1 1345 165 HYPERTENSION ANALYSIS OF STRESS REDUCTION USING MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND YOGA (THE HARMONY STUDY): STUDY PROTOCOL OF A RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: HYPERTENSION (HTN) IS A LEADING RISK FACTOR FOR PREVENTABLE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, WITH OVER ONE IN FIVE ADULTS AFFECTED WORLDWIDE. LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION IS A KEY STRATEGY FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF HTN. STRESS HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER CARDIOVASCULAR RISK, AND STRESS MANAGEMENT IS A RECOMMENDED INTERVENTION FOR HYPERTENSIVES. STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH RELAXATION THERAPIES HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, INCLUDING LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). HOWEVER, INDIVIDUALISED BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS ARE RESOURCE INTENSIVE, AND GROUP STRESS MANAGEMENT APPROACHES HAVE NOT BEEN VALIDATED FOR REDUCING HTN. THE HARMONY STUDY IS A PILOT RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO DETERMINE IF MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR), A STANDARDISED GROUP THERAPY, IS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR LOWERING BP IN STAGE 1 UNMEDICATED HYPERTENSIVES. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: MEN AND WOMEN UNMEDICATED FOR HTN WITH MEAN DAYTIME AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE (ABP) >/=135/85 MM HG OR 24 H ABP >/=130/80 MM HG ARE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. SUBJECTS ARE RANDOMISED TO RECEIVE MBSR IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER A WAIT-LIST CONTROL PERIOD. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE IS MEAN AWAKE AND 24 H ABP. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE HARMONY STUDY IS TO COMPARE ABP BETWEEN THE TREATMENT AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL ARM AT THE 12-WEEK PRIMARY ASSESSMENT PERIOD. RESULTS FROM THIS STUDY WILL DETERMINE IF MBSR IS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR LOWERING BP IN EARLY UNMEDICATED HYPERTENSIVES. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WAS APPROVED BY THE SUNNYBROOK RESEARCH ETHICS BOARD AND THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK RESEARCH ETHICS BOARD (TORONTO, CANADA). PLANNED ANALYSES ARE IN FULL COMPLIANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF THE DECLARATION OF HELSINKI. DATA COLLECTION WILL BE COMPLETED BY EARLY SPRING 2012. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ANALYSIS WILL COMMENCE IMMEDIATELY AFTER DATA MONITORING IS COMPLETED; DISSEMINATION PLANS INCLUDE PREPARING PUBLICATIONS FOR SUBMISSION DURING THE SUMMER OF 2012. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: THIS STUDY IS REGISTERED WITH HTTP://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV (NCT00825526).	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
2 1552  52 LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION IN BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY II (LIMBS): STUDY PROTOCOL OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF A 24 WEEK STRUCTURED YOGA PROGRAM VERSUS LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION ON BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION. HYPERTENSION IS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE AFFECTING 68 MILLION ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES. LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS INCLUDING COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS THE MOVEMENT BASED MIND BODY PRACTICE OF YOGA HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN THE UNITED STATES AND HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED AS A POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE TO MEDICATION IN BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION. WE COMPLETED A PILOT STUDY IN 2009 WHICH SHOWED MEANINGFUL DECREASES IN 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS AFTER A 12 WEEK PERIOD OF YOGA PARTICIPATION. BASED ON DATA FROM OUR PILOT STUDY WE ARE NOW COMPLETING THE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY (LIMBS II) WHICH IS A PHASE 2 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY AND ENHANCED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION ON LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE IN PRE-HYPERTENSIVE AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSIVE SUBJECTS. USING 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING, LIMBS II AIMS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS ON BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION IN SUBJECTS RANDOMIZED FOR 24 WEEKS TO ONE OF THE THREE FOLLOWING GROUPS: YOGA THERAPY VERSUS BLOOD PRESSURE EDUCATION PROGRAM (SODIUM RESTRICTION AND WALKING PROGRAM) VERSUS A COMBINATION PROGRAM THAT INVOLVES COMPONENTS OF BOTH GROUPS. LIMBS II WILL ALSO EXAMINE THE IMPACT THAT CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE HAVE ON CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE LIMBS STUDY WILL DETERMINE IF YOGA THERAPY COMBINED WITH ENHANCED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION WILL RESULT IN CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL DECREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND THUS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DRUG THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
