1 670 119 EFFECT OF A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAM ON LIPID PEROXIDATION. OXIDATIVE STRESS CONTRIBUTES TO THE PROCESS OF AGING AS WELL AS A VARIETY OF CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS INCREASES OXIDATIVE STRESS WHEREAS RELAXATION DECREASES IT. WE HAVE MEASURED THE CONCENTRATION OF THIOBARBITURIC ACID REACTIVE SUBSTANCES (TBARS) IN BLOOD AS AN INDICATOR OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AT THE BEGINNING AND AT THE END OF A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAM (YLMP). THE DATA WAS COLLECTED FROM 104 SUBJECTS (59 MALE, 45 FEMALE), 19-71 YEARS OF AGE (MEAN +/- SD, 41.2 +/- 14.6 YEARS). THE YLMP CONSISTED OF A NINE-DAY EDUCATIONAL OUT-PATIENT COURSE ON THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF YOGA AND INCLUDED, BESIDES A DAILY ONE-HOUR PRACTICE OF PHYSICAL POSTURES (ASANAS) AND BREATHING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA), LECTURE AND FILMS ON YOGA, STRESS MANAGEMENT AND NUTRITION, PRACTICE OF MEDITATION AND SHAVASANA (A RELAXATION TECHNIQUE), AND INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING. VENOUS BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF THE COURSE. THE SERUM CONCENTRATION OF TBARS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM 1.72 +/- 0.72 NMOLES/ML ON DAY 1 TO 1.57 +/- 0.72 NMOLES/ML ON DAY 10 (P<0.05). THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT A BRIEF LOW COST LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION BASED ON YOGA REDUCES OXIDATIVE STRESS. 2005 2 2085 32 THE EFFECT OF LONG TERM COMBINED YOGA PRACTICE ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE OF HEALTHY ADULTS. BACKGROUND: DIFFERENT PROCEDURES PRACTICED IN YOGA HAVE STIMULATORY OR INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE WHEN STUDIED ACUTELY. IN DAILY LIFE HOWEVER, THESE PROCEDURES ARE USUALLY PRACTICED IN COMBINATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE NET CHANGE IN THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR) OF INDIVIDUALS ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN A COMBINATION OF YOGA PRACTICES (ASANA OR YOGIC POSTURES, MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA OR BREATHING EXERCISES) FOR A MINIMUM PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS, AT A RESIDENTIAL YOGA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER AT BANGALORE. METHODS: THE MEASURED BMR OF INDIVIDUALS PRACTICING YOGA THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PRACTICES WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF CONTROL SUBJECTS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA BUT LED SIMILAR LIFESTYLES. RESULTS: THE BMR OF THE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE NON-YOGA GROUP, AND WAS LOWER BY ABOUT 13 % WHEN ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT (P < 0.001). THIS DIFFERENCE PERSISTED WHEN THE GROUPS WERE STRATIFIED BY GENDER; HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCE IN BMR ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT WAS GREATER IN WOMEN THAN MEN (ABOUT 8 AND 18% RESPECTIVELY). IN ADDITION, THE MEAN BMR OF THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THEIR PREDICTED VALUES, WHILE THE MEAN BMR OF NON-YOGA GROUP WAS COMPARABLE WITH THEIR PREDICTED VALUES DERIVED FROM 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY SHOWS THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BMR, PROBABLY LINKED TO REDUCED AROUSAL, WITH THE LONG TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA USING A COMBINATION OF STIMULATORY AND INHIBITORY YOGIC PRACTICES. 2006 3 371 19 AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN ANAND CITY. BACKGROUND: AEROBIC EXERCISE IS HELPFUL IN REDUCING ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT YOGA IS USEFUL IN REDUCING RAISED BP. THUS, THEY BOTH CAN BE USED IN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION. HENCE, THE STUDY AIMED TO OBSERVE BOTH AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN ANAND CITY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL DESCRIPTIVE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS PREPARED CONTAINING 24 QUESTIONS ABOUT AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. THE QUESTIONS WERE EXPLAINED TO ALL THE PATIENTS, AND 200 PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED FROM ANAND CITY THROUGH CONVENIENCE SAMPLING. RESULTS: TWO-HUNDRED PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY, OF WHICH 100% WERE AWARE OF HYPERTENSION. 