1 1080 115 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF SLEEP OF WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) COMMONLY COMPLAIN OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES, SPECIFICALLY IN THE LUTEAL PHASE OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. THEREFORE, THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF SLEEP OF WOMEN EXPERIENCING PMS WAS INVESTIGATED. MATERIAL AND METHODS: WOMEN (AGED 20-45 Y) MONITORED FOR PMS, WHO WERE REFERRED TO THE PRIVATE OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CLINICS IN TABRIZ, IRAN, WERE REFERRED TO THE PRIVATE OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CLINICS IN TABRIZ, IRAN. AFTERWARD, 62 WOMEN, WERE SELECTED AND DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS, RANDOMLY: 31 SUBJECTS IN YOGA THE YOGA GROUP AND 31 IN THE CONTROL GROUP. SUBJECTS IN YOGA PERFORMED FOR 10 WK IN 3 SESSIONS, WITH EACH SESSION LASTING 60 MIN. SUBJECTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PERFORM ANY YOGA. SUBJECTS COMPLETED A DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION, SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANTLY EXPRESSED IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEPING (P < .05). BASED ON THE MANN-WHITNEY U TEST, A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE SUBDOMAINS OF BOTH GROUPS ON QUALITY OF SLEEP (P < .01), SLEEP LATENCY (P < .01), AND SLEEP EFFICIENCY (P < .05). CONCLUSION: YOGA REDUCED THE DISTURBANCES OF SLEEP IN THE SUBJECTS WITH PMS, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY IMPROVED THE EFFICIENCY OF THEIR SLEEP. THEREFORE, WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA CAN BE PRESCRIBED FOR IMPROVING SLEEP DISTURBANCES IN WOMEN WITH PMS AND MEDICAL THERAPY WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED IN SEVERE SITUATIONS. 2019 2 2737 58 YOGA POSITIVELY AFFECTED DEPRESSION AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) OFTEN COMPLAIN ABOUT DEPRESSION WHEN THEIR MENSTRUAL CYCLE BEGINS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON WOMEN WITH PMS SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION DURING MENSTRUAL CYCLE. METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED FROM APRIL TO OCTOBER 2015 IN TABRIZ, IRAN. ALL SUBJECTS (20-45 YEARS OLD), WHO WERE FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO THE PRIVATE OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CLINICS, WERE INITIALLY MONITORED FOR PMS AND DEPRESSION. SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE DEMOGRAPHIC AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II) QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. IN ADDITION, SUBJECTS WERE MONITORED FOR ELIGIBLE AND INELIGIBLE CRITERIA. IN THIS STUDY 62 SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUPS. SUBJECTS PRACTICED YOGA OVER TWO MONTHS IN THREE SESSIONS, THE DURATION OF EACH SESSION WAS 60MIN. RESULTS: THE GENERAL SCORE OF THE DEPRESSION AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.036) AND YOGA GROUP BEFORE INTERVENTION (P<0.001). THE DIASTOLIC PRESSURE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION (P<0.029). YOGA DECREASED THE STATE OF DEPRESSION AND DIASTOLIC PRESSURE OF THE SUBJECTS WITH PMS COMPLAINING FROM DEPRESSION. CONCLUSION: WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA HAS STRONG EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND BLOOD PRESSURE, THEREFORE IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY OR ALTERNATIVE REMEDY FOR PMS PATIENTS. 2019 3 2303 41 TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA ON PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME. BACKGROUND: EIGHTY PERCENT OF WOMEN DURING THEIR REPRODUCTIVE AGE EXPERIENCE SOME SYMPTOMS ATTRIBUTED TO PREMENSTRUAL PHASE OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS THAT OCCUR DURING LATE LUTEAL PHASE OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE AND ARE RELIEVED AFTER THE ONSET OF MENSTRUATION. AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA ARE ONE OF THE WAYS TO REDUCE THESE SYMPTOMS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA ON PMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 72 PARTICIPANTS OF PMS, REFERRED FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY TREATMENT (MEAN AGE 28 YEARS), WERE ENROLLED AND ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS (GROUP A AND B) BY SIMPLE COMPUTERIZED RANDOMIZATION. PATIENTS IN GROUP A RECEIVED AEROBIC EXERCISE AND IN GROUP B RECEIVED YOGA MOVEMENTS FOR 40 MIN, 3 TIMES A WEEK FOR 1 MONTH. THE PAIN INTENSITY (VISUAL ANALOG SCALE) AND PMS SCALE WERE MEASURED BEFORE, AT THE END OF 15 DAYS, AND 1 MONTH OF TREATMENT PROGRAM. RESULTS: DATA WERE ANALYZED BY PAIRED T-TEST, UNPAIRED T-TEST, AND ONE-WAY ANOVA; AND THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT BOTH AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA MOVEMENTS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PAIN INTENSITY AND PMS SYMPTOMS. