Loren Fishman, MD

04/21/2026

https://conta.cc/4sM6zXe

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04/21/2026

𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵

New research continues to affirm what clinicians and movement practitioners have long sensed: fascia is not passive tissue. It is a dynamic, intelligent system shaping spinal health at every level.

A 2024 review highlights fascia as a richly innervated, highly communicative network. It's so integral to whole‑body regulation that researchers describe it as a “watchman” for human health. Its integrity influences locomotion, proprioception, autonomic balance, and even emotional wellbeing.

Emerging studies also show fascia’s role in chronic pain, revealing how changes in fascial tension, thickness, and sensory signaling can contribute to persistent back pain and movement dysfunction.

And looking ahead, 2025 research predicts a surge in fascia‑focused imaging, movement‑based therapies, and manual interventions, especially for spinal conditions and age‑related changes.

But the research points to:
Fascia is no longer the “forgotten tissue.” It is a living, responsive system that shapes how the spine moves, adapts, heals, and communicates. As science catches up, our therapeutic approaches can become more precise, more compassionate, and more effective.

Source: See last slide of carousel.

04/14/2026

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04/08/2026

This ballet troupe arranged themselves into the shape of a spine, and the result is breathtaking. Their creation captures what I see so often in my work: the spine as both architecture and expression, strength and vulnerability. I’m grateful for this stunning tribute to the structure that carries us through life.

CREDIT:

04/07/2026

https://conta.cc/41R9T8t

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04/04/2026

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀, 𝗬𝗼𝗴𝗮 & 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘅

Over the past decade, my colleagues and I have explored how yoga can safely and effectively reverse adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) by rebalancing muscular tension along the spine.
Our newest study, published March 2026, shows that combining targeted isometric yoga with small, precisely placed injections of Botox can accelerate curve reduction dramatically. This integrative approach builds on five earlier studies from my lab, each showing that specific isometric yoga poses, done for just a few minutes a day, can meaningfully reduce scoliotic curves.

💉 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆?
For the first time, we paired:
• Isometric yoga poses that strengthen the weaker, convex side of the curve
• Botox injections that temporarily relax the stronger, concave side.

This dual approach helps restore symmetrical tension on the spine. An idea rooted in the tensegrity principles that have guided much of my work.

📈 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
The results are most spectacular in children aged 8 - 12, whose ligaments are still flexible and responsive. The curves from the combined yoga + Botox group improved from 33.2° to 24° in just 3 weeks
• And to 21.1° by 3 months
• Both outcomes were highly significant (p < .001)
• No serious adverse effects were observed.
These results were stronger and faster than yoga alone or placebo controls.

Across all five of our studies, 318 patients in total, we’ve now seen an average 34.4% improvement in thoracic and lumbar curves over roughly six months.

🏠 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
This method offers a low‑risk, low‑cost, non‑bracing, non‑surgical option that adolescents can practice at home. It may allow us to intervene earlier, before curves reach the threshold where bracing or surgery becomes standard.

📆 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁
Because older adults improve more slowly, likely due to ligamentous stiffness, we are now preparing to study relaxin, a naturally occurring antifibrotic hormone, to see whether it can enhance outcomes when paired with isometric yoga and Botox.

❤️ 𝗠𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲
That this work continues to expand the therapeutic possibilities for people with scoliosis, offering them agency, safety, and a path toward meaningful improvement without invasive interventions.
~Dr Loren Fishman

If you’d like to read the full paper, it’s available open‑access:
“Incobotulinum Expedites Yoga’s Reversal of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis” (2026)
HSOA Journal of Alternative, Complementary & Integrative Medicine
www.heraldopenaccess.us/article_pdf/9/incobotulinum-expedites-yoga-s-reversal-of-adolescent-idiopathic-scoliosis.pdf

03/31/2026

Medical Journal review of my Scoliosis research. If you have scoliosis, you can reduce your curves quickly, without bracing or surgery. Details below

03/31/2026

https://conta.cc/4uXAazv

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03/30/2026

I’ve just returned from a remarkable weekend at Kripalu, where dozens of dedicated students gathered to explore Yoga for Osteoporosis through the method I’ve spent so many years developing. Looking at this group photo, I feel deeply grateful.