67.68% WERE AWARE OF THE ROLE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN HYPERTENSION, OF WHICH 58.29% PRACTICED THEM. THE AWARENESS OF THE ROLE OF YOGA IN HYPERTENSION WAS NOTED IN 33.67% OF PATIENTS, OF WHICH ONLY 13.07% PRACTICED PRANAYAMA AND 9.50% PRACTICED ASANAS. CONCLUSION: THERE WAS A COMPLETE AWARENESS OF HYPERTENSION AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. A LARGE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WERE AWARE OF THE ROLE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN HYPERTENSION, BUT ONLY FEW OF THE PATIENTS PRACTICED THEM. HOWEVER, THERE WAS LESS AWARENESS OF THE ROLE OF YOGA IN HYPERTENSION AND EVEN LESSER NUMBER PRACTICED THEM. 2019 4 1643 19 MOOD CHANGE AND PERCEPTIONS OF VITALITY: A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGA. THE EFFECTS OF THREE DIFFERENT PROCEDURES, RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGIC BREATHING AND STRETCH (PRANAYAMA) ON PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENERGY AND ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MOOD STATES HAVE BEEN ASSESSED IN A GROUP OF NORMAL VOLUNTEERS (N = 71, AGE RANGE 21-76). PRANAYAMA PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN PERCEPTIONS OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND FEELINGS OF ALERTNESS AND ENTHUSIASM THAN THE OTHER TWO PROCEDURES (P < 0.5). RELAXATION MADE SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SLEEPY AND SLUGGISH IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SESSION THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05). VISUALIZATION MADE THEM MORE SLUGGISH BUT LESS CONTENT THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05) AND MORE UPSET THAN RELAXATION AFTER THE SECOND SESSION (P < 0.05). THUS, A 30 MIN PROGRAMME OF YOGIC STRETCH AND BREATHING EXERCISES WHICH IS SIMPLE TO LEARN AND WHICH CAN BE PRACTISED EVEN BY THE ELDERLY HAD A MARKEDLY 'INVIGORATING' EFFECT ON PERCEPTIONS OF BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND INCREASED HIGH POSITIVE MOOD. A MORE EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION IS PLANNED TO ESTABLISH WHETHER SUCH A PROGRAMME CAN READILY BE INCORPORATED INTO EVERYDAY LIFE, AND WITH WHAT LONG-TERM RESULTS. 1993 5 819 29 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 6 2461 22 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 2290 33 THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION WITH REFERENCE TO GST GENE POLYMORPHISM. BACKGROUND: HYPERTENSION, A CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION OF INCREASED BLOOD PRESSURE, IS A SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC RISK FACTORS ARE KNOWN TO PREDISPOSE TO HYPERTENSION. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE ASSOCIATION OF GLUTATHIONE S-TRANSFERASE (GST) GENE POLYMORPHISM WITH OXIDATIVE STRESS IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS AND THE POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA ON THEM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SIXTY (60) HYPERTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS, BETWEEN 30 AND 60 YEARS OF AGE, WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUBJECTED TO 50-60 MINUTES OF YOGIC PRACTICES DAILY FOR 42 DAYS, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP INCLUDED THE REMAINING 30 AGE- AND SEX-MATCHED HYPERTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS. GST GENE POLYMORPHISM WAS ANALYZED USING MULTIPLE ALLELE SPECIFIC POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS PARAMETERS WERE ASSESSED BIOCHEMICALLY. RESULTS: ASSESSMENT OF BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT THOUGH MODEST REDUCTION (P<0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. MALONDIALDEHYDE WAS OBSERVED TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LOW (P<0.05), WHILE ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN THE FORM OF GST SHOWED AN INCREASING TREND AND FERRIC-REDUCING ABILITY OF PLASMA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P<0.05) IN THE SUBJECTS WHO PRACTICED YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: IN CONCLUSION, YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO DECREASE BLOOD PRESSURE AS WELL AS THE LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. 