1 798 137 EFFECT OF YOGA LIFESTYLE IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: IN SPITE OF SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEART FAILURE (HF), MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY REMAIN HIGH. THEREFORE, THERE IS A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES. WE DID A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL TO STUDY EFFECT OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH HF IN TERMS OF QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), LEFT VENTRICLE EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF), C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP), AND NTPROBNP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 60 PATIENTS WITH STABLE HF NEW YORK HEART ASSOCIATION CLASS II WITH LVEF 30%-40% WERE RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL GROUP (CG) AND YOGA GROUP (YG). CG RECEIVED THE GUIDELINE-BASED THERAPY AND YG IN ADDITION PRACTICED THE YOGA, ONE HOUR DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS. ALL PATIENTS WERE ASSESSED FOR QOL, CRP, NTPROBNP, AND LVEF AT BASELINE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN ALL FOUR PARAMETERS IN THE YG AS COMPARED TO THE CG (P < 0.01) AFTER 12 WEEKS. QOL AS ASSESSED BY MINNESOTA LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE QUESTIONNAIRE SCORE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN YG AS COMPARED TO CG (10 V/S 14, P < 0.001). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WITHIN YG IN TERMS OF LVEF (33.4-36.8, P = 0.001), AND THE PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN LVEF WAS SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN THE GROUPS (10% V/S 5%, P = 0.001). NTPROBNP ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY 69.8% FROM 755 TO 220 PMOL/L IN YG AS COMPARED TO 39.3% IN CG (679-406 PMOL/L). CRP DECREASED BY 49.3% (5.36-2.73 MG/L) IN YG AND 35.8% (5.39-3.45 MG/L) IN CG. CONCLUSION: THE RESULT OF THIS PILOT STUDY SUGGESTS THAT ADDITION OF YOGA TO GUIDELINE-BASED THERAPY FOR HF PATIENTS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES QOL, LVEF, AND NTPROBNP AND REDUCES CRP LEVEL. LARGER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2022 2 989 36 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON CARDIAC HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY IN CARDIAC REHABILITATION PATIENTS. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF HATHA YOGA TRAINING THAT WAS ADDED TO THE STANDARD CARDIAC REHABILITATION (CR) PROGRAM ON THE CARDIAC HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY OF PATIENTS WITH ST-ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (STEMI). METHODS: THE STUDY INCLUDED 70 MALE PATIENTS AGED 45-65 YR WITH STEMI WHO WERE TREATED BY ANGIOPLASTY. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO STANDARD CR (CONTROL GROUP) VERSUS STANDARD CR PLUS HATHA YOGA (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP). THE TRAINING PROGRAM LASTED FOR A TOTAL OF 24 D FOR EACH PATIENT, WITH DAY 1 AND DAY 24 USED FOR MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS (ELECTROCARDIOGRAM, SPIROERGOMETRIC SUBMAXIMAL TREADMILL TEST, AND ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY). THE REMAINING 22 D CONSISTED OF THE ACTUAL TRAINING. RESULTS: AFTER THE CR PROGRAM THE SPIROERGOMETRIC STRESS TEST PARAMETERS AND LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF) IMPROVED IN BOTH THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE MOST NOTABLE CHANGES IN ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY PARAMETERS AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY WERE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT OVER TIME, A TIME-VERSUS-GROUP INTERACTION IN LVEF, THE DURATION OF THE TEST, AND PEAK OXYGEN UPTAKE, AND A TIME-VERSUS-GROUP INTERACTION IN METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS). WE ALSO NOTED THE IMPROVEMENT OF LEFT VENTRICULAR END-DIASTOLIC DIAMETER, LEFT VENTRICULAR END-SYSTOLIC DIAMETER, AND HEART RATE OVER TIME. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS REVEALED BETTER EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CR PROGRAM WITH A MODIFIED HATHA YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM. HATHA YOGA TRAINING COULD BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD CR. 2020 3 1066 53 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON INFLAMMATION AND EXERCISE CAPACITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE. BACKGROUND: DESPITE RECENT ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGIC AND DEVICE THERAPY, MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FROM HEART FAILURE (HF) REMAIN HIGH. YOGA COMBINES PHYSICAL AND BREATHING EXERCISES THAT MAY BENEFIT PATIENTS WITH HF. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT AN 8-WEEK REGIMEN OF YOGA IN ADDITION TO STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY WOULD IMPROVE EXERCISE CAPACITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN PATIENTS WITH HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: NEW YORK HEART ASSOCIATION CLASS I-III HF PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA TREATMENT (YT) OR STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (MT). MEASUREMENTS INCLUDED A GRADED EXERCISE TEST (GXT) TO V O(2PEAK) AND THE FOLLOWING SERUM BIOMARKERS: INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), HIGH-SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HSCRP), AND EXTRACELLULAR SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (EC-SOD). THE MINNESOTA LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE QUESTIONNAIRE (MLHFQ) WAS ADMINISTERED TO ASSESS CHANGES IN QOL. A TOTAL OF 19 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED AFTER THE INITIAL SCREENING. OF THE 19 PATIENTS, 9 WERE RANDOMIZED TO YT AND 10 TO MT. PATIENTS HAD A MEAN EF OF 25%. GXT TIME AND V O(2PEAK) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN THE YT VERSUS MT GROUPS (+18% IN THE YT AND -7.5% IN MT; P = .03 VS. CONTROL AND +17 IN YT AND -7.1 IN MT; P = .02, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN SERUM LEVELS OF IL-6 AND HSCRP AND AN INCREASE IN EC-SOD IN THE YT GROUP (ALL P < .005 VS. MT). MLHFQ SCORES IMPROVED BY 25.7% IN THE YT GROUP AND BY 2.9% IN THE MT GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IMPROVED EXERCISE TOLERANCE AND POSITIVELY AFFECTED LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH HF, AND THERE WAS ALSO A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN QOL. 2008 4 771 46 EFFECT OF YOGA AND AEROBICS EXERCISE ON SLEEP QUALITY IN WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE (RUNNING ON A TREADMILL) ON THE SLEEP QUALITY IN WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 39 DIABETIC WOMEN WERE SELECTED FROM SEMNAN CITY WITH THE MEAN AGE OF 46.85+/-3.35 YEARS, WEIGHT OF 69.79+/-17.18 KG, HEIGHT OF 155.03+/-5.00, BMI OF 29.64+/-5.00 KG/M(2) WHO HAD A BACKGROUND OF DIABETES FOR 6.46+/-2.69 YEARS. THEY WERE THEN RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA EXERCISE (N=15), AEROBIC EXERCISE (N=13), AND CONTROL GROUP (N=11). THE EXERCISE PROGRAM WAS PERFORMED FOR 12 WEEKS, THREE SESSIONS PER EACH WEEK. IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE SLEEP QUALITY, THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) WAS USED. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED BY NON-PARAMETRIC WILCOXON AND KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST AT SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL OF P<0.05. RESULTS: OVERALL SCORE OF SLEEP QUALITY IMPROVED AFTER SIX (P=0.001) AND 12 (P=0.001) WEEKS OF YOGA EXERCISE. ALSO, SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS OBSERVED AFTER 6 WEEKS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE (P=0.039). HOWEVER, THE POSITIVE EFFECT WAS DIMINISHED TO UNDER SIGNIFICANT LEVELS AFTER 12 WEEKS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE (P=0.154). KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND AEROBIC GROUPS AFTER 12 WEEKS OF EXERCISE (P=0.002). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN CONTROL GROUPS IN ALL SITUATION. CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA EXERCISE IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING THE SLEEP QUALITY IN COMPARISON WITH THE SAME COURSE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN WOMEN SUFFERING FROM DIABETES TYPE 2. THUS, YOGA EXERCISE CAN BE SUGGESTED TO THESE PATIENTS. 