3 1346  59 HYPERTENSION ANALYSIS OF STRESS REDUCTION USING MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND YOGA: RESULTS FROM THE HARMONY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE HARMONY STUDY WAS A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL EXAMINING THE EFFICACY OF AN 8-WEEK MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR) PROGRAM FOR BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) LOWERING AMONG UNMEDICATED STAGE 1 HYPERTENSIVE PARTICIPANTS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION BASED ON AMBULATORY BP WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER IMMEDIATE TREATMENT OF MBSR FOR 8 WEEKS OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. PRIMARY OUTCOME ANALYSIS EVALUATED WHETHER CHANGE IN AWAKE AND 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BP FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 12 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS. A WITHIN-GROUP BEFORE AND AFTER MBSR ANALYSIS WAS ALSO PERFORMED. RESULTS: THE STUDY ENROLLED 101 ADULTS (38% MALE) WITH BASELINE AVERAGE 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BP OF 135+/-7.9/82+/-5.8MM HG AND DAYTIME AMBULATORY BP OF 140+/-7.7/87+/-6.3 MMHG. AT WEEK 12, THE CHANGE FROM BASELINE IN 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BP WAS 0.4+/-6.7/0.0+/-4.9MM HG FOR THE IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION AND 0.4+/-7.8/-0.4+/-4.6MM HG FOR THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INTERVENTION AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL FOR ALL AMBULATORY BP PARAMETERS. THE SECONDARY WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSIS FOUND A SMALL REDUCTION IN BP AFTER MBSR COMPARED WITH BASELINE, A FINDING LIMITED TO FEMALE SUBJECTS IN A SEX ANALYSIS. CONCLUSIONS: MBSR DID NOT LOWER AMBULATORY BP BY A STATISTICALLY OR CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT IN UNTREATED, STAGE 1 HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS WHEN COMPARED WITH A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. IT LEAVES UNTESTED WHETHER MBSR MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR LOWERING BP BY IMPROVING ADHERENCE IN TREATED HYPERTENSIVE PARTICIPANTS. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT00825526.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
4 1370  55 IMPACT OF A STRUCTURED YOGA PROGRAM ON BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS: STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A PRAGMATIC RANDOMIZED MULTICENTER TRIAL IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SETTINGS IN NEPAL. BACKGROUND: HYPERTENSION CONTROL REMAINS A MAJOR GLOBAL CHALLENGE. THE BEHAVIORAL APPROACHES RECOMMENDED FOR BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION ARE STRESS REDUCTION, INCREASED EXERCISE AND HEALTHY DIETARY HABITS. SOME STUDY FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A BENEFICIAL EFFECT IN REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE. HOWEVER, THE ROLE OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE HAS RECEIVED LITTLE ATTENTION IN EXISTING HEALTH CARE PRACTICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. THIS STUDY WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES IN NEPAL TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PRAGMATIC YOGA INTERVENTION TO COMPLEMENT STANDARD PRACTICE IN FURTHER REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE. METHODS: THIS WILL BE MULTICENTRIC, TWO ARMS, RANDOMIZED, NONBLINDED, PRAGMATIC TRIAL. IT WILL BE CONDUCTED IN SEVEN DISTRICT AYURVEDA HEALTH CENTERS (DAHCS) IN NEPAL BETWEEN JULY 2017 AND JUNE 2018. THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS WILL CONSIST OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS WITH OR WITHOUT ANTIHYPERTENSIVE MEDICATION ATTENDING TO THE OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT (OPD). ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO TREATMENT OR CONTROL GROUPS BY USING A STRATIFIED BLOCK RANDOMIZATION. AT THE STUDY SITE, THE TREATMENT ARM PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE AN INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF FIVE DAYS OF STRUCTURED YOGA TRAINING AND PRACTICE OF THE SAME PACKAGE AT HOME WITH A RECOMMENDATION OF FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR THE FOLLOWING 90 DAYS. BOTH THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS WILL RECEIVE TWO HOURS OF HEALTH EDUCATION ON LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF THIS TRIAL WILL BE THE CHANGE IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND IT WILL BE ASSESSED AFTER 90 DAYS OF THE INTERVENTION. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL ESTABLISH THE EXTENT TO WHICH A YOGA INTERVENTION PACKAGE CAN HELP REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. IF PROVEN EFFECTIVE, STUDY FINDINGS MAY BE USED TO RECOMMEND THE GOVERNING BODIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA IN THE NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM FOR THE TREATMENT AND CONTROL OF HYPERTENSION. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY- INDIA (CTRI); CTRI REG. NO- CTRI/2017/02/007822 . REGISTERED ON 10/02/2017.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
