Therapeutic effect of Siddhar yogam on varicose veins - A pilot clinical trial.

The short version

This single-arm pilot trial with 30 participants explored whether a 90-day Siddhar yogam programme could reduce the symptom burden of varicose veins, which are dilated, twisted veins of 3 mm or more in the legs. Siddhar yogam belongs to the Siddha system of medicine, a South Indian tradition that explains illness through three humors, Vatham (air), Pitham (fire) and Kabham (water), and counts Siddhar yogam among its Kayakarpam (rejuvenation science) methods. The practice combines yoga postures, controlled breathing and meditation. The authors note that no standardized, non-invasive therapy exists for varicose veins, a condition they say affects about 5% of people in India. The 30 patients (10 men and 20 women, aged 30 to 55) were recruited at the National Institute of Siddha's Ayothidoss Pandithar Hospital. All practised the same 35-minute routine for 90 days: a few minutes of relaxation, 21 minutes of postures such as raised-leg pose, half plough, inverted pose and cycling pose, and 5 minutes of Thirumoolar breathing practice. Symptoms and quality of life were scored with the Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ), where a lower score means less impact, before and after the programme. There was no comparison group. Average AVVQ scores dropped from 16.2 to 12.0 (a fall of 4.2 points; reported as significant at p < 0.05 by Wilcoxon signed rank test). Most participants (over 85%) reported long periods of standing, and the Siddha assessments, which grade humors, body constituents and an eight-fold examination, showed derangement mainly in Vatham and Pitham before treatment and a reduction in these findings afterwards, though the paper gives no figures for that change. The authors suggest the postures lower pressure in the leg veins and help blood return to the heart by working the calf muscles, but they did not measure this. Because the trial had one arm, no follow-up and only one outcome measure, and excluded severe cases, the authors say the efficacy of the regimen cannot be established. They recommend larger randomized trials.

Key findings

• In this small study, 30 people with varicose veins (swollen, twisted leg veins) practised a set yoga routine for 90 days.
• Their average score on the Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire, which rates symptoms and daily-life impact, fell from 16.2 to 12.0, and lower scores mean less impact.
• The study had no comparison group and no follow-up, so it cannot show that the yoga caused the improvement.
• The yoga routine came from the Siddha tradition of South India and combined relaxation, leg-raising and inverted postures, and a breathing exercise.
• The authors say larger randomized trials are needed before the routine's effectiveness can be established.

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