Yoga may help women limit symptoms of menopause, according to researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle, the Daily Mail reported. The researchers found stress reduction therapies, including yoga, may offer an alternative to hormone replacement therapy for women in menopause. The review was published in the menopause journal Climacteric.

Professor Nancy Woods and colleagues are the first to study the effect of these therapies on multiple issues, including hot flashes and low mood, rather than individual problems, and examined non-drug studies, including herbal medicine, Chinese medicine, yoga, exercise and relaxation.

The researchers found relaxation therapies and yoga showed the most promise, and yoga significantly cut hot flushes, while improving concentration, sleep and pain levels. Also, in certain groups, yoga showed benefits for sleep, mood, and pain symptoms

‘Selected mind-body therapies may provide useful treatment for menopausal symptoms, although properly controlled studies are still required to confirm these benefits,’ Woods stated. “In particular, yoga showed significant treatment effects for hot flushes and cognitive symptoms.”