1 232 126 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF YOGA FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. METHODS: MEDLINE, SCOPUS, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SCREENED THROUGH DECEMBER 2016. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA TO INACTIVE OR ACTIVE COMPARATORS IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WERE ELIGIBLE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED REMISSION RATES AND SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION. ANXIETY AND ADVERSE EVENTS WERE SECONDARY OUTCOMES. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: SEVEN RCTS WITH 240 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. RISK OF BIAS WAS UNCLEAR FOR MOST RCTS. COMPARED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE, NO SHORT- OR MEDIUM-TERM GROUP DIFFERENCES IN DEPRESSION SEVERITY WAS FOUND. HIGHER SHORT-TERM DEPRESSION SEVERITY WAS FOUND FOR YOGA COMPARED TO ELECTRO-CONVULSIVE THERAPY; REMISSION RATES DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN GROUPS. NO SHORT-TERM GROUP DIFFERENCES OCCURRED WHEN YOGA WAS COMPARED TO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION. CONFLICTING EVIDENCE WAS FOUND WHEN YOGA WAS COMPARED TO ATTENTION-CONTROL INTERVENTIONS, OR WHEN YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION WAS COMPARED TO MEDICATION ALONE. ONLY TWO RCTS ASSESSED ADVERSE EVENTS AND REPORTED THAT NO TREATMENT-RELATED ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. LIMITATIONS: FEW RCTS WITH LOW SAMPLE SIZE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS REVIEW FOUND SOME EVIDENCE FOR POSITIVE EFFECTS BEYOND PLACEBO AND COMPARABLE EFFECTS COMPARED TO EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS. HOWEVER, METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AND THE UNCLEAR RISK-BENEFIT RATIO PRECLUDE DEFINITIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OR AGAINST YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. LARGER AND ADEQUATELY POWERED RCTS USING NON-INFERIORITY DESIGNS ARE NEEDED. 2017 2 2540 63 YOGA FOR ANXIETY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. YOGA HAS BECOME A POPULAR APPROACH TO IMPROVE EMOTIONAL HEALTH. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF YOGA FOR ANXIETY. MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, PSYCINFO, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH OCTOBER 2016 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS OR ELEVATED LEVELS OF ANXIETY. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY AND REMISSION RATES, AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE DEPRESSION, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SAFETY. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. EIGHT RCTS WITH 319 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE: 30.0-38.5 YEARS) WERE INCLUDED. RISK OF SELECTION BIAS WAS UNCLEAR FOR MOST RCTS. META-ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR SMALL SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE [SMD] = -0.43; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = -0.74, -0.11; P = .008), AND LARGE EFFECTS COMPARED TO ACTIVE COMPARATORS (SMD = -0.86; 95% CI = -1.56, -0.15; P = .02). SMALL EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION WERE FOUND COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT (SMD = -0.35; 95% CI = -0.66, -0.04; P = .03). EFFECTS WERE ROBUST AGAINST POTENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL BIAS. NO EFFECTS WERE FOUND FOR PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS DIAGNOSED BY DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL CRITERIA, ONLY FOR PATIENTS DIAGNOSED BY OTHER METHODS, AND FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF ANXIETY WITHOUT A FORMAL DIAGNOSIS. ONLY THREE RCTS REPORTED SAFETY-RELATED DATA BUT THESE INDICATED THAT YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INJURIES. IN CONCLUSION, YOGA MIGHT BE AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF ANXIETY. THERE WAS INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA IN ANXIETY DISORDERS. MORE HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES ARE NEEDED AND ARE WARRANTED GIVEN THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND PLAUSIBLE MECHANISMS OF ACTION. 2018 3 2589 36 YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON LOW BACK PAIN AND FUNCTION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR LOW BACK PAIN. SEVEN DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO MARCH 2011. RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS WERE CONSIDERED IF THEY INVESTIGATED YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN AND IF THEY ASSESSED PAIN AS AN OUTCOME MEASURE. THE SELECTION OF STUDIES, DATA EXTRACTION AND VALIDATION WERE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY BY TWO REVIEWERS. SEVEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THEIR METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED BETWEEN 2 AND 4 ON THE JADAD SCALE. FIVE RCTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN LOW BACK PAIN THAN USUAL CARE, EDUCATION OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. TWO RCTS SHOWED NO BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ALLEVIATE LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, ANY DEFINITIVE CLAIMS SHOULD BE TREATED WITH CAUTION. 