Are Alternative Exercises Such As Yoga Helpful For The Prevention Of Heart Disease?

Dr. Sidney Smith answers the question: 'Can Yoga Help Prevent Heart Disease?'

By
Sidney C. Smith Jr., M.D., Professor of Medicine; Director, Center for Cardiovascular Science and Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
December 24, 2008, 1:53 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: Are alternative exercises such as yoga helpful for the prevention of heart disease?

Answer: I think that the alternative exercises may have something to offer, especially to patients with heart disease . I've become more interested in yoga as an alternative form, because it carries with it a certain stress relaxation.

Although I'm not involved with yoga myself, I know of many patients where involvement with yoga activities has been helpful, so I think that these types of activities are frequently adjuncts to cardiac rehabilitation programs where they're offered to patients, and I think they can be helpful.

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