1 1018 141 EFFECTS OF SIX MONTHS OF YOGA ON INFLAMMATORY SERUM MARKERS PROGNOSTIC OF RECURRENCE RISK IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA-BASED EXERCISE HAS PROVEN TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR PRACTITIONERS, INCLUDING CANCER SURVIVORS. THIS STUDY REPORTS ON THE EFFECT ON INFLAMMATORY BIOLOGICAL MARKERS FOR 20 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A SIX-MONTH YOGA-BASED (YE) EXERCISE PROGRAM. RESULTS ARE COMPARED TO A COMPREHENSIVE EXERCISE (CE) PROGRAM GROUP AND A COMPARISON (C) EXERCISE GROUP WHO CHOSE THEIR OWN EXERCISES. "PRE" AND "POST" ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED MEASURES OF ANTHROPOMETRICS, CARDIORESPIRATORY CAPACITY, AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS INTERLEUKIN 6 (IL-6), INTERLEUKIN 8 (IL-8), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNFALPHA) AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP). DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, EFFECT SIZE (D), AND DEPENDENT SAMPLE 'T' TESTS FOR ALL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CALCULATED FOR THE YE GROUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN DECREASED % BODY FAT, (-3.00%, D = -0.44, P = <.001) BUT NOT IN CARDIORESPIRATORY CAPACITY OR IN INFLAMMATORY SERUM MARKERS. TO COMPARE YE OUTCOMES WITH THE OTHER TWO GROUPS, A ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF CO-VARIANCE (ANCOVA) WAS USED, CONTROLLING FOR AGE, BMI, CARDIORESPIRATORY CAPACITY AND SERUM MARKER BASELINE VALUES. WE FOUND NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. MOREOVER, WE DID NOT SEE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ANY INFLAMMATORY MARKER FOR ANY GROUP. OUR RESULTS SUPPORT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA-BASED EXERCISE MODIFIED FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS FOR IMPROVING BODY COMPOSITION. LARGER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN INFLAMMATORY SERUM MARKERS AS A RESULT OF SPECIFIC EXERCISE MODALITIES. 2015 2 392 36 BENEFITS OF YOGA ON IL-6: FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION. THE PRESENT RESEARCH SOUGHT TO EXAMINE WHETHER HATHA YOGA, IMPLEMENTED AS AN ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR MAJOR DEPRESSION, INFLUENCES MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION. A SUBSET OF 84 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE ENROLLED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) OF HATHA YOGA VS. HEALTH EDUCATION CONTROL PROVIDED BLOOD SAMPLES AT BASELINE (PRE-TREATMENT) AND AT 3-(DURING TREATMENT) AND 10-WEEK (END OF TREATMENT) FOLLOW-UP VISITS. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE RCT, PARTICIPANTS MET CRITERIA FOR A CURRENT OR RECENT (PAST TWO YEARS) MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODE, HAD CURRENT ELEVATED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, AND CURRENT ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION USE. VENOUS BLOOD WAS DRAWN BETWEEN 2 AND 6 PM AND FOLLOWING AT LEAST ONE HOUR OF FASTING, AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS (IL-6, CRP, AND TNF-ALPHA) WERE ASSAYED. EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION IN YOGA RELATIVE TO HEALTH EDUCATION ON INFLAMMATORY MARKERS OVER TIME WERE EXAMINED WITH LATENT GROWTH ANALYSES. WE OBSERVED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN IL-6 CONCENTRATIONS IN THE YOGA TREATMENT GROUP RELATIVE TO THE HEALTH EDUCATION CONTROL GROUP AS DEMONSTRATED BY A NEGATIVE INTERACTION BETWEEN TREATMENT GROUP AND SLOPE OF IL-6. TNF-ALPHA AND CRP DID NOT EVIDENCE SIGNIFICANT INTERACTIONS OF TREATMENT GROUP BY MEAN SLOPE OR INTERCEPT. IN ADDITION TO THE BENEFITS OF HATHA YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SHOWN INADEQUATE RESPONSE TO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS, OUR FINDINGS POINT TO POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF YOGA ON IL-6 IN DEPRESSED POPULATIONS. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON IMMUNE FUNCTION OVER TIME. 2021 3 428 39 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 4 2834 38 YOGA'S EFFECT ON INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS AND METABOLIC RISK FACTORS IN A HIGH RISK POPULATION - A CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PRIMARY CARE. BACKGROUND: YOGA CAN REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE AND HAS ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED TO REDUCE INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS AND METABOLIC RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVDS). WE AIMED TO ASSESS THE BENEFIT OF TWO YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS AND METABOLIC RISK FACTORS IN A HIGH RISK POPULATION IN PRIMARY CARE. METHODS: ADULT PATIENTS FROM A HEALTH CARE CENTER IN SWEDEN, WITH DIAGNOSED HYPERTENSION, WERE INVITED TO UNDERGO A BASELINE CHECK AT THE HEALTH CARE CENTER. BASELINE CHECK INCLUDED STANDARDIZED BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT, BMI AND WEIGHT CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENTS, BLOOD SAMPLING (HS-CRP, IL-6, FP-GLUCOSE, HBA1C, CHOLESTEROL, TG, LDL AND HDL) AND A QUESTIONNAIRE ON SELF-RATED QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL-BREF). THERE WERE THREE GROUPS: 1) YOGA CLASS WITH YOGA INSTRUCTOR; 2) YOGA AT HOME; AND 3) A CONTROL GROUP. IN TOTAL, 83 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED AND MATCHED AT THE GROUP LEVEL FOR SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. A MAJORITY OF THE PATIENTS (92 %) WERE ON ANTIHYPERTENSIVE MEDICATION, WHICH THEY WERE REQUESTED NOT TO CHANGE DURING THE STUDY. AFTER 12 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION, THE ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED AGAIN. RESULTS: WE RECORDED NO EVIDENCE THAT YOGA ALTERED INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS OR METABOLIC RISK FACTORS IN OUR STUDY POPULATION. A TOTAL OF 49 PARTICIPANTS (59 %) MET THE CRITERIA FOR METABOLIC SYNDROME. CONCLUSION: THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS PERFORMED IN OUR STUDY DID NOT AFFECT INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS OR METABOLIC RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CVD IN THE STUDY POPULATION OF PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. FURTHER RANDOMIZED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO ELUCIDATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CVD RISK FACTORS IN THIS PARTICULAR GROUP. TRAIL REGISTRATION: NCT01302535 , FEBRUARY 22, 2011. 2015 5 640 38 DO YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING HAVE IMPACT ON FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, FATIGUE, PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS? AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA ON THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 52 PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 2 GROUPS: AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 28) AND YOGA ADDED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE (N = 24). BOTH GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN SUBMAXIMAL EXERCISE 30 MINUTES/D, 3 D/WK FOR 6 WEEKS. THE SECOND GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 1-HOUR YOGA PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING. FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY WAS ASSESSED BY THE 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (6MWT). PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH WAS EVALUATED WITH A HAND-HELD DYNAMOMETER. THE FATIGUE SEVERITY LEVEL WAS ASSESSED WITH THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS). THE QOL WAS DETERMINED BY THE EUROPEAN ORGANISATION FOR RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OF CANCER QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN PERIPHERAL MUSCLE STRENGTH, THE 6MWT DISTANCE, AND THE PERCEPTION OF QOL IN BOTH GROUPS (P < .05). ADDITIONALLY, THE GROUP WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA SHOWED MARKED IMPROVEMENT COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC EXERCISE GROUP IN FATIGUE PERCEPTION (P < .05). CONCLUSION: ACCORDING TO THE DATA FROM THIS STUDY, AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING AND YOGA IMPROVED THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY AND QOL OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. AEROBIC EXERCISE PROGRAMS CAN BE SUPPORTED BY BODY MIND TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS YOGA, IN THE REHABILITATION OF CANCER PATIENTS FOR IMPROVING FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLNESS. 2015 6 2644 39 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 7 1076 34 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 8 1402 43 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). COMPARISON OF THE 2 GROUPS REVEALED NO DIFFERENCES. CONCLUSION: YOGA MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON QOL IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER BUT DOES NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON PA. THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES TO MAKE A DEFINITIVE STATEMENT. 2021 14 171 45 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. BACKGROUND: EXERCISE CAN BE BENEFICIAL FOR CARDIOPULMONARY, MUSCULOSKELETAL OR NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEMS, AND OTHER FACTORS INCLUDING MOOD, AND MAY BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING FALL RISKS, DEMENTIA AND VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD) PRODUCES PROGRESSIVE MOTOR AND COGNITIVE DETERIORATION THAT MAY LEAVE THOSE INFLICTED UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN STANDARD EXERCISE PROGRAMS. ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA MAY BE SUCCESSFUL IN IMPROVING PHYSICAL FUNCTION, QOL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES FOR OVERALL WELL-BEING. AIM: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND HEALTH-RELATED QOL MEASURES IN PEOPLE WITH PD. METHODS AND MATERIALS: THIRTEEN PEOPLE WITH STAGE 1-2 PD WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A YOGA (N = 8) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 5). THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA SESSIONS FOR 12 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WERE TESTED AT BASELINE, AND AT 6 AND 12 WEEKS USING THE UNIFIED PARKINSON'S DISEASE RATING SCALE (UPDRS), CLINICAL MEASURES OF HEALTH-RELATED QOL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN UPDRS SCORES (P = .006), DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P = 0.036) AND AVERAGE FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (P = 0.03) WAS NOTED IN THE YOGA GROUP OVER TIME. CHANGES BETWEEN GROUPS WERE ALSO NOTED IN TWO SF-36 SUBSCALES. POSITIVE TRENDS OF IMPROVEMENT WERE NOTED IN DEPRESSION SCORES (P = 0.056), BODY WEIGHT (P = 0.056) AND FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (P = 0.059). YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED MORE POSITIVE SYMPTOM CHANGES INCLUDING IMMEDIATE TREMOR REDUCTION. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE ASPECTS OF QOL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN STAGES 1-2 PD. FUTURE LARGER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM AND EXTEND OUR FINDINGS OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PD. 2015 15 60 37 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 16 2230 45 THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON FATIGUE IN CANCER SURVIVORSHIP: A META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: MIND-BODY APPROACHES, PARTICULARLY YOGA, ARE USED BY CANCER SURVIVORS TO COPE WITH TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS. CONSISTENCY OF YOGA-RELATED EFFECTS ON TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS ARE NOT KNOWN. THIS META-ANALYSIS WAS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PRE- TO POSTINTERVENTION IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AMONG CANCER PATIENTS. METHODS: PUBMED AND PSYCINFO WERE SEARCHED FOR PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES OF YOGA RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS INCLUDING CANCER SURVIVORS AND REPORTING AT LEAST ONE FATIGUE MEASURE. TWENTY-NINE STUDIES MET INCLUSION CRITERIA (N = 1828 PATIENTS). EFFECT SIZES (HEDGE'S G) WERE CALCULATED FOR FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. PATIENT-RELATED AND INTERVENTION-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS WERE TESTED AS MODERATORS OF OUTCOMES. ALL STATISTICAL TESTS WERE TWO-SIDED. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SMALL, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN FATIGUE (G = 0.45, P = .013). YOGA TYPE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT MODERATOR OF THIS RELATIONSHIP (P = .02). YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A MODERATE DECREASE IN DEPRESSION (G = 0.72, P = .007) BUT WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN QUALITY OF LIFE (P = .48). SESSION LENGTH WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT MODERATOR OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND DEPRESSION (P = .004). NEITHER TIMING OF TREATMENT (DURING TREATMENT VS POSTTREATMENT) NOR CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT MODERATORS OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OUTCOMES. THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FATIGUE AND DEPRESSION WAS LARGER WHEN THE COMPARATOR WAS A "WAITLIST" OR "USUAL CARE" THAN WHEN THE CONTROL GROUP WAS ANOTHER ACTIVE TREATMENT (P = .036). CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS SUGGEST YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL AS A COMPONENT OF TREATMENT FOR BOTH FATIGUE AND DEPRESSION IN CANCER SURVIVORS. 2020 17 1062 32 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 18 859 39 EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AFTER MODERATE AND STRENUOUS EXERCISE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE AND EXERCISE CHALLENGE ON TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) LEVELS AND LIPID PROFILE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. ONE HUNDRED AND NINE VOLUNTEERS (51 MALES AND 58 FEMALES) IN THE AGE GROUP OF 20 TO 60 YEARS, WHO PRACTICED YOGA REGULARLY FOR OVER FIVE YEARS FOR A PERIOD OF ONE HOUR DAILY, PERFORMED A BOUT OF MODERATE EXERCISE AND A BOUT OF STRENUOUS EXERCISE AS PER STANDARDIZED SHUTTLE WALK TEST PROTOCOL. ANTHROPOMETRICALLY MATCHED, AGE MATCHED AND GENDER MATCHED SUBJECTS, WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA (NON-YOGA GROUP) WERE CHOSEN AS CONTROLS (NON-YOGA, N=109). THE NON-YOGA GROUP ALSO PERFORMED SIMILAR EXERCISES. THE BLOOD SAMPLES OF BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXERCISES. TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 WAS ANALYSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXERCISE BY SANDWICH ELISA (ENZYME LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY). RESULTS: RESTING PLASMA TNF-ALPHA CONCENTRATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN NON-YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO YOGA GROUP (P<0.05). THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN TNF-ALPHA LEVELS IN BOTH THE GROUPS IN RESPONSE TO STRENUOUS EXERCISE. THERE WAS NO GENDER DIFFERENCE IN TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER EXERCISE IN YOGA AND NON-YOGA GROUPS. CONCLUSION: REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA LOWERS BASAL TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 LEVELS. IT ALSO REDUCES THE EXTENT OF INCREASE OF TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 TO A PHYSICAL CHALLENGE OF MODERATE EXERCISE AND STRENUOUS EXERCISE. THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT GENDER DIFFERENCE IN THE TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 LEVELS. REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN PROTECT THE INDIVIDUAL AGAINST INFLAMMATORY DISEASES BY FAVOURABLY ALTERING PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE LEVELS. 2015 19 1707 32 PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT STUDY DESCRIBED PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND EXAMINED DIFFERENCES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES WHO COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COMPARATIVE DESIGN MEASURED THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, USING DATA AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION MONTHS 3, 6, AND 15. RESULTS: DISPARATE PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE OCCURRED BETWEEN INTERVENTION AND CONTROL PARTICIPANTS OVER TIME, BUT THE SUBJECTIVE DEFINITION OF YOGA PRACTICE LIMITS INTERPRETATION. MULTILEVEL MODEL ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT TREATMENT GROUP DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE IN THE RATE OF CHANGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER THE STUDY PERIOD. WHILE AGE AND EDUCATION WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL PREDICTORS, THE INCLUSION OF THESE VARIABLES IN THE MODEL DID IMPROVE FIT. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS INDICATE THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HAD LITTLE EFFECT ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NECESSARY TO EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2012 20 2222 47 THE IMPACT OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE A POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A 6-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (M = 4; F = 17), BETWEEN THE AGES OF 30 AND 65, WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN IMMEDIATE YOGA BASED INTERVENTION, OR TO A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO TREATMENT DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD BUT RECEIVED LATER YOGA TRAINING. METHODS: A SPECIFIC CLBP YOGA PROTOCOL DESIGNED AND MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WAS ADMINISTERED FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE FORWARD REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) TESTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) QUESTIONNAIRES. GUIDING QUESTIONS WERE USED FOR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN HOW YOGA PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED THE INSTRUCTOR, GROUP DYNAMICS, AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THEIR LIFE. ANALYSIS: TO ACCOUNT FOR DROP OUTS, THE DATA WERE DIVIDED INTO BETTER OR NOT CATEGORIES, AND ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH FREQUENCY OF POSITIVE RESPONSES. RESULTS: POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT TRENDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT SCORES SHOWED IMPROVED BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY AND DECREASED DISABILITY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE YOGA GROUP BUT THIS PILOT WAS NOT POWERED TO REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS INCLUDED A HIGH DROPOUT RATE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND LARGE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY MEASURES. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES (1) GROUP INTERVENTION MOTIVATED THE PARTICIPANTS AND (2) YOGA FOSTERED RELAXATION AND NEW AWARENESS/LEARNING. CONCLUSION: A MODIFIED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MAY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH CLB, BUT A LARGER STUDY IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. ALSO, THE IMPACT ON DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY COULD BE CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR FURTHER STUDY. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES SHOULD BE EXPLORED. THIS PILOT STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA FOR THIS POPULATION. 2004