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PMS SYMPTOMS WAS FOUND IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH YOGA COMPARED TO AEROBIC EXERCISE; HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND IN PAIN INTENSITY BETWEEN THESE TWO GROUPS (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: IT IS CONCLUDED THAT BOTH AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA MOVEMENTS ARE EFFECTIVE IN TREATING PMS; HOWEVER, YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN RELIEVING THE SYMPTOMS OF PMS THAN AEROBIC EXERCISE. 2019 4 852 29 EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF YOUNG WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE EFFECT OF SPECIALLY DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM ON THE MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF NON-ATHLETE WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA (PD) AGED 18-22 YEARS. THIRTY-FOUR VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO CONTROL AND YOGA GROUPS. MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QOL WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE 12-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. THE YOGA GROUP WAS ASKED TO PRACTICE YOGA FOR 30 MIN PER DAY, TWICE A WEEK, FOR 12 WEEKS AT HOME, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY FORM OF EXERCISE OVER THE STUDY PERIOD. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVE IN MENSTRUAL PAIN, PHYSICAL FITNESS, AND QOL IN THE YOGA GROUP MORE THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. THEREFORE, THIS SPECIALLY DESIGNED YOGA PROGRAM MAY BE A POSSIBLE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR PD. 2017 5 2044 36 THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE MEASURES FOR WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME. OBJECTIVES: RECENTLY, YOGA CLASSES SPECIFICALLY FOR WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) HAVE INCREASED, BUT THERE IS LITTLE RESEARCH ABOUT THE EFFICACY OF THESE CLASSES. THE PRIMARY AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISE ON WOMEN WITH PMS AND TO EVALUATE THE IMMEDIATE CHANGE OF ATTENTION PERFORMANCE AFTER YOGA CLASSES. METHODS: THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE ATTENTION TASK RESULTS OF WOMEN WITH PMS. ELEVEN WOMEN WITH PMS AND 9 WOMEN WITHOUT PMS WERE RECRUITED. THE PMS GROUP TOOK THE TESTS BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE YOGA CLASS BOTH IN THE LUTEAL AND FOLLICULAR PHASE OF ONE MENSTRUAL CYCLE, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP TOOK THE TESTS ONLY TWICE: ONCE IN THE LUTEAL PHASE AND ONCE IN THE FOLLICULAR PHASE. BOTH GROUPS WERE REQUIRED TO FINISH RESTING ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY (EEG) AND COGNITIVE TASK OF THE 2-BACK TASK WITH EEG RECORDING. RESULTS: THE ALPHA BRAIN WAVE PERCENTAGE WAS HIGHER IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOGA EXERCISE IN THE PMS GROUP. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE PARTICIPANTS FELT MORE RELAXED OR WERE IN A MORE PEACEFUL MENTAL CONDITION AFTER YOGA EXERCISE. IN THE 2-BACK TASK, THE PMS GROUP NEEDED A LONGER REACTION TIME TO RESPOND TO THE TARGET STIMULUS IN THE LUTEAL PHASE AND PERFORMED BETTER WITH HIGHER ACCURACY AND SHORTER REACTION TIME AFTER YOGA EXERCISE. THE EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS OF THE EEG RECORDING DISPLAYED A SIGNIFICANT VARIABILITY AT THE P3 AMPLITUDE THROUGHOUT THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE IN THE PMS GROUP, BUT THE P3 AMPLITUDE WAS UNCHANGED THROUGHOUT THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT WOMEN WITH PMS COULD ATTEND SHORT-TERM YOGA EXERCISE IN THE LUTEAL PHASE TO MAKE THEMSELVES FEEL BETTER AND MAINTAIN A BETTER ATTENTION LEVEL. 2015 6 1823 37 PSYCHO-BIOLOGICAL CHANGES WITH ADD ON YOGA NIDRA IN PATIENTS WITH MENSTRUAL DISORDERS: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MENSTRUAL DISORDERS ARE COMMON PROBLEMS AMONG WOMEN IN THE REPRODUCTIVE AGE GROUP. YUGA INTERVENTIONS MAY DECREASE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO MENSTRUAL DISORDERS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA NIDRA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN PATIENTS WITH MENSTRUAL DISORDERS. METHODS: A TOTAL NUMBER OF 100 WOMEN RECRUITED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY AND WERE THEN RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS: A) INTERVENTION RECEIVED YOGIC INTERVENTION AND MEDICATION FOR 6 MONTH, AND B) CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED NO YOGIC INTERVENTION AND THEY ONLY RECEIVED PRESCRIBED MEDICATION). PSYCHOLOGICAL GENERAL WELL-BEING INDEX (PGWBI) AND