2017 5 890 42 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PATIENTS POST-MI. AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS AN INDEPENDENT PREDICTOR OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (MI). WE TESTED THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IN 80 PATIENTS POST-MI. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH TWO PARALLEL GROUPS WAS CARRIED OUT IN A TERTIARY CARE INSTITUTION IN INDIA. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 13 HOSPITAL-BASED STRUCTURED YOGA SESSIONS AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD CARE. CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED ENHANCED STANDARD CARE INVOLVING THREE BRIEF EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS WITH A LEAFLET ON THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. HRV WAS MEASURED IN ALL PARTICIPANTS WITH LEAD II ELECTROCARDIOGRAM (ECG) SIGNALS. ONE YOGA GROUP PATIENT'S DATA WERE EXCLUDED DUE TO ECG ABNORMALITIES. BASELINE MEASUREMENT WAS DONE 3 WEEKS POST-MI, AND POSTINTERVENTION ASSESSMENT TOOK PLACE AT THE 13TH WEEK. HRV FREQUENCY AND TIME DOMAIN INDICES WERE ANALYZED. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN THE HRV TIME DOMAIN INDICES. FREQUENCY DOMAIN INDICES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN HF POWER (ABSOLUTE) (YOGA VS. CONTROL: 114.42 [-794.80-7,993.78] VS. -38.14 [-4,843.50-1,617.87], P = 0.005) AND TOTAL POWER (NU) (YOGA VS. CONTROL: 44.96 [21.94] VS. -19.55 [15.42], P = 0.01) WITH HIGHER HF POWER AND TOTAL POWER (NU) IN THE YOGA GROUP. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THESE RESULTS CANNOT BE GENERALIZED TO HIGH RISK PATIENTS. RESPIRATORY FREQUENCY CONTROL TO CHECK FOR INFLUENCE OF RESPIRATORY RATE ON RR INTERVAL WAS NOT EVALUATED. THIS SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM HAD ADDITIVE EFFECTS IN SHIFTING SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE TOWARD PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE WHILE INCREASING OVERALL HRV IN OPTIMALLY MEDICATED POST-MI PATIENTS. 2019 6 772 48 EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISE ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL PARAMETERS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. CONTEXT BACKGROUND: TYPE 2 DIABETES HAS BEEN STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS SUCH AS STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). THERE IS NOT MUCH EVIDENCE WHETHER YOGA CAN IMPROVE THESE FACTORS AND MOTIVATE INDIVIDUALS TO ENGAGE IN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISE OVER GLYCEMIC CONTROL, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY (ESE), AND QOL AFTER 3-MONTH PROGRAM. METHODS: TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN INDIVIDUALS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO YOGA GROUP (YG) AND EXERCISE GROUP. YG PRACTICED YOGA FOR 2 WEEKS UNDER SUPERVISION AND THEN CARRIED OUT PRACTICE AT HOME FOR 3 MONTHS. THE EXERCISE GROUP PRACTICED 30 MIN OF BRISK WALKING FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK. RESULTS: ON COMPARISON AMONG THE GROUPS, IN YG, THERE WAS A MEAN CHANGE OF 0.47 IN GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN WHICH WAS GREATER THAN MEAN REDUCTION OF 0.28 IN THE EXERCISE GROUP WITH P < 0.05. STATE ANXIETY REDUCED BY 7.8 AND TRAIT ANXIETY REDUCED BY 4.4 IN YG (P < 0.05) IN 3 MONTHS AS COMPARED TO NONSIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS OF 3 AND 1 IN MEAN OF STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES IN THE EXERCISE GROUP (P > 0.05). THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SCORE IN BOTH THE GROUPS, 8.6 IN YOGA AND 4.0 IN EXERCISE, WHICH WAS GREATER IN YG. ESE IMPROVED BY 19.2 IN YG (P < 0.05), WHEREAS IT IMPROVED ONLY 2.2 IN THE EXERCISE GROUP (P > 0.05). QOL IMPROVED BY 23.7 IN YG AND 3.0 IN THE EXERCISE GROUP WHICH WAS NONSIGNIFICANT IN THE EXERCISE GROUP AS COMPARED TO YG. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IS SUPERIOR TO EXERCISE ALONE AS A LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAM IN IMPROVING GLYCEMIC CONTROL, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND QOL AS WELL AS ESE. 2020 7 412 37 BLOOD PRESSURE EFFECTS OF YOGA, ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH LIFESTYLE MEASURES: RESULTS OF THE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY (LIMBS). THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (BLOOD PRESSURE EDUCATION PROGRAM [BPEP]), OR A COMBINED PROGRAM (COMBO). AMBULATORY BP WAS MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AT 12 AND 24 WEEKS. DATA ARE PRESENTED FOR ALL ENROLLED PATIENTS (N=137) AND FOR COMPLETERS ONLY (N=90). SYSTOLIC BP (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BP (DBP) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED WITHIN ALL GROUPS AT 12 AND 24 WEEKS (P<.001) FOR ENROLLED PATIENTS AND COMPLETERS. SBP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE YOGA AND COMBO GROUPS AS COMPARED WITH THE BPEP GROUP AT 12 WEEKS IN ALL ENROLLED AND COMPLETERS. SBP DIFFERENCES WERE NO LONGER SIGNIFICANT AT 24 WEEKS BETWEEN GROUPS IN ALL ENROLLED PATIENTS; HOWEVER, THERE WAS A GREATER REDUCTION IN SBP AT 24 WEEKS IN COMPLETERS FAVORING BPEP OVER YOGA. NO DIFFERENCES IN DBP BETWEEN GROUPS OR IN BP BETWEEN THE YOGA AND COMBO GROUPS WERE PRESENT. THE AUTHORS DID NOT OBSERVE AN ADDITIVE BENEFIT FROM COMBINING YOGA WITH BPEP MEASURES. REASONS FOR THIS ARE UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME. BP LOWERING WITH YOGA, HOWEVER, WAS SIMILAR TO THAT ACHIEVED WITH LIFESTYLE MEASURES. 2016 8 1027 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE (BHRAMARI PRANAYAMA, BHR.P) TOWARDS CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION USING HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) PARAMETERS. METHODS: OF THE 730 ELIGIBLE SUBJECTS SCREENED, 520 HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS WHO MET THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA BREATHING GROUP (N=260) OR CONTROL GROUP (N=260). THE YOGA BREATHING GROUP PRACTICED BHR.P. FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR A DURATION OF SIX MONTHS WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED WITH THEIR DAILY ROUTINE WITHOUT ANY INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAIN OF HRV IN BOTH GROUPS WHICH WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION USING LEAD II ECG. LINEAR MODELS WERE USED IN THE ANALYSIS OF SHORT TERM HRV. RESULTS: AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA BREATHING, THE TIME DOMAIN PARAMETERS OF SHORT TERM HRV SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05) IMPROVEMENT TOWARDS THE PARASYMPATHETIC DOMAIN. FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETERS ALSO SHOWED THE SAME DIRECTION OF CHANGES. IN CONTRAST, CONTROL GROUP SUBJECTS SHOWED A TREND TOWARDS A SYMPATHETIC DOMAIN. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY SHOWED A POSITIVE SHIFT IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC MODULATION TOWARDS PARASYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA BREATHING PRACTICE AMONG APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS. 2020 9 1081 30 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SEXUAL FUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE; IT HAS A HIGH GLOBAL PREVALENCE, BUT NO EFFECTIVE AND SAFE TREATMENT OPTIONS. THE PREVALENCE OF SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IS HIGHER IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME THAN IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED STUDY, 41 WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME (AGE 30-60 YEARS) WERE ASSIGNED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE GROUP (N=20) OR A WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N=21). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY END POINTS WERE CHANGES IN TOTAL AND INDIVIDUAL DOMAIN SCORES ON THE FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTION INDEX. RESULTS: THE 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN AROUSAL (0.74+/-1.18 VS. 0.16+/-0.82, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.042) AND LUBRICATION (0.72+/-1.12 VS. 0.06+/-0.87, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.008) COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE 12-WEEK FOLLOW UP (-3.5+/-13.7 VS. 2.0+/-14.7, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.040). CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME AS WELL AS FOR METABOLIC RISK FACTORS. 