1 1245 153 FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A COMMUNITY-BASED RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. BACKGROUND: TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DECREASED HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) FREQUENTLY OCCUR DURING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. ALTHOUGH RESEARCH FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVE HRQOL AFTER TREATMENT, POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA DURING CHEMOTHERAPY HAVE RECEIVED MINIMAL ATTENTION. OBJECTIVE: TO ESTIMATE ACCRUAL, ADHERENCE, STUDY RETENTION, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: WOMEN WITH STAGE I-III BREAST CANCER WERE RECRUITED FROM 3 COMMUNITY CANCER CLINICS AND RANDOMIZED TO 10 WEEKS OF GENTLE YOGA OR WELLNESS EDUCATION. DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND HRQOL WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, MID-INTERVENTION (WEEK 5), AND AFTER INTERVENTION (WEEK 10). RESULTS: 40 WOMEN AGED 29-83 YEARS (MEDIAN, 48 YEARS; 88% WHITE) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 22) OR WELLNESS EDUCATION (N = 18). THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS, ADHERENCE, OR STUDY RETENTION. PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK WAS POSITIVE AND COMPARABLE BETWEEN GROUPS. MEANINGFUL WITHIN-GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE IDENTIFIED FOR SLEEP ADEQUACY AND QUANTITY IN YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND FOR SOMNOLENCE IN WELLNESS-EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS. LIMITATIONS: SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND LACK OF A USUAL-CARE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY ESTABLISHED FEASIBILITY OF A COMMUNITY-BASED RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF YOGA AND AN ACTIVE COMPARISON GROUP FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. PRELIMINARY EFFICACY ESTIMATES SUGGEST THAT YOGA IMPROVES SLEEP ADEQUACY SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND INTERFERENCE REMAINED STABLE DURING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND SNOWED A TREND TOWARD INCREASING IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE STUDY HIGHLIGHTED OBSTACLES TO MULTISITE YOGA RESEARCH DURING CANCER TREATMENT. FUNDING/SPONSORSHIP: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (3U10 CA081851, PI; SHAW; R25 CA122061, PI: AVIS); TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE INSTITUTE, WAKE FOREST SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. 2015 2 206 35 A SELF-DIRECTED HOME YOGA PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER DURING CHEMOTHERAPY: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST YOGA AS A PROMISING APPROACH FOR IMPROVING THE COGNITIVE FUNCTION OF CANCER SURVIVORS. WE STUDIED WHETHER A SELF-DIRECTED HOME YOGA PROGRAMME WAS FEASIBLE FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS' PREFERENCES FOR THE TYPE OF YOGA COURSE AND THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF THE PROGRAMME WERE ALSO ASSESSED. IN THIS STUDY, 18 WOMEN (MEAN AGE, 43.9 YEARS) WERE ENROLLED (44.7% RECRUITMENT RATE). OF THE PARTICIPANTS, 63.6% HAD STAGE II CANCER AND 71.4% RECEIVED ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. FAVOURABLE RETENTION (86%), ADHERENCE (94.4%) AND ACCEPTABILITY (96.5%) RATES WERE DETERMINED. MOST (94.4%) OF THE WOMEN PRACTICED THE HOME PROGRAMME MORE THAN TWICE A WEEK ON AVERAGE. THE PARTICIPANTS PREFERRED TO GRADUALLY INCREASE THE INTENSITY OF THE EXERCISES. WE ONLY OBSERVED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COGNITIVE ASPECTS OF FATIGUE. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE ENCOUNTERED DURING THE PROGRAMME. THIS SELF-DIRECTED HOME YOGA PROGRAMME WAS SAFE AND FEASIBLE FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. 2016 3 97 36 A NONRANDOMIZED COMPARISON STUDY OF SELF-HYPNOSIS, YOGA, AND COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY TO REDUCE EMOTIONAL DISTRESS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THE AUTHORS ASKED BREAST CANCER (BC) PATIENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN 1 OF 3 MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS (COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT), YOGA, OR SELF-HYPNOSIS) TO EXPLORE THEIR FEASIBILITY, EASE OF COMPLIANCE, AND IMPACT ON THE PARTICIPANTS' DISTRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), SLEEP, AND MENTAL ADJUSTMENT. NINETY-NINE PATIENTS COMPLETED AN INTERVENTION (CBT: N = 10; YOGA: N = 21; AND SELF-HYPNOSIS: N = 68). RESULTS SHOWED HIGH FEASIBILITY AND HIGH COMPLIANCE. AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT IN THE CBT GROUP BUT SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECTS ON DISTRESS IN THE YOGA AND SELF-HYPNOSIS GROUPS, AND, ALSO, ON QOL, SLEEP, AND MENTAL ADJUSTMENT IN THE SELF-HYPNOSIS GROUP. IN CONCLUSION, MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS CAN DECREASE DISTRESS IN BC PATIENTS, BUT RCTS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2017 4 2579 39 YOGA FOR HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED FEASIBILITY STUDY. AN INCREASE IN PATIENT-LED UPTAKE OF COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES IN ADULT CANCER HAS LED TO A NEED FOR MORE RIGOROUS STUDY OF SUCH INTERVENTIONS AND THEIR OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY THEREFORE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION IN MEN AND WOMEN RECEIVING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT FOR A CANCER DIAGNOSIS. PROSPECTIVE, MIXED METHODS FEASIBILITY TRIAL ALLOCATED PARTICIPANTS TO RECEIVE ONE OF THREE YOGA INTERVENTIONS OVER A FOUR-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. DATA COLLECTION WAS COMPLETED THROUGH ONLINE SURVEY OF QOL-CA/CS AND CUSTOMIZED SURVEYS. FIFTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED (11 FEMALE) UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR BREAST, PROSTATE, COLORECTAL, BRAIN, AND BLOOD AND LUNG CANCER. TWO PARTICIPANTS DROPPED OUT AND COMPLETE QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA SETS WERE COLLECTED FROM 12 PARTICIPANTS AND FOUR YOGA INSTRUCTORS. OTHER OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED IMPLEMENTATION COSTS PATIENT-REPORTED PREFERENCES FOR YOGA INTERVENTION AND CHANGES IN QOL-CA/CS. THREE TYPES OF YOGA INTERVENTION WERE SAFELY ADMINISTERED IN ADULT CANCER. MIXED METHODS, COST-EFFICIENCY, QOL-CA/CS, AND EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN OF YOGA INTERVENTION HAVE BEEN USED TO ESTABLISH FEASIBILITY AND PATIENT-PREFERENCES FOR YOGA DELIVERY IN ADULT CANER. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT, WITH SOME METHODOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS, A LARGE-SCALE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IS WARRANTED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR MALE AND FEMALE CANCER PATIENTS. THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02309112. 2015 5 2096 57 THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISE ON IMPROVING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE ARE AMONG THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS THAT INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO RECEIVE ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. ALTHOUGH EVIDENCE HAS SHOWN YOGA TO DECREASE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER, FEW STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA HAVE TARGETED PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. YOGA INTERVENTIONS SHOULD BE TESTED TO PROMOTE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM IN PROMOTING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN TERMS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE. METHODS: A SAMPLE OF 60 WOMEN WITH NONMETASTATIC BREAST CANCER WAS RECRUITED. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO EITHER THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N = 30) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 30). A 60-MINUTE, TWICE-PER-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE WAS IMPLEMENTED FOR 8 WEEKS AS THE INTERVENTION FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD CARE ONLY. RESULTS: ANALYSIS USING THE JOHNSON-NEYMAN PROCEDURE FOUND THAT THE YOGA EXERCISE REDUCED OVERALL FATIGUE AND THE INTERFERENCE OF FATIGUE IN EVERYDAY LIFE FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PARTICIPANTS. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS WERE OBTAINED AFTER 4 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION PARTICIPATION FOR THOSE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PATIENTS WITH RELATIVELY LOW STARTING BASELINE VALUES (BASELINE ITEM MEAN VALUE < 3.31 AND 3.22, RESPECTIVELY) AND AFTER 8 WEEKS FOR MOST PATIENTS (APPROXIMATELY 75%) WITH MODERATE STARTING BASELINE VALUES (BASELINE ITEM MEAN VALUE < 7.30 AND 5.34, RESPECTIVELY). THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE LEVELS OF DEPRESSION (F = 1.29, P > .05) OR ANXIETY (F = 2.7, P > .05). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: THE 8-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM DEVELOPED IN THIS STUDY EFFECTIVELY REDUCED FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER BUT DID NOT REDUCE DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. ONCOLOGY NURSES SHOULD STRENGTHEN THEIR CLINICAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND APPLY YOGA TO REDUCE THE FATIGUE EXPERIENCED BY PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO UNDERGO ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. 2014 6 1564 49 LONGITUDINAL IMPACT OF YOGA ON CHEMOTHERAPY-RELATED COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER: A CASE SERIES. PURPOSE: ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER HAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE CURE RATE; HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CHEMOTHERAPY-RELATED COGNITIVE IMPACT (CRCI). THE LITERATURE PROVIDES PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR THE GENERAL CANCER POPULATION, HOWEVER, CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE SCARCE AND NO STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITION FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER DURING CHEMOTHERAPY. THIS CASE SERIES AIMS TO IDENTIFY THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON MEASURES OF COGNITION, FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (BCS). METHODS: FOUR WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF EARLY-STAGE BREAST CANCER PRIOR TO CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT WERE ADMINISTERED THE FOLLOWING PHYSIOLOGIC MEASURES AT BASELINE, 6, AND 12 WEEKS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY, AND AT ONE AND THREE MONTHS AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY: FUNCTIONAL REACH TEST (BALANCE) AND SIT AND REACH TEST (FLEXIBILITY), AND QOL, POMS (MOOD) AND FACT-B (QOL), AT BASELINE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES OF COGNITION WERE MEASURED WITH THE PERCEIVED COGNITION QUESTIONNAIRE (PCQ) AND COGSTATE, A COMPUTERIZED MEASUREMENT OF COGNITION. WOMEN ATTENDED AN IYENGAR-INSPIRED YOGA PROGRAM TWICE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. QUALITATIVE QUESTIONNAIRES WERE ADMINISTERED AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE STUDY TO DETERMINE PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF THE YOGA PROGRAM. RESULTS: FOUR WOMEN WITH STAGE II BREAST CANCER RANGED IN AGE FROM 44-65 YEARS. COGSTATE COMPUTERIZED TESTING SHOWED CHANGES IN VARYING DOMAINS OF COGNITION THROUGH TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP. IMPROVED BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND QOL WERE ALSO NOTED OVER TIME. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE OBSERVED. ANALYSIS OF QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELPFUL AND SUBJECTS CONTINUED THE PRACTICE ELEMENTS OF YOGA INCLUDING RELAXATION, BREATHING, AND STRETCHING. THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF THE STUDY WAS PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS DUE TO VARIOUS MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS AND INCLUDED FATIGUE, DECREASED RANGE OF MOTION, AND PAIN. CONCLUSION: THIS CASE SERIES SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY IMPACT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF COGNITION DURING AND AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY ADMINISTRATION AS NOTED THROUGH QUANTITATIVE MEASURES. WOMEN DESCRIBE YOGA AS IMPROVING VARIOUS DOMAINS OF QOL THROUGH THE TREATMENT TRAJECTORY. THIS MIND-BODY INTERVENTION MAY STAVE OFF CRCI; HOWEVER, FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED FOR ADDITIONAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITION FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT. 2012 7 1232 50 FEASIBILITY AND POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF PARTNER-SUPPORTED YOGA ON PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION AMONG LUNG CANCER PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DECLINES IN PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION DURING AND AFTER TREATMENT THAT IMPACT QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND SURVIVAL. YOGA IS A POTENTIAL STRATEGY TO MITIGATE FUNCTIONAL DECLINE AMONG PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER. METHODS: A SINGLE GROUP 12-WEEK PILOT TRIAL OF LOW-MODERATE INTENSITY YOGA AMONG PATIENTS WITH STAGE I-IV LUNG CANCER AND THEIR PARTNERS (N = 46; 23 PATIENT-PARTNER DYADS) DURING CANCER TREATMENT FROM TWO HOSPITAL SYSTEMS. FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, AND COHEN D EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED AT 6 AND 12-WEEKS FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL OUTCOMES USING VALIDATED QUESTIONNAIRES AND ASSESSMENTS. RESULTS: AT 6 AND 12-WEEKS, RETENTION WAS 65% AND WITHDRAWALS WERE MAINLY DUE TO DISEASE PROGRESSION. AMONG STUDY COMPLETERS (N = 26; 13 DYADS) ADHERENCE WAS 80%. COMPARING BASELINE TO 12-WEEK MEASUREMENTS, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, AND SLEEP DISTURBANCE IMPROVED IN 54% OF PARTICIPANTS FOR ALL THREE MEASURES (COHEN'S D = 0.40-0.53). QOL IMPROVED IN 77% OF PARTICIPANTS (COHEN'S D = 0.34). UPPER AND LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY, AND LOWER BODY STRENGTH IMPROVED IN 92%, 85% AND 77% OF PARTICIPANTS, RESPECTIVELY (COHEN'S D = 0.39-1.08). SIX-MINUTE WALK TEST IMPROVED IN 62% OF PARTICIPANTS AN AVERAGE OF 32 METERS (SD = 11.3; COHEN'S D = 0.17). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: AMONG PATIENTS WITH STAGE I-IV LUNG CANCER INCLUDING ACTIVE TREATMENT, A 12-WEEK PARTNER-SUPPORTED YOGA PROGRAM IS FEASIBLE, ACCEPTABLE, AND IMPROVED PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION. LOW-INTENSITY YOGA MAY BE A COMPLIMENTARY APPROACH TO REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF CANCER TREATMENT, HOWEVER, MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF PARTNER-SUPPORTED YOGA TO MITIGATE FUNCTIONAL DECLINE. 2021 8 2155 47 THE EFFECTS OF THE BALI YOGA PROGRAM (BYP-BC) ON REDUCING PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY: RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED, PARTIALLY BLINDED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND SEVERAL COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO REDUCE PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER (BC) PATIENTS. THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION IN REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN BC PATIENTS. METHODS THIS STUDY WAS A RANDOMIZED, PARTIALLY BLINDED, CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING A STANDARDIZED YOGA INTERVENTION TO STANDARD CARE. IT WAS CONDUCTED AT THREE MEDICAL CENTERS IN MONTREAL, CANADA. ELIGIBLE PATIENTS WERE WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE I-III BC RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IMMEDIATELY (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, N=58) OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (N=43 CONTROL GROUP). THE BALI YOGA PROGRAM FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS (BYP-BC) CONSISTED OF 23 GENTLE HATHA ASANAS (POSES), 2 PRAYANAMAS (BREATHING TECHNIQUES), SHAVASANAS (RELAXATION CORPSE POSES) AND PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL THEMES. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED EIGHT WEEKLY SESSIONS LASTING 90 MIN EACH AND RECEIVED A DVD FOR HOME PRACTICE WITH 20- AND 40-MIN SESSIONS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD CARE DURING THE 8-WEEK WAITING PERIOD. RESULTS A TOTAL OF 101 PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN THE FINAL INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS INCREASED IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.007), WHILE NO CHANGE WAS REPORTED IN THE BYP-BC GROUP (P=0.29). ALSO, DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS DECREASED IN THE WL CONTROL GROUP AFTER RECEIVING THE BYP-BC INTERVENTION (P=0.03). FINALLY, THERE WAS NO STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN TERMS OF ANXIETY SYMPTOMS (P=0.10). CONCLUSIONS RESULTS SUPPORT THE BYP-BC INTERVENTION AS A BENEFICIAL MEANS OF REDUCING AND PREVENTING THE WORSENING OF DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT. 2016 9 290 46 ADJUNCTIVE YOGA V. HEALTH EDUCATION FOR PERSISTENT MAJOR DEPRESSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER HATHA YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CONTINUED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS DESPITE ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT. METHOD: WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES (N = 63) V. HEALTH EDUCATION CLASSES (HEALTHY LIVING WORKSHOP; HLW; N = 59) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION USE. HLW SERVED AS AN ATTENTION-CONTROL GROUP. THE INTERVENTION PERIOD WAS 10 WEEKS, WITH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS 3 AND 6 MONTHS AFTERWARDS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SEVERITY ASSESSED BY BLIND RATER AT 10 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIODS, SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING, GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS, PAIN, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: AT 10 WEEKS, WE DID NOT FIND A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS (B = -0.82, S.E. = 0.88, P = 0.36). HOWEVER, OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, WHEN CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED LOWER LEVELS OF DEPRESSION THAN HLW PARTICIPANTS (B = -1.38, S.E. = 0.57, P = 0.02). AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, 51% OF YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A RESPONSE (50% REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS) COMPARED WITH 31% OF HLW PARTICIPANTS (ODDS RATIO = 2.31; P = 0.04). YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING AND GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT SEE A DIFFERENCE IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED FEWER DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY ACCUMULATE OVER TIME. 2017 10 594 39 DEVELOPMENT AND FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN (CPP) AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF THIS PROGRAM ON PAIN SEVERITY, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND WELL-BEING. METHODS: A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM FOR CPP WAS DEVELOPED BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL OF CLINICIANS, RESEARCHERS, AND YOGA CONSULTANTS. WOMEN REPORTING MODERATE TO SEVERE PELVIC PAIN FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS WERE RECRUITED INTO A SINGLE-ARM TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWICE WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES FOCUSING ON IYENGAR-BASED YOGA TECHNIQUES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE YOGA AT HOME AN HOUR A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS SELF-RATED THE SEVERITY OF THEIR PELVIC PAIN USING DAILY LOGS. THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPANTS' PAIN ON EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS ASSESSED USING AN IMPACT OF PELVIC PAIN (IPP) QUESTIONNAIRE. SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS FURTHER ASSESSED USING THE SEXUAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN WOMEN QUESTIONNAIRE (SHOW-Q). RESULTS: AMONG THE 16 PARTICIPANTS (AGE RANGE = 31-64 YEARS), AVERAGE RATINGS OF THE SEVERITY OF PAIN "AT ITS WORST," "AT ITS BEST," AND "ON AVERAGE" DECREASED BY 29%, 32%, AND 34%, RESPECTIVELY, FROM START TO SIX WEEKS (P < 0.05 FOR ALL). WOMEN DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENTS IN SCORES ON IPP SUBSCALES FOR DAILY ACTIVITIES (1.8 +/- 0.7 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P < 0.001), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (1.7 +/- 0.9 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P = 0.005), AND SEXUAL FUNCTION (1.9 +/- 1.1 TO 1.0 +/- 0.9, P = 0.04). SCORES ON THE SHOW-Q "PELVIC PROBLEM INTERFERENCE" SCALE ALSO IMPROVED OVER SIX WEEKS (53 +/- 23 TO 27 +/- 23, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF THE FEASIBILITY OF TEACHING WOMEN WITH CPP TO PRACTICE YOGA TO SELF-MANAGE PAIN AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SEXUAL FUNCTION. 