Obesity ( sthoulya ), in general, is a significant health problem and is associated with several comorbidities and various discomforts that can cause negative impact on physical, mental, and social well-being of a person. In this case study, an obese patient was suffering from severe multiple joint pains ( aam vata ) and shortness of breath ( shwaas ) was unable to climb stairs, and had extreme difficulty in walking. The patient also suffered from stress-related complaints, such as sleep disturbances ( anidra ) and poor digestion. The treatment was aimed at restoring psycho-physiological and physical health of the patient. Ayurveda panchakarma therapy involves treatments such as snehana (oleation), svedana (sudation), and virechana (purgation), which are the line of treatment for obesity-related disorders. Furthermore, the patient was given special yoga postures to improve flexibility and movement of joints. The integrative therapy of Ayurveda panchakarma and yoga showed significant improvement in functional capacity, quality of life, and musculoskeletal pain.

Hyperlipidemia is a condition which comprises several acquired and genetic disorders that cause elevated lipid levels in the body. The elevated lipids may further lead to various health complications such as arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular diseases. A 41-year-old male, non-alcoholic, non-smoking, vegetarian, and self-employed patient reported with chronic abnormally high level of lipids. The patient was assessed on day 1, day 18 and after completion of 25 days of Ayurveda and naturopathy therapy for hyperlipidemia. In spite of suffering from hyperlipidemia, the patient was not having any associated complaints; therefore he was prescribed an integrated therapy of yoga, Ayurveda and Naturopathy. The results of present case report showed substantial reduction in cholesterol and triglycerides levels with three weeks of yoga, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy treatment. The patient was not prescribed any concomitant allopathic medications during the treatment period. The case study concluded that combined alternative therapies of yoga, Ayurveda and Naturopathy have helped in substantial reduction of abnormal levels of lipids in a short duration of three weeks.

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Over the years, Yoga has not only contributed to holistic health and well-being but has also spread worldwide as an academic discipline. At the same time, there has been regular experimentation and adaptation in the field of yoga by people from various parts of the world since the time it gained wide popularity, some of them being quite scientific in their orientation. Among them, hot yoga is a new trend in Hatha yoga practice, which involves exposure to ambient temperature to promote the health benefits through acclimatization. However, to date, influence of hot yoga on various health-related parameters and its effect on thermoregulatory mechanism are still under controversy. This study attempted to explore the possible ill effects of hyperthermia-induced physical activity on various regulatory mechanisms of health, which may be directed toward impaired body homeostasis. This study suggests that hot yoga cannot regulate comprehensive health at cellular level and may deviate from the traditional concept of yoga.

People who contract COVID-19, including those with mild infections, suffer from post-COVID complications for months after they recover. These complications include chest pain, breathlessness, pulmonary fibrosis, vision problems, joint pain, loss of smell sensation, fatigue, body pain, headache, mood changes, and memory loss. The present case study is aimed at devising an integrated therapy protocol to assist in regaining overall health during post-COVID-19 recovery phase. A 56-year-old male was enrolled in post-COVID Yoga relaxation program for 13 days with complaints of fatty liver, lung fibrosis, and shortness of breath. During COVID-19, he was on ventilator support and recovered after 15 days of intensive care unit care. He was having generalized weakness and needed walking assistance upon admission. The patient was assessed for Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and pulmonary function at the baseline and after the completion of 13 days of Yoga and Ayurveda therapy. The patient showed significant improvement in forced vital capacity, slow vital capacity, and maximal voluntary ventilation after 13 days of integrated therapy. Further, a significant increase in time domain markers of HRV and a significant reduction in Low Frequency (LF) and ratio of LF to High Frequency (LF/HF) with the simultaneous increase in HF was observed. This implies an autonomic balance shift from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic system. Integrative therapy of Yoga and Ayurveda was found to be effective in mitigating the post-COVID-19 complications in this patient. The patient showed improvement in HRV and pulmonary function after integrative therapy for 13 days. Thus, Yoga and Ayurveda therapy proved to be promising and efficacious treatments in the present case study.