2013 10 1868 44 RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. PURPOSE: PREVIOUS RESEARCH INCORPORATING YOGA (YG) INTO RADIOTHERAPY (XRT) FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER FINDS IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). HOWEVER, SHORTCOMINGS IN THIS RESEARCH LIMIT THE FINDINGS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PATIENTS WITH STAGES 0 TO III BREAST CANCER WERE RECRUITED BEFORE STARTING XRT AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YG (N = 53) OR STRETCHING (ST; N = 56) THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS DURING XRT OR WAITLIST (WL; N = 54) CONTROL. SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF QOL (MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY 36-ITEM SHORT-FORM SURVEY; PRIMARY OUTCOMES), FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, AND SLEEP QUALITY, AND FIVE SALIVA SAMPLES PER DAY FOR 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE, END OF TREATMENT, AND 1, 3, AND 6 MONTHS LATER. RESULTS: THE YG GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASES IN PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCALE SCORES COMPARED WITH THE WL GROUP AT 1 AND 3 MONTHS AFTER XRT (P = .01 AND P = .01). AT 1, 3, AND 6 MONTHS, THE YG GROUP HAD GREATER INCREASES IN PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING COMPARED WITH BOTH ST AND WL GROUPS (P < .05), WITH ST AND WL DIFFERENCES AT ONLY 3 MONTHS (P < .02). THE GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE SIMILAR FOR GENERAL HEALTH REPORTS. BY THE END OF XRT, THE YG AND ST GROUPS ALSO HAD A REDUCTION IN FATIGUE (P < .05). THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND SLEEP QUALITY. CORTISOL SLOPE WAS STEEPEST FOR THE YG GROUP COMPARED WITH THE ST AND WL GROUPS AT THE END (P = .023 AND P = .008) AND 1 MONTH AFTER XRT (P = .05 AND P = .04). CONCLUSION: YG IMPROVED QOL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH XRT BEYOND THE BENEFITS OF SIMPLE ST EXERCISES, AND THESE BENEFITS APPEAR TO HAVE LONG-TERM DURABILITY. 2014 11 819 38 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 12 553 38 CORRELATION OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY WITH CAROTID INTIMA MEDIA THICKNESS AFTER 6 MONTH OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN PREDIABETICS. INTRODUCTION: ATHEROSCLEROTIC CAROTID INTIMAMEDIA THICKNESS (CIMT) MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERATIONS IN THE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF 6-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND CIMT IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS AND THE CORRELATION BETWEEN HRV AND CIMT. METHODOLOGY: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY, IN WHICH A TOTAL OF 250 SUBJECTS WERE ENROLLED. RANDOMIZATION AND ALLOCATION IN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS WERE PERFORMED USING COMPUTER-GENERATED RANDOM NUMBERS. THE CIMT WAS DETERMINED BY B-MODE ULTRASONOGRAPHY, AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION WAS DETERMINED THROUGH FREQUENCY DOMAIN PARAMETER OF HRV MEASURES AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA INTERVENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS HAD A MEAN AGE OF 45.4 +/- 6.4 YEARS, AND A MEAN CIMT IN CONTROL (0.70 +/- 0.05) AND STUDY GROUP (0.69 +/- 0.073), AND LOW FREQUENCY/HIGH FREQUENCY (LF/HF) RATIO IN CONTROL (2.20 +/- 1.05) AND STUDY GROUP (0.57 +/- 0.54). YOGA GROUP HAD EVIDENCE OF INCREASED VAGAL ACTIVITY IN THE FREQUENCY DOMAIN (HF AND LF/HF RATIO, P < 0.001) WITH RESPECT TO CONTROL GROUP. MOREOVER, A STUDY GROUP SHOWED LOWER INTIMAMEDIA THICKNESS (IMT) THAN CONTROL SUBJECTS (P < 0.01). IN THE WHOLE POPULATION, LF/HF RATIO POSITIVELY AND SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED (R = 0.665, P < 0.01) TO IMT. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT, AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION, LF/HF RATIO IS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CIMT, A PUTATIVE INDEX OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CONFIRMING CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY AS A PART OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PATHWAY FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS. IT CONFIRMS THAT THE REGULAR YOGA REPRESENTS A VALUABLE STRATEGY TO COUNTER IMPAIRMENTS OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY AND ARTERY STRUCTURAL CHANGES. 