1 1454 132 INFLUENCE OF SPORTS CLIMBING AND YOGA ON SPASTICITY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD AND FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVES: SPASTICITY, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, DEPRESSION AND FATIGUE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) PATIENTS. TO FIND OUT WHETHER NONPHARMALOGICAL TREATMENT APPROACHES CAN REDUCE THESE SYMPTOMS WE INVESTIGATED EFFECTS OF SPORTS CLIMBING (SC) AND YOGA ON SPASTICITY, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, MOOD CHANGE AND FATIGUE IN MS PATIENTS. SPORTS CLIMBING (SC) AND YOGA ARE AEROBIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES COMPRISED A SERIES OF STRETCHING TECHNIQUES, IMPLEMENTATION OF WHICH DEMANDS BODY CONTROL AND PLANNING OF COMPLEX MOVEMENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 SUBJECTS WITH RELAPSING-REMITTING OR PROGRESSIVE MS, 26-50 YEARS OF AGE, WITH EDSS2 WERE ENROLLED IN A RANDOMIZED PROSPECTIVE STUDY. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO SC AND YOGA GROUP. WE EVALUATED SPASTICITY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD AND FATIGUE BEFORE AND AFTER BOTH PROGRAMS, THAT LASTED 10 WEEKS, WITH STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT METHODS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SPASTICITY AFTER SC AND YOGA. IN THE SC GROUP WE FOUND A 25% REDUCTION (P=0.046) IN EDSSPYR. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AFTER THE COMPLETION OF BOTH PROGRAMS. THERE WAS A 17% INCREASE IN SELECTIVE ATTENTION PERFORMANCE AFTER YOGA (P=0.005). SC REDUCED FATIGUE FOR 32.5% (P=0.015), WHILE YOGA HAD NO EFFECT. WE FOUND NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF SC AND YOGA ON MOOD. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AND SC MIGHT IMPROVE SOME OF THE MS SYMPTOMS AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN THE FUTURE AS POSSIBLE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS. 2010 2 530 44 COMPARISON OF REGULAR AEROBIC AND YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY FATIGUE, MOTOR WEAKNESS, AND SPASTICITY, TO NAME A FEW. MS SYMPTOMS MAY LEAD TO PHYSICAL INACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR AEROBIC AND YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH MS. METHODS: THE PRESENT QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 90 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MS CHOSEN RANDOMLY AND DIVIDED INTO TWO TEST AND ONE CONTROL GROUPS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS SOFTWARE (VERSION 11.5) THROUGH PAIRED T-TEST, ANOVA, AND TUKEY'S POST HOC. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG THE SCORES OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE THREE GROUPS PRIOR TO INVESTIGATION. ALTHOUGH THEY WERE SIGNIFICANT AFTER INTERVENTION. THE MEAN SCORE OF YOGA GROUP WAS HIGHER THAN THAT OF AEROBIC GROUP, AND AEROBIC GROUP SHOWED A HIGHER MEAN SCORE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL. CONCLUSION: YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISES MAY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MS. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE GOVERNOR ALONG WITH MS SOCIETIES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS SERVICING AND SUPPORTING PATIENTS START TO DEVELOP SPORT-REGULATED PROGRAMS TO HELP IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THESE PATIENTS. 2014 3 2533 42 YOGA EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION AMONG THE IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A CHRONIC AND DISABLING DISEASE RESULTING IN DISABILITIES IN YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED PERSONS. IN THIS STUDY, RESEARCHERS EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF YOGA TECHNIQUES ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL FUNCTION AMONG SOME IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, 60 IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) WERE PLACED IN TWO EQUALLY DIVIDED CONTROL AND CASE GROUPS THROUGH RANDOM SELECTION TO ASSESS PRE-AND POST-EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES ON THEIR PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION LEVELS. WOMEN IN CASE GROUP WERE OFFERED A SERIES OF YOGA TRAINING AND EXERCISES FOR 3 MONTHS, WHICH CONSISTED OF 8 SESSIONS PER MONTH FOR 60 TO 90 MINUTES AT EACH SESSION. YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDED THE 3 PRINCIPLES OF SLOW MOTIONS (HATAYOGA), RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA) AND