Yoga as Medicine

Starred review from May 21, 2007
Western-trained internist and Yoga Journal
medical editor McCall has practiced Iyengar yoga for a decade. In 2002, he traveled to India, where most scientific research on yoga's medical benefits has been conducted. The results of that visit and McCall's subsequent study of yoga therapy and ayurveda (India's ancient medical system) are presented here, translated into Western medical terms. For example, McCall demystifies such concepts as samskaras (unconscious patterns that negatively affect behavior and health); scientists, McCall says, explain these patterns as repeated firings of neurons that change the brain's “wiring.” Although McCall's focus is on yoga therapy, he includes material that will be helpful to most students. For readers challenged by illness, he provides an overview of popular yoga styles and their suitability for various degrees of fitness; steps to finding a yoga therapist; and what to expect from a session. Twenty chapters feature noted yoga instructors describing their approaches to specific conditions—panic attacks, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, infertility, cancer, etc. They offer advice, rather than fixed protocols, based on their tradition and experience. This might frustrate readers seeking a formula, but those willing to experiment have access to many diverse tools and practices. No doubt McCall's fine articulation of yoga's healing potential will appeal to a large audience of instructors, students, physicians and their patients.

June 15, 2007
McCall ("Examining Your Doctor: A Patient's Guide to Avoiding Harmful Medical Care") details yoga's health benefits and offers therapeutic techniques from a variety of traditions (e.g., iyengar, viniyoga, anusara) for relieving such chronic conditions as anxiety, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. He successfully outlines the reasons yoga can benefit chronic disease sufferers, referencing scientific research and empirical evidence as well as drawing on his own years of experience practicing yoga. At the same time, he stresses safety, encouraging students to talk to their doctors and noting that the information he provides is not prescriptive. In chapters organized by chronic disease, the many poses are illustrated and accompanied by contraindications, considerations, and modifications for those with medical problems. Also included are a reference list and print and online sources for additional information, e.g., directory information for yoga props, clothing, teachers, and centers. Some of the poses may prove too difficult for novices, who may first want to consult a beginner's guide or take a beginner's course, but the yoga therapy he suggests for each chronic disease, along with the modifications and safety tips, makes this an excellent resource. For public and consumer health libraries.Dana Ladd, Community Health Education Ctr., Virginia Commonwealth Univ. Libs. & Health Syst., Richmond

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.