The present study was undertaken to provide evidence for the positive effect of yoga therapy on anxiety & depression on geriatric patients. A sample group of 10 geriatrics referred as outpatient from different depts such as Medical, ENT, neurology were trained by simple yogic exercises according to their underlying problems and compliance of each patient. The subjective improvement was assessed by HAD scale (Hospital Anxiety & Depression scale as HAD is a simple & valuable valid measure of disorders of mood due to anxiety & depression and so was used for the present study for assessment of clinically significant anxiety &  depression in these patients).  Blood samples were collected for Haematological and Biochemical indices before and after completion of yoga training for 2 weeks and results were analysed. The effect of yoga therapy on autonomic functional changes were also observed for each patient by recording   BP, HR, RR for each subject.

There is.  Improvement in autonomic function by a fall to normalcy in BP, HR, RR after yoga training.   There Is also reduction in serum cholesterol level & blood sugar level to normalcy after yoga training.  Improvement in immunemechanism and anaemia were confirmed by Haematologic changes such as eosinopenia, and lymphocytosis with compensatory neutophilia, and a rise in total WBC, HB, RBC count. There is significant reduction in depression & anxiety in stress after practising yoga poses. The Results presented over here are statistically significant.

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Dr S. Meenakshi

Prof & HOD, Department of Physiology

SRM Dental College & Hospital, Ramapuram Chennai-89