CENTRALIZATION TO CONTROL MIND VIA MEDITATION, EXPANSION AND STASIS (RAJAYOGA). AFTER 3 MONTHS BOTH GROUPS WERE SURVEYED USING THE INITIAL QUESTIONNAIRE TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE FINDINGS WITH THE BASE-LINE DATA. RESULTS: RESEARCHERS FOUND SIGNIFICANT STATISTICAL DIFFERENCE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION LEVELS AMONG THE WOMEN IN CASE GROUP (P=0.001). WOMEN IN CASE GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL ABILITY WHILE WOMEN IN CONTROL GROUP MANIFESTED EXACERBATED SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: YOGA TECHNIQUES MAY IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION FUNCTION OF WOMEN WITH MS. 2014 4 947 36 EFFECTS OF A 4-MONTH ANANDA YOGA PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVES: YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR ADDRESSING PROBLEMS WITH STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, BALANCE, GAIT, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND CONCENTRATION. VARYING DEGREES OF THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE, 4-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM ON STRENGTH, MOBILITY, BALANCE, RESPIRATORY FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS. METHODS: TWENTY FOUR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS PARTICIPATED IN AN INTENSIVE ANANDA YOGA TRAINING FOLLOWED BY 17 WEEKS OF HOME PRACTICE. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH, BALANCE, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW AND A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES WERE DETECTED FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PERSONS WITH MILD TO MODERATE MS. 2013 5 2815 46 YOGA TRAINING HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON POSTURAL BALANCE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THERE IS A LITTLE EVIDENCE ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR POSTURAL BALANCE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF A SIX-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM ON POSTURAL BALANCE AND SUBJECTIVE IMPACT OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN PEOPLE WITH MS. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. SETTING: PROTOCOL DEVELOPED AT THE ADAPTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STUDY DEPARTMENT, COLLEGE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION, STATE UNIVERSITY OF CAMPINAS, BRAZIL. SUBJECTS: A TOTAL OF 12 (11 WOMEN) YOGA NAIVE PEOPLE WITH MS RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS AS FOLLOWS: CONTROL (C-WAITING LIST, N = 6) AND YOGA (Y-YOGA TRAINING, N = 6). INTERVENTIONS: YOGA GROUP PRACTICED POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, MEDITATION, AND RELAXATION ON WEEKLY 60-MIN CLASSES FOR A SIX-MONTH PERIOD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE FOLLOWING EVALUATIONS WERE PERFORMED AT STUDY ENTRY (BASELINE), AND AFTER SIX MONTHS (SIX MONTHS): BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS), EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE (EDSS), AND SELF-REPORTED POSTURAL BALANCE QUALITY AND INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BBS SCORE FROM BASELINE TO SIX MONTHS ONLY IN THE YOGA GROUP, ESPECIALLY IN SUBJECTS WITH HIGHER EDSS SCORE, WITH INCREASED QUALITY OF SELF-REPORTED POSTURAL BALANCE, AND DECREASED INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. IN CONCLUSION, A SIX-MONTH YOGA TRAINING IS BENEFICIAL FOR PEOPLE WITH MS, SINCE IT IMPROVES POSTURAL BALANCE AND DECREASES THE INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL BALANCE IMPAIRMENT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING. A GREATER SAMPLE SIZE IS NECESSARY TO INCREASE GENERALIZATION, BUT IT SEEMS THAT YOGA COULD BE INCLUDED AS A FEASIBLE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH MS. 2016 6 657 32 EFFECT OF 'EXERCISE WITHOUT MOVEMENT' YOGA METHOD ON MINDFULNESS, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. OBJECTIVE: TO ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF THE 'EXERCISE WITHOUT MOVEMENT' (E.W.M) YOGA METHOD ON MINDFULNESS AND ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS. METHODS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF ONE MONTH E.W.M. INTERVENTION AMONG 38 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE ENROLLED VOLUNTARILY TO BOTH GROUPS, STUDY (N = 16) AND CONTROL (N = 22). FIVE PARTICIPANTS DROPPED OUT DURING THE STUDY. THE STATE