2013 8 277 18 ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING ENHANCES PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING. THE CURRENT STUDY ASSESSED THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH STATE MINDFULNESS, MIND-WANDERING AND STATE ANXIETY. ALSO, WE EXAMINED IF AN ADDITIONAL 20 MIN OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) FOR 8 WEEKS WOULD AFFECT THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES MORE THAN REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE (CONTROL GROUP) ALONE. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EXPERIMENTAL (N = 60) AND CONTROL (N = 56) GROUPS. STATE MINDFULNESS ATTENTION AWARENESS SCALE (SMAAS), MIND-WANDERING QUESTIONNAIRE (MWQ) AND STATE ANXIETY INVENTORY WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: BASELINE ASSESSMENT REVEALED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH SMAAS SCORES AND NEGATIVE CORRELATION WITH MWQ AND STATE ANXIETY SCORES. AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS, BOTH GROUPS DEMONSTRATED ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, BUT THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVING ADDITIONAL YOGA BREATHING PERFORMED BETTER THAN THE GROUP PRACTICING YOGA ALONE. CONCLUSION: AN ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING WAS FOUND TO ENHANCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2018 9 2745 27 YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES THE BODY MASS INDEX AND BLOOD PRESSURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA, AN ANCIENT INDIAN SYSTEM OF EXERCISE AND THERAPY IS AN ART OF GOOD LIVING OR AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BODY, MIND, AND INNER SPIRIT. REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN HELP TO INCREASE BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN, REDUCE STRESS, HAVE A CALMING EFFECT ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND GREATLY HELP IN REDUCING HYPERTENSION. AIM: AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF 1-MONTH YOGA PRACTICE ON BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), AND BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON 64 PARTICIPANTS (AGE 53.6 +/- 13.1 YEARS) (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) WHEREAS THE RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH 26 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (CONTROL GROUP). WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A 1-MONTH PILOT STUDY. MOST OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LEARNER AND PRACTICED YOGA FOR 1 H DAILY IN THE MORNING FOR 1 MONTH. BMI AND BP (SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC) WERE STUDIED BEFORE AND AFTER 1 MONTH OF YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE CAUSES DECREASED BMI (26.4 +/- 2.5-25.22 +/- 2.4), SYSTOLIC BP (136.9 +/- 22.18 MMHG TO 133 +/- 21.38 MMHG), AND DIASTOLIC BP (84.7 +/- 6.5 MMHG TO 82.34 +/- 7.6 MMHG). ON THE OTHER HAND, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN BMI AND BP OF CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY CONCLUDES THAT YOGA PRACTICE HAS POTENTIAL TO CONTROL BMI AND BP WITHOUT TAKING ANY MEDICATION. 2017 10 2112 26 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 11 796 29 EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES IN SOUTH INDIA: RESULTS FROM THE SATYAM PROJECT. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE FOR DIABETES DURING FEB 2017 TO OCT 2019 IN CHENNAI, INDIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS. GROUP1(NON-YOGA) (N = 150) WAS ADVISED ON SIMPLE PHYSICAL EXERCISES WHEREAS GROUP2(YOGA) (N = 150) WAS TRAINED AND ADVISED TO DO YOGASANAS WITH STATIC LOOSENING EXERCISES FOR 50 MIN FOR 5 DAYS IN A WEEK. BOTH THE GROUPS WERE FOLLOWED UP FOR A PERIOD OF 3 MONTHS. ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER FOLLOW UP. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BMI, BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS, HBA1C, LIPID LEVELS, IL6, TNFALPHA AND TBARS IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO NON-YOGA GROUP. THERE WAS MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN THE LEVELS OF ADIPONECTIN, PTGIS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS PRACTISING YOGASANAS. CONCLUSION: REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGASANAS IMPROVED GLYCAEMIC CONTROL, OXIDATIVE STRESS, INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. HENCE, YOGASANAS CAN BE USED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY FOR MANAGING TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2021 12 1571 21 MANAGEMENT OF MYOFASCIAL PAIN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME WITH MEDITATION AND YOGA: HEALING THROUGH NATURAL THERAPY. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY WERE TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA IN PATIENTS WITH MYOFASCIAL PAIN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME (MPDS) AND COMPARED THE EFFECTS WITH ONGOING CONVENTIONAL NONINVASIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY COMPRISED 30 PATIENTS DIVIDED EQUALLY (10 EACH) INTO 3 GROUP, I.E., CONTROL GROUP (CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE TREATMENT), EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP (CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE TREATMENT WITH RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION THERAPY AND PRANAYAMA), AND EXPERIMENTAL B GROUP (RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION THERAPY AND PRANAYAMA ONLY). PARAMETERS SUCH AS PAIN, MOUTH OPENING, MANDIBULAR DEVIATION, INFLAMMATION, SWELLING, CLICKING, OCCLUSION, AND PSYCHOLOGIC EVALUATION SUCH AS ANXIETY, STRESS, AND DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED BEFORE THE START OF THE STUDY AND AT WEEKLY INTERVALS FOR 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: POSTTREATMENT PAIN AND INFLAMMATION IMPROVED BOTH IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP, BUT STATISTICALLY IT IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP. FURTHERMORE, IT IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AS WELL AS FOR A LONG PERIOD IN EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP. IMPROVEMENT IN MOUTH OPENING WAS STATISTICALLY HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN CONTROL GROUP BUT NOT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS. POSTTREATMENT ANXIETY AND STRESS STATUS WAS IMPROVED WITH STATISTICALLY HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT RESULT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL A AND B. THE POSTTREATMENT DEPRESSION STATUS ALONG WITH MANDIBULAR DEVIATION, SWELLING, CLICKING, AND OCCLUSION HAS NOT IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN ANY OF THE GROUPS. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA IN COMBINATION WITH CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE, TREATMENT MODALITIES SHOWED PROMISING RESULTS IN MPDS PATIENTS AS COMPARED TO EITHER MODALITIES ALONE. 2018 13 284 39 ADIPONECTIN, INTERLEUKIN-6, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS ARE MODIFIED BY A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE MEN. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) AND MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION AND ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE MEN. DESIGN: NONRANDOMIZED PROSPECTIVE LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION STUDY WITH PRE-POST DESIGN. SETTING AND LOCATION: INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC, AN OUTPATIENT FACILITY PROVIDING YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES. SUBJECTS: OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE MEN (N=51) WERE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. SUBJECTS WHO WERE PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE AND THOSE PARTICIPATING IN OTHER INTERVENTIONS WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE STUDY. INTERVENTION: A PRETESTED INTERVENTION PROGRAM INCLUDING ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), GROUP DISCUSSIONS, LECTURES, AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS WEIGHT LOSS, AND THE SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CLINICAL AND LABORATORY CORRELATES OF CVD RISK, LEVELS OF INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), ADIPONECTIN, AND ENDOTHELIN-1 (ET-1). RESULTS: MEN (N=51, BODY MASS INDEX [BMI] 26.26+/-2.42 KG/M(2)) WERE ENROLLED AND UNDERWENT A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR 10 DAYS. OF 51 SUBJECTS, 30 COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN WEIGHT FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 (74.60+/-7.98, 72.69+/-8.37 KG, P<0.001, RESPECTIVELY), BMI (26.26+/-2.42, 25.69+/-2.47 KG/M(2), P<0.001, RESPECTIVELY), AND SYSTOLIC BP (121.73+/-11.58, 116.73+/-9.00, P=0.042, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PLASMA IL-6 FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 (MEDIAN 2.24 VS. 1.26 PG/ML, RESPECTIVELY, P=0.012). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PLASMA ADIPONECTIN FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 (MEDIAN 4.95 VS. 6.26 MUG/ML, RESPECTIVELY, P=0.014). PLASMA ET-1 LEVEL REMAINED UNCHANGED. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT EVEN A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION MAY BE AN IMPORTANT MODALITY TO REDUCE THE RISK FOR CVD AS INDICATED BY WEIGHT LOSS, REDUCTION IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, AN INCREASE IN ADIPONECTIN, AND DECREASE IN IL-6 IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE MEN. 2013 14 208 37 A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES: COMPARISON OF DAILY PRACTICE AND NONDAILY PRACTICE OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF THE DAILY PRACTICE OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM LEARNT DURING A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY US AS A STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. SUBJECTS: NINETY SCHOOL EMPLOYEES. DESIGN: CASE-CONTROL STUDY. THREE MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SUBJECTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A DAILY PRACTICE GROUP (CASE: N=43) AND A NONCONSECUTIVE DAILY PRACTICE GROUP (CONTROL: N=47) ACCORDING TO THEIR DAILY PRACTICE LEVEL OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. INTERVENTIONS: THE SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN A STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM BASED ON AN INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY SESSION. THE PROGRAM INCLUDED PSYCHOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND COUNSELING ABOUT STRESS MANAGEMENT AND YOGA THEORIES, AS WELL AS THE PRACTICES OF ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, RELAXATION, AND COGNITIVE STRUCTURE BASED ON INDIAN PHILOSOPHY. OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROGRAM USING THE SUBJECTIVE UNITS OF DISTRESS FOR MIND AND BODY AND THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL MOOD SCALE. THE GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE 28 (GHQ28) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE MENTAL HEALTH STATE BEFORE THE INTERVENTION AND AT 3 MONTHS AFTER THE PROGRAM. RESULTS: THE SUBJECTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THEIR LEVELS OF CALMNESS, COMFORT, AND CHEERFULNESS (P<0.001) AND SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN COGNITIVE MIND AND BODY STRESS (P<0.001) AFTER PARTICIPATING IN THE INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM. A COMPARISON OF THE TOTAL SCORES ON THE GHQ28 USING A TWO-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN TERMS OF BOTH INTERACTION (P=0.047) AND THE MAIN EFFECT (P=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESENT RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT A SINGLE SESSION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING STRESS AND THAT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SCHOOL EMPLOYEES WAS PROMOTED BY THE DAILY PRACTICE OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. 2015 15 678 24 EFFECT OF A YOGA PRACTICE SESSION AND A YOGA THEORY SESSION ON STATE ANXIETY. YOGA TECHNIQUES PRACTICED FOR VARYING DURATIONS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE STATE ANXIETY. IN THIS STUDY, THERE WERE 300 NAIVE-TO-YOGA PERSONS OF BOTH SEXES WHO WERE ATTENDING A YOGA THERAPY CENTER IN NORTH INDIA FOR STRESS RELIEF AS DAY VISITORS AND WERE NOT RESIDING AT THE CENTER. THEY WERE ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS, YOGA PRACTICE AND YOGA THEORY, AND THEIR STATE ANXIETY WAS ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER A 2-HR. YOGA SESSION. A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SCORES ON STATE ANXIETY WAS FOUND IN THE YOGA PRACTICE GROUP (14.7% DECREASE), AS WELL AS IN THE YOGA THEORY GROUP (3.4% DECREASE). THE DIFFERENCE IN SCORES FOLLOWING THE SESSIONS WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HENCE, YOGA PRACTICE AS WELL AS LEARNING ABOUT THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF YOGA APPEAR TO REDUCE STATE ANXIETY, WITH A GREATER REDUCTION FOLLOWING YOGA PRACTICE. 