1 807 116 EFFECT OF YOGA ON ARRHYTHMIA BURDEN, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PAROXYSMAL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: THE YOGA MY HEART STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AF) BURDEN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY SCORES. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS KNOWN TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT ON CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH. THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN REDUCING AF BURDEN IS UNKNOWN. METHODS: THIS SINGLE-CENTER, PRE-POST STUDY ENROLLED PATIENTS WITH SYMPTOMATIC PAROXYSMAL AF WITH AN INITIAL 3-MONTH NONINTERVENTIONAL OBSERVATION PERIOD FOLLOWED BY TWICE-WEEKLY 60-MIN YOGA TRAINING FOR NEXT 3 MONTHS. AF EPISODES DURING THE CONTROL AND STUDY PERIODS AS WELL AS SF-36, ZUNG SELF-RATED ANXIETY, AND ZUNG SELF-RATED DEPRESSION SCORES AT BASELINE, BEFORE, AND AFTER THE STUDY PHASE WERE ASSESSED. RESULTS: YOGA TRAINING REDUCED SYMPTOMATIC AF EPISODES (3.8 +/- 3 VS. 2.1 +/- 2.6, P < 0.001), SYMPTOMATIC NON-AF EPISODES (2.9 +/- 3.4 VS. 1.4 +/- 2.0; P < 0.001), ASYMPTOMATIC AF EPISODES (0.12 +/- 0.44 VS. 0.04 +/- 0.20; P < 0.001), AND DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY (P < 0.001), AND IMPROVED THE QOL PARAMETERS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING, GENERAL HEALTH, VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, AND MENTAL HEALTH DOMAINS ON SF-36 (P = 0.017, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.019, AND P < 0.001, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN HEART RATE, AND SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: IN PATIENTS WITH PAROXYSMAL AF, YOGA IMPROVES SYMPTOMS, ARRHYTHMIA BURDEN, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES, AND SEVERAL DOMAINS OF QOL. 2013 2 1039 45 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH PAROXYSMAL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION - A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION OFTEN HAVE AN IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). PRACTISING YOGA MAY DECREASE STRESS AND HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER YOGA CAN IMPROVE QOL AND DECREASE BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE IN PATIENTS WITH PAROXYSMAL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (PAF). METHODS: IN THIS PILOT STUDY, 80 PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH PAF WERE RANDOMIZED TO STANDARD TREATMENT (CONTROL GROUP, N=40) OR STANDARD TREATMENT IN COMBINATION WITH YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N=40) DURING A 12-WEEK PERIOD. QOL, BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE STUDY (12 (+2) WEEKS). EUROQOL-5D (EQ-5D) VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) AND THE TWO DIMENSIONS IN SHORT-FORM HEALTH SURVEY (SF-36) WERE USED TO EVALUATE QOL. RESULTS: AT BASELINE THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN QOL BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN EQ-5D VAS- SCALE ( P=0.02) AND SF-36 MENTAL HEALTH SCORE ( P<0.001) IN WHICH THE CONTROL GROUP HAD HIGHER SCORES. AT THE END OF THE STUDY, THE YOGA GROUP AVERAGED HIGHER SF-36 MENTAL HEALTH SCORES. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS ( P=0.016), BUT NO DIFFERENCES IN EQ-5D VAS- SCALE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL HEALTH SCORE WAS SEEN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. AT THE END OF THE STUDY, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER HEART RATE ( P=0.024) AND SYSTOLIC ( P=0.033) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE ( P<0.001) COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WITH LIGHT MOVEMENTS AND DEEP BREATHING MAY LEAD TO IMPROVED QOL, LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE AND LOWER HEART RATE IN PATIENTS WITH PAF COMPARED TO A CONTROL GROUP. YOGA COULD BE A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT METHOD TO STANDARD THERAPY. 2017 3 1402 45 IMPACT OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION - A CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PRIMARY CARE, MATCHED FOR SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IS NOT ALWAYS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESPITE THIS, PREVIOUS STUDIES ON SUPPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, SUCH AS YOGA, ARE RELATIVELY FEW. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION. METHODS: ADULT PATIENTS (AGE 20-80 YEARS) WITH DIAGNOSED HYPERTENSION WERE IDENTIFIED BY AN ELECTRONIC CHART SEARCH AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER IN SOUTHERN SWEDEN. IN TOTAL, 83 SUBJECTS WITH BLOOD PRESSURE VALUES OF 120-179/ 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 5 1062 33 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN DEPRESSED WOMEN. METHODS: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. TWENTY-SIX SEDENTARY WOMEN SCORING >/=14 ON THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER THE YOGA OR THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH TOOK PLACE TWICE A WEEK FOR 60 MIN PER SESSION AND CONSISTED OF BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA POSE PRACTICE, AND SUPINE MEDITATION/RELAXATION. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY YOGA PRACTICE AND TO MAINTAIN THEIR USUAL LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE COURSE OF THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS' HRV, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND PERCEIVED STRESS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-TEST. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HIGH-FREQUENCY HRV AND DECREASES IN LOW-FREQUENCY HRV AND LOW FREQUENCY/HIGH FREQUENCY RATIO AFTER THE INTERVENTION. THE YOGA GROUP ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS. NO CHANGE WAS FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE IN INCREASING PARASYMPATHETIC TONE AND REDUCING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN WOMEN WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY BE RECOMMENDED FOR WOMEN TO COPE WITH THEIR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND STRESS AND TO IMPROVE THEIR HRV. 2017 6 1585 34 MEDICAL YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PATIENTS ARE SUFFERING FROM STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE MEDICAL YOGA TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WAS PERFORMED AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTRE IN SWEDEN FROM MARCH TO JUNE, 2011. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO A CONTROL GROUP RECEIVING STANDARD CARE OR A YOGA GROUP TREATED WITH MEDICAL YOGA FOR 1 HOUR, ONCE A WEEK, OVER A 12-WEEK PERIOD IN ADDITION TO THE STANDARD CARE. A TOTAL OF 37 MEN AND WOMEN, MEAN AGE OF 53 +/- 12 YEARS WERE INCLUDED. GENERAL STRESS LEVEL (MEASURED USING PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS)), BURNOUT (SHIROM-MELAMED BURNOUT QUESTIONNAIRE (SMBQ)), ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)), INSOMNIA SEVERITY (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (ISI)), PAIN (VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS)), AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS (EURO QUALITY OF LIFE VAS (EQ-VAS)) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. PATIENTS ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS ON MEASURES OF GENERAL STRESS LEVEL (P < 0.000), ANXIETY (P < 0.019), AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS (P < 0.018) COMPARED TO CONTROLS. TREATMENT WITH MEDICAL YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING LEVELS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY IN PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. 2013 7 159 36 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 8 2660 33 YOGA IN ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: YOGA SEEMS TO EXERT ITS EFFECT AGAINST ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION MAINLY THROUGH THE ASSOCIATED BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES, AND LESS SO THROUGH YOGA POSTURES. THE GOAL OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO COMPARE THE BLOOD PRESSURE-LOWERING EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS WITH AND WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. METHODS: 75 PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION (72% WOMEN, MEAN AGE 58.7 +/- 9.5 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS: A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, OF WHOM 5 DROPPED OUT OF THE TRIAL BEFORE ITS END), A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, 3 DROPOUTS), AND A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP (25 PATIENTS, ONE DROPOUT). THE INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF 90 MINUTES OF YOGA PRACTICE PER WEEK FOR TWELVE WEEKS. THE DATA COLLECTORS, WHO WERE BLINDED TO THE INTERVENTION RECEIVED, ASSESSED THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES "SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" AND "DIASTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. IN THIS REPORT, WE ALSO PRESENT THE FINDINGS ON SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES, INCLUDING FOLLOW-UP DATA. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (GROUP DIFFERENCE [DELTA]= -3.8 MMHG; [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI): (-0.3; -7.4) P = 0.035]); IT WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (DELTA = -3.2 MMHG; 95% CI: [-6.3; -0.8]; P = 0.045). DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS GROUPS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE ENCOUNTERED IN THE COURSE OF THE TRIAL. CONCLUSION: IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FINDINGS OF EARLIER STUDIES, WE FOUND THAT ONLY YOGA WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES INDUCED A SHORT-TERM LOWERING OF AMBULATORY SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. YOGA IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND THUS CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL TREATMENT OPTION FOR PERSONS IN THIS CATEGORY. 2018 9 1063 33 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTY-TWO HEALTHY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH COMPRISED A 60-MINUTE SESSION TWICE A WEEK. EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA POSE PRACTICE, AND SUPINE MEDITATION/RELAXATION. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY YOGA PRACTICE AND TO MAINTAIN THEIR USUAL LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE STUDY. OUTCOME MEASURES: PARTICIPANTS' HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (WEEK 0) AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (WEEK 9). RESULTS: NO MEASURES OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP AFTER INTERVENTION. STATE ANXIETY WAS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP BUT NOT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTED IN PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSION, OR TRAIT ANXIETY IN EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO IMPROVE HEART RATE VARIABILITY. HOWEVER, SUCH A PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD INVOLVE LONGER PERIODS OF YOGA TRAINING, INCLUDE HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURES BOTH AT REST AND DURING YOGA PRACTICE, AND ENROLL WOMEN WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF STRESS AND TRAIT ANXIETY. 