2021 13 2319 39 TREATING THE CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS IN INDIAN WOMEN WITH AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PERSONALITY IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. DESIGN: ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PARTICIPANTS (AGES 40-55 Y) WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO STUDY ARMS, IE, YOGA AND CONTROL. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY COMPRISING SURYA NAMASKARA (SUN SALUTATION) WITH 12 POSTURES, PRANAYAMA (BREATHING PRACTICES), AND AVARTAN DHYAN (CYCLIC MEDITATION), WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED A SET OF SIMPLE PHYSICAL EXERCISES UNDER SUPERVISION OF TRAINED TEACHERS FOR 8 WEEKS (1 H DAILY, 5 DAYS PER WEEK). THE ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE BY GREENE CLIMACTERIC SCALE, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, AND EYSENCK'S PERSONALITY INVENTORY BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: OF THE THREE FACTORS OF THE GREENE CLIMACTERIC SCALE, THE MANN-WHITNEY TEST SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05) IN THE VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, A MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE (P = 0.06) IN PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS BUT NOT IN THE SOMATIC COMPONENT. EFFECT SIZES WERE HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP FOR ALL FACTORS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DEGREE OF DECREASE IN PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE SCORES (P < 0.001, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH CONTROLS (BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSIS) WITH A HIGHER EFFECT SIZE IN THE YOGA GROUP (1.10) THAN THE CONTROL (0.27). ON THE EYSENCK'S PERSONALITY INVENTORY, THE DECREASE IN NEUROTICISM WAS GREATER (P < 0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP (EFFECT SIZE = 0.43) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (EFFECT SIZE = 0.21) WITH NO CHANGE IN EXTROVERSION IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: EIGHT WEEKS OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY DECREASES CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND NEUROTICISM IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN BETTER THAN PHYSICAL EXERCISE. 2008 14 748 31 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 15 1809 42 PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF A THREE-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. BACKGROUND: MIGRAINE IS A NEUROVASCULAR DISORDER AND ANY INTERVENTIONS IMPROVING ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION MAY CONTRIBUTE TO ITS TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF VASCULAR COMPLICATIONS LIKE ISCHEMIC STROKE. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE SEVERAL BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, NO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES TO DATE HAVE INVESTIGATED ITS EFFECTS ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION OF MIGRAINEURS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 42 WOMEN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE WERE ENROLLED AND RANDOMIZED INTO EITHER A YOGA EXERCISE GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ONLY MEDICATION FOR 12 WEEKS AND THE YOGA GROUP WAS PLACED IN YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO THE SAME MEDICAL TREATMENT. BLOOD TEST WAS GIVEN FROM ALL PATIENTS IN ORDER TO MEASURE PLASMA LEVELS INTERCELLULAR ADHESION MOLECULE (ICAM) AND VASCULAR CELL ADHESION MOLECULE (VCAM) AFTER YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM. RESULTS: TOTALLY 32 PATIENTS WERE PARTICIPATED IN THE FINAL ANALYSES (YOGA: N = 18, CONTROL: N = 14). BY ANALYZING DATA BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS AFTER THE TREATMENT PERIOD, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASED IN PLASMA LEVEL OF VCAM IN YOGA GROUP COMPARE WITH THE CONTROL GROUP (15.29 +/- 2.1 NG/ML VS. 21.70 +/- 3.0 NG/ML, P < 0.05), WHEREAS THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN ICAM LEVEL BETWEEN GROUPS (19.1 +/- 1.8 NG/ML VS. 20.97 +/- 1.9 NG/ML P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT YOGA EXERCISES, AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT BESIDE PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS, CAN BE POTENTIALLY AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF IMPROVING VASCULAR FUNCTIONS IN MIGRAINEURS. 