Researchers highlighted yoga as a low-cost, high-impact supportive therapy with significant public health potential.
BENGALURU
A collaborative study by NIMHANS and Harvard Medical School has found that yoga can dramatically reduce recovery time from opioid withdrawal, nearly halving it. Published in JAMA Psychiatry on January 7, the research showed patients practising yoga alongside standard buprenorphine medication overcame withdrawal symptoms in five days, compared to nine days for those receiving medication alone. Participants also reported better sleep, reduced anxiety, and less pain.
The study enrolled 59 participants aged 18 to 50 (mean age 25.6) from Karnataka, West Bengal, and Manipur between April 30, 2023, and March 31, 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups in NIMHANS’ addiction medicine inpatient ward. One group followed a 45-minute yoga program—including relaxing postures, pranayama, breathing exercises, and brief Yoga Nidra—delivered over 10 sessions in 14 days alongside buprenorphine. The control group received standard care, including psychosocial support, counselling, and routine treatment.
Researchers monitored Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to assess stress reactivity, a major challenge during withdrawal. The yoga group showed improved baseline HRV, indicating reduced sympathetic activity and enhanced parasympathetic response.
Dr Prabhat Chand, head of NIMHANS’ Centre for Addiction Medicine, said, “Opioid addiction is much more challenging to treat than tobacco or alcohol dependence. About 80% of participants misused tapentadol, a prescription painkiller prevalent in Bengaluru, while others reported using injectable heroin. Tapentadol abuse is specific to the region.”
The study highlights that pharmacological treatment alone is insufficient to address withdrawal-related stress. Researchers are exploring ways to scale the yoga intervention and plan to integrate “just-in-time” alerts and geocoding technologies to support patients during maintenance.
This research underlines yoga’s potential as a low-cost, high-impact adjunct therapy for opioid dependence, offering both physical and mental health benefits while supporting quicker recovery.
