1 912 148 EFFECTIVENESS OF IYENGAR YOGA IN TREATING SPINAL (BACK AND NECK) PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT IN HEALTH CARE IS USED FOR TREATMENTS OF LIFESTYLE RELATED, CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS, WHICH COME FROM BEHAVIORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF THE POPULATION. BACK AND NECK PAIN ARE TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS IN MODERN SOCIETY THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT COST IN HEALTH CARE. YOGA, AS A BRANCH OF COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, HAS EMERGED AND IS SHOWING TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT AGAINST NONSPECIFIC SPINAL PAIN. RECENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN POSITIVE OUTCOME OF YOGA IN GENERAL ON REDUCING PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY OF THE SPINE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO CONDUCT A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EXISTING RESEARCH WITHIN IYENGAR YOGA METHOD AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS ON RELIEVING BACK AND NECK PAIN (DEFINED AS SPINAL PAIN). DATABASE RESEARCH FORM THE FOLLOWING SOURCES (COCHRANE LIBRARY, NCBI PUBMED, THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY OF THE INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, EMBASE, CINAHL, AND PSYCHINFO) DEMONSTRATED INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA THAT SELECTED ONLY IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTIONS, WHICH IN TURN, IDENTIFIED SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS DEDICATED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR BACK AND NECK PAIN VERSUS OTHER CARE. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS ON THE POSTINTERVENTION PAIN OR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY INTENSITY ASSESSMENT WAS, IN ALL SIX STUDIES, FAVORING THE YOGA GROUP, WHICH PROJECTED A DECREASE IN BACK AND NECK PAIN. OVERALL SIX STUDIES WITH 570 PATIENTS SHOWED, THAT IYENGAR YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR BOTH BACK AND NECK PAIN IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL GROUPS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND STRONG EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS, BUT LITTLE EVIDENCE FOR LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC SPINE PAIN IN THE PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES. 2015 2 1516 42 IS YOGA AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED-CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES. METHODS: A SEARCH STRATEGY WAS FORMULATED WITH KEY CONCEPTS IDENTIFIED USING THE PICO PROCESS. FOUR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED IN JUNE 2012. APPROPRIATE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE SET AND IMPLEMENTED. RESULTS: FOUR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. ALL FOUR PAPERS FOUND THAT YOGA LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK FUNCTION, AND THREE DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK PAIN WHEN COMPARED WITH CERTAIN CARE MODALITIES. ALL PAPERS HAD SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED, HOWEVER. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE STUDIES, THE CONCLUSIONS DRAWN MUST BE CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVELY. ALTHOUGH EARLY RESULTS APPEAR PROMISING, BUT FURTHER WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE WARRANTED, WITH MULTIPLE, SPECIFIED COMPARATOR CARE MODALITIES BEFORE FIRM CONCLUSIONS CAN BE GAINED. 2013 3 2470 36 YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) AFFECTS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, AND APPEARS TO BE INCREASING IN PREVALENCE. IT IS ASSOCIATED NOT ONLY WITH PAIN, BUT ALSO WITH INCREASED DISABILITY, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE. THERE ARE VARIOUS TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR CLBP, BUT NO SINGLE THERAPY STANDS OUT AS BEING THE MOST EFFECTIVE. IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, YOGA INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN STUDIED AS A CLBP TREATMENT APPROACH. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PAPER IS TO REVIEW THE CURRENT LITERATURE SUPPORTING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR CLBP. METHODS: A LITERATURE SEARCH THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF 2015 WAS CONDUCTED IN PUB MED FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS ADDRESSING TREATMENT OF CLBP WITH YOGA. RESULTS: IN THIS REVIEW WE EVALUATE THE USE OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR CLBP. SPECIFICALLY WE EVALUATE HOW YOGA IMPACTS PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND DISABILITY, PAIN, AND ASSOCIATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. WE ALSO EVALUATE POSSIBLE MEDIATORS OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND THE SAFETY OF YOGA. DISCUSSION: WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, PREVIOUS STUDIES AND THE RECENT RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) INDICATE THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE PAIN AND DISABILITY, CAN BE PRACTICED SAFELY, AND IS WELL RECEIVED BY PARTICIPANTS. SOME STUDIES ALSO INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, BUT THESE EFFECTS ARE CURRENTLY NOT AS WELL ESTABLISHED. 2016 4 2294 37 THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR COMMON PRIMARY CARE CONDITIONS. INTRODUCTION: YOGA IS A POPULAR FORM OF EXERCISE THAT USES BODY POSTURES, MEDITATION, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE MANY HEALTH BENEFITS. OBJECTIVE/METHODS: OUR GOAL FOR THIS REVIEW IS TO ORIENT HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO THE EVIDENCE-BASED USES OF YOGA MOST RELEVANT TO PRIMARY CARE. WE CONDUCTED A PUBMED SEARCH THAT INCLUDED META-ANALYSES, REVIEWS, SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS, AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. RESULTS: RESULTS WERE LIMITED TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND PUBLICATION BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020. YOGA WAS FOUND TO HELP DECREASE HYPERTENSION, RELIEVE BACK PAIN, PROMOTE OVERALL WELL-BEING, AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IS A RELATIVELY SAFE AND EFFECTIVE OPTION FOR PATIENTS INTERESTED IN THERAPEUTIC LIFESTYLE CHANGE TO PROMOTE WELL-BEING AND TO HELP MANAGE HYPERTENSION, BACK PAIN, AND OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH. 2021 5 522 36 COMPARISON GROUPS IN YOGA RESEARCH: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE LITERATURE. OBJECTIVES: COMPARISON GROUPS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ACCURATE TESTING AND INTERPRETATION OF YOGA INTERVENTION TRIALS. HOWEVER, SELECTING PROPER COMPARISON GROUPS IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE YOGA COMPRISES A VERY HETEROGENEOUS SET OF PRACTICES AND ITS MECHANISMS OF EFFECT HAVE NOT BEEN CONCLUSIVELY ESTABLISHED. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE CONTROL AND COMPARISON GROUPS USED IN PUBLISHED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA. RESULTS: WE LOCATED 128 RCTS THAT MET OUR INCLUSION CRITERIA; OF THESE, 65 INCLUDED ONLY A PASSIVE CONTROL AND 63 INCLUDED AT LEAST ONE ACTIVE COMPARISON GROUP. PRIMARY COMPARISON GROUPS WERE PHYSICAL EXERCISE (43%), RELAXATION/MEDITATION (20%), AND EDUCATION (16%). STUDIES RARELY PROVIDED A STRONG RATIONALE FOR CHOICE OF COMPARISON. CONSIDERING YEAR OF PUBLICATION, THE USE OF ACTIVE CONTROLS IN YOGA RESEARCH APPEARS TO BE SLOWLY INCREASING OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THAT YOGA HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS A POTENTIALLY POWERFUL INTERVENTION, FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD USE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. FURTHER, CARE IS NEEDED TO SELECT COMPARISON CONDITIONS THAT HELP TO ISOLATE THE SPECIFIC MECHANISMS OF YOGA'S EFFECTS. 2014 6 2589 45 YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON LOW BACK PAIN AND FUNCTION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR LOW BACK PAIN. SEVEN DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO MARCH 2011. RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS WERE CONSIDERED IF THEY INVESTIGATED YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN AND IF THEY ASSESSED PAIN AS AN OUTCOME MEASURE. THE SELECTION OF STUDIES, DATA EXTRACTION AND VALIDATION WERE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY BY TWO REVIEWERS. SEVEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THEIR METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED BETWEEN 2 AND 4 ON THE JADAD SCALE. FIVE RCTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN LOW BACK PAIN THAN USUAL CARE, EDUCATION OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. TWO RCTS SHOWED NO BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ALLEVIATE LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, ANY DEFINITIVE CLAIMS SHOULD BE TREATED WITH CAUTION. 2011 7 1055 37 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC NECK PAIN. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] FIVE ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN. THE TRIALS WERE PUBLISHED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE BETWEEN JANUARY 1966 AND DECEMBER 2015. THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS. [RESULTS] THREE TRIALS WERE IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. A CRITICAL APPRAISAL WAS PERFORMED ON THE TRIALS, AND THE RESULT INDICATED A HIGH RISK OF BIAS. A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION WAS PROCESSED BECAUSE OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUPS THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUPS. [CONCLUSION] EVIDENCE FROM THE 3 RANDOMLY CONTROLLED TRIALS SHOWS THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN. THE LOW-QUALITY RESULT OF THE CRITICAL APPRAISAL AND THE SMALL NUMBER OF TRIALS SUGGEST THAT HIGH-QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO EXAMINE FURTHER THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN RELIEF. 2016 8 2422 44 YOGA AND MINDFULNESS AS THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS FOR STROKE REHABILITATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. AIM. THIS PAPER REPORTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BEHAVIORAL THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA AND MINDFULNESS PRACTICES FOR STROKE REHABILITATION. BACKGROUND. THE EXPERIENCE OF STROKE CAN HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND ON QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA AND RELEVANT PRACTICES ARE PROMISING THERAPIES THAT HAVE BEEN USED WITH PATIENTS WITH A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS. IN ORDER TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS ON EFFECTIVENESS FOR STROKE PATIENTS, THE EVIDENCE REQUIRES SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT. METHODS. A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH OF MAJOR BIOMEDICAL AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED. RELEVANT RESEARCH WAS CATEGORIZED BY STUDY TYPE AND APPRAISED ACCORDING TO STUDY DESIGN. RESULTS. FIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS AND FOUR SINGLE CASE STUDIES WERE FOUND. ADDITIONALLY, ONE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY WAS IDENTIFIED. STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE RESULTS, INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITION, MOOD, AND BALANCE AND REDUCTIONS IN STRESS. MODIFICATIONS TO DIFFERENT YOGA PRACTICES MAKE COMPARISON BETWEEN STUDIES DIFFICULT, AND A LACK OF CONTROLLED STUDIES PRECLUDES ANY FIRM CONCLUSIONS ON EFFICACY. CONCLUSION. YOGA AND MINDFULNESS COULD BE CLINICALLY VALUABLE SELF-ADMINISTERED INTERVENTION OPTIONS FOR STROKE REHABILITATION. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EVALUATE THESE SPECIFIC PRACTICES AND THEIR SUITABILITY IN STROKE REHABILITATION. 2013 9 2573 43 YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS THOUGHT TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE ARTICLE AIMS TO ASSESS THE CURRENT CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION (EH). STRATEGY: MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL) IN THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED UNTIL JUNE, 2013. WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS TESTING YOGA AGAINST CONVENTIONAL THERAPY, YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT, YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. STUDY SELECTION, DATA EXTRACTION, QUALITY ASSESSMENT, AND DATA ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE STANDARDS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 6 STUDIES (INVOLVING 386 PATIENTS) WERE INCLUDED. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED TRIALS WAS EVALUATED AS GENERALLY LOW. A TOTAL OF 6 RCTS MET ALL THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. 4 OF THEM COMPARED YOGA PLUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. 2 RCT TESTED THE EFFECT OF YOGA VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY ALONE. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT. ONLY ONE TRIAL REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS WITHOUT DETAILS, THE SAFETY OF YOGA IS STILL UNCERTAIN. CONCLUSIONS: THERE IS SOME ENCOURAGING EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR LOWERING SBP AND DBP. HOWEVER, DUE TO LOW METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THESE IDENTIFIED TRIALS, A DEFINITE CONCLUSION ABOUT THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA ON EH CANNOT BE DRAWN FROM THIS REVIEW. THEREFORE, FURTHER THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, LARGE-SCALE, PROPER STUDY DESIGNED, RANDOMIZED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR HYPERTENSION WILL BE REQUIRED TO JUSTIFY THE EFFECTS REPORTED HERE. 2013 10 1031 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR HEADACHES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA EXERCISES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHES. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED OF SIX ELECTRONIC DATABASES TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) REPORTING THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION ON HEADACHES PUBLISHED IN ANY LANGUAGE BEFORE JANUARY 2015. QUALITY ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. [RESULTS] ONE POTENTIAL TRIAL WAS IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. THE QUALITY CRITICAL APPRAISAL INDICATED A MODERATE RISK OF BIAS. THE AVAILABLE DATA COULD ONLY BE INCLUDED AS A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION. HEADACHE INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES, AND SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATION USE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. [CONCLUSION] THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM ONE RCT THAT YOGA EXERCISES MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR HEADACHES. HOWEVER, THE FINDINGS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. THEREFORE, FURTHER RIGOROUS METHODOLOGICAL AND HIGH QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO INVESTIGATE THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES ALLEVIATE HEADACHES, AND TO CONFIRM AND FURTHER COMPREHEND THE EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED YOGA PROGRAMS ON HEADACHES. 2015 11 1084 34 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THIS ARTICLE REPORTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND CLINICAL CONTROLLED TRIALS (CCTS) THAT ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. SELECTED STUDIES WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE TYPES OF INTERVENTION, DURATION, OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS. THEY WERE ALSO QUALITATIVELY ASSESSED BASED ON PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. RESULTS: THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS BASED ON EIGHT RCTS AND CCTS THAT INDICATED A POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA IN REDUCING STRESS LEVELS OR STRESS SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE STUDIES HAD METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THAT THE INTERVENTION DURATION WAS SHORT AND LIMITED FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS AVAILABLE. CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS REDUCTION IN HEALTHY ADULT POPULATIONS. HOWEVER, THE RESULT SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES AND THE ASSOCIATED METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. FURTHER STUDIES TO ASCERTAIN YOGA'S LONG-TERM EFFECTS AND THE UNDERLYING BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS LEADING TO ITS STRESS REDUCTION EFFECT SHOULD BE CONDUCTED. 2011 12 2105 34 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENSTRUAL DISORDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: TO SUMMARIZE AND EVALUATE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENSTRUAL DISORDERS. METHODS: PUBMED, CINAHL/MEDLINE, WEB OF SCIENCE, AMED, AND SCOPUS WERE SEARCHED FOR ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LITERATURE RELEVANT TO THE REVIEW QUESTION. ALL PRIMARY RESEARCH STUDIES WERE INCLUDED. RESULTS: FIFTEEN STUDIES DESCRIBED IN 18 PAPERS WERE INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW. A RANGE OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE USED. SOME STUDIES USED A COMBINATION OF ASANA, PRANAYAMA, AND OTHER YOGIC RELAXATION OR MEDITATION TECHNIQUES. ALL INCLUDED STUDIES REPORTED SOME CHANGE IN THEIR OUTCOME MEASURES, SUGGESTING REDUCED SYMPTOMS OF MENSTRUAL DISTRESS FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION; HOWEVER, THE HETEROGENEITY AND INTENSITY OF THE INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOME MEASURES MEANT THAT FINDINGS HAVE LIMITED GENERALIZABILITY AND APPLICABILITY IN PRACTICE SETTINGS. CONCLUSIONS: FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE AND MENSTRUAL DISORDERS IS WARRANTED, BUT THERE MUST BE BOTH CONSISTENCY IN THE METHODS, MEASURES, AND QUALITY OF STUDIES AND A SHIFT TOWARD RESEARCH ON YOGA PRACTICES THAT ARE REPLICABLE OUTSIDE OF THE CLINICAL TRIAL SETTING. 