2014 16 871 54 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS AN IMMUNE-MEDIATED INFLAMMATORY DISEASE. ANTIRHEUMATOID TREATMENT REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND INFLAMMATION, BUT NOT ALL PATIENTS RESPOND TO TREATMENT. AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS COMMON IN RA LEADING TO FREQUENT CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS. YOGA THERAPY MAY BE USEFUL IN THESE PATIENTS, BUT THERE ARE LITTLE DATA ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF 12-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HRV IN PATIENTS WITH RA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED ON NEWLY DIAGNOSED RA PATIENTS ATTENDING OUTPATIENT SERVICES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, JIPMER. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: THE CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 83) AND YOGA GROUP (YG) (N = 83). YOGA THERAPY WAS ADMINISTERED TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE YG FOR 12 WEEKS, ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE CG RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE 28, INTERLEUKIN-1ALPHA (IL-1ALPHA), IL-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), CORTISOL, AND HRV PARAMETERS. ALL PARAMETERS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: DISEASE ACTIVITY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IT WAS REDUCED MORE IN YG, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). IN BOTH YG AND CG, IL-1ALPHA, IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND CORTISOL DECREASED AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IL-1ALPHA AND CORTISOL DECREASED MORE SIGNIFICANTLY IN YG THAN IN CG. LOW-FREQUENCY COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (LFNU) AND THE LOW-FREQUENCY/HIGH-FREQUENCY (LF-HF) RATIO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND TOTAL POWER AND HF COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (HFNU) INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YG COMPARED WITH CG. CONCLUSION: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA THERAPY, IF GIVEN ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND IMPROVES SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IN RA PATIENTS. 2020 17 755 31 EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED-BREATHING ON PERI-OPERATIVE ANXIETY IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CARDIAC SURGERY. BACKGROUND: PERI-OPERATIVE ANXIETY IN PATIENTS SCHEDULED FOR CARDIAC SURGERY IS DETRIMENTAL. THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM YOGA BASED-BREATHING WITH DIFFERENT VARIATIONS ON PERI-OPERATIVE ANXIETY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN PATIENTS AGED 20-60 YEARS SCHEDULED FOR MAJOR CARDIAC SURGERY. PATIENTS IN YOGA GROUP WERE TRAINED FOR YOGA BASED-BREATHING WITH DIFFERENT VARIATIONS FOR 5 DAYS; NO INTERVENTION WAS DONE IN CONTROLS. RESULTS: WE ANALYZED TWENTY PATIENTS IN EACH GROUP. ANXIETY SCORES MEASURED AT BASELINE, PRESURGERY, AND POSTSURGERY WERE ENTERED AS THE WITHIN-SUBJECTS FACTOR; GROUP STATUS WAS ENTERED AS THE BETWEEN-SUBJECTS FACTOR IN THE RMANOVA. BASELINE DEMOGRAPHICS AND ANXIETY SCORES WERE COMPARABLE. THE SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED BREATHING EXERCISE-TRAINING PROGRAM HAD A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON STATE (F = 13.45, P < 0.0001), TRAIT (F = 13.29, P < 0.0001) AND TOTAL ANXIETY SCORES (F = 29.44, P < 0.0001) AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS FOR YOGA OVER CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED BREATHING FOR 5 DAYS LOWERS PRESURGERY AND POSTSURGERY ANXIETY IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CARDIAC SURGERY. 