1 173 145 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY ON ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH STATUS, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY IN COAL MINERS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE FOLLOWING YOGA TRAINING. CONTEXT: PSYCHOLOGICAL COMORBIDITIES ARE PREVALENT IN COAL MINERS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE DISEASE REDUCING THEIR HEALTH STATUS. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES BUT IN COPD NOT BEEN FULLY INVESTIGATED. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE ROLE OF YOGA ON HEALTH STATUS, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY IN COAL MINERS WITH COPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED TRIAL WITH TWO STUDY ARMS (YOGA AND CONTROL), WHICH ENROLLED 81 COAL MINERS, RANGING FROM 36 TO 60 YEARS WITH STAGE II AND III STABLE COPD. BOTH GROUPS WERE EITHER ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT OR COMBINATION OF CONVENTIONAL CARE WITH YOGA PROGRAM FOR 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES; COPD ASSESSMENT TEST, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) IMPROVEMENTS ON ALL SCALES WITHIN THE GROUP, ALL SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT (P < 0.001) FROM CHANGES OBSERVED IN THE CONTROLS. NO SIGNIFICANT PREPOST CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA PROGRAM LED TO GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH STATUS THAN DID CONVENTIONAL CARE. YOGA SEEMS TO BE A SAFE, FEASIBLE, AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH COPD. THERE IS A NEED TO CONDUCT MORE COMPREHENSIVE, HIGH-QUALITY, EVIDENCE-BASED STUDIES TO SHED LIGHT ON THE CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THESE CHRONIC CONDITIONS AND IDENTIFY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. 2016 2 786 49 EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) ON EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: PULMONARY REHABILITATION IMPROVES EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). HOWEVER, MANY PATIENTS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO PULMONARY REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT AN ALTERNATIVE TO PULMONARY REHABILITATION TO IMPROVE EXERCISE TOLERANCE IS THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMA, OR YOGA BREATHING, WHICH COULD BE DONE INDEPENDENTLY AT HOME. WE ALSO SOUGHT TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA NONPROFESSIONALS COULD ADEQUATELY TEACH PRANAYAMA TO PATIENTS. DESIGN: PROOF-OF-CONCEPT, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. SETTINGS/LOCATION: TWO ACADEMIC PULMONARY PRACTICES. SUBJECTS: FORTY-THREE PATIENTS WITH SYMPTOMATIC, MODERATE-TO-SEVERE COPD. INTERVENTIONS: TWELVE WEEKS OF PRANAYAMA PLUS EDUCATION VERSUS EDUCATION ALONE. TWO YOGA PROFESSIONALS TRAINED THE RESEARCH COORDINATORS TO CONDUCT ALL PRANAYAMA TEACHING AND MONITORED THE QUALITY OF THE TEACHING AND THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMA BY STUDY PARTICIPANTS. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A CHANGE IN THE 6-MIN WALK DISTANCE (6MWD). SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN LUNG FUNCTION, MARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, AND MEASURES OF DYSPNEA AND QUALITY OF LIFE. RESULTS: THE 6MWD INCREASED IN THE PRANAYAMA GROUP (LEAST SQUARE MEAN [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL] = 28 M [-5 TO 61]) AND DECREASED IN THE CONTROL GROUP (-15 M [-47 TO 16]), WITH A NEARLY SIGNIFICANT TREATMENT EFFECT (P = 0.06) IN FAVOR OF PRANAYAMA. PRANAYAMA ALSO RESULTED IN SMALL IMPROVEMENTS IN INSPIRATORY CAPACITY AND AIR TRAPPING. BOTH GROUPS HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN VARIOUS MEASURES OF SYMPTOMS, BUT NO OVERALL DIFFERENCES IN RESPIRATORY SYSTEM IMPEDANCE OR MARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS OR SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED THAT PRANAYAMA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH COPD. LAY PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO ADEQUATELY TEACH PATIENTS TO PRACTICE PRANAYAMA. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT PRANAYAMA MAY HAVE SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL BENEFITS FOR SYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS WITH COPD, A CONCEPT THAT NEEDS TO BE CONFIRMED IN FUTURE, LARGER CLINICAL TRIALS. 2017 3 159 44 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 4 428 45 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 5 1076 47 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AS A CHRONIC DISEASE COULD AFFECT PATIENTS' VARIOUS DOMAINS OF LIFE. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING OF PATIENTS WITH MS IN SOUTHWEST, IRAN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY, 60 MS PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED ACCORDING TO INCLUSION CRITERIA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. PRIOR TO AND AFTER INTERVENTION, THE PATIENTS' VITAL SIGNS WERE MEASURED. FOR CASE GROUP YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED THREE SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS WHILE CONTROL GROUP PERFORMED NO EXERCISE. THE DATA WERE GATHERED BY QUESTIONNAIRE AND ANALYSED BY DESCRIPTIVE AND ANALYTICAL STATISTICS IN SPSS. RESULTS: PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN IN CASE GROUP DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION. PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES IN CASE GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA IS LIKELY TO INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY OF MS PATIENTS THROUGH ENHANCING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCREASING THE STRENGTH OF LOWER LIMBS AND BALANCE, AND DECREASING FATIGUE AND PAIN, AND FINALLY TO PROMOTE SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN THESE PATIENTS. 