1 942 118 EFFECTS OF 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA TRAINING ON METABOLIC AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN HEALTHY, FEMALE CHINESE SUBJECTS: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. WE AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8 WK HATHA YOGA TRAINING ON BLOOD GLUCOSE, INSULIN, LIPID PROFILES, ENDOTHELIAL MICROPARTICLES (EMPS), AND INFLAMMATORY STATUS IN HEALTHY, LEAN, AND FEMALE CHINESE SUBJECTS. A TOTAL OF 30 HEALTHY, FEMALE CHINESE SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL OR YOGA PRACTICE GROUP. THE YOGA PRACTICE INCLUDED 8 WKS OF YOGA PRACTICE (2 TIMES/WK) FOR A TOTAL OF 16 TIMES. FASTING BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA TRAINING. PLASMA WAS ISOLATED FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF LIPID PROFILES, GLUCOSE, INSULIN, EMPS, AND INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES. WHOLE BLOOD WAS CULTURED EX VIVO AND STIMULATED WITH LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE (LPS) AND PAM3CYS-SK4. PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS) WERE ISOLATED FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF TLR2 AND TLR4 PROTEIN EXPRESSION. YOGA PRACTICE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PLASMA CHOLESTEROL, LDL-CHOLESTEROL, INSULIN LEVELS, AND CD31+/CD42B- EMPS. CULTURED WHOLE BLOOD FROM THE YOGA GROUP HAS REDUCED PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES SECRETION BOTH AT UNSTIMULATED CONDITION AND WHEN STIMULATED WITH PAM3CYS-SK4; THIS MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED TLR2 PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN PBMCS AFTER YOGA TRAINING. HATHA YOGA PRACTICE IN HEALTHY CHINESE FEMALE SUBJECTS COULD IMPROVE HALLMARKS RELATED TO METS; THUS IT CAN BE CONSIDERED AS AN ANCILLARY INTERVENTION IN THE PRIMARY METS PREVENTION FOR THE HEALTHY POPULATION. THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH CHICTR-IOR-14005747. 2016 2 1473 25 INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN YOUNG MALE PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. BACKGROUND: WHILE YOGA IS THOUGHT TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUCH AS DIABETES, THERE ARE NO STUDIES ON INSULIN SENSITIVITY IN LONG TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. WE ASSESSED INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN LONG TERM PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA. METHODS: FIFTEEN HEALTHY, YOUNG, MALE PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA WERE COMPARED WITH 15 YOUNG, HEALTHY MALES WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA MATCHED FOR BODY-MASS INDEX. FASTING INSULIN SENSITIVITY WAS MEASURED IN THE FASTING STATE BY THE HYPERINSULINAEMIC-EUGLYCAEMIC CLAMP. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN THEIR ANTHROPOMETRY OR BODY COMPOSITION. HOWEVER, THE FASTING PLASMA INSULIN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP WAS ALSO MORE INSULIN SENSITIVE (YOGA 7.82 [2.29] V. CONTROL 4.86 [11.97] (MG/[KG.MIN])/(MICROU/ML), P < 0.001). WHILE THE BODY WEIGHT AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WERE NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH GLUCOSE DISPOSAL RATE IN THE CONTROLS, THERE WERE NO SIMILAR CORRELATIONS IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LOW-FREQUENCY POWER AND LOWER NORMALIZED HIGH-FREQUENCY POWER. CONCLUSION: LONG TERM YOGA PRACTICE (FOR 1 YEAR OR MORE) IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND ATTENUATES THE NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY WEIGHT OR WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND INSULIN SENSITIVITY. 2008 3 2819 31 YOGA TRAINING MODULATES ADIPOKINES IN ADULTS WITH HIGH-NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS) IS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES MELLITUS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. OUR PREVIOUS STUDY INDICATED THAT PEOPLE WITH METS SHOWED A DECREASE IN WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND A DECREASING TREND IN BLOOD PRESSURE AFTER 1-YEAR YOGA. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON METS PEOPLE WITH HIGH-NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE BY EXPLORING MODULATIONS IN PROINFLAMMATORY ADIPOKINES (LEPTIN, CHEMERIN, VISFATIN, AND PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR INHIBITOR-1 OR PAI-1) AND AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ADIPOKINE (ADIPONECTIN). A TOTAL OF 97 HONG KONG CHINESE INDIVIDUALS AGED 57.6 +/- 9.1 YEARS WITH METS AND HIGH-NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO CONTROL (N = 45) AND YOGA GROUPS (N = 52). PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP WERE NOT GIVEN ANY INTERVENTION BUT WERE CONTACTED MONTHLY TO MONITOR THEIR HEALTH STATUS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT A YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM WITH THREE 1-HOUR YOGA SESSIONS WEEKLY FOR 1 YEAR. THE PARTICIPANTS' SERA WERE HARVESTED AND ASSESSED FOR ADIPOKINES. GENERALIZED ESTIMATING EQUATION (GEE) WAS USED TO EXAMINE THE INTERACTION EFFECT BETWEEN 1-YEAR TIME (PRE VS POST), AND INTERVENTION (CONTROL VS YOGA). GEE ANALYSES REVEALED SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION EFFECTS BETWEEN 1-YEAR TIME AND YOGA INTERVENTION FOR THE DECREASES IN LEPTIN AND CHEMERIN AND THE INCREASE IN ADIPONECTIN CONCENTRATION IN THE SERA EXAMINED. THESE RESULTS DEMONSTRATED THAT 1-YEAR YOGA TRAINING DECREASED PROINFLAMMATORY ADIPOKINES AND INCREASED ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ADIPOKINE IN ADULTS WITH METS AND HIGH-NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE. THESE FINDINGS SUPPORT THE BENEFICIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN MANAGING METS BY FAVORABLY MODULATING ADIPOKINES. 2018 4 839 27 EFFECT OF YOGA ON PLASMA GLUCOSE, LIPID PROFILE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND INSULIN REQUIREMENT IN A PATIENT WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES MELLITUS. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE SHORT-TERM EFFECT OF YOGA ON PLASMA GLUCOSE, LIPID PROFILE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND INSULIN REQUIREMENT IN A PATIENT WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES MELLITUS (T1DM). CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-YEARS OLD FEMALE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH T1DM AT THE AGE OF SEVEN. SHE WAS UNDER HUMAN MIXTARD INSULIN 30-70, THRICE/DAY FOR 15-15-15 UNITS. SHE HAD A HISTORY OF POOR GLYCEMIC CONTROL, DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS AND HYPOGLYCEMIC SHOCK. AT THE AGE OF 27, SHE GOT ADMITTED WITH COMPLAINTS OF GENERAL WEAKNESS, JOINTS STIFFNESS AND WEIGHT LOSS IN OUR HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTRE AND UNDERWENT TWO WEEKS OF YOGA. RESULTS SHOWED A BETTER REDUCTION IN THE PLASMA GLUCOSE LEVELS, LIPID PROFILE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND INSULIN DOSE AND AN INCREASE IN HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS WITH NO EPISODES OF HYPOGLYCEMIA AFTER YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MIGHT BE CONSIDERED AS A SAFER AND EFFECTIVE ADJUVANT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF T1DM. 2021 5 410 34 BLOOD LIPIDS AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA OR RESISTANCE TRAINING IN LEISURE TIME. WHAT MATTERS: TYPE OR INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY? AIM: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS EFFECTS OF YOGA AND RESISTANCE TRAININGS ON BLOOD LIPIDS AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN PEOPLE WITHOUT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY, WHICH INCLUDED 167 SUBJECTS, WAS CONDUCTED. SUBJECTS REGULARLY PRACTICING YOGA OR RESISTANCE TRAINING NOT LESS THAN 2 TIMES A WEEK FOR A PERIOD MORE THAN ONE YEAR WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. YOGA TRAININGS WERE DEFINED AS YOGA ASANAS AND RESISTANCE TRAININGS WERE DEFINED AS ANY EXERCISE THAT CAUSES THE MUSCLES TO CONTRACT AGAINST AN EXTERNAL RESISTANCE. ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS, BLOOD LIPIDS AND GLUCOSE, URIC ACID WERE ASSESSED. WE USED INTERNATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE ON LONG PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ASSESS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY TIME. SPSS 17.0 WAS USED TO PERFORM STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN "YOGA TRAINING" AND "RESISTANCE TRAINING" GROUPS IN GENERAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MODERATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SITTING TIME IN THE WHOLE GROUP. HDL-CHOLESTEROL WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN "YOGA TRAINING" COMPARED TO "RESISTANCE TRAINING" GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (1,65+/-0,37 MMOL/L; 1,43+/-0,21 MMOL/L AND 1,34+/-0,22, PYOGA-RESISTANCE TRAINING=0,001; PYOGA-CONTROL=0,0001; PRESISTANCE TRAINING-CONTROL= P2-3=0,037). LDL CHOLESTEROL WAS THE LOWEST IN SUBJECTS THAT HAD THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. CONCLUSIONS: PEOPLE PRACTICING YOGA AND RESISTANCE TRAINING HAD MORE FAVORABLE BLOOD LIPID PROFILE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS THAN CONTROL GROUP. "YOGA TRAINING" HAD MORE PRONOUNCED POSITIVE EFFECT ON HDL CHOLESTEROL. LEVEL OF LDL CHOLESTEROL WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INTENSITY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAN WITH TYPE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 2021 6 2331 33 TWELVE WEEKS OF YOGA OR NUTRITIONAL ADVICE FOR CENTRALLY OBESE ADULT FEMALES. BACKGROUND: CENTRAL OBESITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGHER RISK OF DISEASE. PREVIOUSLY YOGA REDUCED THE BMI AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (WC) IN PERSONS WITH OBESITY. ADDITIONAL ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES AND INDICES PREDICT THE RISK OF DEVELOPING DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH CENTRAL OBESITY. HENCE THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA OR NUTRITIONAL ADVICE ON THESE MEASURES. THE SECONDARY AIM WAS TO DETERMINE THE CHANGES IN QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS IN OBESITY. MATERIAL AND METHODS: TWENTY-SIX ADULT FEMALES WITH CENTRAL OBESITY IN A YOGA GROUP (YOG) WERE COMPARED WITH 26 ADULT FEMALES IN A NUTRITIONAL ADVICE GROUP (NAG). YOGA WAS PRACTICED FOR 75 MIN/DAY, 3 DAYS/WEEK AND INCLUDED POSTURES, BREATHING PRACTICES AND GUIDED RELAXATION. THE NAG HAD ONE 45 MIN PRESENTATION/WEEK ON NUTRITION. ASSESSMENTS WERE AT BASELINE AND 12 WEEKS. DATA WERE ANALYZED WITH REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA AND POST-HOC COMPARISONS. AGE-WISE COMPARISONS WERE WITH T-TESTS. RESULTS: AT BASELINE AND 12 WEEKS NAG HAD HIGHER TRIGLYCERIDES AND VLDL THAN YOG. OTHER COMPARISONS ARE WITHIN THE TWO GROUPS. AFTER 12 WEEKS NAG SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN WC, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE (HC), ABDOMINAL VOLUME INDEX (AVI), BODY ROUNDNESS INDEX (BRI), A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN TOTAL CHOLESTEROL AND LDL CHOLESTEROL. YOG HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN WC, SAGITTAL ABDOMINAL DIAMETER, HC, BMI, WC/HC, A BODY SHAPE INDEX, CONICITY INDEX, AVI, BRI, HDL CHOLESTEROL, AND IMPROVED QOL. WITH AGE-WISE ANALYSES, IN THE 30-45 YEARS AGE RANGE THE YOG SHOWED MOST OF THE CHANGES MENTIONED ABOVE WHEREAS NAG SHOWED NO CHANGES. IN CONTRAST FOR THE 46-59 YEARS AGE RANGE MOST OF THE CHANGES IN THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AND NUTRITIONAL ADVICE WITH A DIET PLAN CAN REDUCE ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASES RELATED TO CENTRAL OBESITY, WITH MORE CHANGES IN THE YOG. THIS WAS GREATER FOR THE 30-45 YEAR AGE RANGE, WHERE THE NAG SHOWED NO CHANGE; WHILE CHANGES WERE COMPARABLE FOR THE TWO GROUPS IN THE 46-59 YEAR AGE RANGE. HENCE YOGA MAY BE ESPECIALLY USEFUL FOR ADULT FEMALES WITH CENTRAL OBESITY BETWEEN 30 AND 45 YEARS OF AGE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: (CTRI/2018/05/014077). 