5 1854  52 RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF A 12 WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON NEGATIVE AFFECTIVE STATES, CARDIOVASCULAR AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN POST-CARDIAC REHABILITATION PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: NEGATIVE AFFECTIVE STATES SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND STRESS ARE SIGNIFICANT RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, PARTICULARLY IN CARDIAC AND POST-CARDIAC REHABILITATION POPULATIONS.YOGA IS A BALANCED PRACTICE OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE, BREATHING CONTROL AND MEDITATION THAT CAN REDUCE PSYCHOSOCIAL SYMPTOMS AS WELL AS IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION. IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO POSITIVELY AFFECT MULTIPLE DISEASE PATHWAYS AND MAY PROVE TO BE A PRACTICAL ADJUNCT TO CARDIAC REHABILITATION IN FURTHER REDUCING CARDIAC RISK FACTORS AS WELL AS IMPROVING SELF-EFFICACY AND POST-CARDIAC REHABILITATION ADHERENCE TO HEALTHY LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOURS. METHOD AND DESIGN: THIS IS A PARALLEL ARM, MULTI-CENTRE, RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL THAT WILL ASSESS THE OUTCOMES OF POST- PHASE 2 CARDIAC REHABILITATION PATIENTS ASSIGNED TO A YOGA INTERVENTION IN COMPARISON TO A NO-TREATMENT WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMISED TO THE YOGA GROUP WILL ENGAGE IN A 12 WEEK YOGA PROGRAM COMPRISING OF TWO GROUP BASED SESSIONS AND ONE SELF-ADMINISTERED HOME SESSION EACH WEEK. GROUP BASED SESSIONS WILL BE LED BY AN EXPERIENCED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. THIS WILL INVOLVE TEACHING BEGINNER STUDENTS A HATHA YOGA SEQUENCE THAT INCORPORATES ASANA (POSES AND POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING CONTROL) AND MEDITATION. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES OF THIS STUDY ARE NEGATIVE AFFECTIVE STATES OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND STRESS ASSESSED USING THE DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE MEASURES OF QUALITY OF LIFE, AND CARDIOVASCULAR AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION. THE CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES WILL INCLUDE BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PULSE WAVE VELOCITY, CAROTID INTIMA MEDIA THICKNESS MEASUREMENTS, LIPID/GLUCOSE PROFILES AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN ASSAYS. ASSESSMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED PRIOR TO (WEEK 0), MID-WAY THROUGH (WEEK 6) AND FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD (WEEK 12) AS WELL AS AT A FOUR WEEK FOLLOW-UP (WEEK 16). DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON NEGATIVE AFFECTIVE STATES, CARDIOVASCULAR AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN POST-PHASE 2 CARDIAC REHABILITATION PATIENTS. THE FINDINGS MAY PROVIDE EVIDENCE TO INCORPORATE YOGA INTO STANDARDISED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAMS AS A PRACTICAL ADJUNCT TO IMPROVE THE MANAGEMENT OF PSYCHOSOCIAL SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS IN ADDITION TO IMPROVING PATIENTS' COGNITIVE AND CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12612000358842.	2014	

6 2834  43 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
7 1402  45 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/</=109 MMHG AT BASELINE WERE ENROLLED. AT BASELINE, THE PATIENTS UNDERWENT STANDARDIZED BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT AT THE HEALTH CARE CENTER AND THEY COMPLETED A QUESTIONNAIRE ON SELF-RATED QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL-BREF). THERE WERE THREE GROUPS: 1) YOGA CLASS WITH YOGA INSTRUCTOR (N = 28); 2) YOGA AT HOME (N = 28); AND 3) A CONTROL GROUP (N = 27). THE PARTICIPANTS WERE MATCHED AT THE GROUP LEVEL FOR SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. AFTER 12 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION, THE ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED AGAIN. AT BASELINE A MAJORITY OF THE PATIENTS (92%) WERE ON ANTIHYPERTENSIVE MEDICATION, AND THE PATIENTS WERE REQUESTED NOT TO CHANGE THEIR MEDICATION DURING THE STUDY. RESULTS: THE YOGA CLASS GROUP SHOWED NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE OR SELF-RATED QUALITY OF LIFE, WHILE IN THE YOGA AT HOME GROUP THERE WAS A DECLINE IN DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE OF 4.4 MMHG (P < 0.05) COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. MOREOVER, THE YOGA AT HOME GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-RATED QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A SHORT YOGA PROGRAM FOR THE PATIENT TO PRACTICE AT HOME SEEMS TO HAVE AN ANTIHYPERTENSIVE EFFECT, AS WELL AS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON SELF-RATED QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THIS IMPLIES THAT SIMPLE YOGA EXERCISES MAY BE USEFUL AS A SUPPLEMENTARY BLOOD PRESSURE THERAPY IN ADDITION TO MEDICAL TREATMENT WHEN PRESCRIBED BY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