2011 4 2573 48 YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS THOUGHT TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE ARTICLE AIMS TO ASSESS THE CURRENT CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION (EH). STRATEGY: MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL) IN THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED UNTIL JUNE, 2013. WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS TESTING YOGA AGAINST CONVENTIONAL THERAPY, YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT, YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. STUDY SELECTION, DATA EXTRACTION, QUALITY ASSESSMENT, AND DATA ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE STANDARDS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 6 STUDIES (INVOLVING 386 PATIENTS) WERE INCLUDED. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED TRIALS WAS EVALUATED AS GENERALLY LOW. A TOTAL OF 6 RCTS MET ALL THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. 4 OF THEM COMPARED YOGA PLUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. 2 RCT TESTED THE EFFECT OF YOGA VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY ALONE. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT. ONLY ONE TRIAL REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS WITHOUT DETAILS, THE SAFETY OF YOGA IS STILL UNCERTAIN. CONCLUSIONS: THERE IS SOME ENCOURAGING EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR LOWERING SBP AND DBP. HOWEVER, DUE TO LOW METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THESE IDENTIFIED TRIALS, A DEFINITE CONCLUSION ABOUT THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA ON EH CANNOT BE DRAWN FROM THIS REVIEW. THEREFORE, FURTHER THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, LARGE-SCALE, PROPER STUDY DESIGNED, RANDOMIZED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR HYPERTENSION WILL BE REQUIRED TO JUSTIFY THE EFFECTS REPORTED HERE. 2013 5 1740 42 PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS, A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY AIMED TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND TO CONDUCT A META-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH IN TEN DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED IN NOVEMBER 2011. STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY HAD AN RCT DESIGN, FOCUSED ON CANCER PATIENTS OR SURVIVORS, INCLUDED PHYSICAL POSTURES IN THE YOGA PROGRAM, COMPARED YOGA WITH A NON-EXERCISE OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP, AND EVALUATED PHYSICAL AND/OR PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. TWO RESEARCHERS INDEPENDENTLY RATED THE QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED RCTS, AND HIGH QUALITY WAS DEFINED AS >50% OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE. EFFECT SIZES (COHEN'S D) WERE CALCULATED FOR OUTCOMES STUDIED IN MORE THAN THREE STUDIES AMONG PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER USING MEANS AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF POST-TEST SCORES OF THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS. RESULTS: SIXTEEN PUBLICATIONS OF 13 RCTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, OF WHICH ONE INCLUDED PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOMAS AND THE OTHERS FOCUSED ON PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. THE MEDIAN QUALITY SCORE WAS 67% (RANGE: 22-89%). THE INCLUDED STUDIES EVALUATED 23 PHYSICAL AND 20 PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. OF THE OUTCOMES STUDIED IN MORE THAN THREE STUDIES AMONG PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, WE FOUND LARGE REDUCTIONS IN DISTRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION (D = -0.69 TO -0.75), MODERATE REDUCTIONS IN FATIGUE (D = -0.51), MODERATE INCREASES IN GENERAL QUALITY OF LIFE, EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND SOCIAL FUNCTION (D = 0.33 TO 0.49), AND A SMALL INCREASE IN FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING (D = 0.31). EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND SLEEP WERE SMALL AND NOT SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARED TO BE A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AND BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SEVERAL PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SYMPTOMS WERE REPORTED. IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, EFFECT SIZE ON FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING WAS SMALL, AND THEY WERE MODERATE TO LARGE FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. 2012 6 793 57 EFFECT OF YOGA IN THE THERAPY OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND & AIMS: THIS REVIEW AIMS TO SYSTEMATICALLY SURVEY THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS), PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE, MOOD, STRESS, AND SAFETY IN PATIENTS WITH IBS. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, CAM-QUEST, CAMBASE, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH NOVEMBER 2015. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA WITH USUAL CARE, NONPHARMACOLOGIC, OR PHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS WERE ANALYZED FOR PATIENTS WITH IBS. PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PAIN. ANXIETY, MOOD, AND SAFETY WERE DEFINED AS SECONDARY OUTCOMES. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION RECOMMENDATIONS. RESULTS: SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A TOTAL OF 273 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS. THERE WAS EVIDENCE FOR A BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF A YOGIC INTERVENTION OVER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT IN IBS, WITH SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED BOWEL SYMPTOMS, IBS SEVERITY, AND ANXIETY. FURTHERMORE, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AFTER YOGA COMPARED WITH NO TREATMENT. TWO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS REPORTED SAFETY DATA STATING THAT NO ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. OVERALL, RISK OF BIAS OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES WAS UNCLEAR. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW SUGGEST THAT YOGA MIGHT BE A FEASIBLE AND SAFE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH IBS. NEVERTHELESS, NO RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE REGARDING YOGA AS A ROUTINE INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH IBS BECAUSE OF MAJOR FLAWS IN STUDY METHODS. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED WITH RESPECT TO A HIGH-QUALITY STUDY DESIGN AND CONSENSUS IN CLINICAL OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS IN IBS. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NUMBER, NCT02721836. 2016 7 1202 43 EXERCISE, YOGA, AND TAI CHI FOR TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER IN OUTPATIENT SETTINGS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: EXERCISE, YOGA, AND TAI CHI ARE COMMONLY USED COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO SYNTHESIZE THE EVIDENCE FOR EXERCISE, YOGA, AND TAI CHI IN THE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. STUDY SELECTION: A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF THE OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, AND COCHRANE DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF EXERCISE, YOGA, AND TAI CHI FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. DATA EXTRACTION: STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES WERE CALCULATED AND META-ANALYZED USING A RANDOM EFFECTS MULTILEVEL MODELING FRAMEWORK. HETEROGENEITY AND SUBGROUP ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED. RESULTS: TWENTY-FIVE STUDIES WERE INCLUDED FOR FINAL ANALYSIS (EXERCISE: 15, YOGA: 7, TAI CHI: 3). OVERALL, META-ANALYSIS SHOWED A MODERATE SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL EFFECT. HOWEVER, WHEN ONLY STUDIES (6 STUDIES) WITH THE LOWEST RISK OF BIAS WERE INCLUDED, THE OVERALL EFFECT SIZE WAS REDUCED TO LOW TO MODERATE EFFICACY. OVERALL QUALITY OF EVIDENCE WAS LOW. HETEROGENEITY AND PUBLICATION BIAS WERE HIGH. CONCLUSIONS: THE CURRENT META-ANALYSIS OF OUTPATIENT EXERCISE, YOGA, AND TAI CHI FOR TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER SUGGESTS THAT ADJUNCTIVE EXERCISE AND YOGA MAY HAVE SMALL ADDITIVE CLINICAL EFFECTS IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL FOR REDUCING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. THE EVIDENCE FOR TAI CHI IS INSUFFICIENT TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS. THE CONCERNS WITH QUALITY OF STUDIES, HIGH HETEROGENEITY, AND EVIDENCE OF PUBLICATION BIAS PRECLUDE MAKING FIRM CONCLUSIONS. 2020 8 2742 48 YOGA PRACTICE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS IN ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES WAS ASSESSED IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW THROUGH SEARCHING RELATED ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND THE GREY LITERATURE TO THE END OF MAY 2007 USING OVID. ALL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE WITH OTHER TYPE OF INTERVENTION OR WITH REGULAR PRACTICE OR BOTH, WERE INCLUDED REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE OR TYPE OF PUBLICATION. EACH STUDY WAS ASSESSED FOR QUALITY BY TWO INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS. MEAN DIFFERENCE WAS USED FOR SUMMARIZING THE EFFECT OF EACH STUDY OUTCOMES WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. POOLING OF THE STUDIES DID NOT TAKE PLACE DUE TO THE WIDE CLINICAL VARIATION BETWEEN THE STUDIES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS ASSESSED BY STATISTICAL METHODS. FIVE TRIALS WITH 363 PARTICIPANTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WITH MEDIUM TO HIGH RISK OF BIAS AND DIFFERENT INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS. THE STUDIES' RESULTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOMES AMONG PATIENTS WITH DIABETES TYPE II. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WERE MAINLY AMONG SHORT TERM OR IMMEDIATE DIABETES OUTCOMES AND NOT ALL WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE RESULTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE AND NOT SIGNIFICANT FOR THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. SHORT-TERM BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MAY BE ACHIEVED FROM PRACTICING YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED IN THIS AREA. FACTORS LIKE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS AND OTHER METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES SHOULD BE IMPROVED BY LARGE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS WITH ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON DIABETES TYPE II. A DEFINITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR PHYSICIANS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR PATIENTS TO PRACTICE YOGA CANNOT BE REACHED AT PRESENT. 2010 9 1031 44 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR HEADACHES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA EXERCISES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHES. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED OF SIX ELECTRONIC DATABASES TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) REPORTING THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION ON HEADACHES PUBLISHED IN ANY LANGUAGE BEFORE JANUARY 2015. QUALITY ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. [RESULTS] ONE POTENTIAL TRIAL WAS IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. THE QUALITY CRITICAL APPRAISAL INDICATED A MODERATE RISK OF BIAS. THE AVAILABLE DATA COULD ONLY BE INCLUDED AS A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION. HEADACHE INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES, AND SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATION USE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. [CONCLUSION] THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM ONE RCT THAT YOGA EXERCISES MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR HEADACHES. HOWEVER, THE FINDINGS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. THEREFORE, FURTHER RIGOROUS METHODOLOGICAL AND HIGH QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO INVESTIGATE THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES ALLEVIATE HEADACHES, AND TO CONFIRM AND FURTHER COMPREHEND THE EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED YOGA PROGRAMS ON HEADACHES. 2015 10 1055 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC NECK PAIN. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] FIVE ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN. THE TRIALS WERE PUBLISHED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE BETWEEN JANUARY 1966 AND DECEMBER 2015. THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS. [RESULTS] THREE TRIALS WERE IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. A CRITICAL APPRAISAL WAS PERFORMED ON THE TRIALS, AND THE RESULT INDICATED A HIGH RISK OF BIAS. A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION WAS PROCESSED BECAUSE OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUPS THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUPS. [CONCLUSION] EVIDENCE FROM THE 3 RANDOMLY CONTROLLED TRIALS SHOWS THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN. THE LOW-QUALITY RESULT OF THE CRITICAL APPRAISAL AND THE SMALL NUMBER OF TRIALS SUGGEST THAT HIGH-QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO EXAMINE FURTHER THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN RELIEF. 2016 11 1519 39 IS YOGA EFFECTIVE FOR PAIN? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR ANY TYPE OF PAIN. METHOD: SEVEN DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO FEBRUARY 2011. RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS WERE CONSIDERED IF THEY INVESTIGATED YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH ANY TYPE OF PAIN AND IF THEY ASSESSED PAIN AS A PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE. THE 5-POINT JADAD SCALE WAS USED TO ASSESS METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF STUDIES. THE SELECTION OF STUDIES, DATA EXTRACTION AND QUALITY ASSESSMENT WERE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY BY TWO REVIEWERS. RESULTS: TEN RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THEIR METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED BETWEEN 1 AND 4 ON THE JADAD SCALE. NINE RCTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN PAIN THAN VARIOUS CONTROL INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS STANDARD CARE, SELF CARE, THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES, RELAXING YOGA, TOUCH AND MANIPULATION, OR NO INTERVENTION. ONE RCT FAILED TO PROVIDE BETWEEN GROUP DIFFERENCES IN PAIN SCORES. CONCLUSIONS: IT IS CONCLUDED THAT YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR ALLEVIATING PAIN. HOWEVER, DEFINITIVE JUDGMENTS ARE NOT POSSIBLE. 