MINDFULNESS SCALE (SMS) WAS USED TO MEASURE MINDFULNESS. THE ANXIETY INVENTORY BECK (BAI) AND THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI-II) WERE USED TO MEASURE THE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, RESPECTIVELY, BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: STUDY GROUP SHOWED BOTH A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN MINDFULNESS AND DECREASE IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE E.W.M. HAS BEEN USEFUL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINDFULNESS AND IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND MAY REPRESENT A NEW METHOD IN THE MINDFULNESS-BASED THERAPEUTIC APPLICATION. 2016 7 2780 45 YOGA THERAPY AND AMBULATORY MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ASSESSMENT OF GAIT ANALYSIS PARAMETERS, FATIGUE AND BALANCE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: GAIT IMPAIRMENT, FALLS DUE TO BALANCE PROBLEMS AND FATIGUE ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPLAINTS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AND CAUSE SIGNIFICANT FUNCTIONAL LIMITATION. USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) TO HELP SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT AND TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IS GROWING AMONG MS PATIENTS. YOGA IS WIDELY USED AS ONE OF THESE CAM INTERVENTIONS, HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF STUDIES THAT SHOW THE EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING IN MS IS INADEQUATE. IN THIS STUDY, WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A SHORT TERM YOGA PROGRAM ON FATIGUE, BALANCE AND GAIT IN PATIENTS WITH MS. METHOD: EIGHT VOLUNTEER AMBULATORY MS PATIENTS WITH CLINICALLY DEFINITE RELAPSING REMITTING MS WHOSE EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORE (EDSS) IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 6.0, AND EIGHT HEALTHY SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. PATIENTS PARTICIPATED IN 12 WEEKS OF A BI-WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM UNDER SUPERVISION. AT THEIR BASELINE AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY, THE FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS) AND BERG BALANCE SCALE (BBS) ARE USED TO ASSESS FATIGUE AND BALANCE. THREE DIMENSIONAL GAIT ANALYSIS IS DONE USING THE VICON 612 SYSTEM WITH SIX CAMERAS AND TWO BERTEC FORCE PLATES, BEFORE AND AFTER THERAPY. RESULTS: AFTER SHORT TERM YOGA THERAPY, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS WERE OBTAINED IN FATIGUE, BALANCE, STEP LENGTH AND WALKING SPEED. ALTHOUGH SAGITTAL PLANE PELVIS AND HIP ANGLES, ANKLE PLANTAR FLEXOR MOMENT, POWERS GENERATED AT THE HIP AND ANKLE JOINTS AT THE PRE-SWING WERE IMPROVED, THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY IS A SAFE AND BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING FATIGUE, BALANCE AND SPATIOTEMPORAL GAIT PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH MS. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND LONGER FOLLOW-UP WILL BE NEEDED TO EVALUATE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY. 2015 8 531 42 COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF 8 WEEKS AEROBIC AND YOGA TRAINING ON AMBULATORY FUNCTION, FATIGUE AND MOOD STATUS IN MS PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM THAT RESULTS IN MANY SYMPTOMS INCLUDING MOBILITY LIMITATION AND FATIGUE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: THIRTY-ONE MS PATIENTS, ALL FEMALE WITH MEAN OF AGE OF 36.75 YEARS AND EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE SCORES (EDSS) OF 1.0 TO 4.0 WERE RECRUITED. SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THE THREE GROUPS: TREADMILL TRAINING, YOGA OR CONTROL GROUPS. TREADMILL TRAINING AND YOGA PRACTICE CONSISTED OF 8 WEEKS (24 SESSIONS, THRICE WEEKLY). THE CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR OWN ROUTINE TREATMENT PROGRAM. BALANCE, SPEED AND ENDURANCE OF WALKING, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY WERE MEASURED BY BERG BALANCE SCORES, TIME FOR 10M WALK AND DISTANCE FOR A TWO MINUTE WALK, FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FFS), BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) AND BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY (BAI), RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: COMPARISON OF RESULTS HAVE SHOWN THAT PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTIONS PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BALANCE