HORMONAL PROFILE WERE ASSESSED AT THE TIME OF BEFORE AND AFTER SIX MONTHS ON BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: THE MEAN SCORE OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, POSITIVE WELL-BEING, GENERAL HEALTH, AND VITALITY SCORES, AS WELL AS HORMONAL LEVELS, IN POSTTEST WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN INTERVENTION GROUP AS COMPARED WITH PRETEST. BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA NIDRA CAN BE A SUCCESSFUL THERAPY TO OVERCOME THE PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY ASSOCIATED WITH MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES. THEREFORE, YOGIC RELAXATION TRAINING (YOGA NIDRA) COULD BE PRESCRIBED AS AN ADJUNCT TO CONVENTIONAL DRUG THERAPY FOR MENSTRUAL DYSFUNCTION. 2016 7 2136 30 THE EFFECTS OF ACUPRESSURE AND YOGA FOR COPING WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROMES ON PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMS TO IDENTIFY THE EFFECTS OF ACUPRESSURE AND YOGA FOR COPING WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROMES (PMS) ON THE PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. METHODS: THIS STUDY ADOPTED A RANDOMIZED INTERVENTION DESIGN WITH A PRETEST-POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP. THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 155 STUDENTS WITH PMS COMPLAINTS (50 IN YOGA, 51 IN ACUPRESSURE, AND 54 IN CONTROL GROUP). THE STUDENTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUPS DID YOGA AND RECEIVED ACUPRESSURE THROUGHOUT 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME SCALE POSTTEST MEAN SCORE OF THE STUDENTS WAS LOWER, AND THE PHYSICAL HEALTH, PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT SUB-SCALE MEAN SCORES OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE WERE HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER GROUPS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE A MORE EFFECTIVE NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL METHOD FOR COPING WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS. 2021 8 764 39 EFFECT OF THE INFORMATION SUPPORT METHOD COMBINED WITH YOGA EXERCISE ON THE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND SLEEP QUALITY OF MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. BACKGROUND: MENOPAUSE IS A SPECIAL STAGE IN A WOMAN'S LIFE, BUT NO SAFE CLINICAL TREATMENT EXISTS AGAINST MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. TO ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF THE INFORMATION SUPPORT METHOD COMBINED WITH YOGA EXERCISE ON THE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND SLEEP QUALITY OF MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: FROM JUNE 2019 TO DECEMBER 2019, MENOPAUSAL WOMEN WHO WERE NEWLY RECRUITED IN THREE YOGA CLUBS IN THREE CITIES IN EAST CHINA WERE SELECTED AS THE PARTICIPANTS BY CONVENIENCE SAMPLING. A TOTAL OF 52 WOMEN WERE IN THE EXPERIMENT GROUP AND 54 WERE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. IN 24 WEEKS, THE EXPERIMENT GROUP ENGAGED IN YOGA EXERCISE FOR 60 MINUTES EACH TIME, THREE TIMES A WEEK. THEY GROUP WAS GIVEN PROFESSIONAL POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL INFORMATION SUPPORT AT THE SAME TIME. THE KUPPERMAN MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOM DISTRESS SCALE, SELF-RATING DEPRESSION SCALE (SDS), SELF-RATING ANXIETY SCALE (SAS), AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) WERE USED BEFORE THE EXPERIMENT, THREE MONTHS INTO THE EXPERIMENT, AND SIX MONTHS INTO THE EXPERIMENT TO MONITOR THE INTERVENTION EFFECT ON THE PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS AMONG MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN THE EXPERIMENT GROUP AND THE KUPPERMAN SCORE OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUP REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY. REPEATED MEASURES OF ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WERE CONDUCTED IN THE TWO GROUPS (P<0.001). AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE DEPRESSION SCORE OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS IN REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE IN THE SDS SCORE (P<0.001). AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE ANXIETY SCORE OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUP REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND REPEATED MEASURES OF ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE IN THE SAS SCORE WERE CONDUCTED IN THE TWO GROUPS (P<0.001). AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SLEEP QUALITY OF THE EXPERIMENT GROUP IMPROVED, AND REPEATED MEASURES OF ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE CONDUCTED IN THE TWO GROUPS (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: THE INFORMATION SUPPORT METHOD COMBINED WITH YOGA EXERCISE CAN ALLEVIATE THE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OF MENOPAUSAL WOMEN, IMPROVE THEIR SLEEP QUALITY, AND REDUCE THEIR SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSAL DISTRESS. 