2018 7 412 24 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 2085 29 THE EFFECT OF LONG TERM COMBINED YOGA PRACTICE ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE OF HEALTHY ADULTS. BACKGROUND: DIFFERENT PROCEDURES PRACTICED IN YOGA HAVE STIMULATORY OR INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE WHEN STUDIED ACUTELY. IN DAILY LIFE HOWEVER, THESE PROCEDURES ARE USUALLY PRACTICED IN COMBINATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE NET CHANGE IN THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR) OF INDIVIDUALS ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN A COMBINATION OF YOGA PRACTICES (ASANA OR YOGIC POSTURES, MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA OR BREATHING EXERCISES) FOR A MINIMUM PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS, AT A RESIDENTIAL YOGA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER AT BANGALORE. METHODS: THE MEASURED BMR OF INDIVIDUALS PRACTICING YOGA THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PRACTICES WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF CONTROL SUBJECTS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA BUT LED SIMILAR LIFESTYLES. RESULTS: THE BMR OF THE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE NON-YOGA GROUP, AND WAS LOWER BY ABOUT 13 % WHEN ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT (P < 0.001). THIS DIFFERENCE PERSISTED WHEN THE GROUPS WERE STRATIFIED BY GENDER; HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCE IN BMR ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT WAS GREATER IN WOMEN THAN MEN (ABOUT 8 AND 18% RESPECTIVELY). IN ADDITION, THE MEAN BMR OF THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THEIR PREDICTED VALUES, WHILE THE MEAN BMR OF NON-YOGA GROUP WAS COMPARABLE WITH THEIR PREDICTED VALUES DERIVED FROM 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY SHOWS THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BMR, PROBABLY LINKED TO REDUCED AROUSAL, WITH THE LONG TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA USING A COMBINATION OF STIMULATORY AND INHIBITORY YOGIC PRACTICES. 2006 9 284 29 ADIPONECTIN, INTERLEUKIN-6, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS ARE MODIFIED BY A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE MEN. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) AND MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION AND ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE MEN. DESIGN: NONRANDOMIZED PROSPECTIVE LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION STUDY WITH PRE-POST DESIGN. SETTING AND LOCATION: INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC, AN OUTPATIENT FACILITY PROVIDING YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES. SUBJECTS: OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE MEN (N=51) WERE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. SUBJECTS WHO WERE PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE AND THOSE PARTICIPATING IN OTHER INTERVENTIONS WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE STUDY. INTERVENTION: A PRETESTED INTERVENTION PROGRAM INCLUDING ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), GROUP DISCUSSIONS, LECTURES, AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS WEIGHT LOSS, AND THE SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CLINICAL AND LABORATORY CORRELATES OF CVD RISK, LEVELS OF INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), ADIPONECTIN, AND ENDOTHELIN-1 (ET-1). RESULTS: MEN (N=51, BODY MASS INDEX [BMI] 26.26+/-2.42 KG/M(2)) WERE ENROLLED AND UNDERWENT A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR 10 DAYS. OF 51 SUBJECTS, 30 COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN WEIGHT FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 (74.60+/-7.98, 72.69+/-8.37 KG, P<0.001, RESPECTIVELY), BMI (26.26+/-2.42, 25.69+/-2.47 KG/M(2), P<0.001, RESPECTIVELY), AND SYSTOLIC BP (121.73+/-11.58, 116.73+/-9.00, P=0.042, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PLASMA IL-6 FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 (MEDIAN 2.24 VS. 1.26 PG/ML, RESPECTIVELY, P=0.012). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE PLASMA ADIPONECTIN FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 (MEDIAN 4.95 VS. 6.26 MUG/ML, RESPECTIVELY, P=0.014). PLASMA ET-1 LEVEL REMAINED UNCHANGED. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT EVEN A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION MAY BE AN IMPORTANT MODALITY TO REDUCE THE RISK FOR CVD AS INDICATED BY WEIGHT LOSS, REDUCTION IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, AN INCREASE IN ADIPONECTIN, AND DECREASE IN IL-6 IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE MEN. 2013 10 819 23 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 11 2745 31 YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES THE BODY MASS INDEX AND BLOOD PRESSURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA, AN ANCIENT INDIAN SYSTEM OF EXERCISE AND THERAPY IS AN ART OF GOOD LIVING OR AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BODY, MIND, AND INNER SPIRIT. REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN HELP TO INCREASE BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN, REDUCE STRESS, HAVE A CALMING EFFECT ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND GREATLY HELP IN REDUCING HYPERTENSION. AIM: AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF 1-MONTH YOGA PRACTICE ON BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), AND BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON 64 PARTICIPANTS (AGE 53.6 +/- 13.1 YEARS) (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) WHEREAS THE RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH 26 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (CONTROL GROUP). WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A 1-MONTH PILOT STUDY. MOST OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LEARNER AND PRACTICED YOGA FOR 1 H DAILY IN THE MORNING FOR 1 MONTH. BMI AND BP (SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC) WERE STUDIED BEFORE AND AFTER 1 MONTH OF YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE CAUSES DECREASED BMI (26.4 +/- 2.5-25.22 +/- 2.4), SYSTOLIC BP (136.9 +/- 22.18 MMHG TO 133 +/- 21.38 MMHG), AND DIASTOLIC BP (84.7 +/- 6.5 MMHG TO 82.34 +/- 7.6 MMHG). ON THE OTHER HAND, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN BMI AND BP OF CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY CONCLUDES THAT YOGA PRACTICE HAS POTENTIAL TO CONTROL BMI AND BP WITHOUT TAKING ANY MEDICATION. 2017 12 1301 30 HATHA YOGA ON BODY BALANCE. BACKGROUND: A GOOD BODY BALANCE REQUIRES A PROPER FUNCTION OF VESTIBULAR, VISUAL, AND SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEMS WHICH CAN BE REACH WITH EXERCISE PRACTICE AND/OR YOGA. AIM: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF A 5-MONTH HATHA YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM ON BODY BALANCE IN YOUNG ADULTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS STUDY USED A CONTROLLED, NONRANDOMIZED DESIGN, WHERE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNDERWENT A 5-MONTH TRAINING PROGRAM AND WERE THEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP THAT HAD A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 34 OUT OF 40 MEN AGED 25-55 YEARS OLD (34.0 +/- 0.9) WERE DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOR THIS STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. SUBJECTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE ENGAGED IN 60 MIN SESSIONS OF HATHA YOGA THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 5 MONTHS. WE EVALUATED POSTURAL CONTROL BY MEASURING THE LIMIT OF STABILITY AND VELOCITY OF OSCILLATION (VOS) IN THREE CONDITIONS OF THE BALANCE REHABILITATION UNIT (BRU) AND THROUGH FIELD PROCEDURES (FOUR POSITION, PLANE, FLAMINGO, HOPSCOTCH, AND DYNAMIC TEST). RESULTS: WE OBSERVED DIFFERENCES (P < 0.05) IN POSTINTERVENTION SCORES BETWEEN THE GROUPS REGARDLESS OF BRU PARAMETERS AND FIELD PROCEDURES (EXCEPT FOR FLAMINGO) EVEN AFTER ADJUSTING FOR PREINTERVENTION SCORES, SUGGESTING THAT THESE CHANGES WERE INDUCED BY HATHA YOGA TRAINING. THE PARTIAL ETA SQUARED ON BRU PARAMETERS RANGED FROM 0.78 (VOS1)-0.97 (COP2), AND FROM 0.00 (FLAMINGO)-0.94 (FOUR POSITION) FOR THE FIELD PROCEDURES. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT POSTURAL CONTROL IN HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS CAN BE IMPROVED THROUGH PRACTICING HATHA YOGA. 2014 13 371 23 AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN ANAND CITY. BACKGROUND: AEROBIC EXERCISE IS HELPFUL IN REDUCING ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT YOGA IS USEFUL IN REDUCING RAISED BP. THUS, THEY BOTH CAN BE USED IN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION. HENCE, THE STUDY AIMED TO OBSERVE BOTH AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN ANAND CITY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL DESCRIPTIVE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS PREPARED CONTAINING 24 QUESTIONS ABOUT AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. THE QUESTIONS WERE EXPLAINED TO ALL THE PATIENTS, AND 200 PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED FROM ANAND CITY THROUGH CONVENIENCE SAMPLING. RESULTS: TWO-HUNDRED PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY, OF WHICH 100% WERE AWARE OF HYPERTENSION. 