A large percentage of breast cancer survivors are left with fatigue that can significantly impact their quality of life. Recent studies have revealed that yoga may work as an effective treatment for the issue.

A group of breast cancer survivors participated in a three-month, twice-a-week yoga class, and reported reduced fatigue and increased “vigor”. An additional group who took classes in health issues, without yoga sessions, felt no change in their depression or exhaustion.

The psychology department of the University of California, Los Angeles, gathered 31 breast cancer survivors, in order to test if yoga’s stress-reducing qualities will have an impact on the women’s fatigue. Each woman answered a questionnaire, revealing that levels of fatigue in the group were similar. The participants were then randomly assigned to a twice-weekly yoga class or a two-hour health class which took place once a week.

After three months, the educational class continued to suffer from the same levels of fatigue, while the yoga participants reported a dramatic decrease in fatigue and depression. The improvements continued up to three months after the last yoga class, as well.

According to Dr. Maira Campos, the new study’s results mirror those of similar studies conducted over the past few years. Dr. Campos was not involved in the recent study.