2011 12 1299 58 HATHA YOGA FOR ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HATHA YOGA IN TREATING ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. METHODS: MEDLINE, COCHRANE LIBRARY, CURRENT CONTROLLED TRIALS, CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV, NHR CENTRE FOR REVIEWS AND DISSEMINATION, PSYCINFO AND CINAHL WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JUNE 2018. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH PATIENTS WITH MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS WERE INCLUDED. MAIN OUTCOMES WERE CONTINUOUS MEASURES OF SEVERITY OF MOOD AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS. COHEN'S D WAS CALCULATED AS A MEASURE OF EFFECT SIZE. META-ANALYSES USING A RANDOM EFFECTS MODEL WAS APPLIED TO ESTIMATE DIRECT COMPARISONS BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL CONDITIONS FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OUTCOMES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS VISUALLY INSPECTED USING FUNNEL PLOTS. RESULTS: EIGHTEEN STUDIES WERE FOUND, FOURTEEN IN ACUTE PATIENTS AND FOUR IN CHRONIC PATIENTS. MOST STUDIES WERE OF LOW QUALITY. FOR DEPRESSION OUTCOMES, HATHA YOGA DID NOT SHOW A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WHEN COMPARED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL, AN OVERALL EFFECT SIZE OF COHEN'S D -0.64 (95% CI = -1.41, 0.13) OR TO ALL ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.13 (95% CI = -0.49, 0.22). A SUB-ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA HAD A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE REDUCTION OF DEPRESSION COMPARED TO PSYCHOEDUCATION CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.52 (95% CI = -0.96, -0.08) BUT NOT TO OTHER ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D 0.28 (95% CI = -0.07, 0.63) FOR STUDIES USING A FOLLOW-UP OF SIX MONTHS OR MORE, HATHA YOGA HAD NO EFFECT ON THE REDUCTION OF DEPRESSION COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.14 (95% CI = -0.60, 0.33). REGARDING ANXIETY, HATHA YOGA HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WHEN COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.09 (95% CI = -0.47, 0.30). THE I2 AND Q-STATISTIC REVEALED HETEROGENEITY AMONGST COMPARISONS. QUALITATIVE ANALYSES SUGGEST SOME PROMISE OF HATHA YOGA FOR CHRONIC POPULATIONS. CONCLUSIONS: THE ABILITY TO DRAW FIRM CONCLUSIONS IS LIMITED BY THE NOTABLE HETEROGENEITY AND LOW QUALITY OF MOST OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. WITH THIS CAVEAT IN MIND, THE RESULTS OF THE CURRENT META-ANALYSIS SUGGEST THAT HATHA YOGA DOES NOT HAVE EFFECTS ON ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS COMPARED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL OR ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. HOWEVER, WHEN COMPARED TO PSYCHOEDUCATION, HATHA YOGA SHOWED MORE REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSION. IT IS CLEAR THAT MORE HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ADVANCE THE FIELD. 2018 13 1044 31 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON PAIN AND PAIN-ASSOCIATED DISABILITY: A META-ANALYSIS. UNLABELLED: WE SEARCHED DATABASES FOR CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDIES, AND PERFORMED A META-ANALYSIS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON PAIN AND ASSOCIATED DISABILITY. FIVE RANDOMIZED STUDIES REPORTED SINGLE-BLINDING AND HAD A HIGHER METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY; 7 STUDIES WERE RANDOMIZED BUT NOT BLINDED AND HAD MODERATE QUALITY; AND 4 NONRANDOMIZED STUDIES HAD LOW QUALITY. IN 6 STUDIES, YOGA WAS USED TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH BACK PAIN; IN 2 STUDIES TO TREAT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS; IN 2 STUDIES TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH HEADACHE/MIGRAINE; AND 6 STUDIES ENROLLED INDIVIDUALS FOR OTHER INDICATIONS. ALL STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS IN FAVOR OF THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS. WITH RESPECT TO PAIN, A RANDOM EFFECT META-ANALYSIS ESTIMATED THE OVERALL TREATMENT EFFECT AT SMD = -.74 (CI: -.97; -.52, P < .0001), AND AN OVERALL TREATMENT EFFECT AT SMD = -.79 (CI: -1.02; -.56, P < .0001) FOR PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY. DESPITE SOME LIMITATIONS, THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY BE USEFUL FOR SEVERAL PAIN-ASSOCIATED DISORDERS. MOREOVER, THERE ARE HINTS THAT EVEN SHORT-TERM INTERVENTIONS MIGHT BE EFFECTIVE. NEVERTHELESS, LARGE-SCALE FURTHER STUDIES HAVE TO IDENTIFY WHICH PATIENTS MAY BENEFIT FROM THE RESPECTIVE INTERVENTIONS. PERSPECTIVE: THIS META-ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS A USEFUL SUPPLEMENTARY APPROACH WITH MODERATE EFFECT SIZES ON PAIN AND ASSOCIATED DISABILITY. 