1 1346 127 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
2  174  50 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
3 1533  49 IYENGAR YOGA VERSUS ENHANCED USUAL CARE ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH PREHYPERTENSION TO STAGE I HYPERTENSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE PREVALENCE OF PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION CONTINUES TO INCREASE DESPITE BEING AMENABLE TO NON-PHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS. IYENGAR YOGA (IY) HAS BEEN PURPORTED TO REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) THOUGH EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED TRIALS IS LACKING. WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF IY VERSUS ENHANCED USUAL CARE (EUC) (BASED ON INDIVIDUAL DIETARY ADJUSTMENT) ON 24-H AMBULATORY BP IN YOGA-NAIVE ADULTS WITH UNTREATED PREHYPERTENSION OR STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. IN TOTAL, 26 AND 31 SUBJECTS IN THE IY AND EUC ARMS, RESPECTIVELY, COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN BP BETWEEN THE GROUPS AT 6 AND 12 WEEKS. IN THE EUC GROUP, 24-H SYSTOLIC BP (SBP), DIASTOLIC BP (DBP) AND MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE (MAP) SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED BY 5, 3 AND 3 MMHG, RESPECTIVELY, FROM BASELINE AT 6 WEEKS (P < .05), BUT WERE NO LONGER SIGNIFICANT AT 12 WEEKS. IN THE IY GROUP, 24 H SBP WAS REDUCED BY 6 MMHG AT 12 WEEKS COMPARED TO BASELINE (P = .05). 24 H DBP (P < .01) AND MAP (P < .05) DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY EACH BY 5 MMHG. NO DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN CATECHOLAMINE OR CORTISOL METABOLISM TO EXPLAIN THE DECREASE IN BP IN THE IY GROUP AT 12 WEEKS. TWELVE WEEKS OF IY PRODUCES CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN 24 H SBP AND DBP. LARGER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ESTABLISH THE LONG TERM EFFICACY, ACCEPTABILITY, UTILITY AND POTENTIAL MECHANISMS OF IY TO CONTROL BP.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
4 1368  47 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
5 2660  50 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
6 1345  59 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
7 1402  56 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  748  36 EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESIGN: THE PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY ENROLLED TWO STUDY GROUPS: THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SAHAJA YOGA RESEARCH AND HEALTH CENTER (MEDITATION GROUP) AND THOSE RECEIVING TREATMENT FROM THE MAHATMA GANDHI MISSION HOSPITAL (CONTROL GROUP). RESEARCHERS MEASURED QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT. RESULTS: SIXTY-SEVEN (67) PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEDITATION GROUP AND 62 PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE IN DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS. AT BASELINE, THE MEDITATION GROUP HAD HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE (P<0.001) THAN CONTROLS BUT SIMILAR ANXIETY LEVEL (P=0.74) TO CONTROLS. WITHIN-GROUP PRE- VERSUS POST-TREATMENT COMPARISONS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY, AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE MEDITATION GROUP (P<0.001), WHILE IN CONTROLS, QUALITY OF LIFE DETERIORATED AND THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN BLOOD PRESSURE. THE IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL WAS GREATER IN THE MEDITATION GROUP. THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF MEDITATION REMAINED SIGNIFICANT AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATION TREATMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY REDUCTION, AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
9  412  42 BLOOD PRESSURE EFFECTS OF YOGA, ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH LIFESTYLE MEASURES: RESULTS OF THE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY (LIMBS). THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (BLOOD PRESSURE EDUCATION PROGRAM [BPEP]), OR A COMBINED PROGRAM (COMBO). AMBULATORY BP WAS MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AT 12 AND 24 WEEKS. DATA ARE PRESENTED FOR ALL ENROLLED PATIENTS (N=137) AND FOR COMPLETERS ONLY (N=90). SYSTOLIC BP (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BP (DBP) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED WITHIN ALL GROUPS AT 12 AND 24 WEEKS (P<.001) FOR ENROLLED PATIENTS AND COMPLETERS. SBP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE YOGA AND COMBO GROUPS AS COMPARED WITH THE BPEP GROUP AT 12 WEEKS IN ALL ENROLLED AND COMPLETERS. SBP DIFFERENCES WERE NO LONGER SIGNIFICANT AT 24 WEEKS BETWEEN GROUPS IN ALL ENROLLED PATIENTS; HOWEVER, THERE WAS A GREATER REDUCTION IN SBP AT 24 WEEKS IN COMPLETERS FAVORING BPEP OVER YOGA. NO DIFFERENCES IN DBP BETWEEN GROUPS OR IN BP BETWEEN THE YOGA AND COMBO GROUPS WERE PRESENT. THE AUTHORS DID NOT OBSERVE AN ADDITIVE BENEFIT FROM COMBINING YOGA WITH BPEP MEASURES. REASONS FOR THIS ARE UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME. BP LOWERING WITH YOGA, HOWEVER, WAS SIMILAR TO THAT ACHIEVED WITH LIFESTYLE MEASURES.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
10 1552  42 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