2017 13 2742 44 YOGA PRACTICE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS IN ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES WAS ASSESSED IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW THROUGH SEARCHING RELATED ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND THE GREY LITERATURE TO THE END OF MAY 2007 USING OVID. ALL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE WITH OTHER TYPE OF INTERVENTION OR WITH REGULAR PRACTICE OR BOTH, WERE INCLUDED REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE OR TYPE OF PUBLICATION. EACH STUDY WAS ASSESSED FOR QUALITY BY TWO INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS. MEAN DIFFERENCE WAS USED FOR SUMMARIZING THE EFFECT OF EACH STUDY OUTCOMES WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. POOLING OF THE STUDIES DID NOT TAKE PLACE DUE TO THE WIDE CLINICAL VARIATION BETWEEN THE STUDIES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS ASSESSED BY STATISTICAL METHODS. FIVE TRIALS WITH 363 PARTICIPANTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WITH MEDIUM TO HIGH RISK OF BIAS AND DIFFERENT INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS. THE STUDIES' RESULTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOMES AMONG PATIENTS WITH DIABETES TYPE II. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WERE MAINLY AMONG SHORT TERM OR IMMEDIATE DIABETES OUTCOMES AND NOT ALL WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE RESULTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE AND NOT SIGNIFICANT FOR THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. SHORT-TERM BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MAY BE ACHIEVED FROM PRACTICING YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED IN THIS AREA. FACTORS LIKE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS AND OTHER METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES SHOULD BE IMPROVED BY LARGE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS WITH ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON DIABETES TYPE II. A DEFINITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR PHYSICIANS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR PATIENTS TO PRACTICE YOGA CANNOT BE REACHED AT PRESENT. 2010 14 2689 43 YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: HEALTH PROMOTION IN THE WORKPLACE IS INTENDED TO ENHANCE EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. YOGA PROGRAMMES ARE EASY TO IMPLEMENT AND HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VARIOUS HEALTH CONDITIONS. AIMS: TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE REGARDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA PROGRAMMES AT WORK. METHODS: A SEARCH OF ELECTRONIC DATABASES OF PUBLISHED STUDIES UP UNTIL THE 1ST OF APRIL 2017. INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WERE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF ADULT EMPLOYEES AND YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE. QUALITY APPRAISAL WAS CARRIED OUT USING THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION'S TOOL FOR ASSESSING RISK OF BIAS IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. RESULTS: OF 1343 PAPERS IDENTIFIED, 13 STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. NINE OUT OF 13 TRIALS WERE CLASSIFIED AS HAVING AN UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS. THE OVERALL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES WERE BENEFICIAL, MAINLY ON STRESS. MOST OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR ENDPOINTS SHOWED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROLS. OTHER OUTCOMES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA OR NO CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE, PARTICULARLY IN REDUCING STRESS, AND NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. FURTHER LARGER STUDIES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THIS. 2019 15 2023 45 SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF YOGA FOR SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT DURING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. INTRODUCTION: BREAST CANCER IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED CANCERS IN WOMEN IN THE US, AND ITS TREATMENTS HAVE SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE EFFECTS AND LONG-TERM COMPLICATIONS CAUSING SIGNIFICANT MORBIDITY AND DECREASED QUALITY OF LIFE. INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE MODALITIES, SUCH AS YOGA, HAVE BEEN FOUND TO REDUCE SIDE EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL TREATMENTS WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH THE TREATMENT ITSELF AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, WE SPECIFICALLY EXPLORED YOGA AS A POTENTIAL OPTION FOR SYMPTOMATIC MANAGEMENT IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL BREAST CANCER TREATMENTS. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A LITERATURE SEARCH THAT WAS CONDUCTED TO INCLUDE THE DATABASES PUBMED, PSYCHINFO, COCHRANE LIBRARY, SCOPUS, AND CINAHL, RESULTING IN 28 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) ARTICLES. WE REVIEW THE RESULTS OF THESE TRIALS REGARDING THE IMPACT OF YOGA IN THIS PATIENT POPULATION. RESULTS: OVERALL, THE MAJORITY OF THE RCT ARTICLES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE, FATIGUE, NAUSEA/VOMITING, SLEEP QUALITY, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND DISTRESS. THERE ARE SEVERAL STUDIES THAT HAVE EXPLORED THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM BEHIND THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND FOUND THAT YOGA AFFECTS BOTH THE IMMUNE RESPONSE AND INFLAMMATION. DISCUSSION: THESE STUDIES REVEALED THAT YOGA HAS A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC ROLE IN THE SYMPTOMATIC MANAGEMENT OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS, ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE DURING TREATMENT AS WELL AS IMPROVING ADHERENCE TO TREATMENT. FUTURE STUDIES WITH MORE DEFINED AND CONSISTENT METHODOLOGIES ARE NECESSARY TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL USE OF YOGA THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2022 16 2485 36 YOGA AS AN ANCILLARY TREATMENT FOR NEUROLOGICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS: A REVIEW. YOGA IS GAINING ACCEPTANCE AS AN ANCILLARY MEDICAL TREATMENT, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN FEW STUDIES EVALUATING ITS THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS IN NEUROLOGICAL AND MAJOR PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS. THE AUTHORS REVIEWED THE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH ON THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR THESE DISORDERS. ONLY RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE INCLUDED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ONLY STUDY OF YOGA FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER, WHICH WAS OBSERVATIONAL. TRIALS WERE EXCLUDED IF YOGA WAS NOT THE CENTRAL COMPONENT OF THE INTERVENTION. OF SEVEN RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, SIX FOUND SIGNIFICANT, POSITIVE EFFECTS. OF 13 RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, 10 FOUND SIGNIFICANT, POSITIVE EFFECTS. THESE RESULTS, ALTHOUGH ENCOURAGING, INDICATE THAT ADDITIONAL RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CRITICALLY DEFINE THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR BOTH NEUROLOGICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. 2012 17 2569 51 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION: THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE. BACKGROUND: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS MAY PROVE TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR THIS INDICATION. METHODS: SEARCHES OF THE MAJOR BIOMEDICAL DATABASES INCLUDING MEDLINE, EMBASE, CLNAHL, PSYCINFO AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE CONDUCTED. SPECIALIST COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AND THE INDMED DATABASES WERE ALSO SEARCHED AND EFFORTS MADE TO IDENTIFY UNPUBLISHED AND ONGOING RESEARCH. SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE 2004. RELEVANT RESEARCH WAS CATEGORISED BY STUDY TYPE AND APPRAISED. CLINICAL COMMENTARIES WERE OBTAINED FOR STUDIES REPORTING CLINICAL OUTCOMES. RESULTS: FIVE RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE LOCATED, EACH OF WHICH UTILISED DIFFERENT FORMS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS AND IN WHICH THE SEVERITY OF THE CONDITION RANGED FROM MILD TO SEVERE. ALL TRIALS REPORTED POSITIVE FINDINGS BUT METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS SUCH AS METHOD OF RANDOMISATION, COMPLIANCE AND ATTRITION RATES WERE MISSING. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FATIGUE AND BREATHLESSNESS IN PARTICIPANTS IN ONE STUDY. LIMITATIONS: NO LANGUAGE RESTRICTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON THE SEARCHES CONDUCTED BUT NO SEARCHES OF DATABASES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH WERE INCLUDED. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, THE INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE OF POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. VARIATION IN INTERVENTIONS, SEVERITY AND REPORTING OF TRIAL METHODOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT THE FINDINGS MUST BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. SEVERAL OF THE INTERVENTIONS MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE IN THOSE WITH REDUCED OR IMPAIRED MOBILITY. NEVERTHELESS, FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IS WARRANTED. 2005 18 2292 30 THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR CHILDREN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. PURPOSE: WE COMPLETED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PHYSICAL OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION. WE EXPLORED VARIOUS DATABASES AND INCLUDED CASE-CONTROL AND PILOT STUDIES, COHORT AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT EXAMINED YOGA AS AN EXERCISE INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS: USING THE SACKETT LEVELS OF EVIDENCE, THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS THE LITERATURE ON YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY MIND-BODY MOVEMENT THERAPY. WE ADDRESS THE RESEARCH THROUGH THREE PRACTICE PATTERNS ACCORDING TO THE GUIDE TO PHYSICAL THERAPIST PRACTICE AND PROVIDE CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INCLUSION OF YOGA INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE. STATEMENT OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: THE EVIDENCE SHOWS PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION THAT MAY BENEFIT CHILDREN THROUGH THE REHABILITATION PROCESS, BUT LARGER CLINICAL TRIALS, INCLUDING SPECIFIC MEASURES OF QUALITY OF LIFE ARE NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. 2008 19 2923 29 [WHERE AND HOW DOES YOGA WORK? - A SCIENTIFIC OVERVIEW]. AS A TRADITIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, YOGA COMBINES PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND MEDITATION. IT IS INCREASINGLY USED AS A PREVENTIVE OR THERAPEUTIC MEANS. YOGA HAS BEEN RESEARCHED IN HUNDREDS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. POSITIVE EFFECTS ARE ESPECIALLY FOUND FOR CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS, HYPERTENSION, DEPRESSION AND IN SUPPORTIVE CANCER CARE. WHILE THERE ARE CASE REPORTS OF SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA, THE RISK SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY LOW AND COMPARABLE TO OTHER FORMS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. YOGA CAN THUS BE CONSIDERED AS A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ADJUNCT THERAPY FOR A NUMBER OF CONDITIONS. 2017 20 2609 52 YOGA FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, STROKE, CANCER, AND CHRONIC PULMONARY DISEASE ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. COMPOUNDING SYMPTOMS AND LOSS OF FUNCTION, PEOPLE LIVING WITH CHRONIC DISEASE OFTEN EXPERIENCE REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO RELIEVE STRESS AND IMPROVE QOL. YOGA IS A PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICE THAT MAY BE A VIABLE APPROACH FOR IMPROVING QOL IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND SUMMARIZE THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. DESIGN: THE STUDY DESIGN WAS A A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS. METHODS: WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QOL OR HEALTH-RELATED QOL (HRQOL) FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. WE INCLUDED ONLY STUDIES THAT USED AT LEAST 1 PREVIOUSLY VALIDATED MEASURE OF QOL OR HRQOL AND SPECIFIED A MINIMUM DURATION OF FOLLOW-UP OF AT LEAST 1 WK. INTERVENTIONS: WE INCLUDED BOTH MOVEMENT-BASED AND BREATH-BASED YOGA PRACTICES. STUDIES THAT INCLUDED YOGA AS PART OF A LARGER INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EG, MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION TRAINING) OR STUDIES THAT DID NOT PROVIDE FINDINGS SPECIFIC TO YOGA WERE EXCLUDED. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME ANALYZED WAS IMPROVEMENT IN QOL AS MEASURED BY A VALIDATED QOL OR HRQOL SCALE. RESULTS: AMONG THE 1488 STUDIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED ON INITIAL SEARCH, 7 ARTICLES MET ALL INCLUSION CRITERIA. FIVE STUDIES REPORTED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER USUAL CARE ALONE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE, BUT THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DIFFERENCES WAS CLEAR IN ONLY 1 TRIAL. WE FOUND CONSIDERABLE HETEROGENEITY AMONG THE INCLUDED STUDIES AND STUDY QUALITY WAS GENERALLY LOW. CONCLUSIONS: MORE HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE APPROACH TO IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. 2019