8  953  55 EFFECTS OF A HEALTH WORKER-LED 3-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION ON BLOOD PRESSURE OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED MULTICENTRE TRIAL IN THE PRIMARY CARE SETTING. BACKGROUND: HYPERTENSION CONTROL REMAINS A MAJOR CHALLENGE GLOBALLY. A RECENT SYSTEMATIC REVIEW SUGGESTED THAT YOGA HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE. HOWEVER, THE ROLE OF YOGA IN HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE HAS RECEIVED LITTLE ATTENTION, AND NO STUDIES HAVE EVALUATED THE IMPACT OF A YOGA PROGRAM FULLY DELIVERED BY HEALTH CARE STAFF ON HYPERTENSION. THIS STUDY, THEREFORE, ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF A HEALTH WORKER-LED YOGA INTERVENTION ON BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION AMONG HYPERTENSIVES PATIENTS IN THE PRIMARY CARE SETTING. METHODS: THIS WAS A MULTICENTRIC, TWO-ARM, RANDOMISED TRIAL CONDUCTED AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN SEVEN AYURVEDA HEALTH CENTRES IN NEPAL BETWEEN MARCH 2017 AND JUNE 2018. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE ON OR WITHOUT MEDICATIONS WERE RANDOMISED TO INTERVENTION (N = 61) AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N = 60) GROUPS USING STRATIFIED BLOCK RANDOMISATION. PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION ARM RECEIVED AN INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF AN INITIAL FIVE-DAY STRUCTURED YOGA TRAINING AT THE CENTRES AND THEN A FURTHER HOME-BASED PRACTICE OF YOGA FOR FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR THE FOLLOWING 90 DAYS. BOTH INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS ALSO PARTICIPATED IN A 2-H HEALTH EDUCATION SESSION. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF THIS TRIAL WAS SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AT 90-DAY FOLLOW-UP. DATA WERE ANALYSED ON AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT BASIS USING LINEAR MIXED-EFFECTS REGRESSION MODELS. RESULTS: WE INCLUDED ALL 121 STUDY PARTICIPANTS (INTERVENTION/CONTROL = 61/60) IN THE PRIMARY ANALYSIS (52.1% MALES; MEAN +/- SD AGE = 47.8 +/- 10.8 YEARS). THE DIFFERENCE IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE BETWEEN THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND THE CONTROL GROUP WAS - 7.66 MMHG (95% CI: - 10.4, - 4.93). FOR DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, THE DIFFERENCE WAS - 3.86 MMHG (95% CI: - 6.65, - 1.06). NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED BY THE PARTICIPANTS. CONCLUSIONS: A YOGA PROGRAM FOR HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS CONSISTING OF A FIVE-DAY TRAINING IN HEALTH CENTRES AND 90 DAYS OF PRACTICE AT HOME IS EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE. SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS FOR HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS COULD BE EXPECTED IF SUCH PROGRAMMES WOULD BECOME A PART OF THE STANDARD TREATMENT PRACTICE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THIS TRIAL WAS PROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED WITH THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY OF INDIA [ CTRI/2017/02/007822 ] ON 10/02/2017.	2021	
                                                                                                                                           
9 2861  53 YOGA-BASED EXERCISE TO PREVENT FALLS IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE AGED 60 YEARS AND OVER: STUDY PROTOCOL FOR THE SUCCESSFUL AGEING (SAGE) YOGA RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: FALLS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE INDEPENDENCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER AGE. BALANCE-SPECIFIC EXERCISE PREVENTS FALLS IN PEOPLE AGED 60+ YEARS. YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY AND CAN PROVIDE A HIGH CHALLENGE TO BALANCE; HOWEVER, THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FALLS HAS NOT BEEN EVALUATED. THIS TRIAL AIMS TO ESTABLISH THE EFFECT ON FALLS OF A YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAMME COMPARED WITH A YOGA RELAXATION PROGRAMME IN COMMUNITY-DWELLERS AGED 60+ YEARS. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: THIS RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WILL INVOLVE 560 COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE AGED 60+ YEARS. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMISED TO EITHER: (1) THE SUCCESSFUL AGEING (SAGE) YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAMME OR (2) A YOGA RELAXATION PROGRAMME. PRIMARY OUTCOME IS RATE OF FALLS IN THE 12 MONTHS POST RANDOMISATION. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE MENTAL WELL-BEING, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, BALANCE SELF-CONFIDENCE, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, PAIN, GOAL ATTAINMENT AND SLEEP QUALITY AT 12 MONTHS AFTER RANDOMISATION. THE NUMBER OF FALLS PER PERSON-YEAR WILL BE ANALYSED USING NEGATIVE BINOMIAL REGRESSION MODELS TO ESTIMATE BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE IN FALL RATES. GENERALISED LINEAR MODELS WILL ASSESS THE EFFECT OF GROUP ALLOCATION ON THE CONTINUOUSLY SCORED SECONDARY OUTCOMES, ADJUSTING FOR BASELINE SCORES. AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS WILL COMPARE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND COST-UTILITY OF THE TWO YOGA PROGRAMMES. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: PROTOCOL WAS APPROVED BY THE HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (APPROVAL 2019/604). TRIAL RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED VIA PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES, CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS, LAY SUMMARIES. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: THE PROTOCOL FOR THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH THE AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY (ACTRN12619001183178).	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
