1 351 115 ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN ASTHMA PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: ASTHMA IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY RESPIRATORY DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY PERIODIC ATTACKS OF WHEEZING, SHORTNESS OF BREATH AND A TIGHT FEELING IN THE CHEST. THE CURRENT STUDY IS BASED ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN ASTHMATICS IN NORTHERN INDIA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 300 PARTICIPANTS OF MILD-TO-MODERATE PERSISTENT ASTHMA (FEV1 >60%) AGED BETWEEN 12 AND 60 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PULMONARY MEDICINE. THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE WAS ASSESSED WITH THE HELP OF MINI ASTHMA QUALITY-OF-LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (AQLQ) AT BASELINE AND THEN AFTER 3(RD) AND 6(TH) MONTH FROM BASELINE. FORTY-FIVE PARTICIPANTS WERE DROPPED OUT DURING THE STUDY WHILE 255 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE STUDY SUCCESSFULLY. RESULTS: IN "THE YOGA GROUP," SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN ALL THE SUBDOMAINS OF AQLQ AT 3(RD) MONTH AND AT 6(TH) MONTH IN COMPARISON TO "THE CONTROL GROUP." THE NUMBER NEEDED TO TREAT WAS FOUND TO BE 2.67 FOR THE TOTAL AQLQ SCORE WHICH WAS GREATER THAN THE MINIMAL IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE. CONCLUSION: "THE YOGA GROUP" GOT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES THAN "THE CONTROL GROUP." THUS, YOGA CAN BE USED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA. 2017 2 353 40 ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA: A RANDOMISED TRIAL. YOGA WHICH IS USED AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IS GAINING POPULARITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 120 NON-SMOKING MALE AND FEMALE PATIENTS OF ASTHMA IN THE AGE GROUP OF 17-50 YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS I.E. GROUP A (YOGA GROUP) AND GROUP B (CONTROL GROUP). ALL PATIENTS REMAINED ON THEIR PRESCRIBED MEDICATION, BUT GROUP A PATIENTS PRACTICED YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES FOR 8 WEEKS. ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (AQLQ) AND DIARY RECORD WAS USED TO ASSESS QUALITY OF LIFE, NUMBER AND SEVERITY OF ASTHMATIC ATTACKS, AND THE DOSAGE OF THE MEDICATION REQUIRED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS. GROUP A SUBJECTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN "SYMPTOMS", "ACTIVITIES" AND "ENVIRONMENTAL" DOMAINS OF AQLQ AT 8 WEEKS (P<0.01) AND SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DAILY NUMBER AND SEVERITY OF ATTACKS, AND THE DOSAGE OF MEDICATION REQUIRED AT 4 AND 8 WEEKS (P<0.01) COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES USED ADJUNCTIVELY WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2014 3 2109 40 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND LIFE QUALITY OF ASTHMA PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO FIND OUT THE EFFECT OF YOGA APPLIED TO ASTHMA PATIENTS ON THE PATIENTS' RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE. METHODS: THE SAMPLE OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF A TOTAL OF RANDOMLY CHOSEN 112 ASTHMA PATIENTS, 56 IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 56 IN THE CONTROL GROUP, WHO MET THE RESEARCH CRITERIA AND WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. A TOTAL OF 12 YOGA SESSIONS, 2 SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS, WAS APPLIED TO THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INTERVENTION. RESULTS: IN THE INTRAGROUP COMPARISON OF AVERAGE PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SCORES OF RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND ASTHMA CONTROL TEST (ACT) AND ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE (AQLQ) TOTAL AND SUB-DIMENSION SCORES OF THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP, THE DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). IN ADDITION, POST-TEST SCORE AVERAGES WERE FOUND TO INCREASE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, WHILE THEY WERE FOUND TO DECREASE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: IT WAS FOUND THAT YOGA INFLUENCED RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE POSITIVELY IN ASTHMA PATIENTS. THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER IS NCT04107415/HTTPS://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV/CT2/SHOW/NCT04107415. 