11  697  44 EFFECT OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS-REDUCTION PROGRAM AND CONSCIOUS YOGA ON LIFESTYLE, COPING STRATEGIES, AND SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND INEFFECTIVE COPING STRATEGIES ARE DEEMED SIGNIFICANT VARIABLES AMONG PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF THESE VARIABLES FOLLOWING INTERVENTION VIA THE MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS-REDUCTION PROGRAM (MBSRP) IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. METHOD: THIS STUDY WAS A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. THE STUDY SAMPLE, CONSISTING OF 30 PATIENTS REFERRING TO THE HYPERTENSION CLINIC OF IMAM HOSSEIN HOSPITAL IN 2013, WAS ASSIGNED EITHER TO THE INTERVENTION (RECIPIENT OF THE MBSRP AND CONSCIOUS YOGA) OR TO THE CONTROL GROUP (RECIPIENT OF YOGA TRAINING). THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD 8 TRAINING SESSIONS OVER 8 WEEKS. LIFESTYLE AND COPING STRATEGIES AS WELL AS BLOOD PRESSURE WERE MEASURED IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP BEFORE INTERVENTION AND THEN IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER AND AT 2 MONTHS' FOLLOW-UP AND WERE COMPARED TO THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE SAME TIME POINTS. RESULT: THE MEAN AGE OF THE PATIENTS IN THE INTERVENTION (40% WOMEN) AND CONTROL (53% WOMEN) GROUPS WAS 43.66 +/- 5.14 AND 43.13 +/- 5.04 YEARS, RESPECTIVELY. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE MEAN SCORES OF LIFESTYLE (P VALUE < 0.05), EMOTION-FOCUSED COPING STRATEGIES (P VALUE < 0.001), PROBLEM-FOCUSED COPING STRATEGIES (P VALUE < 0.001), DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P VALUE < 0.001), AND SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P VALUE < 0.001) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS AFTER THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: APPLYING AN INTERVENTION BASED ON THE MBSRP MAY FURTHER IMPROVE THE LIFESTYLE AND COPING STRATEGIES OF PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
12  166  34 A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON PREGNANCY OUTCOME IN HYPERTENSIVE DISORDER OF PREGNANCY. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND PREGNANCY OUTCOME IN HYPERTENSIVE DISORDER OF PREGNANCY. METHODS: SEVENTY-NINE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO STUDY AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE STUDY GROUP RECEIVED THE INTERVENTION IN THE FORM OF INTEGRATED YOGA FOR 4 WEEKS. FINAL ANALYSIS WAS DONE ON 30 PATIENTS EACH OF STUDY AND CONTROL GROUP. RESULTS: THE MEAN SYSTOLIC BP DECLINED BY 7.43 +/- 5.86 MMHG IN THE STUDY GROUP AS COMPARED TO 2.50 +/- 5.21 MM HG IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P VALUE 0.002). THE MEAN DIASTOLIC BP PRIOR TO DELIVERY WAS 88.00 +/- 3.71 MMHG IN THE STUDY GROUP AND 92.20 +/- 5.02 MMHG IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.001). THE MATERNAL COMFORT IN LABOR WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER AND THE DURATION OF LABOR SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE STUDY GROUP. CONCLUSION: INTEGRATED YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCED SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES AND INCREASED MATERNAL COMFORT DURING LABOR IN HYPERTENSIVE DISORDER OF PREGNANCY.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
13  953  54 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	

14 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
15  528  46 COMPARISON OF MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION VERSUS YOGA ON URINARY URGE INCONTINENCE: A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY. WITH 6-MONTH AND 1-YEAR FOLLOW-UP VISITS. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR) VERSUS YOGA ON URINARY URGE INCONTINENCE (UI) AT 8 WEEKS, 6 MONTHS, AND 1 YEAR AFTER BEGINNING AN 8-WEEK PROGRAM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED SINGLE-MASKED PILOT STUDY WERE WOMEN AGED 18 YEARS OR OLDER WITH URGE-PREDOMINANT INCONTINENCE, 5 OR MORE UI EPISODES (UIES) ON A 3-DAY VOIDING DIARY, AND NO RECENT ANTICHOLINERGIC USE. WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO MBSR OR YOGA. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS THE PERCENT CHANGE OF UIE. RESULTS: OF 30 ENROLLEES (15 IN MBSR, 15 IN YOGA), 24 COMPLETED AT LEAST 5 OF 8 SESSIONS (13 IN MBSR AND 11 IN YOGA). TWENTY AND 21 WOMEN COMPLETED THE 6-MONTH AND 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP VISITS, RESPECTIVELY. AT 8 WEEKS, 6 MONTHS, AND 12 MONTHS, THE MEDIAN PERCENT CHANGE FROM THE BASELINE IN UIE ON THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS GREATER FOR THE MBSR GROUP (-55.6, -71.4, AND -66.7, RESPECTIVELY) COMPARED WITH THAT FOR THE YOGA GROUP (-33.3, -11.8, AND -16.7, RESPECTIVELY), WITH P VALUES RANGING FROM 0.01 TO 0.08. ON INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS, THE MEDIAN PERCENT CHANGE IN THE OVERACTIVE BLADDER SYMPTOM AND QUALITY OF LIFE-SHORT FORM AND THE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WAS GREATER AT EACH TIME POINT FOR MBSR THAN FOR YOGA BUT WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ONLY AT 8 WEEKS (P = 0.003 AND 0.02, RESPECTIVELY). AS PER PROTOCOL ANALYSIS, AT 8 WEEKS, 6/13 AND 0/11 WOMEN IN MBSR AND YOGA, RESPECTIVELY, REPORTED THEY WERE VERY MUCH OR MUCH BETTER (P = 0.02), WHEREAS AT 1 YEAR, 6/12 AND 1/9 WOMEN IN MBSR AND YOGA, RESPECTIVELY, DID SO (P = 0.16). DISCUSSION: THESE RESULTS SUPPORT LARGER SCALE TRIALS TO EVALUATE MBSR, WHICH SEEMS TO BE A PROMISING TREATMENT OF UI.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