10  845  41 EFFECT OF YOGA ON PULSE RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG WOMEN. OBJECTIVES: CHANGE IN THE PAST FEW DECADES IN HUMAN LIFE STYLE, NOWADAYS INTERNATIONAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS, I.E., WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ARE ALSO FOCUSING ON PREVENTION ALONG WITH TREATMENT ASPECT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS. RESEARCHES FOCUS THAT WOMEN OF AGE GROUP 30-45 YEARS ARE AT INCREASED RISK FOR HYPERTENSION AND HEART DISEASE DUE TO INCREASED WEIGHT. YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO CONTROL OUR PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES LIKE BLOOD PRESSURE (BP), PULSE, ETC. THE MAIN AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES. METHODS: THE STUDY WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH TWO GROUP, PRETEST AND POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP, DESIGN, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED ON 40 FEMALE PARTICIPANTS. PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION FOR A PERIOD OF 6 WEEKS WAS DONE BY THESE WOMEN. RESULTS: YOGA THERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE BP (0.000*) AND PULSE RATE (0.000*) OF WOMEN, WHICH WAS ALSO STATISTICALLY PROVED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA THERAPY CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO CONTROL BP AND PULSE RATE OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
11 2353  35 UTILIZATION OF 3-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM FOR ADULTS AT HIGH RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES: A PILOT STUDY. VARIOUS MODES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, COMBINED WITH DIETING, HAVE BEEN WIDELY RECOMMENDED TO PREVENT OR DELAY TYPE 2 DIABETES. AMONG THESE, YOGA HOLDS PROMISE FOR REDUCING RISK FACTORS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES BY PROMOTING WEIGHT LOSS, IMPROVING GLUCOSE LEVELS AND REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE AND LIPID LEVELS. THIS PILOT STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM AMONG ADULTS AT HIGH RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. TWENTY-THREE ADULTS (19 WHITES AND 4 NON-WHITES) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP OR THE EDUCATIONAL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 3-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION WITH SESSIONS TWICE PER WEEK AND THE EDUCATIONAL GROUP RECEIVED GENERAL HEALTH EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS EVERY 2 WEEKS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND HAD BLOOD TESTS AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. EFFECT SIZES WERE REPORTED TO SUMMARIZE THE EFFICACY OF THE INTERVENTION. ALL PARTICIPANTS ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION COMPLETED THE YOGA PROGRAM WITHOUT COMPLICATION AND EXPRESSED HIGH SATISFACTION WITH THE PROGRAM (99.2%). THEIR YOGA SESSION ATTENDANCE RANGED FROM 58.3 TO 100%. COMPARED WITH THE EDUCATION GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHT, BLOOD PRESSURE, INSULIN, TRIGLYCERIDES AND EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY INDICATED BY SMALL TO LARGE EFFECT SIZES. THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY INDICATES THAT A YOGA PROGRAM WOULD BE A POSSIBLE RISK REDUCTION OPTION FOR ADULTS AT HIGH RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. IN ADDITION, YOGA HOLDS PROMISE AS AN APPROACH TO REDUCING CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS AND INCREASING EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY FOR THIS GROUP.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
12  795  48 EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION: A PREVENTIVE TRIAL. BACKGROUND: NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES ARE ON THE RISE IN INDIA. HYPERTENSION IS ONE OF THE MAJOR RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND ALSO LABELED AS A CHRONIC LIFESTYLE DISORDER. HENCE, NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS LEADING TO LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS ARE OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO CONTROL AND PREVENT HYPERTENSION. THIS TRIAL AIMS TO IMPLEMENT YOGA INTERVENTION TO THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP IN ADDITION TO MEDICINES, ADVICE ON DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND TO COMPARE BLOOD PRESSURE AND PERCEIVED STRESS SCORES WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: IT WAS AN OPEN-LABEL, TWO-ARMED, NON-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, CONDUCTED AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTER ON 145 PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION: 73 IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND 72 IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE INTERVENTION GROUP RECEIVED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR A PERIOD OF 4 MONTHS ON A WEEKLY BASIS ALONG WITH ADVICE ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, DIET, AND ROUTINE MEDICINES. THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE YOGA INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF THE PARTICIPANTS WAS 51.3 +/- 9.4, FEMALES (58.2%) OUTNUMBERED MALES (41.3%). FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION, PERCEIVED STRESS SCORE AND BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION BETWEEN TWO GROUPS (P < 0.001). ALSO, PERCEIVED STRESS AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE FOUND TO BE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN BOTH GROUPS (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PROVES TO BE AN EFFECTIVE, SAFE, AND LESS EXPENSIVE ADJUNCT THERAPY FOR HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT. YOGA WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE LEVEL OF STRESS. DIET MODIFICATION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAVE GOT AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN THE CONTROL AND PREVENTION OF HYPERTENSION.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
13 2660  46 YOGA IN ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: YOGA SEEMS TO EXERT ITS EFFECT AGAINST ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION MAINLY THROUGH THE ASSOCIATED BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES, AND LESS SO THROUGH YOGA POSTURES. THE GOAL OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO COMPARE THE BLOOD PRESSURE-LOWERING EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS WITH AND WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. METHODS: 75 PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION (72% WOMEN, MEAN AGE 58.7 +/- 9.5 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS: A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, OF WHOM 5 DROPPED OUT OF THE TRIAL BEFORE ITS END), A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, 3 DROPOUTS), AND A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP (25 PATIENTS, ONE DROPOUT). THE INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF 90 MINUTES OF YOGA PRACTICE PER WEEK FOR TWELVE WEEKS. THE DATA COLLECTORS, WHO WERE BLINDED TO THE INTERVENTION RECEIVED, ASSESSED THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES "SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" AND "DIASTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. IN THIS REPORT, WE ALSO PRESENT THE FINDINGS ON SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES, INCLUDING FOLLOW-UP DATA. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (GROUP DIFFERENCE [DELTA]= -3.8 MMHG; [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI): (-0.3; -7.4) P = 0.035]); IT WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (DELTA = -3.2 MMHG; 95% CI: [-6.3; -0.8]; P = 0.045). DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS GROUPS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE ENCOUNTERED IN THE COURSE OF THE TRIAL. CONCLUSION: IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FINDINGS OF EARLIER STUDIES, WE FOUND THAT ONLY YOGA WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES INDUCED A SHORT-TERM LOWERING OF AMBULATORY SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. YOGA IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND THUS CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL TREATMENT OPTION FOR PERSONS IN THIS CATEGORY.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
14 1707  37 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
15 1368  46 IMPACT OF A SHORT HOME-BASED YOGA PROGRAMME ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PRIMARY CARE. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE YOGA'S IMPACT ON BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND ON STRESS, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION IN A PRIMARY CARE SETTING. WE CONDUCTED A MULTI-CENTRE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH FOLLOW-UP AFTER 12-WEEK INTERVENTION COMPLETION. ADULT PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO YOGA OR USUAL CARE. THE INTERVENTION GROUP PERFORMED A SHORT HOME-BASED KUNDALINI YOGA PROGRAMME 15 MIN TWICE-DAILY DURING THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD. AT BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP, THE PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT STANDARDIZED BP MEASUREMENTS AND COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES ON QOL, STRESS, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. DATA OBTAINED FROM 191 PATIENTS (MEAN AGE 64.7 YEARS, S.D. 8.4) ALLOCATED TO YOGA INTERVENTION (N=96) AND CONTROL GROUP (N=95), WITH A TOTAL PROPORTION OF 52% WOMEN, SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BP FOR BOTH GROUPS (-3.8/-1.7 MM HG FOR YOGA AND -4.5/-3.0 MM HG FOR CONTROL GROUPS, RESPECTIVELY). HOWEVER, THE BP REDUCTION FOR THE YOGA GROUP WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM CONTROL. THERE WERE SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE YOGA GROUP IN SOME OF THE QOL AND DEPRESSION MEASURES (P<0.05, HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE, HADS-D) COMPARED WITH CONTROL. THE FINDINGS OF OUR STUDY, WHICH IS THE LARGEST STUDY FROM AN OECD COUNTRY (ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT) TO DATE, DO NOT SUPPORT THE SUGGESTION FROM PREVIOUS SMALLER STUDIES THAT YOGA LOWERS THE BP. FURTHER CLINICAL TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. HOWEVER, THE YOGA PATIENTS HAD OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