2020 9 2521 38 YOGA DECREASES INSOMNIA IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS BEEN PROVEN TO HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON REDUCING INSOMNIA. STUDIES HAVE ALSO SHOWN ITS EFFECTS ON REDUCING CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS. TO DATE, HOWEVER, NO STUDIES THAT EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA IN A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS OF POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA. METHODS: POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN NOT UNDERGOING HORMONE THERAPY, WHO WERE 50 TO 65 YEARS OLD, WHO HAD AN APNEA-HYPOPNEA INDEX LESS THAN 15, AND WHO HAD A DIAGNOSIS OF INSOMNIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS, AS FOLLOWS: CONTROL, PASSIVE STRETCHING, AND YOGA. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE ADMINISTERED BEFORE AND 4 MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION TO EVALUATE QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, INSOMNIA SEVERITY, DAYTIME SLEEPINESS, AND STRESS. THE VOLUNTEERS ALSO UNDERWENT POLYSOMNOGRAPHY. THE STUDY LASTED 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WERE 44 VOLUNTEERS AT THE END OF THE STUDY. WHEN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER POSTTREATMENT SCORES FOR CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND INSOMNIA SEVERITY AND HIGHER SCORES FOR QUALITY OF LIFE AND RESISTANCE PHASE OF STRESS. THE REDUCTION IN INSOMNIA SEVERITY IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT IN THE CONTROL AND PASSIVE-STRETCHING GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT A SPECIFIC SEQUENCE OF YOGA MIGHT BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING INSOMNIA AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AS WELL AS IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH INSOMNIA. 2012 10 766 38 EFFECT OF THREE YOGA POSES (COBRA, CAT AND FISH POSES) IN WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: WE HAVE EVALUATED THE CLINICAL EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA OCCURS IN 50% OF FEMALE ADOLESCENTS AND IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE. WE HAVE ASSESSED WHETHER THREE YOGA POSES (COBRA, CAT, AND FISH POSES) ARE ABLE TO REDUCE SEVERITY AND DURATION OF PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. METHODS: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN ADOLESCENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA, 92 GIRL STUDENTS,18-22 YEARS OLD, WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N = 50) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N = 42). THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE FOR PAIN WAS USED TO ASSESS INTENSITY OF PAIN AND THE PAIN DURATION WAS CALCULATED IN TERMS OF HOURS. EACH GROUP WAS EVALUATED FOR THREE MENSTRUAL CYCLES. AT FIRST CYCLE NO METHOD WAS PRESENTED; THE PARTICIPANTS ONLY WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE THE QUESTIONNAIRE OF MENSTRUAL CHARACTERISTICS DURING THEIR MENSTRUAL. THEN THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP TO DO YOGA POSES AT LUTEAL PHASE, AND ALSO TO COMPLETE THE MENSTRUAL CHARACTERISTICS QUESTIONNAIRE IN DURING OF MENSTRUATION. THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INTERVENTION EXCEPT TO COMPLETE MENSTRUAL CHARACTERISTICS QUESTIONNAIRE IN DURING OF MENSTRUATION. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE PAIN INTENSITY AND PAIN DURATION IN THE POST-TESTS COMPARED WITH THE PRETEST IN YOGA GROUP (P < 0.05). THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE PAIN INTENSITY AND PAIN DURATION IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA REDUCED THE SEVERITY AND DURATION OF PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA POSES ARE SAFE AND SIMPLE TREATMENT FOR PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. 2011 11 2109 31 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND LIFE QUALITY OF ASTHMA PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO FIND OUT THE EFFECT OF YOGA APPLIED TO ASTHMA PATIENTS ON THE PATIENTS' RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE. METHODS: THE SAMPLE OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF A TOTAL OF RANDOMLY CHOSEN 112 ASTHMA PATIENTS, 56 IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 56 IN THE CONTROL GROUP, WHO MET THE RESEARCH CRITERIA AND WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. A TOTAL OF 12 YOGA SESSIONS, 2 SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS, WAS APPLIED TO THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INTERVENTION. RESULTS: IN THE INTRAGROUP