2012 14 931 52 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR MAJOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS: A META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS SUCH AS SCHIZOPHRENIA, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). DATA SOURCES: ELIGIBLE TRIALS WERE IDENTIFIED BY A LITERATURE SEARCH OF PUBMED/MEDLINE, COCHRANE CONTROL TRIALS REGISTER, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, AND EBSCO ON THE BASIS OF CRITERIA OF ACCEPTABLE QUALITY AND RELEVANCE. THE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED USING THE FOLLOWING TERMS: YOGA FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA, YOGA FOR DEPRESSION, YOGA FOR ANXIETY, YOGA FOR PTSD, YOGA THERAPY, YOGA FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT, AND EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY. TRIALS BOTH UNPUBLISHED AND PUBLISHED WITH NO LIMITATION PLACED ON YEAR OF PUBLICATION WERE INCLUDED; HOWEVER, THE OLDEST ARTICLE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL META-ANALYSIS WAS PUBLISHED IN 2000. STUDY SELECTION: ALL AVAILABLE RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESS WERE REVIEWED, AND 10 STUDIES WERE ELIGIBLE FOR INCLUSION. AS VERY FEW RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED YOGA FOR MENTAL ILLNESS, THIS META-ANALYSIS INCLUDES STUDIES WITH PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE DIAGNOSED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, AS WELL AS STUDIES WITH PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE NOT DIAGNOSED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS BUT REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS. TRIALS WERE EXCLUDED DUE TO THE FOLLOWING: (1) INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION, (2) INADEQUATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, (3) YOGA WAS NOT THE CENTRAL COMPONENT OF THE INTERVENTION, (4) SUBJECTS WERE NOT DIAGNOSED WITH OR DID NOT REPORT EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS OF ONE OF THE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS OF INTEREST (IE, SCHIZOPHRENIA, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND PTSD), (5) STUDY WAS NOT REPORTED IN ENGLISH, AND (6) STUDY DID NOT INCLUDE A CONTROL GROUP. DATA EXTRACTION: DATA WERE EXTRACTED ON PARTICIPANT DIAGNOSIS, INCLUSION CRITERIA, TREATMENT AND CONTROL GROUPS, DURATION OF INTERVENTION, AND RESULTS (PRE-POST MEAN AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS, T VALUES, AND F VALUES). NUMBER, AGE, AND SEX RATIO OF PARTICIPANTS WERE ALSO OBTAINED WHEN AVAILABLE. DATA SYNTHESIS: THE COMBINED ANALYSIS OF ALL 10 STUDIES PROVIDED A POOLED EFFECT SIZE OF -3.25 (95% CI, -5.36 TO -1.14; P = .002), INDICATING THAT YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS HAVE A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR MAJOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. FINDINGS IN SUPPORT OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTIONS MAY ESPECIALLY BE AN AID IN THE TREATMENT OF DISORDERS FOR WHICH CURRENT TREATMENTS ARE FOUND TO BE INADEQUATE OR TO CARRY SEVERE LIABILITIES. CONCLUSIONS: AS CURRENT PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS FOR SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF WEIGHT GAIN AS WELL AS OTHER METABOLIC SIDE EFFECTS THAT INCREASE PATIENTS' RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE, FAR LESS TOXIC ADJUNCT TREATMENT OPTION FOR SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS. 2011 15 2732 47 YOGA ON OUR MINDS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF YOGA FOR NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. BACKGROUND: THE DEMAND FOR CLINICALLY EFFICACIOUS, SAFE, PATIENT ACCEPTABLE, AND COST-EFFECTIVE FORMS OF TREATMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESS IS GROWING. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED BENEFIT FROM YOGA IN SPECIFIC PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS AND A GENERAL SENSE OF WELL-BEING. OBJECTIVE: TO SYSTEMATICALLY EXAMINE THE EVIDENCE FOR EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF SELECTED MAJOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. METHODS: ELECTRONIC SEARCHES OF THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS AND THE STANDARD BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASES, MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND PSYCINFO, WERE PERFORMED THROUGH APRIL 2011 AND AN UPDATED IN JUNE 2011 USING THE KEYWORDS YOGA AND PSYCHIATRY OR DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY OR SCHIZOPHRENIA OR COGNITION OR MEMORY OR ATTENTION AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT). STUDIES WITH YOGA AS THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE AND ONE OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED TERMS AS THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE WERE INCLUDED AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE APPLIED. RESULTS: THE SEARCH YIELDED A TOTAL OF 124 TRIALS, OF WHICH 16 MET RIGOROUS CRITERIA FOR THE FINAL REVIEW. GRADE B EVIDENCE SUPPORTING A POTENTIAL ACUTE BENEFIT FOR YOGA EXISTS IN DEPRESSION (FOUR RCTS), AS AN ADJUNCT TO PHARMACOTHERAPY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA (THREE RCTS), IN CHILDREN WITH ADHD (TWO RCTS), AND GRADE C EVIDENCE IN SLEEP COMPLAINTS (THREE RCTS). RCTS IN COGNITIVE DISORDERS AND EATING DISORDERS YIELDED CONFLICTING RESULTS. NO STUDIES LOOKED AT PRIMARY PREVENTION, RELAPSE PREVENTION, OR COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS VERSUS PHARMACOTHERAPY. CONCLUSION: THERE IS EMERGING EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED TRIALS TO SUPPORT POPULAR BELIEFS ABOUT YOGA FOR DEPRESSION, SLEEP DISORDERS, AND AS AN AUGMENTATION THERAPY. LIMITATIONS OF LITERATURE INCLUDE INABILITY TO DO DOUBLE-BLIND STUDIES, MULTIPLICITY OF COMPARISONS WITHIN SMALL STUDIES, AND LACK OF REPLICATION. BIOMARKER AND NEUROIMAGING STUDIES, THOSE COMPARING YOGA WITH STANDARD PHARMACO- AND PSYCHOTHERAPIES, AND STUDIES OF LONG-TERM EFFICACY ARE NEEDED TO FULLY TRANSLATE THE PROMISE OF YOGA FOR ENHANCING MENTAL HEALTH. 