16  174  41 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL ON AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL (NONAEROBIC EXERCISE) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL WAS PERFORMED USING TWO ARMS: (1) YOGA AND (2) ACTIVE CONTROL. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE 24-HOUR DAY AND NIGHT AMBULATORY SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES. WITHIN-GROUP AND BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED USING PAIRED T TESTS AND REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (TIME X GROUP), RESPECTIVELY. EIGHTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED, WITH 68 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING THE TRIAL. WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSES FOUND 24-HOUR DIASTOLIC, NIGHT DIASTOLIC, AND MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE ALL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE YOGA GROUP (-3.93, -4.7, -4.23 MM HG, RESPECTIVELY) BUT NO SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP CHANGES IN THE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP. DIRECT COMPARISONS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION WITH THE CONTROL GROUP FOUND A SINGLE BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABLE (DIASTOLIC NIGHT) TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT (P=.038). THIS STUDY HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT A YOGA INTERVENTION CAN LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH MILD HYPERTENSION. ALTHOUGH THIS STUDY WAS NOT ADEQUATELY POWERED TO SHOW BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES, THE SIZE OF THE YOGA-INDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION APPEARS TO JUSTIFY PERFORMING A DEFINITIVE TRIAL OF THIS INTERVENTION TO TEST WHETHER IT CAN PROVIDE MEANINGFUL THERAPEUTIC VALUE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
17 2117  46 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON WOMEN WITH SECONDARY ARM LYMPHOEDEMA FROM BREAST CANCER TREATMENT. BACKGROUND: WOMEN WHO DEVELOP SECONDARY ARM LYMPHOEDEMA SUBSEQUENT TO TREATMENT ASSOCIATED WITH BREAST CANCER REQUIRE LIFE-LONG MANAGEMENT FOR A RANGE OF SYMPTOMS INCLUDING ARM SWELLING, HEAVINESS, TIGHTNESS IN THE ARM AND SOMETIMES THE CHEST, UPPER BODY IMPAIRMENT AND CHANGES TO A RANGE OF PARAMETERS RELATING TO QUALITY OF LIFE. WHILE EXERCISE UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS HAS HAD POSITIVE OUTCOMES, THE IMPACT OF YOGA HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHO-SOCIAL DOMAINS, IN THE HOPE THAT WOMEN CAN BE OFFERED ANOTHER SAFE, HOLISTIC MODALITY TO HELP CONTROL MANY, IF NOT ALL, OF THE EFFECTS OF SECONDARY ARM LYMPHOEDEMA. METHODS AND DESIGN: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL WILL BE CONDUCTED IN HOBART AND LAUNCESTON WITH A TOTAL OF 40 WOMEN RECEIVING EITHER YOGA INTERVENTION OR CURRENT BEST PRACTICE CARE. INTERVENTION WILL CONSIST OF EIGHT WEEKS OF A WEEKLY TEACHER-LED YOGA CLASS WITH A HOME-BASED DAILY YOGA PRACTICE DELIVERED BY DVD. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WILL BE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON LYMPHOEDEMA AND ITS ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WILL BE RANGE OF MOTION OF THE ARM AND THORACIC SPINE, SHOULDER STRENGTH, AND WEEKLY AND DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES WILL BE MEASURED AT BASELINE, WEEKS FOUR, EIGHT AND A FOUR WEEK FOLLOW UP AT WEEK TWELVE. RANGE OF MOTION OF THE SPINE, IN A SELF-NOMINATED GROUP, WILL BE MEASURED AT BASELINE, WEEKS EIGHT AND TWELVE. A FURTHER OUTCOME WILL BE THE WOMEN'S PERCEPTIONS OF THE YOGA COLLECTED BY INTERVIEW AT WEEK EIGHT. DISCUSSION: THE RESULTS OF THIS TRIAL WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH SECONDARY ARM LYMPHOEDEMA FROM BREAST CANCER TREATMENT. IT WILL ALSO INFORM METHODOLOGY FOR FUTURE, LARGER TRIALS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12611000202965.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
