Comments on the Benefits of Yoga in Bronchial Asthma Several anomalies appeared in a recent paper on the eHect of yoga on bronchial asthma [Inpharma 51 1: 8 (2 Nov 1985)]. In tables II and V the figures are not in agreement; 25 patients withdrew from the yoga group which may have been because of lack of effect, thus introducing a bias into the results; the low peak flow rate seen at 18 months is associated with a low drug treatment score which seems inconsistent; and it seems from the initial mean weekly drug treatment score and mean peak flow rates that asthma was more severe in the control than in the yoga group. Bradley, G.W.. British Medical Journal 291, 150& /507 (23 Nov 1985)

There was a printing error in lable II in the original article (drug treatment scores were reversed). Further, values in table II refer to those obtained when the patient was withdrawn while those in table V are from the whole group during follow-up. Patients did not withdraw from the yoga group during the study from any lack of benefit since they, also, showed significant improvement on withdrawal; the asthmatic state does not change in a linear manner and the fluctuation at 18 months is a local inconsistenc y; and the 2 groups were matched for severity of asthma and number of attacks per week - not for drug treatment score and peak flow rates. Nagaral/l".. R.. British Medical Journal 291: 1057 (23 Nov 1985)

The results of this trial would have been more convincing if a single-blind programme with a set of arbitrary physical and mental exercises, bearing no relation to yoga, had been incorporated into the regimen of the control group to test for a placebo effect. Freedman. B.J.: British Medical Journal 291: 1507 (23 Nov 1985)

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INPHARMA'* 7 Dec 1985

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