1 891 145 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. BACKGROUND: INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD) IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS CHARACTERIZED BY GROSS INFLAMMATION IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT THAT CAN RESULT IN SYMPTOMS SUCH AS ABDOMINAL PAIN, CRAMPING, DIARRHEA, AND BLOODY STOOLS. IBD IS BELIEVED TO BE INFLUENCED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS SUCH AS STRESS AND ANXIETY. THEREFORE, A YOGA INTERVENTION THAT REDUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR THESE DISORDERS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 100 IBD PATIENTS [ULCERATIVE COLITIS (UC) N = 60 AND CROHN'S DISEASE (CD) N = 40] DURING THE CLINICAL REMISSION PHASE OF DISEASE WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THESE PATIENTS WERE ALLOCATED RANDOMLY TO EITHER THE YOGA GROUP THAT UNDERWENT AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (PHYSICAL POSTURES, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION) 1- HOUR/DAY IN ADDITION TO STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (UC, N = 30; CD, N = 20) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (UC, N = 30; CD N = 20), WHICH CONTINUED WITH STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY ALONE. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS, SERUM EOSINOPHILIC CATIONIC PROTEIN, INTERLEUKIN- 2 SOLUBLE RECEPTORS, SPEILBERGER'S STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY (STAI) SCORES, AND CLINICAL SYMPTOMS. RESULTS: BEFORE THE INTERVENTION, ALL THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE COMPARABLE IN THE TWO GROUPS. AFTER THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION, FEWER UC PATIENTS REPORTED ARTHRALGIA. THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS REPORTING INTESTINAL COLIC PAIN IN THE CONTROL GROUP WAS HIGHER. STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN PATIENTS WITH UC. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS, EOSINOPHILIC CATIONIC PROTEINS, OR INTERLEUKIN-2 SOLUBLE RECEPTORS. CONCLUSIONS: A SIMPLIFIED YOGA-BASED REGIMEN IS A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY CLINICAL TREATMENT MODALITY FOR PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE DURING THE CLINICAL REMISSION PHASE. 2015 2 159 41 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 3 2472 50 YOGA AS ADJUNCT THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: A PILOT CLINICAL TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE WHETHER UTILIZING YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY TO THE MEDICAL STANDARD OF CARE FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD) IS: (1) FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE, (2) EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING DISEASE SEVERITY, INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION AND IMPROVING WELLNESS. DESIGN: PROSPECTIVE, NON-RANDOMIZED, 8-WEEK PILOT STUDY FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF IBD. FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF THE INTERVENTION WERE ASSESSED WEEKLY AND POST-INTERVENTION VIA SURVEYS AND A FOCUS GROUP (WEEK 8). DISEASE SEVERITY, INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION, AND WELLNESS MEASURES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION (WEEK 8). INTERVENTION: OVER THE 8-WEEK STUDY PERIOD, PATIENTS WERE ASSIGNED THREE 60-MINUTE, IN-PERSON YOGA CLASSES AT WEEKS 1, 3 AND 8, AND THREE 30-MINUTE, ONLINE YOGA VIDEOS PER WEEK. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSED PRELIMINARY CLINICAL EFFICACY BY EXAMINING PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION CHANGE IN DISEASE SEVERITY (PUCAI), INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION (FECAL CALPROTECTIN), AND SIX WELLNESS MEASURES (PROMIS-37). RESULTS: NINE ADOLESCENTS WITH IBD PARTICIPATED. EIGHT PARTICIPATED IN ONE OR MORE YOGA VIDEOS PER WEEK AND ALL NINE ATTENDED AT LEAST TWO IN-PERSON YOGA CLASSES. FOCUS GROUP THEMES REVEALED THAT THE INTERVENTION WAS WELL LIKED, WITH ALL PARTICIPANTS REPORTING REDUCED STRESS, IMPROVED EMOTIONAL SELF-AWARENESS, AND INCREASED ABILITY TO IDENTIFY AND MANAGE THE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF IBD. PARTICIPANTS HAD DIFFICULTY, HOWEVER, COMPLETING THE YOGA VIDEOS DUE TO TIME LIMITATIONS AND COMPETING PRIORITIES. WE LACKED POWER TO DETECT ANY STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PUCAI, CALPROTECTIN, OR ANY OF THE SIX PROMIS-37 DOMAINS. CONCLUSIONS: A COMBINATION OF IN-PERSON INSTRUCTOR LED YOGA WITH VIDEO-BASED YOGA IS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE ADJUNCT THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH IBD. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED REDUCED STRESS AND IMPROVED ABILITY TO IDENTIFY AND MANAGE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. A LARGER, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IS NECESSARY TO DETERMINE IF THE YOGA PROTOCOL RESULTS IN CLINICALLY AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS AND PATIENT REPORTED OUTCOMES. 2018 4 428 36 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 5 1402 47 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/