COMPARISON OF AVERAGE PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SCORES OF RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND ASTHMA CONTROL TEST (ACT) AND ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE (AQLQ) TOTAL AND SUB-DIMENSION SCORES OF THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP, THE DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). IN ADDITION, POST-TEST SCORE AVERAGES WERE FOUND TO INCREASE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, WHILE THEY WERE FOUND TO DECREASE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: IT WAS FOUND THAT YOGA INFLUENCED RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE POSITIVELY IN ASTHMA PATIENTS. THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER IS NCT04107415/HTTPS://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV/CT2/SHOW/NCT04107415. 2020 12 829 33 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVES: TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS USING A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED AND INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES TOTAL MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE (MRS) SCORE AND THREE SUBSCALE SCORES (SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND UROGENITAL) WERE MEASURED ON DAY 1 AND DAY 90 IN THE STUDY GROUP WHICH PERFORMED YOGA (ASANA, PRANAYAM AND MEDITATION) UNDER SUPERVISION FOR THREE MONTHS, AND WERE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP THAT DID NOT PERFORM YOGA. MRS HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO MEASURE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF AGEING WOMEN. IT CONSISTS OF 11 SYMPTOMS AND THREE SUBSCALES. RESULTS: IT WAS OBSERVED THAT ON DAY 1 THE SCORES IN BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE. ON DAY 90, THE SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A REDUCTION IN SCORE ON ALL THE SUBSCALES, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS NOTED IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. 2011 13 1076 32 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 14 998 35 EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP OF PREGNANT WOMEN. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN NORMAL PREGNANT WOMEN. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED AND TWO PREGNANT WOMEN BETWEEN 18 AND 20 WEEKS OF GESTATION WHO MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FROM THE OBSTETRIC UNITS IN BANGALORE AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF YOGA (N = 51) AND CONTROL (N = 51). WOMEN WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS AND THOSE WITH ABNORMAL FETAL PARAMETERS WERE EXCLUDED. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED INTEGRATED YOGA WHILE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, BOTH FOR 1-H THREE TIMES A WEEK FROM 20TH TO 36TH WEEK OF GESTATION. PRE AND POST ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE USING WHOQOL-100 AND FIRO-B QUESTIONNAIRES. RESULTS: OF THE SIX DOMAINS OF WHOQOL-100, BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL IN THE PHYSICAL (P = 0.001), PSYCHOLOGICAL (P < 0.001), SOCIAL (P = 0.003), AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAINS (P = 0.001). IN FIRO-B, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN 'EXPRESSED INCLUSION' (P = 0.02) AND 'WANTED CONTROL' (P = 0.009) DOMAINS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATED YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS MEANS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND ENHANCING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THEIR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. 2010 15 1041 30 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN ELDERLY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. CONTEXT: YOGA AS A LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE ELDERLY FOR SUCH BENEFITS MERITS INVESTIGATION. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) AND SLEEP QUALITY IN THE ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: SINGLE BLIND CONTROLLED STUDY WITH BLOCK RANDOMIZATION OF ELDERLY HOMES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 120 SUBJECTS FROM NINE ELDERLY HOMES WERE RANDOMIZED IN TO YOGA GROUP (N=62) AND WAITLIST GROUP (N=58). SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE GIVEN YOGA INTERVENTION DAILY FOR 1 MONTH AND WEEKLY UNTIL 3 MONTHS AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE YOGA WITHOUT SUPERVISION UNTIL FOR 6 MONTHS. SUBJECTS IN WAITLIST GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION DURING THIS PERIOD. SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL)-BREF FOR MEASURING QOL AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN THE BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: INDEPENDENT