Abstract
Yoga and meditation (encompassing physical postures, breathing practices, relaxation techniques and meditation) is known to modulate neural, endocrine and immune functions at the cellular level through influencing cell cycle control, aging, oxidative stress (OS), apoptosis and several pathways of stress signalling. Individuals with high level of oxidative stress are in great need of safe, inexpensive, non-pharmacologic, accessible, and effective adjunctive therapies to enhance well-being, reduce the burden of such stress and prevent its chronic sequelae. OS is the aetiology in several complex lifestyle diseases (coronary artery disease, hypertension, primary open angle glaucoma, idiopathic male infertility) and autoimmune disorders. Seminal oxidative stress and sperm DNA damage may be the common underlying cause for infertility, recurrent spontaneous abortions, congenital malformations and complex neuropsychiatric disorders in children and in certain childhood cancers. Thus management by antioxidants and simple life style modifications and interventions like meditation and yoga are highly efficacious in management of oxidative stress and its sequelae.
Highlights
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate several physiological functions and play key role in several biological functions
Recent studies from our lab have documented that meditation and yoga are highly effective in reducing oxidative stress (OS) and DNA damage and thereby the mutagenic load carried by sperm DNA
In the same report we have found that, the seminal ROS levels declined within 10 days practice of meditation and yoga [5,6]
Summary
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate several physiological functions and play key role in several biological functions. Studies from our laboratory on normozoospermic infertile men and couples with idiopathic RSA and couples with more than 2 children with congenital malformations with unexplained aetiology has shown that systemic and testicular oxidative stress and oxidative damage to sperm DNA is the underlying aetiology in all these disorders believed to be idiopathic.
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