2017 11 459 42 CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WITH IYENGAR YOGA IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK (NCLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG ADULT POPULATION AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND HIGHER HEALTHCARE COSTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) WITH NCLBP. AIM OF THE STUDY: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY AND CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH RANDOM SAMPLING TECHNIQUE. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: SIXTY SUBJECTS WHO FULFILLED THE SELECTION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO IYENGAR YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N = 30) AND CONTROL GROUP (EXERCISE GROUP, N = 30). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED LOW BACK PAIN EVALUATION FORM AND HRQOL-4 QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE THEIR INTERVENTION AND AGAIN 4 WEEKS AND 6 MONTH LATER. YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 29 YOGIC POSTURES TRAINING AND EXERCISE GROUP HAD UNDERGONE GENERAL EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR 4 WEEKS. STATISTICS: REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME, WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PAIN AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL. IN VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 72.81% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 42.50% (P = 0.001). IN HRQOL, YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 86.99% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 67.66% (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA PROVIDES BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC BACK PAIN THAN GENERAL EXERCISE. 2014 12 1085 43 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, FATIGUE, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EMPLOYEES OF DIAMOND INDUSTRY: A NEW APPROACH IN EMPLOYEE WELLNESS. BACKGROUND: DIAMOND INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES OFTEN EXPERIENCE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, AND STRESS, CONTRIBUTING TO A LOW QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA IS AN ANCIENT DISCIPLINE OF MIND-BODY PRACTICE YOGA HAS NUMEROUS HEALTH BENEFITS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFICACY OF WORKPLACE YOGA IN IMPROVING STRESS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, AND QOL AMONG EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY. METHODS: ONE-HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 AND 60 PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 84) OR WAITLIST (N = 82) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED ONE HOUR OF YOGA, FOUR DAYS A WEEK FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAITLIST GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR DAILY ROUTINES. MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, STRESS, AND QOL WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER THREE MONTHS. RESULTS: ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE EMPLOYEES COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN, PERCEIVED STRESS, FATIGUE, AND QOL DOMAINS AFTER THREE MONTHS COMPARED TO BASELINE. THE WAITLIST GROUP SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ANY OF THE MEASURES. IN THE POST SCORES COMPARISON BETWEEN THE GROUPS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: WORKPLACE YOGA FOUND TO BE A USEFUL, COST-EFFECTIVE AND FEASIBLE INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING STRESS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUES AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY. YOGA MAY BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE WORKPLACE AS A WELLNESS PROGRAM AT THE WORKPLACE. 2021 13 2653 53 YOGA IMPROVES OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, DEPRESSION, AND DAILY ACTIVITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC PAIN IS A COMPLEX ACCUMULATION OF PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS, THUS INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS PAIN AND PROMOTE OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE ARE NEEDED. A HOLISTIC INTERVENTION, WITH MIND AND BODY COMPONENTS, IS LIKELY NECESSARY TO BEST TREAT THE COMPLEXITIES OF CHRONIC PAIN. THUS, WE DEVELOPED AND TESTED A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN. OBJECTIVES: IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL (RCT), PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA INTERVENTION OR USUAL CARE GROUP. BETWEEN AND WITHIN GROUP DIFFERENCES FOR PRE-AND POST-OUTCOME MEASURE SCORES WERE ASSESSED FOR: OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, COMPLETION OF ACTIVITIES, AND DEPRESSION. METHODS: PILOT RCT WITH PARTICIPANT ALLOCATION TO 8 WEEKS OF YOGA OR USUAL CARE. BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED ONGOING MONTHLY SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMING. DATA WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR USUAL CARE AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENTS. DEMOGRAPHICS WERE COLLECTED AND MEASURES INCLUDED: CANADIAN OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE MEASURE (COPM) TO ASSESS OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE; THE 15-ITEM FRENCHAY ACTIVITIES INDEX (FAI)(ACTIVITIES); AND THE 9-ITEM PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE (PHQ-9) FOR DEPRESSION. INDEPENDENT T-TESTS WERE USED TO ASSESS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. PAIRED T-TESTS WERE USED TO ASSESS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRE- AND POST 8-WEEK INTERVENTION FOR BOTH THE YOGA AND THE USUAL CARE GROUPS. PERCENT CHANGE SCORES AND EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: 83 PEOPLE WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY AND COMPLETED BASELINE ASSESSMENTS; 44 INDIVIDUALS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA AND 39 TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE AVERAGE AGE OF ALL PARTICIPANTS WAS 51.4+/-10.5 YEARS, 68% WERE FEMALE; AND 60% HAD AT LEAST SOME COLLEGE EDUCATION. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN DEMOGRAPHICS OR OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN GROUPS AT BASELINE OR 8 WEEKS; HOWEVER, THE STUDY WAS NOT POWERED TO SEE SUCH DIFFERENCES. INDIVIDUALS RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE IN ANY OUTCOME MEASURE OVER THE 8 WEEKS. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN COPM PERFORMANCE AND COPM SATISFACTION SCORES FOR INDIVIDUALS RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA GROUP; BOTH SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. COPM PERFORMANCE IMPROVED BY 27% WITH A MODERATE TO LARGE EFFECT SIZE (3.66+/-1.85 VS 4.66+/-1.93, P < 0.001, D = 0.76). COPM SATISFACTION SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED BY 78% (2.14+/-2.31 VS. 3.80+/-2.50, P < 0.001) AND HAD A LARGE EFFECTS SIZE (D = 1.02). FAI SCORES IMPROVED, INDICATING INCREASED ACTIVITY OR ENGAGEMENT IN DAILY OCCUPATION DURING THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. SCORES INCREASED BY 5% (38.13+/-8.48 VS. 39.90+/-8.57, P = 0.024) WITH A SMALL EFFECT SIZE (D = 0.37). DEPRESSION SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED FROM 13.21+/-5.60 TO 11.41+/-5.82, P = 0.041, WITH A SMALL EFFECT SIZE. CONCLUSION: DATA FROM THIS PILOT RCT INDICATE YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION WITH PEOPLE IN CHRONIC PAIN TO IMPROVE OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, INCREASE ENGAGEMENT IN ACTIVITIES, AND DECREASE DEPRESSION. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTITIONERS MAY CONSIDER ADDING YOGA AS A TREATMENT INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH PAIN. 2019 14 2896 34 [EFFECT OF YOGA ON CANCER RELATED FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH CHEMOTHERAPY]. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE CONDITION OF CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE (CRF) IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH CHEMOTHERAPY AND TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON IT. METHODS: AFTER THE COMPLETION OF YOGA, 100 BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH CRF (CFS>0) WERE SELECTED AND WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO THE YOGA GROUP AND THE CONTROL GROUP (N=50). PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP ONLY RECEIVED ROUTINE CURE AND CARE WHILE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED EXTRA YOGA EXERCISE, LASTING FOR 4 MONTHS. CANCER FATIGUE SCALE (CFS) WAS EVALUATED IN THE 2ND, 4TH AND 6TH ROUND OF CHEMOTHERAPY. RESULTS: AT THE END, 82 CASES QUALIFIED FOR THE STUDY, 42 CASES FOR THE CONTROL GROUP AND 40 FOR THE YOGA GROUP. THE MEAN SCORE OF BODY FATIGUE WAS 12.67+/-3.46. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN CRF BETWEEN THE YAGO GROUP AND THE CONTROL GROUP BEFORE THE YOGA INTERVENTION (P>0.05). AFTER THE 4TH ROUND OF CHEMOTHERAPY, THE MEAN SCORES OF CFS AND BODY FATIGUE IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.05). AFTER THE 6TH ROUND OF CHEMOTHERAPY, THE MEAN SCORES OF CFS, BODY FATIGUE AND COGNITIVE FATIGUE IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE LOWER THAN THAT IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.05). REPEATED ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE SHOWED THAT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE OVERALL FATIGUE, BODY FATIGUE AND COGNITIVE FATIGUE BETWEEN THE YOGA GROUP AND THE CONTROL GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05); THE TIME INFLUENCE ON THE OVERALL FATIGUE, BODY FATIGUE AND EMOTIONAL FATIGUE WAS SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS (P<0.05); THERE WERE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE EFFECT OF YAGO AND TIME ON THE OVERALL FATIGUE, BODY FATIGUE AND COGNITIVE FATIGUE (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: THE BODY FATIGUE WAS MORE SERIOUS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH CHEMOTHERAPY. YOGA INTERVENTION COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE BODY FATIGUE, COGNITIVE FATIGUE, THUS REDUCE THE OVERALL FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH CHEMOTHERAPY. 2014 15 1226 40 FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF A SHARED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. THE PURPOSE OF THE CURRENT STUDY WAS TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF A SHARED YOGA (SY) PROGRAM FOR SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN OLDER ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA). PARTICIPANTS (AGES 50 TO 72) WITH INSOMNIA RELATED TO OA WERE RANDOMIZED TO 12 WEEKS OF SY (N = 9) OR INDIVIDUAL YOGA (IY; N = 7). THE SAMPLE WAS 53% MALE AND 41% SELF-IDENTIFIED AS A RACE OTHER THAN WHITE/CAUCASIAN. THE GROUPS DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFER IN CLASS ATTENDANCE, HOME PRACTICE, OR CHANGE SCORES ON EFFICACY OUTCOMES. PRE-POST COMPARISONS IN ALL PARTICIPANTS SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS ON THE INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX AND PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT SYSTEM SLEEP DISTURBANCE SCALE. FINDINGS SUPPORT THE OVERALL FEASIBILITY OF THE PROGRAM, BOTH IN THE SHARED AND INDIVIDUAL FORMATS. EFFICACY DATA SUGGEST THAT THIS YOGA PROGRAM MAY IMPROVE SLEEP, BUT GIVEN THE STUDY LIMITATIONS, FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS. [JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING, XX(X), XX-XX.]