2021 18 1849 39 QUASI PROSPECTIVE COMPARATIVE STUDY ON EFFECT OF YOGA AMONG PREDIABETICS ON PROGRESSION OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS. INTRODUCTION: PREDIABETIC PATIENTS HAVE HIGHER RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, WHICH FURTHER INCREASES THE RATE OF MORTALITY. REASON FOR THE RATE OF INCREASE MAY BE LACK OF OBSERVATION, FOLLOW-UP PROGRAMS, AND SELF-AWARENESS ABOUT THE CONDITIONS OF DISEASE. LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS YOGA CAN PROVE TO BE A BENEFICIAL NONPHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTION IN PREVENTING PROGRESSION OF PREDIABETES TO TYPE 2 DIABETES. THIS STUDY HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF SHORT-TERM INTERVENTION, I.E., YOGA IN PREDIABETIC PATIENTS AND USE IT AS A TOOL FOR PRIMARY PREVENTION OF DIABETES. METHODS: THIS WAS AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY AMONG ADULTS AGED 30-50 YEARS IN RUHS COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AND ASSOCIATED RUKMANI DEVI BENI PRASAD JAIPURIA HOSPITAL IN JAIPUR CITY. THE DESIGN OF STUDY WAS QUASI PROSPECTIVE COMPARATIVE STUDY. A TOTAL OF 102 PREDIABETIC PATIENTS OF AGE GROUP 30-50 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FROM JAIPURIA HOSPITAL. THESE WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: STUDY GROUP (GROUP A, N = 51) WERE ENGAGED IN YOGA SESSION AND CONTROL GROUP (B, N = 51) NOT PERFORMED ANY YOGA SESSION. RESULTS: YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN BLOOD GLUCOSE (P < 0.001), GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN (P < 0.01), LIPID PROFILE CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.01), TRIGLYCERIDE (P < 0.01), AND LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (P < 0.01), BUT HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (P < 0.02) AND VERY LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN INCREASE (P < 0.03) BUT NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT RELATIVE TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: SHORT-TERM YOGA INTERVENTION IS HELPFUL IN THE CONTROL OF GLYCEMIC PARAMETERS LIKE BLOOD GLUCOSE, GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN AND LIPID PROFILE IN PREDIABETIC PATIENTS. THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY INDICATES THAT A YOGA PROGRAM WOULD BE A POSSIBLE RISK REDUCTION OPTION FOR ADULTS AT HIGH RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. IN ADDITION, YOGA HOLDS PROMISE AS AN APPROACH TO REDUCING CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS AND INCREASING EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY FOR PREDIABETICS PERFORMING YOGA. 2019 19 1637 30 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 20 697 39 EFFECT OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS-REDUCTION PROGRAM AND CONSCIOUS YOGA ON LIFESTYLE, COPING STRATEGIES, AND SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND INEFFECTIVE COPING STRATEGIES ARE DEEMED SIGNIFICANT VARIABLES AMONG PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF THESE VARIABLES FOLLOWING INTERVENTION VIA THE MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS-REDUCTION PROGRAM (MBSRP) IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. METHOD: THIS STUDY WAS A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. THE STUDY SAMPLE, CONSISTING OF 30 PATIENTS REFERRING TO THE HYPERTENSION CLINIC OF IMAM HOSSEIN HOSPITAL IN 2013, WAS ASSIGNED EITHER TO THE INTERVENTION (RECIPIENT OF THE MBSRP AND CONSCIOUS YOGA) OR TO THE CONTROL GROUP (RECIPIENT OF YOGA TRAINING). THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD 8 TRAINING SESSIONS OVER 8 WEEKS. LIFESTYLE AND COPING STRATEGIES AS WELL AS BLOOD PRESSURE WERE MEASURED IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP BEFORE INTERVENTION AND THEN IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER AND AT 2 MONTHS' FOLLOW-UP AND WERE COMPARED TO THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE SAME TIME POINTS. RESULT: THE MEAN AGE OF THE PATIENTS IN THE INTERVENTION (40% WOMEN) AND CONTROL (53% WOMEN) GROUPS WAS 43.66 +/- 5.14 AND 43.13 +/- 5.04 YEARS, RESPECTIVELY. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE MEAN SCORES OF LIFESTYLE (P VALUE < 0.05), EMOTION-FOCUSED COPING STRATEGIES (P VALUE < 0.001), PROBLEM-FOCUSED COPING STRATEGIES (P VALUE < 0.001), DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P VALUE < 0.001), AND SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P VALUE < 0.001) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS AFTER THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: APPLYING AN INTERVENTION BASED ON THE MBSRP MAY FURTHER IMPROVE THE LIFESTYLE AND COPING STRATEGIES OF PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. 2015