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ABSTRACT
Introduction. Yoga is a popular form of complementary and alternative treatment. It is practiced both in developing
and developed countries. Use of yoga for various bodily ailments is recommended in ancient ayvurvedic (ayus = life,
veda = knowledge) texts and is being increasingly investigated scientically. Many patients and yoga protagonists
claim that it is useful in sexual disorders. We are interested in knowing if it works for patients with premature
ejaculation (PE) and in comparing its efcacy with uoxetine, a known treatment option for PE.
Aim. To know if yoga could be tried as a treatment option in PE and to compare it with uoxetine.
Methods. A total of 68 patients (38 yoga group; 30 uoxetine group) attending the outpatient department of
psychiatry of a tertiary care hospital were enrolled in the present study. Both subjective and objective assessment tools
were administered to evaluate the efcacy of the yoga and uoxetine in PE. Three patients dropped out of the study
citing their inability to cope up with the yoga schedule as the reason.
Main Outcome Measure. Intravaginal ejaculatory latencies in yoga group and uoxetine control groups.
Results. We found that all 38 patients (2565.7% = good, 1334.2% = fair) belonging to yoga and 25 out of 30 of the
uoxetine group (82.3%) had statistically signicant improvement in PE.
Conclusions. Yoga appears to be a feasible, safe, effective and acceptable nonpharmacological option for PE. More
studies involving larger patients could be carried out to establish its utility in this condition. Dhikav V, Karmarkar
G, Gupta M, and Anand KS. Yoga in premature ejaculation: A comparative trial with fluoxetine. J Sex Med
2007;4:17261732.
Key Words. Premature Ejaculation; Yoga; Fluoxetine; Nonpharmacological Treatment; Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Introduction
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Table 1
38 cases
30 controls
Demographic data
Mean age = 38.9 10.1 years
Mean age = 38.6 9.2 years
Total number = 68; age range = 2258 years; mean duration of premature
ejaculation = 1.7 1.5 years.
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Dhikav et al.
J
I
K
Figure 1 Various yoga postures employed during the study (figures run from A to K from top left).
Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS
version 10 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Paired
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Kapal bhati
Vajarasan
Yog mudra
Bhujangasan
Dhanurasan
Paschimottoansana
Gomukasan
Veerasan
Ardhmatsyendra mudra
Viparita karani mudra
Sarvang Asana
Halasan
Mehabhed mudra
Agnisar mudra
1. Kapalbhati (Figure 1A)Sit straight in squatting posture with eyes closed. Put hands on the knees. Fix the chest and consciously
contract abdominal muscles.
2. Pranayama (Figure 1B)Sit comfortably with eyes closed in squatting posture. Deep breathing should be done via alternating
nostrils as shown.
3. Yog mudra (Figure 1C)Take hands to the lower back. Catch the right wrist with the left palm and bend forward.
4. Vajarasan (Figure 1D)Fold legs at knee joints and sit on the legs, and touch knee caps as shown.
5. Bhujangasan (Figure 1E)Lie down in prone position and transfer weight on palms. Attempt should be made to stretch the back
muscles.
6. Dhanurasan (Figure 1F)Body gets a bow-like shape.
7. Halasan (Figure 1G)Lie down flat; then, turn legs overhead while maintaining hands on the ground firmly.
8. Paschimottoasana (Figure 1H)Sit with legs straight, touch toes, and try to bend the head forward and kiss the toes.
9. Ardhmatsyendra mudra (Figure 1I)Sit straight, bend right knee, and put it below buttocks. Now cross the left leg and bring it in
front of the right knee.
10. Sarvang asana (Figure 1J)Lie down straight and gradually lift legs. Then, once adequate lift is achieved; support pelvis and lower
back with the palms of both hands.
11. Shava asana (Figure 1K)It involves lying relaxed, eyes closed with arms placed on both sides of the body. It relaxes muscles that
are stretched during yogic exercises. In practical terms, this means a posture in which patients lay still with superior and inferior
extremities asunder and perform slow deep breathing with a relaxed mind.
1730
Dhikav et al.
Number
Percentage
Good
Fair
Poor
25
13
0
65.8%
34.2%
0%
Before
After
t value
df
P value
1
2
29.9 15.1
33.2 17.9
64.1 29.4
112.8 35.6
5.65
12.29
58
74
<0.0001
<0.0001
Percentage (%)
Nausea
Vomiting
Anxiety
Insomnia
14
4
4
8
46.6
13.3
13.3
26.6
1731
1732
E\3, Flat Number-280 Sector-18, Delhi Rohini
110085, India. Tel: +91-9910011205; Fax: 01126865165;
E-mail:
vikasdhikav@hotmail.com,
va212001@yahoo.com
Conict of Interest: None declared.
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