Men Undergoing Prostate Cancer Treatment May Want To Consider Yoga
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Yoga has been shown to help breast cancer patients, and now local researchers are trying to determine if it can help those battling prostate cancer.
Go to a yoga class and it's mainly women. Dr. Neha Vapiwala -- Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Penn Medicine -- says the first hurdle was to get men on the mat:
"Men don't do yoga and we're certainly not gonna get older men with prostate cancer to do yoga, and we sort of set out to prove people wrong, and we did that. People not only showed tremendous interest, but even with the rigorous schedule of cancer treatment, they committed to twice weekly 75 minute sessions."
She says the participants were thrilled:
"In terms of the actual objective data, we have found their energy levels are maintained or increased throughout treatment."
Dr. Neha Vapiwala adds their urinary function and sexual function, which can and typically has shown declines, remained stable.