Introduction
Integrative medicine, for this essay, strives to combine evidence-based conventional medicine and complementary medicines to achieve high-quality patient care. Yoga, on the other hand, started as a spiritual practice but has expanded to incorporate issues of mental and physical well-being. Therefore, Yoga should be considered an integrative modality since it improves health as well as acting as a therapeutic specialty.
Discussion
Yoga should be considered an integrative medicine modality (IMM) due to the many benefits that it offers. Many doctors agree that movement, breathing exercises, focused concentration, and meditation are all critical when it comes to improving health. In other words, yoga takes into consideration all the key elements of complementary therapies, which is a requirement of integrative medicine. As a body and mind therapy, yoga aims at improving one’s fitness levels as well as lowering blood pressure and reducing stress and anxiety (Murray & Wilson, 2018). People who take part in yoga classes tend to have good concentration, digestion, and sleeping habits.
While it is true that those who instruct yoga do not diagnose issues the way other forms of integrative medicine do, it is still a therapeutic specialty. More specifically, yoga strives not only to maintain the body but also to connect it to the mind. One study that supports this observation was carried out by Murray and Wilson (2018). In this study, the authors aimed to find out whether yoga can reduce hypertension in adults. From this, the findings indicated that indeed yoga is an effective way of lowering blood pressure (Murray & Wilson, 2018). Those who partake in yoga classes may not be required to take some of the medications prescribed to manage hypertension.
Conclusion
Overall, yoga should be considered an effective integrative modality because of the many benefits accrued to it. As discussed above, Yoga helps improve health through exercises such as movement, breathing, focused concentration, and meditation. In other words, Yoga aims at doing what other modalities do, such as connecting the body with the mind, and is a non-invasive way of helping an individual feel better.
Reference
Murray, A., & Wilson, K. (2018). Yoga and hypertension: A systematic review. Journal of Yoga & Physical Therapy, 8(2), 2-15.