T-TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE RESPECTIVELY WAS USED TO MEASURE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF YEARS OF FORMAL EDUCATION. SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE DOMAINS OF QOL AND TOTAL SLEEP QUALITY AFTER CONTROLLING FOR THE EFFECT OF BASELINE DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY OF ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY TO CONFIRM THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR ELDERLY IN QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY. 2013 16 731 36 EFFECT OF MINDFULNESS YOGA ON DEPRESSION SEVERITY, SELF-ESTEEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN MIDDLE-AGED MEN. BACKGROUND: WE AIMED TO CONDUCT A MINDFULNESS YOGA PROGRAM TO TREAT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF MIDDLE-AGED MEN BY EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF A MINDFULNESS YOGA PROGRAM ON DEPRESSION, SELF-ESTEEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THIS POPULATION. METHODS: THE PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 50 MIDDLE-AGED MEN (AGED 40-60 YR) LIVING IN SEONGNAM-SI, KOREA. TWENTY-FIVE MEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 25 WERE ASSIGNED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE MINDFULNESS YOGA PROGRAM WAS CONDUCTED TWICE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS, AND EACH SESSION LASTED APPROXIMATELY 75 MIN. BEFORE THE FIRST SESSION, A PRE-TEST WAS CONDUCTED, AFTER WHICH THE PROGRAM BEGAN. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE COMPLETED AFTER THE 4TH, 8TH, AND 12TH WEEKS OF THE PROGRAM, AND THE CONTROL GROUP UNDERWENT PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS AT THE SAME TIME POINTS. A TWO-WAY (2 X 4) REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS CONDUCTED, AND WHEN THE INTERACTION EFFECT WAS SIGNIFICANT, A POST-HOC TEST (BONFERRONI) WAS PERFORMED. RESULTS: IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP, DEPRESSION SEVERITY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED (P<0.001) AND SELF-ESTEEM SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P<0.01). FURTHERMORE, THE INTERVENTION GROUP ALSO SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL (P<0.001), SOCIAL (P<0.001), AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE (P<0.001) AMONG THE SUB-DIMENSIONS OF QUALITY OF LIFE. CONCLUSION: MIDDLE-AGED MEN SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THE USEFULNESS OF MINDFULNESS YOGA AND ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH PROGRAMS. MINDFULNESS YOGA MAY BE CONSIDERED AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT STRATEGY THAT PROMOTES THE NATURAL HEALING AND MANAGEMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES FACED BY MIDDLE-AGED MEN. 2021 17 723 31 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE FACED WITH SEVERAL STRESS FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. THEREFORE, THE FIRST YEAR AT UNIVERSITY IS A PERIOD THAT CALLS FOR CAREFUL ATTENTION AND RESEARCH. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN NURSING STUDENTS. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY EMPLOYING A PRE-/POST-TEST DESIGN WITH A CONTROL GROUP. A TOTAL OF 75 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE ASSIGNED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY WAS APPLIED TO BOTH GROUPS BEFORE SESSION 1 AND AFTER SESSION 8. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE STUDENTS TO MEASURE THEIR CORTISOL LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION. RESULTS: EVALUATION OF THE MEAN SCORES OBTAINED FROM THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05). IN THREE OUT OF THE EIGHT SESSIONS, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP REGARDING THE MEAN VALUES OF PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA CAN PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE MEANS TO HELP FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS COPE WITH STRESS AND REDUCE MENTAL SYMPTOMS. 2021 18 2119 34 THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON SELECTED PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES AMONG MALE PATIENTS WITH INSOMNIA. BACKGROUND: AN ESTIMATED 30-50% OF THE GENERAL POPULATION IS AFFECTED BY INSOMNIA AND 10% HAVE CHRONIC INSOMNIA. YOGA THERAPY IS BENEFICIAL IN SUCH DISORDERS AND IT HAS FEWER SIDE EFFECTS. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO FIND OUT THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON SELECTED PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES AMONG MEN WITH INSOMNIA. METHODS: FORTY MALES WITH INSOMNIA WERE DIVIDED RANDOMLY INTO 2 GROUPS (THE EXPERIMENTAL AND THE CONTROL GROUPS). THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED EIGHT WEEKS OF YOGA THERAPY, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY THERAPY. THE PRE AND POST TREATMENT STRESS AND THE SELF CONFIDENCE SCORES WERE TAKEN. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE STRESS SCORES AND THE SELF CONFIDENCE SCORES IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THERE WERE NEITHER ANY SIDE EFFECTS NOR ANY DROP OUTS. CONCLUSION: WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OPTION FOR THE PATIENTS WITH INSOMNIA. THERE ARE NO MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS. 2013 19 2189 37 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER. DESIGN: TWENTY PATIENTS (10 WERE IN YOGA PROGRAM, 10 WERE IN EXERCISE GROUP) BETWEEN 65 AND 70 YEARS OF AGE UNDER GOING TREATMENT FOR CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATIENTS WERE RECORDED AND GENERAL PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSESSMENTS PERFORMED. EIGHT SESSIONS OF A CLASSICAL YOGA PROGRAM INCLUDING WARMING AND BREATHING EXERCISES, ASANAS, RELAXATION IN SUPINE POSITION, AND MEDITATION AND 8 SESSIONS OF CLASSICAL EXERCISE PROGRAM WERE APPLIED TO PARTICIPANTS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM, QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENTS FOR THE PATIENTS WERE CONDUCTED USING THE NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE (NHP). PATIENTS' DEPRESSION LEVELS WERE ASSESSED USING THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY. THEIR LEVEL OF PAIN, FATIGUE AND SLEEP QUALITY WAS EVALUATED USING THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS). RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT ALL PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES AFTER THE YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM WERE BETTER THAN SCORES OBTAINED BEFORE THE YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM (P < 0.05). WHEN THE POST TREATMENT DATA OF THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED IN TERMS OF NHP AND SUBCATEGORIES, ER, SI, S, PA AND THE TOTAL SCORES OF NHP WERE FOUND SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN FAVOR OF GROUP I (P < 0.05). HOWEVER EL AND P SCORES OF THE NHP WERE NOT DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE GROUPS (P > 0.05). WHEN THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED IN TERMS OF DEPRESSION, PAIN, FATIGUE, AND SLEEP QUALITY, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN ALL PARAMETERS BETWEEN PRE AND POST TREATMENT VALUES FOR BOTH GROUPS (P < 0.05). WHEN THE POST-TREATMENT VALUES OF THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED, FATIGUE AND SLEEP QUALITY WERE FOUND STATISTICALLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN FAVOR OF GROUP I (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING TO DIMINISH DEPRESSION, PAIN, FATIGUE AND HELPS CANCER PATIENTS TO PERFORM DAILY AND ROUTINE ACTIVITIES, AND INCREASES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2015 20 1550 36 LAUGHTER YOGA VERSUS GROUP EXERCISE PROGRAM IN ELDERLY DEPRESSED WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: LAUGHTER YOGA FOUNDED BY M. KATARIA IS A COMBINATION OF UNCONDITIONED LAUGHTER AND YOGIC BREATHING. ITS EFFECT ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WAS SHOWN TO BE BENEFICIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF KATARIA'S LAUGHTER YOGA AND GROUP EXERCISE THERAPY IN DECREASING DEPRESSION AND INCREASING LIFE SATISFACTION IN OLDER ADULT WOMEN OF A CULTURAL COMMUNITY OF TEHRAN, IRAN. METHODS: SEVENTY DEPRESSED OLD WOMEN WHO WERE MEMBERS OF A CULTURAL COMMUNITY OF TEHRAN WERE CHOSEN BY GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE (SCORE>10). AFTER COMPLETION OF LIFE SATISFACTION SCALE PRE-TEST AND DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE, SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS OF LAUGHTER THERAPY, EXERCISE THERAPY, AND CONTROL. SUBSEQUENTLY, DEPRESSION POST-TEST AND LIFE SATISFACTION POST-TEST WERE DONE FOR ALL THREE GROUPS. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE AND BONFERRONI'S CORRECTION. RESULTS: SIXTY SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE ANALYSIS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN DECREASE IN DEPRESSION SCORES OF BOTH LAUGHTER YOGA AND EXERCISE THERAPY GROUP IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001 AND P<0.01, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAUGHTER YOGA AND EXERCISE THERAPY GROUPS. THE INCREASE IN LIFE SATISFACTION OF LAUGHTER YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN COMPARISON WITH CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN EXERCISE THERAPY AND EITHER CONTROL OR LAUGHTER YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: OUR FINDINGS SHOWED THAT LAUGHTER YOGA IS AT LEAST AS EFFECTIVE AS GROUP EXERCISE PROGRAM IN IMPROVEMENT OF DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION OF ELDERLY DEPRESSED WOMEN. 2011