2020 4 1401 65 IMPACT OF YOGA ON BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE OF ASTHMATICS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: ASTHMA IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISORDER OF THE AIRWAYS. THE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION CAUSES AN ASSOCIATED INCREASE IN AIRWAY HYPERRESPONSIVENESS THAT LEADS TO RECURRENT EPISODES OF WHEEZING, BREATHLESSNESS, CHEST TIGHTNESS, AND COUGHING AT NIGHT OR IN THE EARLY MORNING. MOST OF THE STUDIES HAVE REPORTED, AS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND DECREASE IN MEDICATION USE, BUT NONE OF THE STUDIES HAS ATTEMPTED TO SHOW THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE OF ASTHMATICS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THE PRESENT STUDY, 276 PATIENTS OF MILD TO MODERATE ASTHMA (FEV 1> 60%) AGED BETWEEN 12 TO 60 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PULMONARY MEDICINE, KING GEORGE'S MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, U.P., LUCKNOW, INDIA. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: YOGA GROUP (WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT AND YOGIC INTERVENTION) AND CONTROL GROUP AS STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT (WITHOUT YOGIC INTERVENTION). AT COMPLETION OF 6 MONTHS OF THE STUDY PERIOD, 35 SUBJECTS WERE DROPPED OUT, SO OUT OF 276 SUBJECTS, ONLY 241 SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE WHOLE STUDY (121 SUBJECTS FROM YOGA GROUP AND 120 SUBJECTS FROM CONTROL GROUP). BIOCHEMICAL ASSESSMENT WAS CARRIED OUT AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS OF THE STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: IN YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT FOUND IN THE PROPORTION OF HEMOGLOBIN AND ANTIOXIDANT SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL GROUP AND SIGNIFICANT DECREASE WAS FOUND IN TOTAL LEUKOCYTE COUNT (TLC) AND DIFFERENTIAL LEUKOCYTES COUNT IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE FOUND IN TLC, POLYMORPHS, AND MONOCYTES IN BETWEEN GROUP COMPARISON. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA GROUP GOT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN BIOCHEMICAL VARIABLES THAN CONTROL GROUP. RESULT SHOWS THAT YOGA CAN BE PRACTICED AS ADJUVANT THERAPY WITH STANDARD INHALATION THERAPY FOR BETTER OUTCOME OF ASTHMA. 2014 5 2786 48 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT IN MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CONTROL OF ASTHMA IN CHILDREN WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. METHODS: THIS HOSPITAL-BASED INTERVENTIONAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL CONDUCTED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTER OF NORTH INDIA FROM NOVEMBER 2017 TO OCTOBER 2018 ENROLLED 140 NEWLY DIAGNOSED CASES OF ASTHMA OF AGE 10-16 Y WHO WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. SEVENTY CHILDREN IN THE CASE GROUP PRACTICED YOGA UNDER SUPERVISION FOR A PERIOD OF 3 MO IN ADDITION TO PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT. SEVENTY CONTROLS RECEIVED ONLY PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT. PULMONARY-FUNCTION TESTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE, 6 WK, AND 12 WK ALONG WITH QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) ASSESSMENT BY PEDIATRIC ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (PAQLQ). THE OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSED WERE FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND (FEV1), FEV1/FVC AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR). QOL EVALUATION WAS DONE IN 3 DOMAINS: ACTIVITY LIMITATION, SYMPTOMS, AND EMOTIONAL FUNCTION. RESULTS: THE ASTHMATIC CHILDREN PRACTICING YOGA HAVE SHOWN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC AND PEFR WHICH WAS BETTER AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. IMPROVEMENT WAS ALSO NOTED IN MEAN-PAQLQ SCORE IN CASES WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT ON CONTROL OF ASTHMA MEASURED BY PULMONARY-FUNCTION TEST AND QOL. THEREFORE YOGA THERAPY CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADJUVANT IN MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT. 2021 6 1943 46 SAHAJA YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MODERATE TO SEVERE ASTHMA: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SAHAJA YOGA IS A TRADITIONAL SYSTEM OF MEDITATION BASED ON YOGIC PRINCIPLES WHICH MAY BE USED FOR THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES. A STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TOOL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA IN ADULT PATIENTS WHO REMAINED SYMPTOMATIC ON MODERATE TO HIGH DOSES OF INHALED STEROIDS. METHODS: A PARALLEL GROUP, DOUBLE