Commentary on 'Feasibility study: effects of therapeutic yoga on quality of life in children hospitalized with cancer'.

摘要

Living with cancer and the effects of treatment can be one of the most difficult things a child (and his or her family) can ever face. Quality of life can be poor and discouraging with side effects of these treatments including both physical and psychological deterioration. The suggestion that an intervention such as the Bendy Kids Yoga may offer hope and improved quality of life is encouraging. In addition, guidelines on exercise prescription for children hospitalized during cancer treatments are limited making this pilot study timely and promising. Exercise can have a positive effect on function, especially when patients are motivated to participate and perceive exercise to be beneficial. In this study, patients' perception of gross motor function demonstrated a significant improvement (according to quality-of-life measure: PedsQL) after participation in 5 yoga sessions. Including yoga in the plan of care for children hospitalized with cancer may offer clinicians another option to consider. As the authors describe, the actual yoga exercises/activities would need to be individualized because of age and medical status, and clinicians would need training to use this intervention.