1 450 173 CHANGES IN CIRCULATING MICRORNA AFTER RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA PRACTICE BY PATIENTS WITH MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: AN EXPLORATIVE PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A REPRESENTATIVE MIND-BODY THERAPY. OUR PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT ISOMETRIC YOGA (I.E. YOGA PROGRAMS THAT WE DEVELOPED SO INDIVIDUALS CAN PRACTICE YOGA POSES WITH A SELF-ADJUSTABLE ISOMETRIC LOAD) REDUCES THE FATIGUE OF PATIENTS WITH MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (ME/CFS); HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS REMAIN UNCLEAR. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE SUGGESTED THAT THE MICRO-RIBONUCLEIC ACID (MIRNA) EXPRESSION OF ME/CFS PATIENTS IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF HEALTHY SUBJECTS. HOWEVER, IT HAS NOT TO DATE BEEN DETERMINED IF THE PRACTICE OF ISOMETRIC YOGA CAN AFFECT MIRNA EXPRESSION. THEREFORE, WE SOUGHT TO INVESTIGATE IF ISOMETRIC YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN THE EXPRESSION LEVELS OF SERUM MIRNA OF PATIENTS WITH ME/CFS. METHODS: THE STUDY INCLUDED NINE PATIENTS WITH ME/CFS WHO FAILED TO SHOW SATISFACTORY IMPROVEMENT AFTER AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OF TREATMENT ADMINISTERED AT OUR HOSPITAL. PATIENTS PRACTICED RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA FOR 3 MONTHS; THEY MET WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR EVERY 2 TO 4 WEEKS AND PARTICIPATED IN DAILY IN-HOME SESSIONS. THE EFFECT OF RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE WAS ASSESSED BY COMPARING PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION SCORES ON THE JAPANESE VERSION OF THE 11-ITEM CHALDER FATIGUE SCALE (CFQ 11). PATIENT BLOOD SAMPLES WERE DRAWN PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION, JUST PRIOR TO PRACTICING RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA WITH AN INSTRUCTOR. THE SERUM WAS USED FOR MIRNA ARRAY ANALYSIS WITH KNOWN HUMAN MIRNAS. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE CFQ 11 SCORE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (FROM 25.3 +/- 5.5 TO 17.0 +/- 5.8, P < 0.0001) AFTER PRACTICING RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA FOR 3 MONTHS. THE MIRNA MICROARRAY ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT FOUR MIRNAS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY UPREGULATED, AND 42 WERE DOWNREGULATED AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD. CONCLUSIONS: THIS EXPLORATIVE PILOT STUDY IS THE FIRST TO DEMONSTRATE CHANGES IN THE SERUM LEVELS OF SEVERAL MIRNAS AFTER REGULAR PRACTICE OF RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA. THESE MIRNAS MIGHT REPRESENT BIOMARKERS FOR THE FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECTS OF ISOMETRIC YOGA OF PATIENTS WITH ME/CFS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) 000023472. REGISTERED AUG 4, 2016. 2019 2 610 67 DEVELOPMENT OF A RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR PATIENTS WITH SEVERE CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME/MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS: A PILOT STUDY TO ASSESS FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY. BACKGROUND: OUR PREVIOUS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DEMONSTRATED THAT ISOMETRIC YOGA IN A SITTING POSITION REDUCES FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME/MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (CFS/ME). HOWEVER, SOME PATIENTS EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES SITTING OR PRACTICING ISOMETRIC YOGA IN A SITTING POSITION FOR LONG PERIODS. TO DATE, THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS FOR PATIENTS WITH SEVERE SYMPTOMS HAVE NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. THEREFORE, WE DEVELOPED A RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH TAKES APPROXIMATELY 20 MIN TO COMPLETE, DESIGNED TO REDUCE FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE CFS/ME. THE AIM OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND USEFULNESS OF THIS PROGRAM. METHODS: THIS PILOT STUDY INCLUDED 12 ADULT PATIENTS WITH CFS/ME. SIX PATIENTS WERE RELUCTANT TO PRACTICE ISOMETRIC YOGA IN A SITTING POSITION BECAUSE OF THE SEVERITY OF THEIR FATIGUE (GROUP 1). THE REMAINING SIX PATIENTS HAD PREVIOUSLY PRACTICED ISOMETRIC YOGA IN A SITTING POSITION (GROUP 2). FOR 3 MONTHS, THE PATIENTS OF BOTH GROUPS PRACTICED RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA EVERY 2 TO 4 WEEKS WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND AT HOME ON OTHER DAYS IF THEY COULD. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE WERE ASSESSED USING THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATUS (POMS) QUESTIONNAIRE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR FINAL SESSION WITH THE YOGA INSTRUCTOR. THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE WERE ASSESSED USING THE CHALDER FATIGUE SCALE (FS) QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD. ADVERSE EVENTS, SATISFACTION WITH THE PROGRAM, AND PREFERENCE OF YOGA POSITION (SITTING OR RECUMBENT) WERE ALSO RECORDED. RESULTS: ALL SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. IN BOTH GROUPS, THE POMS FATIGUE SCORE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AFTER PRACTICING THE 20-MIN YOGA PROGRAM AND THE CHALDER FS SCORE WAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE 3-MONTH INTERVENTION PERIOD. THERE WERE NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. ALL SUBJECTS IN GROUP 2 PREFERRED THE RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA PROGRAM OVER A SITTING YOGA PROGRAM. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT RECUMBENT ISOMETRIC YOGA IS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH CFS/ME, EVEN FOR PATIENTS WHO EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY PRACTICING ISOMETRIC YOGA IN THE SITTING POSITION. 2017 3 1523 66 ISOMETRIC YOGA IMPROVES THE FATIGUE AND PAIN OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME WHO ARE RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) OFTEN COMPLAIN OF PERSISTENT FATIGUE EVEN AFTER CONVENTIONAL THERAPIES SUCH AS PHARMACOTHERAPY, COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY, OR GRADED EXERCISE THERAPY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE IN A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF ISOMETRIC YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CFS WHO ARE RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL TREATMENTS. METHODS: THIS TRIAL ENROLLED 30 PATIENTS WITH CFS WHO DID NOT HAVE SATISFACTORY IMPROVEMENT AFTER RECEIVING CONVENTIONAL THERAPY FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS AND WERE TREATED WITH EITHER CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPY (CONTROL GROUP, N = 15) OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPY TOGETHER WITH ISOMETRIC YOGA PRACTICE THAT CONSISTED OF BIWEEKLY, 20-MINUTE SESSIONS WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND DAILY IN-HOME SESSIONS (YOGA GROUP, N = 15) FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECT OF ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE WAS ASSESSED BY ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATUS (POMS) QUESTIONNAIRE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE FINAL 20-MINUTE SESSION WITH THE INSTRUCTOR. THE LONG-TERM EFFECT OF ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE WAS ASSESSED BY ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHALDER'S FATIGUE SCALE (FS) QUESTIONNAIRE TO BOTH GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. ADVERSE EVENTS AND CHANGES IN SUBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS WERE RECORDED FOR SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP. RESULTS: ALL SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. THE MEAN POMS FATIGUE SCORE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (FROM 21.9 +/- 7.7 TO 13.8 +/- 6.7, P < 0.001) AFTER A YOGA SESSION. THE CHALDER'S FS SCORE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (FROM 25.9 +/- 6.1 TO 19.2 +/- 7.5, P = 0.002) IN THE YOGA GROUP, BUT NOT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. IN ADDITION TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF FATIGUE, TWO PATIENTS WITH CFS AND FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME IN THE YOGA GROUP ALSO REPORTED PAIN RELIEF. FURTHERMORE, MANY SUBJECTS REPORTED THAT THEIR BODIES BECAME WARMER AND LIGHTER AFTER PRACTICING ISOMETRIC YOGA. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP, TWO PATIENTS COMPLAINED OF TIREDNESS AND ONE OF DIZZINESS AFTER THE FIRST YOGA SESSION WITH THE INSTRUCTOR. CONCLUSIONS: ISOMETRIC YOGA AS AN ADD-ON THERAPY IS BOTH FEASIBLE AND SUCCESSFUL AT RELIEVING THE FATIGUE AND PAIN OF A SUBSET OF THERAPY-RESISTANT PATIENTS WITH CFS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000009646. 2014 4 2250 82 THE LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA ON BLOOD BIOMARKERS, AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: IN A PREVIOUS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WE FOUND THAT PRACTICING SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA REGULARLY FOR 2 MONTHS IMPROVED THE FATIGUE OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) WHO ARE RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. THE AIM OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS BEHIND THIS FINDING BY COMPARING BLOOD BIOMARKERS, AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES BEFORE VERSUS AFTER AN INTERVENTION PERIOD OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA PRACTICE. METHODS: FIFTEEN PATIENTS WITH CFS WHO DID NOT SHOW SATISFACTORY IMPROVEMENTS AFTER AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPY PRACTICED SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA (BIWEEKLY 20-MIN SESSIONS WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND DAILY PRACTICE AT HOME) FOR 2 MONTHS. THE LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE, BLOOD BIOMARKERS, AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE WERE INVESTIGATED BY COMPARING THE FOLLOWING PARAMETERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD: FATIGUE SEVERITY WAS ASSESSED BY THE CHALDER FATIGUE SCALE (FS) SCORE. LEVELS OF THE BLOOD BIOMARKERS CORTISOL, DHEA-S, TNF-ALPHA, IL-6, PROLACTIN, CARNITINE, TGF-BETA1, BDNF, MHPG, HVA, AND ALPHA-MSH WERE MEASURED. THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTIONS ASSESSED WERE HEART RATE (HR) AND HR VARIABILITY. PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES INCLUDED THE 20-ITEM TORONTO ALEXITHYMIA SCALE (TAS-20) AND THE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS). RESULTS: PRACTICING SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA FOR 2 MONTHS RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN THE CHALDER FS (P = 0.002) AND HADS-DEPRESSION (P = 0.02) SCORES. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN ANY OTHER PARAMETER EVALUATED. THE CHANGE IN CHALDER FS SCORE WAS NOT CORRELATED WITH THE CHANGE IN HADS-DEPRESSION SCORE. HOWEVER, THIS CHANGE WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN THE SERUM TNF-ALPHA LEVELS (P = 0.048), THE HIGH FREQUENCY COMPONENT OF HR VARIABILITY (P = 0.042), AND TAS-20 SCORES (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR PRACTICE OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA FOR 2 MONTHS REDUCED THE FATIGUE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOM SCORES OF PATIENTS WITH CFS WITHOUT AFFECTING ANY OTHER PARAMETERS WE INVESTIGATED. THIS STUDY FAILED TO IDENTIFY THE MARKERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LONGITUDINAL FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECT OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA. HOWEVER, CONSIDERING THAT THE REDUCED FATIGUE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED SERUM TNF-ALPHA LEVEL AND TAS-20 SCORES, FATIGUE IMPROVEMENT MIGHT BE RELATED TO REDUCED INFLAMMATION AND IMPROVED ALEXITHYMIA IN THESE PATIENTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000009646. REGISTERED DEC 27, 2012. 2019 5 2112 46 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT DECADES, SEVERAL MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON YOGA PROVED IT TO BE VERY USEFUL IN THE TREATMENT OF SOME DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN LIVING IN ILAM, IRAN. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH PRE-POST TEST. TO COLLECT DATA, THE QUESTIONNAIRE OF DASS-21 (DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE-21) WAS USED. FOR ELIGIBLE SAMPLES, HATHA YOGA EXERCISES AND TRAINING SESSIONS WERE HELD FOR 4 WEEKS (3 TIME/WEEKS; 60-70 MIN EACH) BY A SPECIALIST. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS VERSION 20. RESULTS: 52 WOMEN WITH A MEAN AGE OF 33.5 +/- 6.5 WERE INCLUDED FOR ANALYSIS. DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN WOMEN AFTER 12 SESSIONS OF REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA HAS AN EFFECTIVE ROLE IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE. 2018 6 2461 46 YOGA AS A NOVEL ADJUVANT THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES. CONTEXT: RECENT STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS WELL TOLERATED BY PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES (IIMS) AND CAN HAVE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS, ESPECIALLY IF STARTED EARLY. TO DATE, NO STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PATIENTS WITH IIMS. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SELF-REPORTED DIFFICULTY IN PERFORMING ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING (ADL) AND MUSCLE STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE IIMS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDY IN WHICH PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED USING THE MYOSITIS ACTIVITIES PROFILE (MAP) AND MANUAL MUSCLE TESTING (MMT) BEFORE AND AFTER THE COMPLETION OF AN 8-WEEK INSTRUCTOR-GUIDED YOGA COURSE WAS PERFORMED. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: WILCOXON SIGNED-RANKED TEST WAS PERFORMED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE POSTTREATMENT MAP SCORES OF SIX PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE OF 2.51 POINTS, WHILE THE AVERAGE MMT SCORE OF FOUR PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE OF 11 POINTS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY IS THE FIRST STUDY TO DATE TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH IIM. CONTINUED RESEARCH SHOULD BE DONE ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY, FOR IN ADDITION TO INCREASE IN MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ABILITY TO PERFORM ADL, YOGA MAY OFFER POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN MOOD, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SLEEP. 