18 1902  43 RESTORATIVE YOGA IN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: METABOLIC SYNDROME INCREASES THE RISK OF DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. YOGA IMPROVES SOME METABOLIC PARAMETERS, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED IN PERSONS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER A RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE IN UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: TWENTY SIX UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULT MEN AND WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE RANDOMIZED TO ATTEND 15 YOGA SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH OVER 10 WEEKS OR TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. FEASIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, SUBJECT RETENTION, AND ADHERENCE. ACCEPTABILITY WAS ASSESSED BY INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRES. CHANGES IN METABOLIC OUTCOMES AND QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 10 WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 280 PEOPLE WERE SCREENED BY PHONE, AND 93 WITH HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE INVITED TO A SCREENING VISIT. OF THE 68 WHO ATTENDED SCREENING VISITS, 26 (38%) WERE RANDOMIZED, AND 24 (92%) COMPLETED THE TRIAL. ATTENDANCE AT YOGA CLASSES AND ADHERENCE TO HOME PRACTICE EXCEEDED OUR GOALS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, ALL PARTICIPANTS GAVE THE STUDY THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SATISFACTION RATING, AND THE MAJORITY (87%) FELT THAT THE YOGA POSES WERE EASY TO PERFORM. THERE WAS TREND TO REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE (P = 0.07), A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ENERGY LEVEL (P < 0.009), AND TRENDS TO IMPROVEMENT IN WELL-BEING (P < 0.12) AND STRESS (P < 0.22) IN THE YOGA VERSUS CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORATIVE YOGA WAS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING METABOLIC PARAMETERS IN THIS POPULATION SHOULD BE EXPLORED IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL.	2008	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
19 2858  35 YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION: CURRENT PERSPECTIVES FROM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE. CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE CARRIES A HIGH MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WORLDWIDE, AND EXERCISE-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES PLAY A LARGE ROLE IN SECONDARY PREVENTION. EXERCISE-BASED REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES ARE EXPENSIVE, AND IN CERTAIN SUBGROUPS UPTAKE IS POOR. YOGA HAS BEEN SUGGESTED TO SHOW IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH WHICH WOULD SUPPORT ITS USE IN CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES. WE CARRIED OUT A REVIEW OF CURRENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS TO DETERMINE IF YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION LEADS TO REDUCED CARDIAC RISK FACTORS, AND IMPROVED PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE COMPARED TO STANDARD CARE. SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED AFTER A MEDICAL DATABASE SEARCH, AND META-ANALYSIS WAS CARRIED OUT FOR THE DIFFERENT OUTCOMES. OVERALL, THE ADDITION OF YOGA TO STANDARD CARE RESULTED IN IMPROVED SUBJECTIVE FEELING OF CARDIAC HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THERE WAS ALSO A TREND TOWARDS IMPROVEMENT IN LEFT VENTRICULAR SYSTOLIC FUNCTION. IMPROVEMENT IN CARDIAC RISK FACTORS, MACE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN THIS COHORT HAS STILL TO BE PROVEN, BUT WAS NOT INFERIOR TO STANDARD OR ENHANCED CARE, AND THE BENEFITS BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED AT LONGER FOLLOW-UP. FUTURE STUDIES WITH LONGER FOLLOW-UP AND LARGER PATIENT NUMBERS WOULD AID IN ACCURATELY ASSESSING THE LONG-TERM BENEFIT OF YOGA-BASED REHABILITATION.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
20  784  32 EFFECT OF YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING. YOGA IS ASSUMING IMPORTANCE IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE TREATMENT OF A NUMBER OF PSYCHIATRIC AND PSYCHOSOMATIC DISORDERS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS A PROSPECTIVE CONTROLLED STUDY TO EXPLORE THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF A COMPREHENSIVE BUT BRIEF LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, BASED ON YOGA, ON SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING LEVELS IN NORMAL AND DISEASED SUBJECTS. NORMAL HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND SUBJECTS HAVING HYPERTENSION, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, DIABETES MELLITUS OR A VARIETY OF OTHER ILLNESSES WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE 'SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING INVENTORY' (SUBI) SCORES, TAKEN ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF THE COURSE. THE INVENTORY CONSISTS OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO ONE'S FEELINGS AND ATTITUDE ABOUT VARIOUS AREAS OF LIFE, SUCH AS HAPPINESS, ACHIEVEMENT AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING SCORES OF THE 77 SUBJECTS WITHIN A PERIOD OF 10 DAYS AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THESE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT A SHORT LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM LEADS TO REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT IN THE SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING SCORES OF THE SUBJECTS AND CAN THEREFORE MAKE AN APPRECIABLE CONTRIBUTION TO PRIMARY PREVENTION AS WELL AS MANAGEMENT OF LIFESTYLE DISEASES.	2008