What stood out to me most was the sincerity and curiosity each participant brought into the room. Together, we explored how precise, well‑aligned movement can stimulate bone growth, improve balance, reduce fracture risk, and restore confidence to people who may feel limited or afraid. Watching this group absorb the material - question it, practice it, embody it - was profoundly inspiring.

The real power of weekends like this isn’t just in the learning that happens in the moment. It’s in the ripple effect. Every person who attended will carry this knowledge back to their students, clients, families, and communities. The benefits will reach far beyond Kripalu’s walls, touching people who may never know where the spark originated.

To everyone who participated: thank you for your attention, your openness, and your commitment to helping others live stronger, safer, more empowered lives. Your dedication gives this work its meaning.

Here’s to the continued spread of safe, effective Yoga for Osteoporosis, and to the many people who will feel the impact of what you learned.

03/25/2026

𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗬: 𝗬𝗼𝗴𝗮 & 𝗔𝗹𝘇𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻

A UCLA clinical trial studied whether Kundalini yoga and Kirtan Kriya meditation could help protect the brain in women at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers compared a weekly yoga‑meditation program to a standard Memory Enhancement Training course over 12 weeks.

🧪 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
• Participants: 100 women, age 50–90, all with mild cognitive impairment and elevated Alzheimer’s risk.
• Interventions:• Kundalini yoga + Kirtan Kriya (weekly 60‑min class + daily 12‑min meditation)
• Memory Enhancement Training (weekly 60‑min class + daily homework)

• Duration: 12‑week program with follow‑ups at 24 and 48 weeks.
• What they measured: memory, executive function, mood, quality of life, and brain structure + connectivity via MRI.

📊 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
Across multiple published analyses from this trial:

1. Yoga Prevented Brain Atrophy
Women in the yoga group showed preserved gray matter volume, especially in regions vulnerable to Alzheimer’s (like the hippocampus).
This suggests yoga may help maintain brain structure as we age.

2. Yoga Improved Hippocampal Connectivity
Functional MRI showed stronger connectivity in memory‑related networks in the yoga group compared to memory training.

3. Cognitive Benefits Were Equal or Better
Both groups improved, but yoga often showed greater gains in memory, executive function, and processing speed.

4. Mood & Stress Markers Improved
Yoga participants experienced better mood, reduced stress, and beneficial changes in immune markers associated with cognitive decline.

🌿 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
• Kundalini yoga and Kirtan Kriya meditation may help protect the aging brain, especially in women at elevated risk for Alzheimer’s.
• Benefits include preserving brain volume, strengthening memory networks, and supporting emotional well‑being. All key factors in long‑term cognitive health.
• Even 12 minutes a day of meditation contributed to measurable changes.
• Yoga is emerging as a powerful, accessible, non‑pharmaceutical tool for supporting brain health across the lifespan.

SOURCE: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03503669

03/24/2026

https://conta.cc/4bIWJPE

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03/21/2026

𝗬𝗼𝗴𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗼𝗻: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗙𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀

If you spend time on trails, uneven ground, or just want to move with more confidence, your ankles deserve a little training time. Most sprains happen when the muscles around the joint can’t react fast enough. So the goal is to build strength, stability, and mobility that keep you steady when the terrain gets unpredictable.

🌀 Strength
Calf raises, banded ankle work, and slow, controlled toe lifts build the muscle support your ankles rely on.

🌀 Balance
Single‑leg stands, wobble‑board play, or even brushing your teeth on one foot trains your stabilizers to respond quickly when the ground shifts.

🌀 Mobility
Gentle ankle circles, dorsiflexion stretches, and calf mobility help your ankle move through its full range. Therefore, it can adapt instead of roll.

🌀 Why Yoga Helps
A consistent yoga practice naturally strengthens the stabilizer muscles of the lower body and moves the joints through their full, healthy range of motion. That combination - strength + mobility + awareness - is powerful for preventing ankle sprains and staying steady on unpredictable terrain.

🌀 Consistency Over Intensity
Just a few minutes a day builds resilience. Think of it as insurance for your adventures.

Your ankles carry you through every step of your life. Train them like they matter, because they do.

Let me know in the comments what you do to keep your ankles strong and injury free.