2012 16 1042 43 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: FATIGUE IS ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED, DISTRESSING SIDE EFFECTS REPORTED BY CANCER SURVIVORS AND OFTEN HAS SIGNIFICANT LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT YOGA CAN PRODUCE INVIGORATING EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENERGY, AND THEREBY MAY IMPROVE LEVELS OF FATIGUE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO EXAMINE THE LITERATURE THAT REPORTS THE EFFECTS OF RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. THE ONLINE ELECTRONIC DATABASES, PUBMED AND PSYCINFO, WERE USED TO SEARCH FOR PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH ARTICLES STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE IN CANCER SURVIVORS. COMBINATIONS OF YOGA, CANCER, AND FATIGUE-RELATED SEARCH TERMS WERE ENTERED SIMULTANEOUSLY TO OBTAIN ARTICLES THAT INCLUDED ALL THREE ELEMENTS. STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY MET THE FOLLOWING INCLUSION CRITERIA: PARTICIPANTS WERE MALE OR FEMALE CANCER PATIENTS OR SURVIVORS PARTICIPATING IN RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED YOGA INTERVENTIONS. THE MAIN OUTCOME OF INTEREST WAS CHANGE IN FATIGUE FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION. INTERVENTIONS OF ANY LENGTH WERE INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS. RISK OF BIAS USING THE FORMAT OF THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION'S TOOL FOR ASSESSING RISK OF BIAS WAS ALSO EXAMINED ACROSS STUDIES. RESULTS: TEN ARTICLES MET INCLUSION CRITERIA AND INVOLVED A TOTAL OF 583 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE PREDOMINANTLY FEMALE, BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. FOUR STUDIES INDICATED THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION. THREE OF THE STUDIES REPORTED THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS OF FATIGUE AMONG PARTICIPANTS WHO ATTENDED A GREATER NUMBER OF YOGA CLASSES. RISK OF BIAS WAS HIGH FOR AREAS OF ADEQUATE SELECTION, PERFORMANCE, DETECTION, AND PATIENT-REPORTED BIAS AND MIXED FOR ATTRITION AND REPORTING BIAS. RISK OF BIAS WAS UNIFORMLY LOW FOR OTHER FORMS OF BIAS, INCLUDING FINANCIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS OF THE STUDIES INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW SUGGEST THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR REDUCING CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER; HOWEVER, CONCLUSIONS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION AS A RESULT OF LEVELS OF BIAS AND INCONSISTENT METHODS USED ACROSS STUDIES. MORE WELL-CONSTRUCTED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. 2013 17 1856 48 RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW. PURPOSE: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY TO MANAGE DISEASE AND TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER AND HAS RESULTED IN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDIES EXPLORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EXAMINES WHETHER YOGA INTERVENTIONS PROVIDE ANY MEASURABLE BENEFIT, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY, FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. THE RESULTS WILL INFORM FUTURE RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD AND ADVANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOGA PROGRAMMES. METHODS: WE PERFORMED ELECTRONIC SEARCHES OF MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, WEB OF SCIENCE AND SCOPUS FOR ARTICLES PUBLISHED UP TO JUNE 2012. ONLY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE INCLUDED AND METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RATING SCORES WERE DETERMINED USING THE PEDRO (PHYSIOTHERAPY EVIDENCE DATABASE) SCALE. RESULTS: ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF EIGHT ELECTRONIC DATABASES. ONLY PUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS THAT EMPLOYED A RCT DESIGN WERE INCLUDED (N = 18). THE SAMPLE SIZES FOR THESE STUDIES VARIED WIDELY FROM 18 TO 164 PARTICIPANTS AND THE ASSOCIATED PEDRO SCORES RANGED FROM 1 (POOR) TO 8 (GOOD). ALL 18 STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS FOR TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS IN FAVOUR OF THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS, WITH THE GREATEST IMPACT ON GLOBAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) SCORES AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. CONCLUSION: RESULTS FROM THE FEW RCTS SUGGEST THERE IS MODERATE TO GOOD EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY BE A USEFUL PRACTICE FOR WOMEN RECOVERING FROM BREAST CANCER TREATMENTS. LARGE-SCALE RCTS USING OBJECTIVE MEASURES AND PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES WITH LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP ARE NEEDED TO SUBSTANTIATE WHETHER THE BENEFITS ARE TRUE AND SUSTAINABLE. 