It has become common knowledge that yoga is good for you. Currently yoga is being used as a therapy for cancer, infertility, lung disease, multiple sclerosis. Parkinson’s disease, insomnia, high blood pressure, and joint pain. Yet there is very little awareness and understanding on exactly how yoga heals, even in the yoga and medical communities. The key is to understand the relationships between stress, yoga and disease.Medical research estimates that as much as 90 percent of illness and disease is stress related. A few of the many diseases and conditions that have been linked to an overactive stress response include : cardio-vascular disease, depression, anxiety, some types of diabetes mellitus, etc.What we feel as stress, is the product of the sympathetic nervous system or the “fight or flight” response : an almost instantaneous surge in heart rate, cardiac output, blood pressure, sweating, shallow breathing and metabolism, combined with a tensing of muscles. Internally, the “fight or flight” response shuts down digestion and elimination and reduces blood flow to the internal organs. Short term, this stress reaction is a good thing. The “fight or flight” response prepares us to respond to any environmental threat by fighting against it or fleeing from it. But long term continuous exposure to stress is harmful, placing excess wear and tear on the body’s system and severely limiting the body’s natural maintenance and healing abilities.Chronic stress can lead to continuously high levels or cortisol. This hormone at normal levels helps to maintain an active, healthy body (including regulation of metabolism and blood pressure). But excessive amounts of cortisol can suppress the immune system and cause sleep disturbances and loss of appetite. High levels of cortisol can also increase your heart rate, blood pressure and your cholesterol and triglyceride levels (risk factors for both heart attacks and strokes). The by-products of cortisol act as sedatives, which can lead to changes in mood, especially to feelings of depression.1. For which diseases is yoga being used as a therapy?2. What is the key to understand how yoga heals?3. What does medical research estimate?4. Which diseases and conditions have been linked to an overactive stress response?5. What is stress?6. How is long term stress harmful?7. How is high level of cortisol harmone harmful?8. Locate from the passage the antonyms of the following :(i) fertility(ii) harmless(iii) decrease.