67.68% WERE AWARE OF THE ROLE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN HYPERTENSION, OF WHICH 58.29% PRACTICED THEM. THE AWARENESS OF THE ROLE OF YOGA IN HYPERTENSION WAS NOTED IN 33.67% OF PATIENTS, OF WHICH ONLY 13.07% PRACTICED PRANAYAMA AND 9.50% PRACTICED ASANAS. CONCLUSION: THERE WAS A COMPLETE AWARENESS OF HYPERTENSION AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. A LARGE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WERE AWARE OF THE ROLE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN HYPERTENSION, BUT ONLY FEW OF THE PATIENTS PRACTICED THEM. HOWEVER, THERE WAS LESS AWARENESS OF THE ROLE OF YOGA IN HYPERTENSION AND EVEN LESSER NUMBER PRACTICED THEM. 2019 14 663 36 EFFECT OF 6 MONTHS INTENSE YOGA PRACTICE ON LIPID PROFILE, THYROXINE MEDICATION AND SERUM TSH LEVEL IN WOMEN SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF WOMEN IN INDIA ARE SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM. HYPOTHYROIDISM IS CHARACTERIZED BY ELEVATED LIPID PROFILES AND THYROID STIMULATION HORMONE (TSH). IT LEADS MANY COMORBID CONDITIONS SUCH AS CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, OBESITY, DEPRESSION, OSTEOPOROSIS, SLEEP APNEA, AND ETC. YOGA IS PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING WEIGHT, DYSLIPIDEMIA, DEPRESSION AND IT BRINGS THE BALANCE IN AUTONOMOUS NERVOUS SYSTEM. WE AIMED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PRACTICE ON LIPID PROFILE, THYROXINE REQUIREMENT AND SERUM TSH IN WOMEN SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM. METHODS: TWENTY-TWO HOUSEHOLD WOMEN SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM BETWEEN THE AGE RANGE OF 30 AND 40 (MEAN+/-SD; 36.7+/-3.2) YEARS, WITH AVERAGE 4+/-1.12-YEAR HISTORY OF HYPOTHYROIDISM WERE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY. SUBJECTS WITH KNOWN CARDIAC ISSUES, HYPERTENSION, HISTORY, RECENT SURGERY, SLIP DISC AND LOW BACK PAIN WERE EXCLUDED FROM THIS STUDY. NONE OF THE SUBJECTS WERE ON ANY OTHER MEDICATION EXCEPT THYROXINE WHICH WAS KEPT DURING THE INTERVENTION PHAGE (MEAN 65.78+/-22.74 MCG). ALL THE SUBJECTS UNDERWENT 6 MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE 1 H DAILY FOR 4 DAYS A WEEK. LIPID PROFILE, THYROXINE DOSAGE AND SERUM TSH LEVEL WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. DATA WAS ANALYZED USING PAIRED SAMPLE T TEST & WILCOXON'S SIGNED RANK TEST. RESULTS: THE PAIRED SAMPLE T-TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (P=0.006; -8.99%), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL) (P=0.002; -9.81%) AND TRIGLYCERIDES (P=0.013; -7.6%), AND THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL) (P=0.02; +9.65%) ALONG WITH NONSIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN TSH LEVEL (P=0.452; -9.72%). WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THYROXINE MEDICATION SCORE (P=0.029; -15.30%) FROM. CONCLUSION: 6 MONTHS PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY HELP IN IMPROVING CHOLESTEROL LEVEL, SERUM TSH, MAY ALSO HELP IN REDUCING THE THYROXINE REQUIREMENT IN FEMALE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM. HOWEVER, FURTHER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES NEED TO BE CONDUCTED TO CONFIRM THE PRESENT FINDING. 2016 15 1809 36 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 1143 30 ELDERLY-CUSTOMIZED HATHA YOGA EFFECTS ON THE VASCULAR INFLAMMATION FACTORS OF ELDERLY WOMEN. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF THE APPLICATION OF ELDERLY-CUSTOMIZED HATHA YOGA ON THE VASCULAR INFLAMMATION FACTORS OF ELDERLY WOMEN. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] THIS RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED WITH 14 ELDERLY WOMEN, BETWEEN 70 AND 80 YEARS OLD, DIVIDED INTO AN ELDERLY-CUSTOMIZED HATHA YOGA GROUP (N=7) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N=7). THE APPLICATION GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A HATHA YOGA PROGRAM DESIGNED TO BE ELDERLY-FRIENDLY FOR 10 WEEKS. AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM, THE VASCULAR INFLAMMATION FACTORS WERE MEASURED, INCLUDING THE ALBUMIN, WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT, FIBRINOGEN, HIGH SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HS-CRP), AND ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (ESR). [RESULTS] IN THE HATHA YOGA GROUP, THE ALBUMIN INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE APPLICATION, WHEN COMPARED TO THE LEVEL BEFORE THE APPLICATION, WHILE THE FIBRINOGEN, HS-CRP, AND ESR DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. IN THE CONTROL GROUP, THE VASCULAR INFLAMMATION FACTOR LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER THE APPLICATION PERIOD WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT. [CONCLUSION] BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY, THE APPLICATION OF ELDERLY-CUSTOMIZED HATHA YOGA CREATED POSITIVE CHANGES IN THE VASCULAR INFLAMMATION FACTORS OF ELDERLY WOMEN. 2017 17 449 17 CHANGES IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND HORMONES DURING A COMPREHENSIVE RESIDENTIAL THREE MONTH KRIYA YOGA TRAINING AND VEGETARIAN NUTRITION. IN PARTICIPANTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE RESIDENTIAL THREE MONTH YOGA AND MEDIATION TRAINING PROGRAMME LIVING ON A LOW FAT LACTO-VEGETARIAN DIET CHANGES IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND HORMONES WERE STUDIED. SUBSTANTIAL RISK FACTOR REDUCTION WAS FOUND. BODY MASS INDEX, TOTAL SERUM AND LDL CHOLESTEROL, FIBRINOGEN, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED ESPECIALLY IN THOSE WITH ELEVATED LEVELS. URINARY EXCRETION OF ADRENALINE, NORADRENALINE, DOPAMINE, ALDOSTERONE, AS WELL AS SERUM TESTOSTERONE AND LUTEINIZING HORMONE LEVELS WERE REDUCED, WHILE CORTISOL EXCRETION INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. 1997 18 295 29 AGE RELATED DIFFERENCES OF SELECTED HATHA YOGA PRACTICES ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND: PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA ON VOLUNTEERS OF A PARTICULAR AGE GROUP ARE AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, REPORTS ON EFFICACY OF A SPECIFIC YOGA PACKAGE ON THE POPULACE OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND IS STILL VERY LIMITED. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO APPRAISE THE EFFECT OF A SPECIFIC HATHA YOGA PACKAGE ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, FLEXIBILITY AND MUSCULAR STRENGTH OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL TRADE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 71 PARTICIPANTS (GROUP ALL) FROM INDIAN AIR FORCE GROUND PERSONNEL VOLUNTEERED AND AGE WISE DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS - (I) GROUP I (GR. - I) (N1 = 27, 20-29 YEARS), (II) GROUP II (GR. - II) (N2 = 21, 30-39 YEARS) AND (III) GROUP III (GR. - III) (N3 = 23, 40-49 YEARS). ALL THE PARTICIPANTS UNDERGONE SELECTED HATHA YOGA TRAINING FOR 1 H DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF 12 WEEKS. PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRAINING. PRE AND POST TRAINING DIFFERENCES WERE ASSESSED BY STUDENT'S T-TEST. RESULTS: BODY WEIGHT (ALL, GR. - II AND GR. - III [ALL P < 0.05]), BODY MASS INDEX (GR. - II AND GR. - III [BOTH P < 0.01]) AND FAT% (GR. - II AND III [BOTH P < 0.05]) WERE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. NECK CIRCUMFERENCE WAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - I (P < 0.05) BUT DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - III (P < 0.05). CHEST CIRCUMFERENCE (ALL (P < 0.001), IN GR. - I AND II [BOTH P < 0.05]), GRIP STRENGTH (ALL [LEFT: P < 0.01 AND RIGHT: P < 0.05], IN GR. - I [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01], IN GR. - II [RIGHT: P < 0.05] AND IN GR. - III [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01]), BACK LEG STRENGTH (GROUP WISE P < 0.001, P < 0.05, P < 0.01 AND P < 0.05 RESPECTIVELY) AND FLEXIBILITY (ALL P < 0.001) WERE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: HATHA YOGA CAN IMPROVE ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY AMONG VOLUNTEERS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUP AND CAN ALSO BE HELPFUL IN PREVENTING AND ATTENUATING AGE RELATED DETERIORATION OF THESE PARAMETERS. 