BLIND, RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED. SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO SAHAJA YOGA AND CONTROL INTERVENTION GROUPS. BOTH THE YOGA AND THE CONTROL INTERVENTIONS REQUIRED THE SUBJECTS TO ATTEND A 2 HOUR SESSION ONCE A WEEK FOR 4 MONTHS. ASTHMA RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (AQLQ, RANGE 0-4), PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS), LEVEL OF AIRWAY HYPERRESPONSIVENESS TO METHACHOLINE (AHR), AND A DIARY CARD BASED COMBINED ASTHMA SCORE (CAS, RANGE 0-12) REFLECTING SYMPTOMS, BRONCHODILATOR USAGE, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATES WERE MEASURED AT THE END OF THE TREATMENT PERIOD AND AGAIN 2 MONTHS LATER. RESULTS: TWENTY ONE OF 30 SUBJECTS RANDOMISED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION AND 26 OF 29 SUBJECTS RANDOMISED TO THE CONTROL GROUP WERE AVAILABLE FOR ASSESSMENT AT THE END OF TREATMENT. THE IMPROVEMENT IN AHR AT THE END OF TREATMENT WAS 1.5 DOUBLING DOSES (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) 0.0 TO 2.9, P=0.047) GREATER IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. DIFFERENCES IN AQLQ SCORE (0.41, 95% CI -0.04 TO 0.86) AND CAS (0.9, 95% CI -0.9 TO 2.7) WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT (P>0.05). THE AQLQ MOOD SUBSCALE DID IMPROVE MORE IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (DIFFERENCE 0.63, 95% CI 0.06 TO 1.20), AS DID THE SUMMARY POMS SCORE (DIFFERENCE 18.4, 95% CI 0.2 TO 36.5, P=0.05). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT THE 2 MONTH FOLLOW UP ASSESSMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THIS RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL HAS SHOWN THAT THE PRACTICE OF SAHAJA YOGA DOES HAVE LIMITED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SOME OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF THE IMPACT OF ASTHMA. FURTHER WORK IS REQUIRED TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM UNDERLYING THE OBSERVED EFFECTS AND TO ESTABLISH WHETHER ELEMENTS OF THIS INTERVENTION MAY BE CLINICALLY VALUABLE IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE ASTHMA. 2002 7 2699 44 YOGA INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE ASTHMA: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: PRELIMINARY STUDIES INVESTIGATING YOGA AND BREATH WORK FOR TREATING ASTHMA HAVE BEEN PROMISING. SEVERAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS HAVE SHOWN A BENEFIT FROM YOGA POSTURES AND BREATHING VS CONTROL, BUT THE CONTROL IN THESE CASES INVOLVED NO INTERVENTION OTHER THAN USUAL CARE. THIS STUDY ADVANCES THE FIELD BY PROVIDING AN ACTIVE CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA AND BREATH WORK INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING CLINICAL INDICES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULTS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE ASTHMA. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, DOUBLE-MASKED CLINICAL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN OCTOBER 1, 2001, AND MARCH 31, 2003. RANDOM ASSIGNMENT WAS MADE TO EITHER A 4-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION THAT INCLUDED POSTURES AND BREATH WORK OR A STRETCHING CONTROL CONDITION. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE EVALUATED AT 4, 8, 12, AND 16 WEEKS AND INCLUDED THE MINI ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE, RESCUE INHALER USE, SPIROMETRY, SYMPTOM DIARIES, AND HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION. RESULTS: SIXTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS, AND 45 COMPLETED THE FINAL FOLLOW-UP MEASURES. INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN POSTBRONCHODILATOR FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND AND MORNING SYMPTOM SCORES WERE APPARENT IN BOTH GROUPS AT 4 AND 16 WEEKS; HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS WERE OBSERVED ON ANY OUTCOME MEASURES. CONCLUSIONS: IYENGAR YOGA CONFERRED NO APPRECIABLE BENEFIT IN MILD-TO-MODERATE ASTHMA. CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH YOGA IS OF BENEFIT IN ASTHMA MANAGEMENT, IF ANY, REMAIN TO BE DETERMINED. 