the best first-line treatment, but that the yoga regime also…
