Complementary and Alternative Approaches to Medicine
A new grant in this area is funding the development of a translational tool for researchers that will allow scientists to explicitly describe and compare their yoga interventions as well as to implement appropriate control groups in clinical trials. The project is particularly significant, because, although evidence suggests yoga benefits both physical and mental health, researchers have yet to compare various styles of yoga and assess specific components, such as breathing, poses, or a teacher’s specific approach, to identify what works most effectively.
Another new grant will allow for the exploration of the linkage between religiousness/spirituality (R/S) and physical health. It will do this by studying the effects of several dimensions of R/S on biomarkers of cardiac functioning and mortality in congestive heart failure patients. While there is evidence that R/S can improve health, to date, little research has explored the physiological links though which this may occur.