. 2017 16 1380 36 IMPACT OF LONG TERM YOGA PRACTICE ON SLEEP QUALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE ELDERLY. BACKGROUND: SLEEP DISTURBANCES AND DECLINE IN THE PHYSICAL FUNCTIONALITY ARE COMMON CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH AGING. PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS ADVERSE EFFECTS. SHORT TERM TRIALS OF YOGA ON SLEEP HAVE SHOWN BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM YOGA EXERCISES ON SLEEP QUALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN THE ELDERLY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS WAS A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN WHICH DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM ELDERLY PEOPLE AGED 60 YEARS OR MORE LIVING IN NAGPUR CITY. WE EMPLOYED TWO TYPES OF SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES: PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) AND QOL LEIDEN-PADUA (LEIPAD) QUESTIONNAIRE. A TOTAL OF 65 ELDERLY MEN AND WOMEN WHO SIGNED AN INFORMED CONSENT AND COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. SLEEP QUALITY SCORE PSQI AND QOL (LEIPAD QUESTIONNAIRE) SCORE OF THE STUDY GROUP WERE EVALUATED AND COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP USING MANN-WHITNEY U TEST. RESULTS: TOTAL PSQI SCORE IN YOGA GROUP WAS LOWER THAN THAT OF THE CONTROL GROUP. ALSO VARIOUS QOL SCORES OF THE YOGA GROUPS WERE HIGHER THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: ADDITION OF REGULAR YOGA EXERCISES IN THE DAILY ROUTINE OF ELDERLY PEOPLE CAN HELP TO ACHIEVE GOOD SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS IMPROVE THE QOL. 2013 17 123 45 A PILOT STUDY OF YOGA FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. BACKGROUND: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROVIDES A NUMBER OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS TO CANCER SURVIVORS, INCLUDING LESSENING THE IMPACT OF DETRIMENTAL CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT SIDE-EFFECTS (E.G. FATIGUE, NAUSEA), AND IMPROVING OVERALL WELL-BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS AFFORDED BY A 7-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. METHOD: ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS (PER-SCREENED WITH PAR-Q/PAR-MED-X) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE INTERVENTION (N=20) OR CONTROL GROUP (N=18). ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED PRE- AND POST-TESTING ASSESSMENTS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: THE YOGA PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS (M AGE=51.18 (10.33); 92% FEMALE) INCLUDED PRIMARILY BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, ON AVERAGE 55.95 (54.39) MONTHS POST-DIAGNOSIS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE INTERVENTION AND THE CONTROL GROUP AT POST-INTERVENTION WERE SEEN ONLY IN PSYCHOSOCIAL (I.E. GLOBAL QUALITY OF LIFE, EMOTIONAL FUNCTION, AND DIARRHEA) VARIABLES (ALL P'S <0.05). THERE WERE ALSO TRENDS FOR GROUP DIFFERENCES, IN THE HYPOTHESIZED DIRECTIONS, FOR THE PSYCHOSOCIAL VARIABLES OF EMOTIONAL IRRITABILITY, GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS, COGNITIVE DISORGANIZATION, MOOD DISTURBANCE, TENSION, DEPRESSION, AND CONFUSION (ALL P'S <0.10). FINALLY, THERE WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND THE CONTROLS FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION ON A NUMBER OF PHYSICAL FITNESS VARIABLES. CONCLUSIONS: THESE INITIAL FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL AND SHOULD BE FURTHER EXPLORED AS A BENEFICIAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. FUTURE RESEARCH MIGHT ATTEMPT TO INCLUDE A BROADER RANGE OF PARTICIPANTS (E.G. OTHER TYPES OF CANCER DIAGNOSES, MALE SUBJECTS), A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE, AND A LONGER PROGRAM DURATION IN AN RCT. 2006 18 2207 36 THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFITS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER OUT-PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: INCREASING RATES OF SURVIVAL PRESENT A NEW SET OF PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL CHALLENGES FOR CHILDREN UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR CANCER. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TO MITIGATE THE SIGNIFICANT BURDEN OF CANCER AND ITS TREATMENTS, WITH YOGA INCREASINGLY GAINING RECOGNITION AS A GENTLE ALTERNATIVE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFITS OF A 12-WEEK COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL), SELECT PHYSICAL FITNESS OUTCOMES AND PA LEVELS (PAL). PROCEDURE: EIGHT PEDIATRIC CANCER OUT-PATIENTS (4 MALE; 4 FEMALE; MAGE = 11.88, SD = 4.26) PARTICIPATED IN THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF SUPERVISED YOGA SESSIONS 2 TIMES/WEEK. PARTICIPANTS (PATIENTS AND PARENT PROXIES) COMPLETED MEASURES ASSESSING HRQL, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PAL AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: RATES OF RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, ATTENDANCE AND ADVERSE EVENTS INDICATED THE PROGRAM WAS FEASIBLE. WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TESTS INDICATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS FOR PATIENT (P = 0.02) AND PARENT REPORTED HRQL (P = 0.03), FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY (P = 0.01), HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY (LEFT, P = 0.01 AND RIGHT P = 0.02), AND TOTAL PAL (P = 0.02) PRE TO POST INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THIS 12-WEEK COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE AND PROVIDES PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FOR THE BENEFITS OF YOGA ON HRQL, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PAL IN PEDIATRIC CANCER OUT-PATIENTS. IN A POPULATION WHERE SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR AND THE ASSOCIATED CO-MORBIDITIES ARE A GROWING CONCERN, THESE RESULTS PROMOTE THE CONTINUED EXPLORATION OF YOGA PROGRAMMING. 2014 19 1267 40 FOLLOW-UP OF YOGA OF AWARENESS FOR FIBROMYALGIA: RESULTS AT 3 MONTHS AND REPLICATION IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP. OBJECTIVES: PUBLISHED PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL SUGGEST THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA OF AWARENESS INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING SYMPTOMS, FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS, AND COPING ABILITIES IN FIBROMYALGIA. THE PRIMARY AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO EVALUATE THE SAME INTERVENTION'S POSTTREATMENT EFFECTS IN A WAIT-LIST GROUP AND TO TEST THE INTERVENTION'S EFFECTS AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. METHODS: UNPAIRED T TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE DATA FROM A PER PROTOCOL SAMPLE OF 21 WOMEN IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT AND 18 WOMEN IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT. WITHIN-GROUP PAIRED T TESTS WERE PERFORMED TO COMPARE POSTTREATMENT DATA WITH 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP DATA IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE FIBROMYALGIA IMPACT QUESTIONNAIRE REVISED (FIQR). MULTILEVEL RANDOM-EFFECTS MODELS WERE ALSO USED TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE RATES AND OUTCOMES. RESULTS: POSTTREATMENT RESULTS IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP LARGELY MIRRORED RESULTS SEEN AT POSTTREATMENT IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE IMPROVING BY 31.9% ACROSS THE 2 GROUPS. FOLLOW-UP RESULTS SHOWED THAT PATIENTS SUSTAINED MOST OF THEIR POSTTREATMENT GAINS, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE REMAINING 21.9% IMPROVED AT 3 MONTHS. YOGA PRACTICE RATES WERE GOOD, AND MORE PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE BENEFIT FOR A VARIETY OF OUTCOMES. DISCUSSION: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA OF AWARENESS IN FIBROMYALGIA ARE REPLICABLE AND CAN BE MAINTAINED. 2012 20 2187 53 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE FACING AN EPIDEMIC OF MENTAL DISTRESS AMONG THEIR STUDENTS. THE PROBLEM IS TRULY A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, AFFECTING MANY AND WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE-AGENDA CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS WITH LASTING EFFECTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG ADULTS. IN THIS STUDY WE AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA, A POPULAR AND WIDELY AVAILABLE MIND-BODY PRACTICE, CAN IMPROVE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH 202 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE OSLO AREA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP IN A 1:1 RATIO BY A SIMPLE ONLINE RANDOMISATION PROGRAM. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED 24 YOGA SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS. MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN AT WEEK 0 (BASELINE), WEEK 12 (POST-INTERVENTION), AND WEEK 24 (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ASSESSED BY THE HSCL-25 QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BASED ON THE INTENTION TO TREAT-PRINCIPLE. RESULTS: BETWEEN 24 JANUARY 2017, AND 27 AUGUST 2017, WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 202 STUDENTS TO A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 100), OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 102). COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DISTRESS SYMPTOMS BOTH AT POST-INTERVENTION (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.15, 95% CI -0.26 TO -0.03, P = 0.0110) AND FOLLOW-UP (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.18, 95% CI -0.29 TO -0.06, P = 0.0025). SLEEP QUALITY ALSO IMPROVED AT POST-INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A MODERATELY LARGE AND LASTING EFFECT, AT LEAST FOR SOME MONTHS, REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS AND IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG STUDENTS. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD SEEK WAYS TO ENHANCE THE EFFECT, ASSESS AN EVEN LONGER FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, INCLUDE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, AND CONSIDER PERFORMING SIMILAR STUDIES IN OTHER CULTURAL SETTINGS.TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT04258540. 2020