Reserchers from KIMS hospital, Hyderabad have recently shown the benefits of yoga for vasovagal syncope (VVS) patients. In their pilot study published in JACC Clinical Electrophysiology, authors have shown that Tadasana as an adjunctive therapy is associated with fewer total event recurrences (ie, syncope and near-syncope combined). This maneuver which closely resembles the isometric component of standing training (also known as tilt-training), is helpful to prevent VVS.
Vasovagal syncope (VVS), is the most frequent cause of syncope in all age groups, and no treatment is certain in terms of effectiveness. Yoga is a mind-body practice that causes modulation of the autonomic nervous system and is increasingly being introduced as an adjunctive therapy in the management of cardiovascular disorders.
In this pilot study authors examined the utility of incorporating a single yoga maneuver, tadasana, as adjunctive treatment for VVS prevention. Patients were counseled to practice standard physical maneuvers and maintain adequate hydration. Patients who consented and practiced this additional maneuver as part of the strategy to prevent VVS were classified as the tadasana group and the others were classified as the conventional group.
The tadasana yoga manoeuvre was repeated for 8 to 12 cycles twice daily while consciously breathing in a relaxed manner.
Before treatment, the conventional-group patients experienced 163 syncope or near-syncope events. At follow-up, 22 symptom recurrences occurred in 12 patients (23%). In the tadasana group, 61 had 378 syncope/near-syncope events before treatment; at follow-up, only 6 events occurred in 5 patients (8%).
Per patient, total events declined from a mean of 6 ± 9 to 0.1 ± 0.4. Syncope events diminished from 108 in 48 patients to 0, and near-syncope events declined from 269 in 33 patients to 6 in 5 patients.
The reduction in mean total events was greater in the tadasana group than in the conventional group. Tadasana resulted in greater reduction in both and near-syncope.
Tadasana increases venous return and lower limb muscle tone and coordinates breathing, which may help stabilize autonomic tone. "Although tadasana posture resembles isometric exercise, it is a movement-based contemplative practice that gradually corrects orthostatic imbalance by strengthening protective neuromuscular reflexes", note authors. To conclude, adjunctive practice of a yoga maneuver—tadasana—along with conventional therapy appears to reduce susceptibility to reflex VVS.
Source: JACC CE: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3807017