Yoga and aquatic exercises have been found to ease common symptoms of multiple sclerosis in a new study that suggests such practices can be a healthy complement to conventional treatments.

The study — led by researchers from the University of Basel and Psychiatric University Clinics Basel and the University of Medical Sciences in Iran — compared the experiences of 54 women with MS who were asked to engage in yoga, aquatic exercise, or no exercise. The women were surveyed before and after the study.

The results showed the patients who participated in a weekly training program (yoga or exercise) for eight weeks reported an improvement in symptoms, while those who did not had a “likelihood of moderate to severe depression that was 35-fold higher” than the others.

“Exercise training programs should be considered in the future as possible complements to standard MS treatments,” the researchers concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

MS is a chronic disease that involves the progressive damage of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This damage often leads to numbness, blurred vision, both physical and mental fatigue, and the impairment of speech and muscular coordination. Other symptoms include faintness, depression, and paresthesia, more commonly known as the “pins and needles” sensation.

While there is no cure for MS, a wide array of treatments and medications are used to manage the symptoms of the disease. Currently, there are “more than twelve disease-modifying medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration” for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS.