Yoga as Medicine ~ The yogic prescription for health and healing, by Timothy McCall.
From the medical editor of the well known magazine Yoga Journal, comes an extensive collection of the research on yoga to treat disease and increase healing. Dr. McCall reviews the research on a variety of conditions including arthritis, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, high blood pressure, MS, and irritable bowel syndrome among others.
The book begins by introducing the reader to the basic tenets of yoga and yoga therapy and introducing the different styles of yoga. An advanced practitioner might find this a little simplified, but is undoubtedly necessary when someone who is new to yoga stumbles open the book. The majority of the book concentrates on specific conditions. For each chapter Dr.McCall gives an overview of the condition, how yoga fits into the picture, and consults a well respected teacher on their approach to the condition. Teachers such as Judith Lasater, John Friend, Gary Kraftsow, and Rodney Yee were consulted. This final section of the chapter includes well photographed, easy to follow pictures that the Yoga Journal is known for. The reader is given a series of asanas they can add to their routine to work with or prevent their condition. What I found to be of benefit is that the author not only references scientific research from North American and European journals, but also the more difficult articles to find from Indian journals. The notes at the back of the book reference every scientific study he cites, in the event that the reader might want to learn more from the source. Undoubtedly this book was years in the making and the work paid off. This contemporary collection of yoga therapy research is an invaluable resource to anyone who uses yoga in a therapeutic way.
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