2016 6 2119 36 THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON SELECTED PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES AMONG MALE PATIENTS WITH INSOMNIA. BACKGROUND: AN ESTIMATED 30-50% OF THE GENERAL POPULATION IS AFFECTED BY INSOMNIA AND 10% HAVE CHRONIC INSOMNIA. YOGA THERAPY IS BENEFICIAL IN SUCH DISORDERS AND IT HAS FEWER SIDE EFFECTS. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO FIND OUT THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON SELECTED PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES AMONG MEN WITH INSOMNIA. METHODS: FORTY MALES WITH INSOMNIA WERE DIVIDED RANDOMLY INTO 2 GROUPS (THE EXPERIMENTAL AND THE CONTROL GROUPS). THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED EIGHT WEEKS OF YOGA THERAPY, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY THERAPY. THE PRE AND POST TREATMENT STRESS AND THE SELF CONFIDENCE SCORES WERE TAKEN. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE STRESS SCORES AND THE SELF CONFIDENCE SCORES IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THERE WERE NEITHER ANY SIDE EFFECTS NOR ANY DROP OUTS. CONCLUSION: WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTION FOR THE PATIENTS WITH INSOMNIA. THERE ARE NO MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS. 2013 7 2883 38 YOGA: A TOOL FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHRONIC PANCREATITIS. AIM: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS OF CHRONIC PANCREATITIS. METHODS: THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO TWO GROUPS. THE CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED THEIR USUAL CARE AS DIRECTED BY THEIR PHYSICIANS. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP, IN ADDITION, RECEIVED BIWEEKLY YOGA SESSIONS FOR 12 WK. THE PATIENTS' DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH BEHAVIOUR VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAMME USING MEDICAL OUTCOMES SHORT FORM (SF-36) FOR QUALITY OF LIFE, PROFILE OF MOOD STATES FOR ASSESSING MOOD AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS INVENTORY FOR MEASURING STRESS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 60 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED, WITH 8 DROP-OUTS. THIRTY PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA GROUP AND 30 TO THE CONTROL GROUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE, SYMPTOMS OF STRESS, MOOD CHANGES, ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND APPETITE AFTER THE 12 WK PERIOD APART FROM THE GENERAL FEELING OF WELL-BEING AND DESIRE TO CONTINUE WITH THE PROGRAMME IN FUTURE IN THE YOGA GROUP, WHILE THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS EFFECTIVE ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS OF CHRONIC PANCREATITIS. 2007 8 2864 46 YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: THE USE OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS HAS BEEN POORLY STUDIED. THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF A BRIEF YOGA PROGRAM AS AN INTERVENTION IN CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED RESEARCH DESIGN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CAREGIVERS WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY (N=29) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA (N=15) OR WAIT-LIST GROUP (N=14). THEY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. PATIENTS WHO WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING THRICE A WEEK FOR 4 WEEKS, AFTER WHICH THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE AT HOME FOR THE NEXT 2 MONTHS. DUE TO THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND SOME VARIABLES NOT BEING NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED, NON-PARAMETRIC STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS USED. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BURDEN SCORES AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE WAIT-LIST GROUP AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES IN CAREGIVERS, OR PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SCORES IN PATIENTS. CONCLUSION: IN CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOSIS, 4 WEEKS OF TRAINING FOLLOWED BY 3 MONTHS OF HOME PRACTICE OF A YOGA MODULE OFFERED SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER WAITLIST. YOGA CAN BE OFFERED AS AN INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH SEVERE MENTAL DISORDERS. METHODS OF PROVIDING YOGA INTERVENTION CLOSER TO THE COMMUNITY OR USE OF FLEXIBLE MODULES AT HOSPITALS NEEDS FURTHER STUDY. 2013 9 1846 51 QUALITY OF LIFE AND MENTAL HEALTH IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES WHO REGULARLY PRACTICE YOGA AND THOSE WHO DO NOT: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY. WHILE CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE SHOWN EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY OF YOGA IN DIFFERENT CHRONIC DISEASES, SUBJECTIVE HEALTH BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PRACTICE UNDER NATURALISTIC CONDITIONS HAVE NOT YET BEEN INVESTIGATED. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE ASSOCIATIONS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE WITH QUALITY OF LIFE AND MENTAL HEALTH IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES. USING A CASE-CONTROL DESIGN, PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES WHO REGULARLY PRACTICED YOGA WERE SELECTED FROM A LARGE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY AND COMPARED TO CONTROLS WHO DID NOT REGULARLY PRACTICE YOGA AND WHO WERE MATCHED INDIVIDUALLY TO EACH CASE ON GENDER, MAIN DIAGNOSIS, EDUCATION, AND AGE (WITHIN 5 YEARS). PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36 QUESTIONNAIRE), MENTAL HEALTH (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE), LIFE SATISFACTION, AND HEALTH SATISFACTION (QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LIFE SATISFACTION) WERE ASSESSED. PATIENTS WHO REGULARLY PRACTICED YOGA (N = 186) HAD A BETTER GENERAL HEALTH STATUS (P = 0.012), A HIGHER PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING (P = 0.001), AND PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCORE (P = 0.029) ON THE SF-36 THAN THOSE WHO DID NOT (N = 186). NO GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR THE MENTAL SCALES OF THE SF-36, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, LIFE SATISFACTION, OR HEALTH SATISFACTION. IN CONCLUSION, PRACTICING YOGA UNDER NATURALISTIC CONDITIONS SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED PHYSICAL HEALTH BUT NOT MENTAL HEALTH IN CHRONICALLY DISEASED PATIENTS. 