2021 7 239 28 A TWO-YEAR FOLLOW-UP CASE OF CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN PERSONALITY FOLLOWING A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY EXCESSIVE FATIGUE AFTER MINIMAL PHYSICAL OR MENTAL EXERTION, MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN, POOR CONCENTRATION, DIZZINESS, AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES. WE REPORT HERE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN A 30-YEAR OLD MALE PATIENT WITH A DOCUMENTED DIAGNOSIS OF CFS WITH COMPROMISED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND ALTERED PERSONALITY. METHODS: THE PATIENT INITIALLY ATTENDED A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAM THAT CONSISTED OF YOGA-POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA), MEDITATION, GROUP DISCUSSIONS, AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE ON STRESS MANAGEMENT, DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BESIDES GROUP SUPPORT. THEREAFTER, PATIENT ATTENDED 5 MORE SUCH PROGRAMS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A NOTABLE AND CONSISTENT IMPROVEMENT IN HIS CLINICAL PROFILE, POSITIVE ASPECTS OF PERSONALITY AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING, AND REDUCTION IN ANXIETY FOLLOWING THIS YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: OVERALL, THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION MAY IMPROVE CLINICAL CONDITION AND PERSONALITY IN PATIENTS WITH CFS. 2015 8 716 39 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES ON IMMUNE RESPONSES IN EXAMINATION STRESS - A PRELIMINARY STUDY. BACKGROUND: STRESS IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED OCCURRENCE OF AUTONOMIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM PATHOLOGY. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING MEDICAL TERM -ACADEMIC EXAMINATION AND THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON THE SAME. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT ON SIXTY FIRST-YEAR MBBS STUDENTS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (30 EACH). THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES FOR 35 MINUTES DAILY IN THE PRESENCE OF TRAINED YOGA TEACHER FOR 12 WEEKS. CONTROL GROUP DID NOT UNDERGO ANY KIND OF YOGA PRACTICE OR STRESS MANAGEMENT. PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS LIKE HEART RATE, RESPIRATORY RATE, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE MEASURED. GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF RECENT STRESS SCALE AND SPIELBERGERS STATE ANXIETY SCORE WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND DURING THE EXAMINATION. SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS, IL-4, AND IFN-GAMMA LEVELS WERE DETERMINED BY ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY TECHNIQUE. RESULT: IN THE YOGA GROUP, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS DURING THE EXAMINATION STRESS, WHEREAS IN THE CONTROL GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WAS OBSERVED. LIKEWISE, THE INDICATORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS SHOWED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN CONTROL GROUP COMPARED WITH SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN YOGA GROUP. DURING THE EXAMINATION, THE INCREASE IN SERUM CORTICAL AND DECREASE IN SERUM IFN-GAMMA IN YOGA GROUP WAS LESS SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01) THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). BOTH THE GROUPS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE IN SERUM IL-4 LEVELS, THE CHANGES BEING INSIGNIFICANT FOR THE DURATION OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: YOGA RESISTS THE AUTONOMIC CHANGES AND IMPAIRMENT OF CELLULAR IMMUNITY SEEN IN EXAMINATION STRESS. 2011 9 819 43 EFFECT OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN HYPOTHYROIDISM: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THE PREVALENCE OF HYPOTHYROIDISM AMONG INDIAN WOMEN IS 15.8%. DEPRESSION IS FREQUENTLY REPORTED IN HYPOTHYROIDISM. YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF A 3-MONTH INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION (3-IY) ON DEPRESSION, LIPID INDICES, AND SERUM THYROID-STIMULATING HORMONE (STSH) LEVELS AMONG FEMALE PATIENTS HAVING HYPOTHYROIDISM, AND MILD-TO-MODERATE DEPRESSION. METHOD: THE PRESENT SINGLE-ARM PRE-POST DESIGN STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THIRTY-EIGHT WOMEN (AVERAGE AGE 34.2 +/- 4.7 YEARS). PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A 3-IY COMPRISING ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FOR 60 MIN DAILY (5 DAYS A WEEK). DEPRESSION, STSH, LIPID PROFILE INDICES, BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), FATIGUE, ANXIETY, AND STRESS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. THYROID MEDICATION WAS KEPT CONSTANT DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. DATA WERE ANALYSED USING R STUDIO SOFTWARE. RESULT: A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION (58%), STSH (37%), BMI (6%), FATIGUE (64%), ANXIETY (57%), LIPID PROFILE INDICES (HLD INCREASED SIGNIFICANTY), AND STRESS (55%) LEVELS WAS OBSERVED AFTER 3 MONTHS, COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE 3-IY IS USEFUL FOR REDUCING DEPRESSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA, AND STSH IN WOMEN WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM AND DEPRESSION. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND A ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGN USING OBJECTIVE VARIABLES MUST BE CONDUCTED TO STRENGTHEN THE STUDY FINDINGS. 2021 10 1826 37 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF LAUGHTER YOGA SESSIONS IN JAPAN: A PILOT STUDY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND EVALUATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON COMMUNITY MEMBERS. PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN A 45 MIN LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION ONCE PER MONTH FOR 6 MONTHS. BEFORE AND AFTER ALL SESSIONS, PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-BRIEF JAPANESE VERSION (J-POMS-B) QUESTIONNAIRE TO ASSESS THEIR MOOD, AND HAD BLOOD DRAWN FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF STRESS INDICATORS AND IMMUNE FUNCTION. SERIAL CHANGES IN J-POMS-B SCORES WERE TESTED BY THREE WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, AND CHANGES IN LABORATORY RESULTS PER SESSION WERE EVALUATED WITH A PAIRED T-TEST. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT REPEATED SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA HAD PSYCHOLOGICALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS, ESPECIALLY ON THE ASPECTS OF TENSION-ANXIETY, AND VIGOR. ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE AND CORTISOL VALUES RELATED TO THE PARTICIPANTS' STRESS LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AFTER THE FOURTH LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION. THESE RESULTS INDICATED THAT MULTIPLE LAUGHTER YOGA SESSIONS APPEARED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS OF HEALTHY ADULTS. 2018 11 2871 36 YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FACILITATES SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN STRONGLY INFLUENCES SUSTAINED ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUSTAINED ATTENTION BY ATTENUATING PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. HENCE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND SELF-REPORTED PAIN DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 22 MEN AGED 30 TO 50 YEARS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA (N = 11) OR CONTROL (N = 11) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE (YBRT) 1 HOUR A DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR USUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REGIMEN. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO RESPONSE TASK (SART) AND THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (OLBPDQ) MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALL SELF-REPORTED OLBPDQ DOMAINS AND IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PEARSON'S CORRELATION ALSO SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND PAIN REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES PAIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED WITH IMPULSE CONTROL DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SUSTAINED ATTENTION TASK. 2020 12 2010 40 SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA IMPROVES CARDIAC AUTONOMIC CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY-DEPRESSION DISORDERS. BACKGROUND: SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT ADJUVANT THERAPIES AS EXERCISE AND BREATHING TRAINING ARE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING CARDIAC AUTONOMIC CONTROL (CAC) IN PATIENTS WITH AFFECTIVE SPECTRUM DISORDERS. HOWEVER, THE EFFECTS OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN THIS POPULATION IS UNKNOWN. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT SKY TRAINING IMPROVES CAC AND CARDIORESPIRATORY COUPLING IN PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION DISORDERS. METHODS: FORTY-SIX PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION DISORDERS (DSM-IV) WERE CONSECUTIVELY ENROLLED AND DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS: 1) CONVENTIONAL THERAPY (CONTROL) AND 2) CONVENTIONAL THERAPY ASSOCIATED WITH SKY (TREATMENT) FOR 15 DAYS. ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION LEVELS WERE DETERMINED USING QUANTITATIVE QUESTIONNAIRES. FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CAC AND CARDIORESPIRATORY COUPLING, CARDIORESPIRATORY TRACES WERE ANALYZED USING MONOVARIATE AND BIVARIATE AUTOREGRESSIVE SPECTRAL ANALYSIS, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: AFTER 15-DAYS, WE OBSERVED A REDUCTION OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION LEVELS ONLY IN TREATMENT GROUP. MOREOVER, SYMPATHETIC MODULATION AND CAC WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER WHILE PARASYMPATHETIC MODULATION AND CARDIORESPIRATORY COUPLING WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE TREATMENT COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: INTENSIVE BREATHING TRAINING USING SKY APPROACH IMPROVES ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AS WELL AS CAC AND CARDIORESPIRATORY COUPLING. THESE FINDING SUGGEST THAT THE SKY TRAINING MAY BE A USEFUL NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE SYMPTOMS AND REDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY/DEPRESSION DISORDERS. 2017 13 1967 38 SERUM CORTISOL AND BDNF IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION-EFFECT OF YOGA. DEPRESSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW SERUM BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) AND ELEVATED LEVELS OF SERUM CORTISOL. YOGA PRACTICES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS, INCREASE IN SERUM BDNF, AND REDUCTION IN SERUM CORTISOL. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SERUM BDNF AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN DRUG-NAIVE PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION TREATED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS, YOGA THERAPY, AND BOTH. FIFTY-FOUR DRUG-NAIVE CONSENTING ADULT OUTPATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION (32 MALES) RECEIVED ANTIDEPRESSANTS ONLY (N = 16), YOGA THERAPY ONLY (N = 19), OR YOGA WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS (N = 19). SERUM BDNF ANDCORTISOL LEVELS WERE OBTAINED BEFORE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS USING A SANDWICH ELISA METHOD. ONE-WAY ANOVA, CHI-SQUARE TEST, AND PEARSON'S CORRELATION TESTS WERE USED FOR ANALYSIS. THE GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE AT BASELINE ON MOST PARAMETERS. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION SCORES AND SERUM BDNF LEVELS, AND REDUCTION IN SERUM CORTISOL IN THE YOGA GROUPS, HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED IN PREVIOUS REPORTS. A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATION WAS OBSERVED BETWEEN CHANGE IN BDNF (PRE-POST) AND CORTISOL (PRE-POST) LEVELS IN THE YOGA-ONLY GROUP (R = -0.59, P = 0.008). IN CONCLUSION, YOGA MAY FACILITATE NEUROPLASTICITY THROUGH STRESS REDUCTION IN DEPRESSED PATIENTS. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THE FINDINGS AND DELINEATE THE PATHWAYS FOR THESE EFFECTS. 2016 14 661 60 EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING ON THE SOMATIZATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS OF HEALTHY WOMEN. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS AND NEGATIVE FEELINGS AND THAT IT IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. OUR PREVIOUS STUDY ALSO SUGGESTED THAT LONG-TERM YOGA TRAINING IMPROVES STRESS-RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS SUCH AS ANXIETY AND ANGER. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON SOMATIZATION, THE MOST COMMON STRESS-RELATED PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. WE PERFORMED A PROSPECTIVE, SINGLE ARM STUDY TO EXAMINE THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING ON SOMATIZATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. METHODS: WE RECRUITED HEALTHY WOMEN WHO HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA. THE DATA OF 24 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE FOLLOWED DURING 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING WERE ANALYZED. SOMATIZATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING USING THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATE (POMS) AND THE SYMPTOM CHECKLIST-90-REVISED (SCL-90-R) QUESTIONNAIRES. URINARY 8-HYDROXYDEOXYGUANOSINE (8-OHDG), BIOPYRRIN, AND CORTISOL LEVELS WERE MEASURED AS STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS. THE WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST WAS USED TO COMPARE THE STRESS-RELATED BIOMARKERS AND THE SCORES OF QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING. RESULTS: AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING, ALL NEGATIVE SUBSCALE SCORES (TENSION-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER-HOSTILITY, FATIGUE, AND CONFUSION) FROM THE POMS AND SOMATIZATION, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND HOSTILITY FROM THE SCL-90-R WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED COMPARED WITH THOSE BEFORE STARTING YOGA TRAINING. CONTRARY TO OUR EXPECTATION, THE URINARY 8-OHDG CONCENTRATION AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE COMPARED WITH THAT BEFORE STARTING YOGA TRAINING. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN THE LEVELS OF URINARY BIOPYRRIN AND CORTISOL AFTER THE 12 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA TRAINING HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE THE SOMATIZATION SCORE AND THE SCORES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH INDICATORS, SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER, AND FATIGUE. THE PRESENT FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE SOMATIZATION AND MENTAL HEALTH STATUS AND HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF PSYCHOSOMATIC SYMPTOMS IN HEALTHY WOMEN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000007868. 2014 15 2103 39 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY LEVEL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY LEVEL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WITH PRETEST-POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP. THE POPULATION OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS WITH REGISTERED IN MALATYA AND ELAZIG COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS AND REGULARLY GOING TO THESE CENTERS. THE SAMPLE GROUP OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF TOTALLY 100 PATIENTS INCLUDING 50 PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 50 PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP WHO WERE SPECIFIED THROUGH POWER ANALYSIS AND CHOSEN BY USING RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD FROM THIS POPULATION. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED BETWEEN APRIL 2015 AND AUGUST 2015. 'PATIENT DESCRIPTION FORM' AND 'FROGS' WERE USED TO COLLECT THE DATA. YOGA WAS APPLIED TO PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. ANY INTERVENTION WAS NOT MADE TO PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION, ARITHMETIC MEAN, STANDARD DEVIATION, CHI-SQUARE, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST, AND PAIRED T TEST WERE USED TO ASSESS THE DATA. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRETEST SUBSCALE AND THE TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FROGS WAS FOUND TO BE LOW. IN THE POSTTEST SUBSCALE AND TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FROGS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE HIGHER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM WERE FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRETEST AND POSTTEST SUBSCALE AND TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FR0GS WAS DETERMINED TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA THAT APPLIED TO SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS IT WAS DETERMINED TO INCREASED THE LEVEL OF FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. IT CAN BE SUGGESTED THAT YOGA SHOULD BE USED AS AN COMPLEMENTARY METHOD IN NURSING PRACTISE IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TREATMENT. 2016 16 555 47 CORTISOL AND ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF YOGA. CONTEXT: HYPERCORTISOLEMIA IS WELL-KNOWN IN DEPRESSION AND YOGA HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED EARLIER TO REDUCE THE PARAMETERS OF STRESS, INCLUDING CORTISOL LEVELS. AIM: WE AIMED TO FIND THE ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ANTIDEPRESSANT AS WELL AS ITS ACTION ON LOWERING THE SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: AN OPEN-LABELED STUDY CONSISTING OF THREE GROUPS (YOGA ALONE, YOGA ALONG WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION AND ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION ALONE) WAS CONDUCTED AT A TERTIARY CARE PSYCHIATRY HOSPITAL. METHODOLOGY: OUT-PATIENT DEPRESSIVES WHO WERE NOT SUICIDAL WERE OFFERED YOGA AS A POSSIBLE ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPY. A VALIDATED YOGA MODULE WAS USED AS THERAPY TAUGHT OVER A MONTH AND TO BE PRACTICED AT HOME DAILY. PATIENTS WERE FREE TO CHOOSE THE DRUGS IF THEIR PSYCHIATRIST ADVISED. PATIENTS (N=54) WERE RATED ON HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) WITH SERUM CORTISOL MEASUREMENTS AT BASELINE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS. IN 54 PATIENTS, ASSESSMENTS AND BLOOD TEST RESULTS WERE BOTH AVAILABLE. 19 EACH RECEIVED YOGA ALONE OR WITH DRUGS AND 16 RECEIVED DRUGS ONLY. HEALTHY COMPARISON SUBJECTS (N=18) TOO UNDERWENT MORNING CORTISOL MEASUREMENTS ONCE. RESULTS: SERUM CORTISOL WAS HIGHER IN DEPRESSIVES COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. IN THE TOTAL SAMPLE, THE CORTISOL LEVEL DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY AT THE END OF TREATMENT. MORE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUPS HAD A DROP IN CORTISOL LEVELS AS COMPARED TO DRUG-ONLY GROUP. IN THE YOGA-ONLY GROUP, THE CORTISOL DROP CORRELATED WITH THE DROP IN HDRS SCORE (ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECT). CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS SUPPORT THAT YOGA MAY ACT AT THE LEVEL OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS BY ITS 'ANTI-STRESS' EFFECTS (REDUCING THE CORTISOL), TO BRING ABOUT RELIEF IN DEPRESSION. 2013 17 2177 25 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MOOD IN PSYCHIATRIC INPATIENTS. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MOOD WERE EXAMINED IN 13 PSYCHIATRIC INPATIENTS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE HOSPITAL. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS) PRIOR TO AND FOLLOWING PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA CLASS. ANALYSES INDICATED THAT PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS ON ALL FIVE OF THE NEGATIVE EMOTION FACTORS ON THE POMS, INCLUDING TENSION-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION-DEJECTION, ANGER-HOSTILITY, FATIGUE-INERTIA, AND CONFUSION-BEWILDERMENT. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE ON THE SIXTH POMS FACTOR, VIGOR-ACTIVITY. IMPROVEMENTS IN MOOD WERE NOT RELATED TO GENDER OR DIAGNOSIS. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED MOOD, AND MAY BE A USEFUL WAY OF REDUCING STRESS DURING INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT. 2005 18 2221 34 THE IMPACT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON THE STRESS OF CANCER PATIENTS BEFORE CHEMOTHERAPY. BACKGROUND: CANCER IS USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY CONSIDERABLE STRESS FOR THE SUFFERER, AND THE STRESS HAS DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS ON CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT PROCESS. THEREFORE, THE CURRENT RESEARCH DEALS WITH THE EFFECT OF YOGA LAUGHTER ON THE CANCER PATIENTS' STRESS BEFORE CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: IN THIS RESEARCH, AS THE FIRST STEP, 37 CANCER SUFFERERS , WHO HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED IN SHOHADA TAJRISH HOSPITAL (BEHNAM DANESHPOOR CHARITY ORGANIZATION) AND HAD THE REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY FOR BEING TAKEN AS RESEARCH SAMPLES, WERE SELECTED FOR DATA COLLECTION. THE MENTIONED PATIENTS WERE CLASSIFIED RANDOMLY IN EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. COLLECTED DATA WERE ANALYZED BY THE MULTI-VARIABLE COVARIANCE ANALYSIS TEST. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOW THERE IS A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE IN THE STRESS AVERAGE BEFORE AND AFTER INTERFERENCE IN THE TEST GROUP (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA CAN DECREASE THE STRESS IN CANCER SUFFERERS BEFORE CHEMOTHERAPY. 2014 19 748 28 EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESIGN: THE PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY ENROLLED TWO STUDY GROUPS: THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SAHAJA YOGA RESEARCH AND HEALTH CENTER (MEDITATION GROUP) AND THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE MAHATMA GANDHI MISSION HOSPITAL (CONTROL GROUP). RESEARCHERS MEASURED QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT. RESULTS: SIXTY-SEVEN (67) PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEDITATION GROUP AND 62 PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE IN DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS. AT BASELINE, THE MEDITATION GROUP HAD HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE (P<0.001) THAN CONTROLS BUT SIMILAR ANXIETY LEVEL (P=0.74) TO CONTROLS. WITHIN-GROUP PRE- VERSUS POST-TREATMENT COMPARISONS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE MEDITATION GROUP (P<0.001), WHILE IN CONTROLS, QUALITY OF LIFE DETERIORATED AND THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL WAS GREATER IN THE MEDITATION GROUP. THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF MEDITATION REMAINED SIGNIFICANT AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATION TREATMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. 2012 20 330 30 APPLICATION OF AN INTEGRATIVE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAMME IN CASES OF ESSENTIAL ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IN PUBLIC HEALTHCARE. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFICACY OF AN INTEGRATIVE YOGA PROGRAMME AS ADJUVANT TREATMENT OF ESSENTIAL ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. METHODS: AN INTEGRATIVE YOGA PROGRAMME WAS CONDUCTED DURING THREE MONTHS IN 26 SESSIONS WITH A GROUP OF TEN ESSENTIAL ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION PATIENTS AT A PUBLIC HEALTH CENTRE. THE SAME NUMBER OF PATIENTS ACTED AS THE CONTROL GROUP WITHOUT TREATMENT. THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED AND ASSIGNED TO THE GROUPS. ALL PATIENTS FILLED IN THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SCHEDULE (PANAS), THE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS) AND THE SMITH RELAXATION STATES INVENTORY 3 (SRSI3) BEFORE AND AFTER THE TREATMENT. RESULTS: A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, NEGATIVE AFFECT, SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEGREE OF STRESS COULD BE OBSERVED IN THE STUDY GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THESE POSITIVE AND PROMISING RESULTS CONFIRM THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE TECHNIQUES IN THE TREATMENT OF ESSENTIAL ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND SUGGEST POSSIBLE FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS. 2014