2005 8 2547 30 YOGA FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: A CONTROLLED STUDY. FIFTY THREE PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA UNDERWENT TRAINING FOR TWO WEEKS IN AN INTEGRATED SET OF YOGA EXERCISES, INCLUDING BREATHING EXERCISES, SURYANAMASKAR, YOGASANA (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATH SLOWING TECHNIQUES), DHYANA (MEDITATION), AND A DEVOTIONAL SESSION, AND WERE TOLD TO PRACTISE THESE EXERCISES FOR 65 MINUTES DAILY. THEY WERE THEN COMPARED WITH A CONTROL GROUP OF 53 PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA MATCHED FOR AGE, SEX, AND TYPE AND SEVERITY OF ASTHMA, WHO CONTINUED TO TAKE THEIR USUAL DRUGS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THE GROUP WHO PRACTISED YOGA IN THE WEEKLY NUMBER OF ATTACKS OF ASTHMA, SCORES FOR DRUG TREATMENT, AND PEAK FLOW RATE. THIS STUDY SHOWS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE LONG TERM MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, BUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THIS BENEFICIAL EFFECT NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED IN MORE DETAIL. 1985 9 2197 52 THE EFFICACY OF A COMPREHENSIVE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAMME BASED ON YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF EVIDENCE ON THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. MANY STUDIES HAVE REPORTED, AS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCTION IN AIRWAY HYPER-REACTIVITY, FREQUENCY OF ATTACKS AND MEDICATION USE. IN ADDITION, A FEW STUDIES HAVE ATTEMPTED TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION (EIB) OR EXERCISE TOLERANCE CAPACITY. HOWEVER, NONE OF THESE STUDIES HAS INVESTIGATED ANY IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA IMPROVES THESE VARIABLES IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. METHODS: THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) WAS CONDUCTED ON 57 ADULT SUBJECTS WITH MILD OR MODERATE BRONCHIAL ASTHMA WHO WERE ALLOCATED RANDOMLY TO EITHER THE YOGA (INTERVENTION) GROUP (N = 29) OR THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 28). THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ONLY CONVENTIONAL CARE AND THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED AN INTERVENTION BASED ON YOGA, IN ADDITION TO THE CONVENTIONAL CARE. THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 2-WK SUPERVISED TRAINING IN LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT BASED ON YOGA FOLLOWED BY CLOSELY MONITORED CONTINUATION OF THE PRACTICES AT HOME FOR 6-WK. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ASSESSED IN BOTH THE GROUPS AT 0 WK (BASELINE), 2, 4 AND 8 WK BY USING GENERALIZED LINEAR MODEL (GLM) REPEATED MEASURES FOLLOWED BY POST-HOC ANALYSIS. RESULTS: IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A STEADY AND PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTION, THE CHANGE BEING STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN CASE OF THE FIRST SECOND OF FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (FEV1) AT 8 WK, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR) AT 2, 4 AND 8 WK AS COMPARED TO THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE VALUES. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN EIB IN THE YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO CORRESPONDING REDUCTION IN THE URINARY PROSTAGLANDIN D2 METABOLITE (11BETA PROSTAGLANDIN F2ALPHA) LEVELS IN RESPONSE TO THE EXERCISE CHALLENGE. THERE WAS ALSO NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN SERUM EOSINOPHILIC CATIONIC PROTEIN LEVELS DURING THE 8-WK STUDY PERIOD IN EITHER GROUP. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE (AQOL) SCORES IN BOTH GROUPS OVER THE 8-WK STUDY PERIOD. BUT THE IMPROVEMENT WAS ACHIEVED EARLIER AND WAS MORE COMPLETE IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE NUMBER-NEEDED-TO-TREAT WORKED OUT TO BE 1.82 FOR THE TOTAL AQOL SCORE. AN IMPROVEMENT IN TOTAL AQOL SCORE WAS GREATER THAN THE MINIMAL IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE AND THE SAME OUTCOME WAS ACHIEVED FOR THE SUB-DOMAINS OF THE AQOL. THE FREQUENCY OF RESCUE MEDICATION USE SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OVER THE STUDY PERIOD IN BOTH THE GROUPS. HOWEVER, THE DECREASE WAS ACHIEVED RELATIVELY EARLIER AND WAS MORE MARKED IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT RCT HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT ADDING THE MIND-BODY APPROACH OF YOGA TO THE PREDOMINANTLY PHYSICAL APPROACH OF CONVENTIONAL CARE RESULTS IN MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT IN SUBJECTIVE AS WELL AS OBJECTIVE OUTCOMES IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. THE TRIAL SUPPORTS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. HOWEVER, THE PRELIMINARY EFFORTS MADE TOWARDS WORKING OUT THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF THE INTERVENTION HAVE NOT THROWN MUCH LIGHT ON HOW YOGA WORKS IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CURRENT CONTROLLED TRIALS ISRCTN00815962. 