SCORE, WALKING ENDURANCE, FFS SCORE, BDI SCORE AND BAI SCORE IN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP AND YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, 10M WALK TIME DECREASED IN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP BUT DID NOT SHOW ANY CLEAR CHANGE IN THE YOGA GROUP. MOREOVER, THE ANALYSIS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TREADMILL TRAINING GROUP AND YOGA GROUP FOR BAI SCORE. CONCLUSIONS: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT TREADMILL TRAINING AND YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVED AMBULATORY FUNCTION, FATIGUE AND MOOD STATUS IN THE INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD TO MODERATE MS. 2013 9 708 44 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY ON AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIME, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS CHARACTERIZED BY A SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION IN AUDITORY AND VISUAL REACTION TIMES ALONG WITH ASSOCIATED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO ENHANCE RECOVERY FROM THESE PROBLEMS IN VARIOUS NEUROPSYCHIATRIC ILLNESSES, BUT SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE IS LACKING IN CHRONIC MS POPULATION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (IYP) ON AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC MS. METHODS: FROM A NEURO-REHABILITATION CENTER IN GERMANY, 11 PATIENTS (SIX FEMALES) SUFFERING FROM MS FOR 19+/-7.4 YEARS WERE RECRUITED. SUBJECTS WERE IN THE AGE RANGE OF 55.45+/-10.02 YEARS AND HAD EXTENDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORES (EDSS) BELOW 7. ALL THE SUBJECTS RECEIVED MIND-BODY INTERVENTION OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (IYP) FOR 3 WEEKS. THE INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN IN A RESIDENTIAL SETUP. PATIENTS FOLLOWED A ROUTINE INVOLVING YOGIC PHYSICAL POSTURES, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATIONS ALONG WITH VARIOUS PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) TECHNIQUES FOR 21 DAYS, 5 DAYS A WEEK, 5 H/DAY. THEY WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION FOR CHANGES IN AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES (USING BRAIN FIT MODEL NO. OT 400), ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION [USING HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)]. DATA WAS ANALYZED USING PAIRED SAMPLES TEST. RESULTS: THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN VISUAL REACTION TIME (P=0.01), DEPRESSION (P=0.04), AND ANXIETY (P=0.02) SCORES AT THE END OF 3 WEEKS AS COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. AUDITORY REACTION TIME SHOWED REDUCTION WITH BORDERLINE STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE (P=0.058). CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT PROJECT SUGGESTS UTILITY OF IYP INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIMES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN CHRONIC MS PATIENTS. IN FUTURE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZE SHOULD BE PERFORMED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2016 10 2871 40 YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE FACILITATES SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN STRONGLY INFLUENCES SUSTAINED ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SUSTAINED ATTENTION BY ATTENUATING PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. HENCE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE ON SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND SELF-REPORTED PAIN DISABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 22 MEN AGED 30 TO 50 YEARS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA (N = 11) OR CONTROL (N = 11) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE (YBRT) 1 HOUR A DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND THE CONTROL GROUP MAINTAINED THEIR USUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REGIMEN. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO RESPONSE TASK (SART) AND THE OSWESTRY LOW BACK PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (OLBPDQ) MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALL SELF-REPORTED OLBPDQ DOMAINS AND IMPROVEMENT IN SUSTAINED ATTENTION IN A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. PEARSON'S CORRELATION ALSO SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND PAIN REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES PAIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVES INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED WITH IMPULSE CONTROL DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SUSTAINED ATTENTION TASK. 2020 11 1236 42 FEASIBILITY OF A 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS OF PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. CONTEXT: TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, THERE HAS BEEN NO STUDY ON YOGA THAT INCLUDES BOTH PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. BECAUSE YOGA HAS THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS IN BOTH PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY PERSONS, WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT IT WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO IMPROVE NOT ONLY THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS BUT ALSO THE TIME PERSONS WITH MS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS SPEND TOGETHER. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A 6-MONTH (LONG-TERM) YOGA PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS OF PERSONS WITH MS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. DESIGN: UNCONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. SETTING: THE PROTOCOL WAS DEVELOPED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROLOGY, FACULTY OF MEDICINE, AND SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY AND REHABILITATION, DOKUZ EYLUL UNIVERSITY, IZMIR, TURKEY. PARTICIPANTS: PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: WALKING, BALANCE, FATIGUE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSION, PAIN, AND KINESIOPHOBIA. INTERVENTIONS: YOGA TRAINING WAS GIVEN ONCE A WEEK (AT LEAST 1H) FOR 6 MONTHS. THE SAME ASSESSORS WHO ASSESSED AT BASELINE ALSO PERFORMED THE SAME ASSESSMENTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE END OF THE TRAINING (I.E., AFTER 6 MONTHS). RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 44 PARTICIPANTS (27 PERSONS WITH MS AND 17 HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. TWELVE PERSONS WITH MS AND THREE HEALTHY FAMILY MEMBERS COMPLETED THE 6-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION. THE COMPLETION RATE FOR PERSONS WITH MS AND HEALTHY SUBJECTS WAS 44.4% AND 17.6%, RESPECTIVELY. IN PERSONS WITH MS, THE MENTAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, WALKING SPEED, FATIGUE, AND DEPRESSION LEVELS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM (P < .05). HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE SELF-REPORTED WALKING IMPACT, BALANCE, PAIN, PHYSICAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND KINESIOPHOBIA LEVELS IN THE PERSONS WITH MS (P > .05). THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT A 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM CAN IMPROVE THE MENTAL DIMENSION OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, WALKING SPEED, FATIGUE, AND DEPRESSION IN THE PERSONS WITH MS. HOWEVER, THE 6-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A FEASIBLE METHOD TO INCREASE THE TIME THAT PERSONS WITH MS SPEND TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. 2018 12 293 39 AEROBIC EXERCISE AND YOGA IMPROVE NEUROCOGNITIVE FUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH EARLY PSYCHOSIS. IMPAIRMENTS OF ATTENTION AND MEMORY ARE EVIDENT IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS, AND ARE ASSOCIATED WITH FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. IN A GROUP OF STABLE, MEDICATED WOMEN PATIENTS, WE AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER PARTICIPATING IN AEROBIC EXERCISE OR YOGA IMPROVED COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS AND CLINICAL SYMPTOMS. A TOTAL OF 140 FEMALE PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED, AND 124 RECEIVED THE ALLOCATED INTERVENTION IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA OR AEROBIC EXERCISE COMPARED WITH A WAITLIST GROUP. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS INCLUDING MEMORY AND ATTENTION. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE THE SEVERITY OF PSYCHOTIC AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND HIPPOCAMPAL VOLUME. DATA FROM 124 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS BASED ON THE INTENTION-TO-TREAT PRINCIPLE. BOTH YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE GROUPS DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING MEMORY (P<0.01) WITH MODERATE TO LARGE EFFECT SIZES COMPARED WITH THE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED ADDITIONAL BENEFITS IN VERBAL ACQUISITION (P<0.01) AND ATTENTION (P=0.01). BOTH TYPES OF EXERCISE IMPROVED OVERALL AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (ALL P0.01) AFTER 12 WEEKS. SMALL INCREASES IN HIPPOCAMPAL VOLUME WERE OBSERVED IN THE AEROBIC EXERCISE GROUP COMPARED WITH WAITLIST (P=0.01). BOTH TYPES OF EXERCISE IMPROVED WORKING MEMORY IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS PATIENTS, WITH YOGA HAVING A LARGER EFFECT ON VERBAL ACQUISITION AND ATTENTION THAN AEROBIC EXERCISE. THE APPLICATION OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE AS ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENTS FOR EARLY PSYCHOSIS MERITS SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. THIS STUDY WAS SUPPORTED BY THE SMALL RESEARCH FUNDING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG (201007176229), AND RGC FUNDING (C00240/762412) BY THE AUTHORITY OF RESEARCH, HONG KONG. 2015 13 1456 45 INFLUENCE OF YOGA AND AEROBICS EXERCISE ON FATIGUE, PAIN AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE INVOLVING BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD. WEAKNESS, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, PAIN, DEPRESSION AND FATIGUE, AS COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MS, MAY SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT ON GENERAL HEALTH OF MS PATIENTS. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE ON FATIGUE, PAIN, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS AMONG THESE PATIENTS. METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY ON 90 PATIENTS WHOM WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THREE EQUAL GROUPS OF YOGA EXERCISES, AEROBICS EXERCISES, AND CONTROL GROUP. THE EXERCISE PROGRAM WAS PERFORMED AS THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. THE EXERCISE PROGRAM INCLUDED 40 MINUTES, INCLUDING 5-10 MINUTES FOR WARM-UP, 25-30 MINUTES OF EXERCISE (WALKING), AND 5 MINUTES FOR COOLING DOWN. YOGA EXERCISES WERE SCHEDULED THREE SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS AS WELL. RESULTS: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FATIGUE, PAIN SEVERITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS AMONG THREE GROUPS PRIOR TO THE STUDY, BUT AFTER THE STUDY, IN YOGA AND EXERCISE GROUPS, FATIGUE PHYSICAL FUNCTION, PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ROLE WHICH PATIENTS PLAY THROUGHOUT DAILY LIFE, SOCIAL FUNCTION, ENERGY, MENTAL STATUS AND OVERALL HYGIENE INCREASED, AND THE PAIN AND FATIGUE WERE RELIEVED IN THE PATIENTS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AND AEROBICS EXERCISE COULD DECREASE SOME OF THE MS SYMPTOMS, THERAPEUTIC COSTS, HOSPITAL STAY, AND DAYS LOST FROM WORK AS WELL AS INCREASING THE PATIENTS' EFFICIENCY. 2016 14 909 39 EFFECTIVENESS OF GROUP VERSUS INDIVIDUAL YOGA EXERCISES ON FATIGUE OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS DISORDERS POSES HEAVY PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL EFFECT ON PATIENTS WHO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISEASE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIVIDUAL VERSUS GROUP EXERCISES ON FATIGUE ON PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL, 85 PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WERE DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALIZED EXERCISE AND TEAM EXERCISE. THE INTERVENTION WAS CONDUCTED FOR 6 WEEKS AND COMPRISED OF MILD STRETCHING AND BASIC YOGA EXERCISES TWICE A DAY. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE, STANDARD FATIGUE SCALE AND SELF-REPORTED CHECKLIST. DATA ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BY SPSS SOFTWARE. RESULTS: THE MEAN LEVELS OF FATIGUE PERCEPTION AFTER THE INTERVENTION IN GROUP EXERCISE WAS 27.9 +/- 15.9 AND 27.1 +/- 17.2 IN INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS (P > 0.05). STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE MEAN LEVEL OF PERCEIVED FATIGUE IN TRIPLICATE MEASUREMENTS (P = 0.013) AMONG PATIENTS WHO COMPLETED INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. HOWEVER, THIS DIFFERENCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN THE GROUP EXERCISE. CONCLUSION: PERFORMING MILD STRETCHING EXERCISES AND BASIC YOGA ARE RECOMMENDED AS A COST-EFFECTIVE METHOD WHICH IS EASY TO PERFORM AMONG PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DISABILITIES. 