2012 18 1079 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER: A META-ANALYSIS. YOGA IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY USED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES TO MANAGE ILLNESS. THIS META-ANALYSIS AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER. STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF SEVEN ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND WERE SELECTED IF THEY USED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER. THE QUALITY OF EACH ARTICLE WAS RATED BY TWO OF THE AUTHORS USING THE PEDRO SCALE. TEN ARTICLES WERE SELECTED; THEIR PEDRO SCORES RANGED FROM 4 TO 7. THE YOGA GROUPS COMPARED TO WAITLIST CONTROL GROUPS OR SUPPORTIVE THERAPY GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH: ANXIETY (P = .009), DEPRESSION (P = .002), DISTRESS (P = .003), AND STRESS (P = .006). HOWEVER, DUE TO THE MIXED AND LOW TO FAIR QUALITY AND SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES CONDUCTED, THE FINDINGS ARE PRELIMINARY AND LIMITED AND SHOULD BE CONFIRMED THROUGH HIGHER-QUALITY, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. 2011 19 2677 40 YOGA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT ON GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL) FOR PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. METHOD: RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE CONSIDERED WHETHER THEY INVESTIGATED A YOGA INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. THE SELECTION OF STUDIES, DATA EXTRACTION AND QUALITY ASSESSMENT WERE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY BY TWO REVIEWERS. RESULTS: ONLY THREE RCTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. LOWER POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS) TOTAL SCORES AND SUBSCALE SCORES FOR POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS WERE OBTAINED AFTER YOGA COMPARED WITH EXERCISE OR WAITING LIST CONTROL CONDITIONS. IN THE SAME WAY, THE PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HRQL AS MEASURED WITH THE ABBREVIATED VERSION OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (WHOQOL-BREF) INCREASED MORE SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER YOGA THAN AFTER EXERCISE OR WAITING LIST CONTROL CONDITIONS. NONE OF THE RCTS ENCOUNTERED ADVERSE EVENTS. DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS COULD, HOWEVER, NOT BE DETERMINED. CONCLUSION: ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF RCTS INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW WAS LIMITED, RESULTS INDICATED THAT YOGA THERAPY CAN BE AN USEFUL ADD-ON TREATMENT TO REDUCE GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS. IN THE SAME WAY, HRQL IMPROVED IN THOSE ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILISED PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA FOLLOWING YOGA. 2012 20 2568 56 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: MIND-BODY MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS ARE COMMONLY USED TO COPE WITH DEPRESSION AND YOGA IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY USED MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, PSYCINFO, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JANUARY 2013. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION WERE INCLUDED. MAIN OUTCOMES WERE SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION AND REMISSION RATES, SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SAFETY. RESULTS: TWELVE RCTS WITH 619 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. THREE RCTS HAD LOW RISK OF BIAS. REGARDING SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION, THERE WAS MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL CARE (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = -0.69; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) -0.99, -0.39; P < .001), AND LIMITED EVIDENCE COMPARED TO RELAXATION (SMD = -0.62; 95%CI -1.03, -0.22; P = .003), AND AEROBIC EXERCISE (SMD = -0.59; 95% CI -0.99, -0.18; P = .004). LIMITED EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY COMPARED TO RELAXATION (SMD = -0.79; 95% CI -1.3, -0.26; P = .004). SUBGROUP ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION. DUE TO THE PAUCITY AND HETEROGENEITY OF THE RCTS, NO META-ANALYSES ON LONG-TERM EFFECTS WERE POSSIBLE. NO RCT REPORTED SAFETY DATA. CONCLUSIONS: DESPITE METHODOLOGICAL DRAWBACKS OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES, YOGA COULD BE CONSIDERED AN ANCILLARY TREATMENT OPTION FOR PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION. 2013