2009 10 2119 31 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 11 1041 41 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN ELDERLY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. CONTEXT: YOGA AS A LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE ELDERLY FOR SUCH BENEFITS MERITS INVESTIGATION. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) AND SLEEP QUALITY IN THE ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: SINGLE BLIND CONTROLLED STUDY WITH BLOCK RANDOMIZATION OF ELDERLY HOMES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 120 SUBJECTS FROM NINE ELDERLY HOMES WERE RANDOMIZED IN TO YOGA GROUP (N=62) AND WAITLIST GROUP (N=58). SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE GIVEN YOGA INTERVENTION DAILY FOR 1 MONTH AND WEEKLY UNTIL 3 MONTHS AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE YOGA WITHOUT SUPERVISION UNTIL FOR 6 MONTHS. SUBJECTS IN WAITLIST GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION DURING THIS PERIOD. SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL)-BREF FOR MEASURING QOL AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN THE BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: INDEPENDENT T-TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE RESPECTIVELY WAS USED TO MEASURE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF YEARS OF FORMAL EDUCATION. SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE DOMAINS OF QOL AND TOTAL SLEEP QUALITY AFTER CONTROLLING FOR THE EFFECT OF BASELINE DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY OF ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY TO CONFIRM THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR ELDERLY IN QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY. 2013 12 1076 36 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 13 2929 31 [YOGA TO IMPROVE ASTHMA CONTROL IN SEVERE ASTHMATICS TREATED WITH BIOLOGICS]. WE CONDUCTED A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN POORLY CONTROLLED SEVERE ASTHMATIC PATIENTS TREATED WITH MAXIMAL INHALED THERAPY AND BIOLOGICS. THE OBJECTIVE OF YOGA WAS TO IMPROVE BREATHING CONSCIOUSNESS, EXERCISING CONTROLLED VENTILATION WITH AND WITHOUT RETENTION, ABDOMINAL BREATHING OBSERVATION, IMPROVEMENT OF INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY MUSCLES, OPENING OF THE CHEST, DIAPHRAGM EXERCISES AND RELAXATION. WE MEASURED EXHALED NITRIC OXIDE, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, ASTHMA CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRES, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER THE TENTH YOGA COURSE (PERFORMED TWICE A WEEK). HALF OF THE PATIENTS WHO WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE TO THE STUDY DECLINED DUE TO ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS. TWO PATIENTS WERE EXCLUDED DUE TO BRONCHITIS AND ARTHRALGIA RESPECTIVELY. THE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA FROM 12 PARTICIPANTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA CONTROL AND ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRES AND A REDUCTION OF ANXIETY.THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA IN SEVERE ASTHMATICS INSUFFICIENTLY CONTROLLED DESPITE MAXIMAL INHALED TREATMENT AND BIOTHERAPY SEEMS TO BE AN INTERESTING COMPLEMENTARY OPTION TO IMPROVE ASTHMA CONTROL. OUR RESULTS MUST BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. 2020 14 214 33 A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. THE ROLE OF YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES, AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IS WELL RECOGNIZED. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PATIENTS OF ASTHMA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS I.E GROUP A (YOGA TRAINING GROUP) AND GROUP B (CONTROL GROUP). EACH GROUP INCLUDED SIXTY PATIENTS. PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON ALL THE PATIENTS AT BASELINE, AFTER 4 WEEKS AND THEN AFTER 8 WEEKS. MAJORITY OF THE SUBJECTS IN THE TWO GROUPS HAD MILD DISEASE (34 PATIENTS IN GROUP A AND 32 IN GROUP B). GROUP A SUBJECTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASING TREND (P < 0.01) IN % PREDICTED PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN THE FIRST SECOND (FEV1), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED MID EXPIRATORY FLOW IN 0.25-0.75 SECONDS (FEF25-75) AND FEV1/FVC% RATIO AT 4 WEEKS AND 8 WEEKS AS COMPARED TO GROUP B. THUS, YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES USED ADJUNCTIVELY WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2009 15 1402 45 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/