2015 10 428 37 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 11 2667 37 YOGA IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA PRACTICE HAVE BECOME COMMONPLACE, YET THE SAFETY, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE (HF) ARE UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS SAFE AND WOULD POSITIVELY INFLUENCE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION IN HF PATIENTS. METHODS AND RESULTS: STABLE HF PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED (N = 15) AND COMPLETED (N = 12) 8 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES. DATA COLLECTED WERE: SAFETY (CARDIAC AND ORTHOPEDIC ADVERSE EVENTS); PHYSICAL FUNCTION (STRENGTH, BALANCE, ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY); AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION (QUALITY OF LIFE [QOL], DEPRESSION SCORES, MINDFULNESS) BEFORE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES. RESULTS: MEAN AGE WAS 52.4 + OR - 11.6 WITH THREE-FOURTHS (N = 9) BEING MALE AND CAUCASIAN. NO PARTICIPANT HAD ANY ADVERSE EVENTS. ENDURANCE (P < .02) AND STRENGTH (UPPER P = .04 AND LOWER BODY P = .01) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. BALANCE IMPROVED BY 13.6 SECONDS (26.9 + OR - 19.7 TO 40.0 + OR - 18.5; P = .05). SYMPTOM STABILITY, A SUBSCALE OF QOL, IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P = .02). ALTHOUGH NO SUBJECT WAS DEPRESSED, OVERALL MOOD WAS IMPROVED. SUBJECTS SUBJECTIVELY REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE WAS SAFE, WITH PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCING IMPROVED PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND SYMPTOM STABILITY. LARGER STUDIES ARE WARRANTED TO PROVIDE MORE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS FOR IMPROVED OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH HF. 2010 12 748 32 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 13 2644 34 YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH URGENCY URINARY INCONTINENCE: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A GENTLE YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH URGENCY URINARY INCONTINENCE (UUI). ALSO, THESE PRELIMINARY DATA CAN EVALUATE IF YOGA IMPROVES SYMPTOM BURDEN, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS FOR WOMEN WITH UUI. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE NONRANDOMIZED SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TWICE-WEEKLY, 8-WEEK GENTLE YOGA INTERVENTION TO REDUCE UUI SYMPTOM BURDEN. CHANGES IN SYMPTOM BURDEN WERE MEASURED USING THE PELVIC FLOOR DISTRESS INVENTORY 20. SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, STRESS, ANXIETY, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS. OUTCOMES WERE EVALUATED WITH PAIRED T TESTING. RESULTS: TWELVE WOMEN COMPLETED THE YOGA INTERVENTION WITH NO ADVERSE OUTCOMES NOTED. URGENCY SYMPTOM BURDEN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.01), AND WOMEN REPORTED AN INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE (P = 0.04) AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION. FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION, THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN REPORTED SYMPTOMS AS "MUCH BETTER" (N = 4 [33%]) AND "A LITTLE BETTER" (N = 5 [42%]), WITH 3 WOMEN (25%) REPORTING "NO CHANGE." WOMEN ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (P = 0.03) AND BETTER QUALITY OF SLEEP (P = 0.03). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE FOUND IN ANXIETY OR STRESS PERCEPTION. PLASMA LEVELS OF THE INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKER TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA WERE REDUCED AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION (P = 0.009); HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT POSTYOGA CHANGES WERE FOUND FOR INTERLEUKIN 6 OR C-REACTIVE PROTEIN. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA IS A FEASIBLE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT REDUCES INCONTINENCE SYMPTOM BURDEN, ALONG WITH IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND SLEEP QUALITY. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA MAY LOWER INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH INCONTINENCE. 2021 14 60 30 A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISES ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. METHODS: FIFTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS AGED MEAN (SD) 25.6 (5.7) YEARS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS: HATHA YOGA GROUP, RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP PARTICIPATED IN SESSIONS THREE DAYS PER WEEK FOR 7 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY SESSIONS. ALL THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED THROUGH THE ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, BODY CATHEXIS SCALE, NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE AND VISUAL ANALOG SCALE FOR FATIGUE PRE-AND POST-SESSION. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN TERMS OF ALL OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE HATHA YOGA GROUP AND THE RESISTANCE EXERCISE GROUP. NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN THE CONTROL GROUP. HATHA YOGA MORE IMPROVED THE DIMENSIONS FATIGUE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE, WHILST RESISTANCE EXERCISE TRAINING MORE IMPROVED BODY IMAGE. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE DECREASED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT A SIMILAR LEVEL. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE HAD POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN SEDENTARY ADULTS. HATHA YOGA AND RESISTANCE EXERCISE MAY AFFECT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 2014 15 1318 33 HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR STANDARD CARE. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC PAIN CAN ALTER THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE WITH INCREASED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY REFLECTED IN ALTERED HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT YOGA CAN BE USEFUL TO CORRECT THE AUTONOMIC IMBALANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN WHO HAVE REDUCED HRV. METHODS AND DESIGNS: IN THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL 62 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS (AGED BETWEEN 20 AND 45 YEARS, 32 MALES) WERE RANDOMIZED TO 2 GROUPS. ONE GROUP RECEIVED YOGA FOR 3 MONTHS WHILE THE OTHER GROUP CARRIED OUT STANDARD MEDICAL CARE BASED ON THE PHYSICIAN'S ADVICE. THE DURATION WAS THE SAME, I.E., 3 MONTHS. THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND RATE OF RESPIRATION WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE BASELINE (PRE) VALUES BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.008) FOR RESPIRATION RATE WHICH WAS HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE CHANGES REPORTED BELOW ARE PRE-POST COMPARISONS WITHIN EACH GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05; REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST-HOC ANALYSES) DECREASE IN THE LF POWER OF HRV, RATE OF RESPIRATION AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE HF POWER OF HRV AND IN THE PNN50. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE CAN SHIFT THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE TOWARDS VAGAL DOMINANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE STUDY IS REGISTERED WITH THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA ( CTRI/2012/11/003094 ) AND CAN BE ACCESSED AT. 2016 16 1076 33 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AS A CHRONIC DISEASE COULD AFFECT PATIENTS' VARIOUS DOMAINS OF LIFE. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING OF PATIENTS WITH MS IN SOUTHWEST, IRAN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY, 60 MS PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED ACCORDING TO INCLUSION CRITERIA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. PRIOR TO AND AFTER INTERVENTION, THE PATIENTS' VITAL SIGNS WERE MEASURED. FOR CASE GROUP YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED THREE SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS WHILE CONTROL GROUP PERFORMED NO EXERCISE. THE DATA WERE GATHERED BY QUESTIONNAIRE AND ANALYSED BY DESCRIPTIVE AND ANALYTICAL STATISTICS IN SPSS. RESULTS: PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN IN CASE GROUP DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION. PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES IN CASE GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA IS LIKELY TO INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY OF MS PATIENTS THROUGH ENHANCING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCREASING THE STRENGTH OF LOWER LIMBS AND BALANCE, AND DECREASING FATIGUE AND PAIN, AND FINALLY TO PROMOTE SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN THESE PATIENTS. 2016 17 940 41 EFFECTS OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM ON RENAL FUNCTIONS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY-FOUR PATIENTS WITH CKD WERE STUDIED AND DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS (YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP) TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN CKD. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT MODALITIES, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP WERE TRAINED TO PERFORM SPECIFIC YOGIC ASANAS FOR AT LEAST 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 40-60 MIN A DAY. REGULAR MONITORING OF BLOOD PRESSURE, RENAL FUNCTION, REQUIREMENT OF A NUMBER OF DIALYSIS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) INDICATORS WERE DONE. FIFTY PATIENTS (YOGA - 25; CONTROL-25) COMPLETED 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: IN YOGA GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD UREA AND SERUM CREATININE LEVELS, AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMAIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QOL (AS ASSESSED BY BREF QOL SCORES) WERE SEEN AFTER 6 MONTHS. IN CONTROL GROUP, RISE OF BLOOD PRESSURE, DETERIORATION OF RENAL FUNCTION, AND QOL WERE OBSERVED. POSTSTUDY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF BLOOD PRESSURE, NONSIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD UREA AND SERUM CREATININE, AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMAIN OF QOL IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. FOR SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP, THE NEED FOR DIALYSIS WAS LESS WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP ALTHOUGH THIS DIFFERENCE WAS STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT. EXCEPT FOR INABILITY OF SOME PATIENTS TO PERFORM CERTAIN YOGIC ASANAS NO ADVERSE EFFECT WAS FOUND IN THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: SIX MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN IMPROVING RENAL FUNCTIONS AND QOL OF CKD PATIENTS. 2017 18 1041 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN ELDERLY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. CONTEXT: YOGA AS A LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE ELDERLY FOR SUCH BENEFITS MERITS INVESTIGATION. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) AND SLEEP QUALITY IN THE ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: SINGLE BLIND CONTROLLED STUDY WITH BLOCK RANDOMIZATION OF ELDERLY HOMES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 120 SUBJECTS FROM NINE ELDERLY HOMES WERE RANDOMIZED IN TO YOGA GROUP (N=62) AND WAITLIST GROUP (N=58). SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE GIVEN YOGA INTERVENTION DAILY FOR 1 MONTH AND WEEKLY UNTIL 3 MONTHS AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE YOGA WITHOUT SUPERVISION UNTIL FOR 6 MONTHS. SUBJECTS IN WAITLIST GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION DURING THIS PERIOD. SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL)-BREF FOR MEASURING QOL AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN THE BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: INDEPENDENT T-TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE RESPECTIVELY WAS USED TO MEASURE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF YEARS OF FORMAL EDUCATION. SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE DOMAINS OF QOL AND TOTAL SLEEP QUALITY AFTER CONTROLLING FOR THE EFFECT OF BASELINE DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY OF ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY TO CONFIRM THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR ELDERLY IN QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY. 2013 19 1410 42 IMPACT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOPATHOLOGIES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PERSONS WITH HIV: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT INDIVIDUALS WITH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) OFTEN EXHIBIT POOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO A REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA IS A FORM OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPY THAT HAS POSITIVE INFLUENCES ON GENERAL HEALTH AND QOL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON I) ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND II) QOL AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH AN HIV POSITIVE STATUS. METHODOLOGY: SIXTY INDIVIDUALS WITH HIV-POSITIVE (AGED 30-50 YEARS) FROM REHABILITATION CENTRES ACROSS BANGALORE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N=30; 11 MEN) OR THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N=30; 10 MEN). PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 8 WEEKS OF INTENSE YOGA PRACTICE PERFORMED AN HOUR A DAY FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK. THE YOGA PRACTICE CONSISTED OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING PRACTICES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, AND MEDITATION. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR NORMAL ROUTINE. ANXIETY, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, AND QOL WERE ASSESSED TWICE FOR ALL SUBJECTS IN EACH GROUP - ONCE AT THE START OF THE STUDY TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE AND ONCE MORE AT THE END OF THE 2-MONTH STUDY PERIOD TO ASSESS ANY CHANGES. DATA ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED ON THE ASSESSMENTS USING SPSS SOFTWARE VERSION 10. RESULTS: BETWEEN GROUP ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATED THAT A SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT REDUCTION IN ANXIETY (P<0.001), DEPRESSION (P<0.001), AND FATIGUE (P<0.001) WAS OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN WELL-BEING (P<0.001) AND ALL DOMAINS OF QOL (P<0.001) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY INDICATES THAT YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND QOL OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HIV-POSITIVE. THEREFORE, BASED ON THESE FINDINGS, YOGA MAY BE RECOMMENDED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY TO ENHANCE CONVENTIONAL HIV CARE. 2019 20 2521 42 YOGA DECREASES INSOMNIA IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS BEEN PROVEN TO HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON REDUCING INSOMNIA. STUDIES HAVE ALSO SHOWN ITS EFFECTS ON REDUCING CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS. TO DATE, HOWEVER, NO STUDIES THAT EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA IN A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS OF POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA. METHODS: POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN NOT UNDERGOING HORMONE THERAPY, WHO WERE 50 TO 65 YEARS OLD, WHO HAD AN APNEA-HYPOPNEA INDEX LESS THAN 15, AND WHO HAD A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS, AS FOLLOWS: CONTROL, PASSIVE STRETCHING, AND YOGA. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE ADMINISTERED BEFORE AND 4 MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION TO EVALUATE QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, INSOMNIA SEVERITY, DAYTIME SLEEPINESS, AND STRESS. THE VOLUNTEERS ALSO UNDERWENT POLYSOMNOGRAPHY. THE STUDY LASTED 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WERE 44 VOLUNTEERS AT THE END OF THE STUDY. WHEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER POSTTREATMENT SCORES FOR CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND INSOMNIA SEVERITY AND HIGHER SCORES FOR QUALITY OF LIFE AND RESISTANCE PHASE OF STRESS. THE REDUCTION IN INSOMNIA SEVERITY IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT IN THE CONTROL AND PASSIVE-STRETCHING GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT A SPECIFIC SEQUENCE OF YOGA MIGHT BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING INSOMNIA AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AS WELL AS IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH INSOMNIA. 2012