2009 16 2533 23 YOGA EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION AMONG THE IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A CHRONIC AND DISABLING DISEASE RESULTING IN DISABILITIES IN YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED PERSONS. IN THIS STUDY, RESEARCHERS EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF YOGA TECHNIQUES ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL FUNCTION AMONG SOME IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, 60 IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) WERE PLACED IN TWO EQUALLY DIVIDED CONTROL AND CASE GROUPS THROUGH RANDOM SELECTION TO ASSESS PRE-AND POST-EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES ON THEIR PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION LEVELS. WOMEN IN CASE GROUP WERE OFFERED A SERIES OF YOGA TRAINING AND EXERCISES FOR 3 MONTHS, WHICH CONSISTED OF 8 SESSIONS PER MONTH FOR 60 TO 90 MINUTES AT EACH SESSION. YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDED THE 3 PRINCIPLES OF SLOW MOTIONS (HATAYOGA), RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA) AND CENTRALIZATION TO CONTROL MIND VIA MEDITATION, EXPANSION AND STASIS (RAJAYOGA). AFTER 3 MONTHS BOTH GROUPS WERE SURVEYED USING THE INITIAL QUESTIONNAIRE TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE FINDINGS WITH THE BASE-LINE DATA. RESULTS: RESEARCHERS FOUND SIGNIFICANT STATISTICAL DIFFERENCE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION LEVELS AMONG THE WOMEN IN CASE GROUP (P=0.001). WOMEN IN CASE GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL ABILITY WHILE WOMEN IN CONTROL GROUP MANIFESTED EXACERBATED SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: YOGA TECHNIQUES MAY IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION FUNCTION OF WOMEN WITH MS. 2014 17 410 27 BLOOD LIPIDS AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA OR RESISTANCE TRAINING IN LEISURE TIME. WHAT MATTERS: TYPE OR INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY? AIM: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS EFFECTS OF YOGA AND RESISTANCE TRAININGS ON BLOOD LIPIDS AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN PEOPLE WITHOUT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY, WHICH INCLUDED 167 SUBJECTS, WAS CONDUCTED. SUBJECTS REGULARLY PRACTICING YOGA OR RESISTANCE TRAINING NOT LESS THAN 2 TIMES A WEEK FOR A PERIOD MORE THAN ONE YEAR WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. YOGA TRAININGS WERE DEFINED AS YOGA ASANAS AND RESISTANCE TRAININGS WERE DEFINED AS ANY EXERCISE THAT CAUSES THE MUSCLES TO CONTRACT AGAINST AN EXTERNAL RESISTANCE. ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS, BLOOD LIPIDS AND GLUCOSE, URIC ACID WERE ASSESSED. WE USED INTERNATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE ON LONG PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ASSESS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY TIME. SPSS 17.0 WAS USED TO PERFORM STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN "YOGA TRAINING" AND "RESISTANCE TRAINING" GROUPS IN GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SITTING TIME IN THE WHOLE GROUP. HDL-CHOLESTEROL WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN "YOGA TRAINING" COMPARED TO "RESISTANCE TRAINING" GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (1,65+/-0,37 MMOL/L; 1,43+/-0,21 MMOL/L AND 1,34+/-0,22, PYOGA-RESISTANCE TRAINING=0,001; PYOGA-CONTROL=0,0001; PRESISTANCE TRAINING-CONTROL= P2-3=0,037). LDL CHOLESTEROL WAS THE LOWEST IN SUBJECTS THAT HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. CONCLUSIONS: PEOPLE PRACTICING YOGA AND RESISTANCE TRAINING HAD MORE FAVORABLE BLOOD LIPID PROFILE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS THAN CONTROL GROUP. "YOGA TRAINING" HAD MORE PRONOUNCED POSITIVE EFFECT ON HDL CHOLESTEROL. LEVEL OF LDL CHOLESTEROL WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAN WITH TYPE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 2021 18 2173 21 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DYSPNEA, SLEEP AND FATIGUE IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT TO FIND OUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA APPLIED TO CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE PATIENTS ON DYSPNEA, SLEEP QUALITY AND FATIGUE. MATERIAL AND METHOD: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN MAY AND AUGUST 2020 AS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. 'PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM', 'RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS MONITORING FORM', 'COPD AND ASTHMA FATIGUE SCALE (CAFS), "ASTHMA AND COPD SLEEP IMPACT SCALE (CASIS)" AND MODIFIED MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL DYSPNEA SCALE (MMRC) WERE USED IN DATA COLLECTION. RESULTS: WHEN THE POST-TEST MEAN SCORES OF THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP WERE COMPARED, IT WAS FOUND THAT CAFS, CASIS AND MMRC MEAN SCORES OF THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP DECREASED POSITIVELY COMPARED TO THE PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WAS FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO REDUCE THE SEVERITY OF DYSPNEA AND FATIGUE AND IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. 2021 19 527 31 COMPARISON OF LYMPHOCYTE APOPTOTIC INDEX AND QUALITATIVE DNA DAMAGE IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STRESS LEVELS AND RADIATION-INDUCED DNA DAMAGE, AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE, IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED AT COMPARING THE APOPTOTIC INDEX (AI) AND DNA DAMAGE OF ADVANCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH THOSE OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL PILOT STUDY COMPARED THREE GROUPS (N = 9 EACH) OF AGE-MATCHED SUBJECTS VIZ. (1) CARCINOMA BREAST PATIENTS IN STAGE II OR III UNDERGOING RADIATION THERAPY AFTER COMPLETING THREE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY; (2) SENIOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO WERE PRACTICING ASANAS, PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION DAILY FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS; AND (3) NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES WERE ISOLATED, AND QUALITATIVE DNA DAMAGE (QDD) AND AI WERE EVALUATED BY SINGLE-CELL GEL ELECTROPHORESIS ASSAY. APPROXIMATELY 500 CELLS WERE COUNTED IN EACH CASE. NUMBER OF CELLS THAT WERE NORMAL, UNDERGOING APOPTOSIS, AND WITH DNA DAMAGE WERE CATEGORIZED AND PERCENTAGES WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: DATA BEING NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED, ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN GROUPS IN AI (P = 0.016) AND QDD (P = 0.045). ON POST-HOC ANALYSIS USING SCHEFFE TEST, AI WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN NON-YOGA VOLUNTEERS AS COMPARED WITH THE BREAST CANCER GROUP (P = 0.019) AND QDD WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHEN COMPARED WITH NON-YOGA VOLUNTEERS (P = 0.047). CONCLUSION: CELLULAR DYSFUNCTION (QDD) REQUIRES RESTORATIVE MECHANISMS (AI) TO RESTORE THE SYSTEM TO A BALANCE. THE RESULTS OF THIS PILOT STUDY SHOW TRENDS, WHICH INDICATE THAT IN ILL-HEALTH, THERE IS INADEQUATE RESTORATIVE MECHANISMS (AI) ALTHOUGH DYSFUNCTION (QDD) IS HIGH. THROUGH REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA, CELLULAR DYSFUNCTION CAN BE LOWERED, THUS NECESSITATING REDUCED RESTORATIVE MECHANISMS. AI AND QDD COULD ALSO BE USEFUL INDICATORS FOR PREDICTING THE THREE ZONES OF HEALTH VIZ. DISEASE, HEALTH, AND POSITIVE HEALTH. 2013 20 1637 28 MODULATION OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC BALANCE WITH ADJUVANT YOGA THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY. THE PRACTICE OF YOGA REGULATES BODY PHYSIOLOGY THROUGH CONTROL OF POSTURE, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION. EFFECTS OF YOGA ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS OF PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY, AS QUANTIFIED BY STANDARDIZED AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS (AFTS), WERE DETERMINED. THE YOGA GROUP (N=18) RECEIVED SUPERVISED TRAINING IN YOGA, AND THE EXERCISE GROUP (N=16) PRACTICED SIMPLE ROUTINE EXERCISES. AFTS WERE REPEATED AFTER 10 WEEKS OF DAILY SESSIONS. DATA WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE OF HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (N=142). THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PARASYMPATHETIC PARAMETERS AND A DECREASE IN SEIZURE FREQUENCY SCORES. THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE PARAMETERS IN EITHER GROUP. TWO PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ACHIEVED NORMAL AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS AT THE END OF 10 WEEKS OF THERAPY, WHEREAS THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN THE EXERCISE GROUP. THE DATA SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY HAVE A ROLE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY EPILEPSY. 2008