2013 10 2235 33 THE IMPACT OF YOGA UPON FEMALE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. DESIGN: THE WHO QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE(22) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF 20 FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. SUBJECTS ATTENDED ONE HOUR YOGA SESSIONS DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF ONE MONTH. A PRETEST-POST-TEST RESEARCH DESIGN WAS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS. RESULTS: PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES FOLLOWING THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE GREATER THAN SCORES OBTAINED PRIOR TO UNDERTAKING YOGA (P < 0.01). PATIENTS ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND OF THEIR HEALTH POST YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING THE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS TO MANAGE THEIR DISEASE-RELATED SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY BE CONSIDERED AS SUPPORTIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY IN CONJUNCTION WITH MEDICAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYPOTHYROID DISORDER. 2011 11 2609 52 YOGA FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, STROKE, CANCER, AND CHRONIC PULMONARY DISEASE ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. COMPOUNDING SYMPTOMS AND LOSS OF FUNCTION, PEOPLE LIVING WITH CHRONIC DISEASE OFTEN EXPERIENCE REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO RELIEVE STRESS AND IMPROVE QOL. YOGA IS A PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICE THAT MAY BE A VIABLE APPROACH FOR IMPROVING QOL IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND SUMMARIZE THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. DESIGN: THE STUDY DESIGN WAS A A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS. METHODS: WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QOL OR HEALTH-RELATED QOL (HRQOL) FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. WE INCLUDED ONLY STUDIES THAT USED AT LEAST 1 PREVIOUSLY VALIDATED MEASURE OF QOL OR HRQOL AND SPECIFIED A MINIMUM DURATION OF FOLLOW-UP OF AT LEAST 1 WK. INTERVENTIONS: WE INCLUDED BOTH MOVEMENT-BASED AND BREATH-BASED YOGA PRACTICES. STUDIES THAT INCLUDED YOGA AS PART OF A LARGER INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EG, MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION TRAINING) OR STUDIES THAT DID NOT PROVIDE FINDINGS SPECIFIC TO YOGA WERE EXCLUDED. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME ANALYZED WAS IMPROVEMENT IN QOL AS MEASURED BY A VALIDATED QOL OR HRQOL SCALE. RESULTS: AMONG THE 1488 STUDIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED ON INITIAL SEARCH, 7 ARTICLES MET ALL INCLUSION CRITERIA. FIVE STUDIES REPORTED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER USUAL CARE ALONE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE, BUT THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DIFFERENCES WAS CLEAR IN ONLY 1 TRIAL. WE FOUND CONSIDERABLE HETEROGENEITY AMONG THE INCLUDED STUDIES AND STUDY QUALITY WAS GENERALLY LOW. CONCLUSIONS: MORE HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE APPROACH TO IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. 2019 12 1410 54 IMPACT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOPATHOLOGIES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PERSONS WITH HIV: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT INDIVIDUALS WITH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) OFTEN EXHIBIT POOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO A REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA IS A FORM OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPY THAT HAS POSITIVE INFLUENCES ON GENERAL HEALTH AND QOL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON I) ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND II) QOL AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH AN HIV POSITIVE STATUS. METHODOLOGY: SIXTY INDIVIDUALS WITH HIV-POSITIVE (AGED 30-50 YEARS) FROM REHABILITATION CENTRES ACROSS BANGALORE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N=30; 11 MEN) OR THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N=30; 10 MEN). PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 8 WEEKS OF INTENSE YOGA PRACTICE PERFORMED AN HOUR A DAY FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK. THE YOGA PRACTICE CONSISTED OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING PRACTICES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, AND MEDITATION. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR NORMAL ROUTINE. ANXIETY, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, AND QOL WERE ASSESSED TWICE FOR ALL SUBJECTS IN EACH GROUP - ONCE AT THE START OF THE STUDY TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE AND ONCE MORE AT THE END OF THE 2-MONTH STUDY PERIOD TO ASSESS ANY CHANGES. DATA ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED ON THE ASSESSMENTS USING SPSS SOFTWARE VERSION 10. RESULTS: BETWEEN GROUP ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATED THAT A SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT REDUCTION IN ANXIETY (P<0.001), DEPRESSION (P<0.001), AND FATIGUE (P<0.001) WAS OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN WELL-BEING (P<0.001) AND ALL DOMAINS OF QOL (P<0.001) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY INDICATES THAT YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND QOL OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HIV-POSITIVE. THEREFORE, BASED ON THESE FINDINGS, YOGA MAY BE RECOMMENDED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY TO ENHANCE CONVENTIONAL HIV CARE. 2019 13 2508 51 YOGA BREATHING FOR CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: RESULTS OF A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MANY DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS ARISE FROM CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT THAT ARE OFTEN UNRELIEVED BY ESTABLISHED METHODS. PRANAYAMA, A SERIES OF YOGIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES, MAY IMPROVE CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED FOR THIS PURPOSE. OBJECTIVES: A PILOT STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO EVALUATE FEASIBILITY AND TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING PRANAYAMA TO USUAL CARE. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. SUBJECTS: PATIENTS RECEIVING CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE PRANAYAMA IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (CONTROL GROUP). INTERVENTIONS: THE PRANAYAMA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF FOUR BREATHING TECHNIQUES TAUGHT IN WEEKLY CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME. THE TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING TWO CONSECUTIVE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED USUAL CARE DURING THEIR FIRST CYCLE, AND RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING THEIR SECOND CYCLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY, CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS (FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS), AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE THE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS NEARLY 100% IN BOTH GROUPS. SIXTEEN (16) PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT ANY INCREASE IN PRANAYAMA DOSE, WITH DOSE MEASURED IN THE NUMBER OF HOURS PRACTICED IN CLASS OR AT HOME, RESULTED IN IMPROVED SYMPTOM AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES. SEVERAL OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS--SLEEP DISTURBANCE (P=0.04), ANXIETY (P=0.04), AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.05)--REACHED OR APPROACHED STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA BREATHING WAS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PRANAYAMA MAY IMPROVE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN PRANAYAMA USE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE FINDINGS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN A LARGER STUDY. 2012 14 2222 53 THE IMPACT OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE A POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A 6-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (M = 4; F = 17), BETWEEN THE AGES OF 30 AND 65, WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN IMMEDIATE YOGA BASED INTERVENTION, OR TO A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO TREATMENT DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD BUT RECEIVED LATER YOGA TRAINING. METHODS: A SPECIFIC CLBP YOGA PROTOCOL DESIGNED AND MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WAS ADMINISTERED FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE FORWARD REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) TESTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) QUESTIONNAIRES. GUIDING QUESTIONS WERE USED FOR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN HOW YOGA PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED THE INSTRUCTOR, GROUP DYNAMICS, AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THEIR LIFE. ANALYSIS: TO ACCOUNT FOR DROP OUTS, THE DATA WERE DIVIDED INTO BETTER OR NOT CATEGORIES, AND ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH FREQUENCY OF POSITIVE RESPONSES. RESULTS: POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT TRENDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT SCORES SHOWED IMPROVED BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY AND DECREASED DISABILITY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE YOGA GROUP BUT THIS PILOT WAS NOT POWERED TO REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS INCLUDED A HIGH DROPOUT RATE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND LARGE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY MEASURES. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES (1) GROUP INTERVENTION MOTIVATED THE PARTICIPANTS AND (2) YOGA FOSTERED RELAXATION AND NEW AWARENESS/LEARNING. CONCLUSION: A MODIFIED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MAY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH CLB, BUT A LARGER STUDY IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. ALSO, THE IMPACT ON DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY COULD BE CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR FURTHER STUDY. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES SHOULD BE EXPLORED. THIS PILOT STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA FOR THIS POPULATION. 2004 15 1402 55 IMPACT OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION - A CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PRIMARY CARE, MATCHED FOR SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IS NOT ALWAYS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESPITE THIS, PREVIOUS STUDIES ON SUPPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, SUCH AS YOGA, ARE RELATIVELY FEW. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION. METHODS: ADULT PATIENTS (AGE 20-80 YEARS) WITH DIAGNOSED HYPERTENSION WERE IDENTIFIED BY AN ELECTRONIC CHART SEARCH AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER IN SOUTHERN SWEDEN. IN TOTAL, 83 SUBJECTS WITH BLOOD PRESSURE VALUES OF 120-179/