16 1585  39 MEDICAL YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PATIENTS ARE SUFFERING FROM STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE MEDICAL YOGA TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WAS PERFORMED AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTRE IN SWEDEN FROM MARCH TO JUNE, 2011. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO A CONTROL GROUP RECEIVING STANDARD CARE OR A YOGA GROUP TREATED WITH MEDICAL YOGA FOR 1 HOUR, ONCE A WEEK, OVER A 12-WEEK PERIOD IN ADDITION TO THE STANDARD CARE. A TOTAL OF 37 MEN AND WOMEN, MEAN AGE OF 53 +/- 12 YEARS WERE INCLUDED. GENERAL STRESS LEVEL (MEASURED USING PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS)), BURNOUT (SHIROM-MELAMED BURNOUT QUESTIONNAIRE (SMBQ)), ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)), INSOMNIA SEVERITY (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (ISI)), PAIN (VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS)), AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS (EURO QUALITY OF LIFE VAS (EQ-VAS)) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. PATIENTS ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS ON MEASURES OF GENERAL STRESS LEVEL (P < 0.000), ANXIETY (P < 0.019), AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS (P < 0.018) COMPARED TO CONTROLS. TREATMENT WITH MEDICAL YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING LEVELS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY IN PATIENTS WITH STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
17  290  41 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
18  966  36 EFFECTS OF A YOGA-BASED STRESS INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF YOUNG POLICE OFFICERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: DESPITE IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH EDUCATION AND TREATMENT, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION REMAINS A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM OF INCREASING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF REGULAR YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON BLOOD PRESSURE, WORK-RELATED STRESS, AND THE PREVALENCE OF ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IN YOUNG POLICE ACADEMY TRAINEES WITH NO EXISTING COMORBIDITIES. DESIGN: A SINGLE-CENTER, PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SUBJECTS: THE STUDY INCLUDED 120 HEALTHY TRAINEES AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 39 YEARS WHO PRACTICED WEEKLY YOGA EXERCISES WITH AN EMPHASIS ON BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) OVER AN OBSERVATION PERIOD OF 6 MONTHS. RESULTS: THESE REGULAR EXERCISES LOWERED THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF THE PARTICIPANTS BY 1.34 MMHG (RIGHT ARM, P = 0.007), INCREASED THEIR REGENERATIVE CAPACITY (RECOVERY EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE [REQ] SCALE +2.77, P < 0.001) AND RESILIENCE (RESILIENCE SCALE [RS] +4.6, P = 0.001), AND CONCOMITANTLY REDUCED THE LEVEL OF PERCEIVED STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE [PSS] -0.9, P < 0.001). IN CONTRAST, BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE CONTROL GROUP HAD SLIGHTLY INCREASED OVER THE STUDY PERIOD BY 0.1 MMHG (RIGHT ARM, P < 0.001) AND 1.0 MMHG (LEFT ARM, P = 0.03), AND SUBJECTIVE SCORES HAD SIGNIFICANTLY WORSENED (REQ SCALE -3.4, P < 0.001; RS -2.29, P = 0.001; PSS +0.88, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS POINT TO A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION BETWEEN BLOOD PRESSURE AND BOTH REGENERATIVE CAPACITY AND STRESS LEVEL. THUS, THE STUDY CONFIRMS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS AND EXERT POSITIVE EFFECTS ON BLOOD PRESSURE. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00025921.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
19  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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
20 1063  37 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTY-TWO HEALTHY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH COMPRISED A 60-MINUTE SESSION TWICE A WEEK. EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA POSE PRACTICE, AND SUPINE MEDITATION/RELAXATION. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY YOGA PRACTICE AND TO MAINTAIN THEIR USUAL LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE STUDY. OUTCOME MEASURES: PARTICIPANTS' HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (WEEK 0) AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (WEEK 9). RESULTS: NO MEASURES OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP AFTER INTERVENTION. STATE ANXIETY WAS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP BUT NOT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTED IN PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSION, OR TRAIT ANXIETY IN EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO IMPROVE HEART RATE VARIABILITY. HOWEVER, SUCH A PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD INVOLVE LONGER PERIODS OF YOGA TRAINING, INCLUDE HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURES BOTH AT REST AND DURING YOGA PRACTICE, AND ENROLL WOMEN WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF STRESS AND TRAIT ANXIETY.	2015