2015 19 2290 30 THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION WITH REFERENCE TO GST GENE POLYMORPHISM. BACKGROUND: HYPERTENSION, A CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION OF INCREASED BLOOD PRESSURE, IS A SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC RISK FACTORS ARE KNOWN TO PREDISPOSE TO HYPERTENSION. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE ASSOCIATION OF GLUTATHIONE S-TRANSFERASE (GST) GENE POLYMORPHISM WITH OXIDATIVE STRESS IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS AND THE POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA ON THEM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SIXTY (60) HYPERTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS, BETWEEN 30 AND 60 YEARS OF AGE, WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUBJECTED TO 50-60 MINUTES OF YOGIC PRACTICES DAILY FOR 42 DAYS, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP INCLUDED THE REMAINING 30 AGE- AND SEX-MATCHED HYPERTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS. GST GENE POLYMORPHISM WAS ANALYZED USING MULTIPLE ALLELE SPECIFIC POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS PARAMETERS WERE ASSESSED BIOCHEMICALLY. RESULTS: ASSESSMENT OF BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT THOUGH MODEST REDUCTION (P<0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. MALONDIALDEHYDE WAS OBSERVED TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LOW (P<0.05), WHILE ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN THE FORM OF GST SHOWED AN INCREASING TREND AND FERRIC-REDUCING ABILITY OF PLASMA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P<0.05) IN THE SUBJECTS WHO PRACTICED YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: IN CONCLUSION, YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO DECREASE BLOOD PRESSURE AS WELL AS THE LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. 2013 20 1571 26 MANAGEMENT OF MYOFASCIAL PAIN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME WITH MEDITATION AND YOGA: HEALING THROUGH NATURAL THERAPY. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY WERE TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA IN PATIENTS WITH MYOFASCIAL PAIN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME (MPDS) AND COMPARED THE EFFECTS WITH ONGOING CONVENTIONAL NONINVASIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY COMPRISED 30 PATIENTS DIVIDED EQUALLY (10 EACH) INTO 3 GROUP, I.E., CONTROL GROUP (CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE TREATMENT), EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP (CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE TREATMENT WITH RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION THERAPY AND PRANAYAMA), AND EXPERIMENTAL B GROUP (RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION THERAPY AND PRANAYAMA ONLY). PARAMETERS SUCH AS PAIN, MOUTH OPENING, MANDIBULAR DEVIATION, INFLAMMATION, SWELLING, CLICKING, OCCLUSION, AND PSYCHOLOGIC EVALUATION SUCH AS ANXIETY, STRESS, AND DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED BEFORE THE START OF THE STUDY AND AT WEEKLY INTERVALS FOR 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: POSTTREATMENT PAIN AND INFLAMMATION IMPROVED BOTH IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP, BUT STATISTICALLY IT IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP. FURTHERMORE, IT IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AS WELL AS FOR A LONG PERIOD IN EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP. IMPROVEMENT IN MOUTH OPENING WAS STATISTICALLY HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN CONTROL GROUP BUT NOT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS. POSTTREATMENT ANXIETY AND STRESS STATUS WAS IMPROVED WITH STATISTICALLY HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT RESULT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL A AND B. THE POSTTREATMENT DEPRESSION STATUS ALONG WITH MANDIBULAR DEVIATION, SWELLING, CLICKING, AND OCCLUSION HAS NOT IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN ANY OF THE GROUPS. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA IN COMBINATION WITH CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE, TREATMENT MODALITIES SHOWED PROMISING RESULTS IN MPDS PATIENTS AS COMPARED TO EITHER MODALITIES ALONE. 2018