2015 15 748 35 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 16 1017 41 EFFECTS OF SINGLE BOUTS OF WALKING EXERCISE AND YOGA ON ACUTE MOOD SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. BACKGROUND: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE ACUTE OR IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF WALKING EXERCISE AND YOGA ON MOOD IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). SUCH AN EXAMINATION IS IMPORTANT FOR IDENTIFYING AN EXERCISE MODALITY FOR INCLUSION IN EXERCISE-TRAINING INTERVENTIONS THAT YIELDS MOOD BENEFITS IN MS. WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE BOUTS OF TREADMILL WALKING AND YOGA COMPARED WITH A QUIET, SEATED-REST CONTROL CONDITION ON ACUTE MOOD SYMPTOMS IN MS. METHODS: TWENTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS WITH MS COMPLETED 20 MINUTES OF TREADMILL WALKING, YOGA, OR QUIET REST IN A RANDOMIZED, COUNTERBALANCED ORDER WITH 1 WEEK BETWEEN SESSIONS. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH CONDITION. TOTAL MOOD DISTURBANCE (TMD) AND THE SIX SUBSCALES OF THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND PAIRED-SAMPLES T TESTS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CONDITION X TIME INTERACTION ON TMD SCORES (ETAP (2) = 0.13). WALKING AND YOGA CONDITIONS YIELDED COMPARABLE REDUCTIONS IN TMD SCORES. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CONDITION X TIME INTERACTION ON VIGOR (ETAP (2) = 0.23) WHEREBY WALKING BUT NOT YOGA YIELDED AN IMPROVEMENT IN VIGOR. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT OF TIME ON ANGER, CONFUSION, DEPRESSION, AND TENSION (P < .05) BUT NOT ON FATIGUE. CONCLUSIONS: WALKING AND YOGA YIELDED SIMILAR IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL ACUTE MOOD SYMPTOMS, AND WALKING IMPROVED FEELINGS OF VIGOR. THESE EFFECTS SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED IN LONG-TERM EXERCISE-TRAINING STUDIES. 2016 17 248 38 A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH ELEVATED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION. CONTEXT: YOGA TEACHERS AND STUDENTS OFTEN REPORT THAT YOGA HAS AN UPLIFTING EFFECT ON THEIR MOODS, BUT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON YOGA AND DEPRESSION IS LIMITED. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A SHORT-TERM IYENGAR YOGA COURSE ON MOOD IN MILDLY DEPRESSED YOUNG ADULTS. DESIGN: YOUNG ADULTS PRE-SCREENED FOR MILD LEVELS OF DEPRESSION WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA COURSE OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. SETTING: COLLEGE CAMPUS RECREATION CENTER. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-EIGHT VOLUNTEERS AGES 18 TO 29. AT INTAKE, ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE EXPERIENCING MILD LEVELS OF DEPRESSION, BUT HAD RECEIVED NO CURRENT PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSES OR TREATMENTS. NONE HAD SIGNIFICANT YOGA EXPERIENCE. INTERVENTION: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED TWO 1-HOUR IYENGAR YOGA CLASSES EACH WEEK FOR 5 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS. THE CLASSES EMPHASIZED YOGA POSTURES THOUGHT TO ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION, PARTICULARLY BACK BENDS, STANDING POSES, AND INVERSIONS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, MORNING CORTISOL LEVELS. RESULTS: SUBJECTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE YOGA COURSE DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN SELF-REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND TRAIT ANXIETY. THESE EFFECTS EMERGED BY THE MIDDLE OF THE YOGA COURSE AND WERE MAINTAINED BY THE END. CHANGES ALSO WERE OBSERVED IN ACUTE MOOD, WITH SUBJECTS REPORTING DECREASED LEVELS OF NEGATIVE MOOD AND FATIGUE FOLLOWING YOGA CLASSES. FINALLY, THERE WAS A TREND FOR HIGHER MORNING CORTISOL LEVELS IN THE YOGA GROUP BY THE END OF THE YOGA COURSE, COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE SUGGESTIVE EVIDENCE OF THE UTILITY OF YOGA ASANAS IN IMPROVING MOOD AND SUPPORT THE NEED FOR FUTURE STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLES AND MORE COMPLEX STUDY DESIGNS TO MORE FULLY EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MOOD DISTURBANCES. 2004 18 1056 37 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OF WOMEN. UNLABELLED: YOGA HAS OFTEN BEEN PERCEIVED AS A METHOD OF STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL THAT CAN ASSIST IN ALLEVIATING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA IN RELIEVING SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN WOMEN WHO WERE REFERRED TO A YOGA CLINIC. METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF WOMEN WHO WERE REFERRED TO A YOGA CLINIC FROM JULY 2006 TO JULY 2007. ALL NEW CASES WERE EVALUATED ON ADMISSION USING A PERSONAL INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE WELL AS BECK AND SPIELBERGER TESTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL AND A CONTROL GROUP. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N=34) PARTICIPATED IN TWICE WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES OF 90 MIN DURATION FOR TWO MONTHS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N=31) WAS ASSIGNED TO A WAITING LIST AND DID NOT RECEIVE YOGA. BOTH GROUPS WERE EVALUATED AGAIN AFTER THE TWO-MONTH STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: THE AVERAGE PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRE AND POST YOGA INTERVENTION WAS 12.82+/-7.9 AND 10.79+/-6.04 RESPECTIVELY, A STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT DECREASE (P=0.13). HOWEVER, WHEN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN YOGA CLASSES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STATE ANXIETY (P=0.03) AND TRAIT ANXIETY (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN A TWO-MONTH YOGA CLASS CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PERCEIVED LEVELS OF ANXIETY IN WOMEN WHO SUFFER FROM ANXIETY DISORDERS. THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY OR AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR MEDICAL THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS. 2009 19 2673 31 YOGA IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO ACCESS THE EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY, BUT ITS BENEFITS AND INTEGRATION INTO PRIMARY CARE REMAIN UNCERTAIN. HERE, WE DETERMINE YOGA EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING YOGA AT PRIMARY CARE LEVEL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS IS A PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY, WITH AN INTERVENTION (N=49) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N=37). YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 24-WEEKS PROGRAM OF ONE-HOUR SESSIONS. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AS WELL AS SATISFACTION LEVEL AND ADHERENCE RATE. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL DOMAINS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND A REDUCTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.046). CONCLUSION: YOGA IN PRIMARY CARE IS FEASIBLE, SAFE AND HAS A SATISFACTORY ADHERENCE, AS WELL AS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE OF PARTICIPANTS. 2019 20 983 38 EFFECTS OF HATA YOGA ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF HATA YOGA EXERCISES ON WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. STUDIES ABOUT EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DIFFERENT CHRONIC DISEASES SHOW THAT THESE EXERCISES HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CHRONIC DISEASES. AS KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS IS VERY COMMON AMONG MIDDLE AGE WOMEN WE DECIDED TO MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE EXERCISES ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. METHODS: SAMPLE INCLUDED 30 WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS WHO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THIS SEMI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND WERE DIVIDED INTO A CONTROL GROUP (15) AND A YOGA GROUP (15). THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 60 MINUTES SESSIONS OF HATA YOGA, 3 TIMES A WEEK AND FOR 8 WEEKS. PAIN, SYMPTOMS, DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS AND SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE RESPECTIVELY MEASURED BY VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS) AND KNEE INJURY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS OUTCOME SCALE (KOOS) QUESTIONNAIRE. THE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) METHOD FOR REPETITIVE DATA WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE RESULTS (P = 0.05). RESULTS: FINDINGS SHOWED THAT PAIN AND SYMPTOMS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AND SCORES OF DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS, SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT YOGA CAN BE USED AS A CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT BESIDES USUAL TREATMENTS AND MEDICATIONS TO IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF PEOPLE WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. 2013