1 1689 115 OVERVIEW OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS: YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH ACUTE AND CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS. OBJECTIVES. OVERVIEW THE QUALITY, DIRECTION, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR TREATMENT OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS IN ADULT POPULATIONS. METHODS. WE SEARCHED FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS IN 10 ONLINE DATABASES, BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES, AND HAND-SEARCHES IN YOGA-RELATED JOURNALS. INCLUDED REVIEWS SATISFY OXMAN CRITERIA AND SPECIFY YOGA AS A PRIMARY INTERVENTION IN ONE OR MORE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS FOR TREATMENT IN ADULTS. THE AMSTAR TOOL AND GRADE APPROACH EVALUATED THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF REVIEWS AND QUALITY OF EVIDENCE. RESULTS. WE IDENTIFIED 2202 TITLES, OF WHICH 41 FULL-TEXT ARTICLES WERE ASSESSED FOR ELIGIBILITY AND 26 SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS SATISFIED INCLUSION CRITERIA. THIRTEEN SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS INCLUDE QUANTITATIVE DATA AND SIX PAPERS INCLUDE META-ANALYSIS. THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE IS GENERALLY LOW. SIXTEEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF HEALTH CONDITIONS ARE INCLUDED. ELEVEN REVIEWS SHOW TENDENCY TOWARDS POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION, 15 REVIEWS REPORT UNCLEAR RESULTS, AND NO, REVIEWS REPORT ADVERSE EFFECTS OF YOGA. YOGA APPEARS MOST EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING SYMPTOMS IN ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN. CONCLUSION. ALTHOUGH THE QUALITY OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS IS HIGH, THE QUALITY OF SUPPORTING EVIDENCE IS LOW. SIGNIFICANT HETEROGENEITY AND VARIABILITY IN REPORTING INTERVENTIONS BY TYPE OF YOGA, SETTINGS, AND POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS LIMIT THE GENERALIZABILITY OF RESULTS. 2013 2 590 46 DETERMINING THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA IN CHRONIC STROKE CARE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: SURVIVORS OF STROKE HAVE LONG-TERM PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES THAT IMPACT THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. FEW INTERVENTIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS. YOGA, A TYPE OF MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTION, IS SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN PEOPLE WITH OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES AND MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ADDRESS MANY OF THE PROBLEMS REPORTED BY SURVIVORS OF STROKE. OBJECTIVES: TO DATE ONLY NARRATIVE REVIEWS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. WE SOUGHT TO PERFORM, THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH META-ANALYSES OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT INVESTIGATED YOGA FOR ITS POTENTIAL BENEFIT FOR CHRONIC SURVIVORS OF STROKE. METHODS: OVID MEDLINE, CINHAL PLUS, AMED, PUBMED, PSYCHINFO, PEDRO, COCHRANE DATABASE, SPORT DISCUSS, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR WERE SEARCHED FOR PAPERS PUBLISHED BETWEEN JANUARY 1950 AND AUGUST 2016. REFERENCE LISTS OF INCLUDED PAPERS, REVIEW ARTICLES AND OPENGREY FOR GREY LITERATURE WERE ALSO SEARCHED. WE USED A MODIFIED COCHRANE TOOL TO EVALUATE RISK OF BIAS. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF RCTS WAS ASSESSED USING THE GRADE APPROACH, RESULTS WERE COLLATED, AND RANDOM EFFECTS META-ANALYSES PERFORMED WHERE APPROPRIATE. RESULTS: THE SEARCH YIELDED FIVE ELIGIBLE PAPERS FROM FOUR RCTS WITH SMALL SAMPLE SIZES (N = 17-47). QUALITY OF RCTS WAS RATED AS LOW TO MODERATE. YOGA IS BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND DEPRESSION IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCES FOR STATE ANXIETY 6.05, 95% CI:-0.02 TO 12.12; P = 0.05 AND STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES FOR DEPRESSION: 0.50, 95% CI:-0.01 TO 1.02; P = 0.05). CONSISTENT BUT NONSIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE DEMONSTRATED FOR BALANCE, TRAIT ANXIETY, AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR AMELIORATING SOME OF THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF STROKE. LARGE WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2017 3 2181 44 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: THE GOAL WAS TO REVIEW SYSTEMATICALLY THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA, COMPARED WITH OTHER EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS, FOR OLDER ADULTS AS SHOWN ON MEASURES OF HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. DESIGN: THIS WAS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH BOTH NARRATIVE SYNTHESIS AND META-ANALYSIS. DATA SOURCES: SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED IN MEDLINE(R)/PUBMED, PSYCINFO, CINAHL, WEB OF SCIENCE, AND SCOPUS; BIBLIOGRAPHIES OF SELECTED ARTICLES; AND ONE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. METHODS: ORIGINAL STUDIES FROM 1950 TO NOVEMBER 2010 WERE SOUGHT, EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OLDER ADULTS. THE SEARCH WAS RESTRICTED TO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA IN SUBJECTS >/=AGE 60, AND PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH. DATA WERE EXTRACTED AND EVALUATED REGARDING SETTING, POPULATION SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS, INTERVENTION TYPE AND DURATION, COMPARISON GROUP, OUTCOME ASSESSMENT, DATA ANALYSIS, FOLLOW-UP, KEY RESULTS, AND THE QUALITY OF EACH STUDY ACCORDING TO SPECIFIC PREDETERMINED CRITERIA. RESULTS: THE SEARCH YIELDED 18 ELIGIBLE STUDIES (N=649). THE STUDIES REPORTED ON OLDER ADULTS ACROSS A RANGE OF SETTINGS, INTERVENTION INTENSITY, AND OUTCOME MEASURES. THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDIES HAD<35 PARTICIPANTS (RANGE 9-77). QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS OF THE STUDIES SUGGESTED THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY EXCEED THOSE OF CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR SELF-RATED HEALTH STATUS, AEROBIC FITNESS, AND STRENGTH. HOWEVER, THE EFFECT SIZES WERE MODEST, AND THE EVIDENCE WAS MIXED FOR YOGA'S EFFECT ON DEPRESSION, SLEEP, AND BONE-MINERAL DENSITY. STUDIES DID NOT FIND AN EFFECT ON COGNITION. CONCLUSIONS: SMALL STUDIES WITH MIXED METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY SUGGESTED THAT YOGA MAY BE SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE. THE PRECISION OF THE ESTIMATES REMAINS LOW. LARGER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO DEFINE BETTER THE INTERSECTION OF POPULATIONS, SETTINGS, AND INTERVENTIONS IN WHICH YOGA IS MOST BENEFICIAL. 2012 4 2294 28 THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR COMMON PRIMARY CARE CONDITIONS. INTRODUCTION: YOGA IS A POPULAR FORM OF EXERCISE THAT USES BODY POSTURES, MEDITATION, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE MANY HEALTH BENEFITS. OBJECTIVE/METHODS: OUR GOAL FOR THIS REVIEW IS TO ORIENT HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO THE EVIDENCE-BASED USES OF YOGA MOST RELEVANT TO PRIMARY CARE. WE CONDUCTED A PUBMED SEARCH THAT INCLUDED META-ANALYSES, REVIEWS, SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS, AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. RESULTS: RESULTS WERE LIMITED TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND PUBLICATION BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020. YOGA WAS FOUND TO HELP DECREASE HYPERTENSION, RELIEVE BACK PAIN, PROMOTE OVERALL WELL-BEING, AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IS A RELATIVELY SAFE AND EFFECTIVE OPTION FOR PATIENTS INTERESTED IN THERAPEUTIC LIFESTYLE CHANGE TO PROMOTE WELL-BEING AND TO HELP MANAGE HYPERTENSION, BACK PAIN, AND OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH. 2021 5 317 32 AN INTEGRATED METHODOLOGY TO ASSESS COMPLIANCE WITH DELPHI SURVEY KEY COMPONENTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS AS APPLIED IN A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF FIBROMYALGIA STUDIES. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS ARTICLE WAS TO PRESENT A METHODOLOGY INCORPORATING EXISTING GUIDELINES AND TOOLS FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND TO EVALUATE THE DELPHI SURVEY 33 KEY COMPONENT RECOMMENDATIONS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS AS A TOOL FOR A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW IN FIBROMYALGIA STUDIES. DATA SOURCES: DATABASES SEARCHED INCLUDED PUBMED, OVID MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, CINAHL, ALT HEALTHWATCH, PEDRO, AND WEB OF SCIENCE. ARTICLE SELECTION: SELECTED WERE ARTICLES PUBLISHED BETWEEN NOVEMBER 14, 2004 AND NOVEMBER 13, 2014, WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, REPORTING ORIGINAL RESEARCH OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR ADULTS WITH FIBROMYALGIA. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: SIX ARTICLES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, REVEALING THAT THREE YOGA STYLES ("RELAXING" YOGA, YOGA OF AWARENESS, AND HATHA YOGA) HAVE BEEN ASSESSED IN PERSONS WITH FIBROMYALGIA. OVERALL, REPORTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE 33 KEY COMPONENTS RANGED FROM 39.4% TO 84.8%, WITH A MEAN ADHERENCE RATE OF 62.63% +/- 17.74. NONE OF THE AUTHORS USED AN ACCEPTED REPORTING GUIDELINE; SPECIFIC COMPONENTS OF ASANA, PRANAYAMA, RELAXATION, AND MINDFULNESS PRACTICES THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THE INTERVENTIONS TESTED WERE IDENTIFIED IN ONLY 33.33% OF THE ARTICLES REVIEWED; AND NONE OF THE ARTICLES INCLUDED DETAILED, REPLICABLE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INTERVENTIONS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE YOGA RESEARCH GUIDELINES. FINDINGS REVEAL A LACK OF REPORTING OF INTERVENTION DETAILS, THE NEED TO REPORT A DISEASE-SPECIFIC RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF THE PARTICULAR YOGA STYLE USED FOR THE INTERVENTION, AND THAT A LIMITED NUMBER OF YOGA STYLES HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED IN PERSONS WITH FIBROMYALGIA. 2016 6 2542 25 YOGA FOR ARTHRITIS: A SCOPING REVIEW. THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS THE EXISTING LITERATURE ON USING YOGA FOR ARTHRITIS. IT INCLUDES PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH FROM CLINICAL TRIALS (PUBLISHED FROM 1980 TO 2010) THAT USED YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR ARTHRITIS AND REPORTED QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS. ELEVEN STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED, INCLUDING 4 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND 4 NON-RCTS. ALL TRIALS WERE SMALL AND CONTROL GROUPS VARIED. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED, AND ATTRITION WAS COMPARABLE OR BETTER THAN THAT TYPICAL FOR EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS. EVIDENCE WAS STRONGEST FOR REDUCED DISEASE SYMPTOMS (TENDER/SWOLLEN JOINTS, PAIN) AND DISABILITY AND FOR IMPROVED SELF-EFFICACY AND MENTAL HEALTH. INTERVENTIONS, RESEARCH METHODS, AND DISEASE DIAGNOSES WERE HETEROGENEOUS. 2011 7 1109 40 EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: THE WORLD'S ELDERLY POPULATION IS GROWING. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON HEALTH AND COGNITION, BUT IS DECREASING AMONG THE ELDERLY. INTEREST IN YOGA-BASED EXERCISES HAS INCREASED IN THIS POPULATION, ESPECIALLY AS AN INTERVENTION TARGETING BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND WELL-BEING. RECENT INTEREST HAS ARISEN REGARDING YOGA'S POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR COGNITION. OBJECTIVE: TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN HEALTHY ADULTS AGED >/=60. A SECONDARY AIM WAS TO DESCRIBE INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS AND, WHERE POSSIBLE, THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE INFLUENCED STUDY OUTCOMES. METHOD: THE REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PRISMA GUIDELINES. SEARCHES WERE PERFORMED FROM INCEPTION TO JUNE 2020 USING THE FOLLOWING ELECTRONIC DATABASES: (1) PUBMED (NLM); (2) EMBASE (ELSEVIER); (3) COCHRANE CENTRAL (WILEY); (4) PSYCINFO (EBSCOHOST); AND (5) CINAHL (EBSCOHOST). INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ASSESSING COGNITION IN HEALTHY ADULTS >/=60 YEARS. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE REVISED COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 1466 RECORDS WERE INITIALLY IDENTIFIED; SIX STUDIES (5 UNIQUE TRIALS) WERE INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW. FOUR OF THE SIX ARTICLES REPORTED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITION, INCLUDING GROSS MEMORY FUNCTIONING AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS. INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS AND ASSESSMENT METHODS VARIED BETWEEN STUDIES, WITH A HIGH OVERALL RISK OF BIAS IN ALL STUDIES. CONCLUSION: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITION IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS. ADEQUATELY POWERED RCTS WITH ROBUST STUDY DESIGNS AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UPS ARE REQUIRED. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EXPLICITLY REPORT THE INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION. 2021 8 1084 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THIS ARTICLE REPORTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND CLINICAL CONTROLLED TRIALS (CCTS) THAT ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. SELECTED STUDIES WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE TYPES OF INTERVENTION, DURATION, OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS. THEY WERE ALSO QUALITATIVELY ASSESSED BASED ON PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. RESULTS: THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS BASED ON EIGHT RCTS AND CCTS THAT INDICATED A POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA IN REDUCING STRESS LEVELS OR STRESS SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE STUDIES HAD METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THAT THE INTERVENTION DURATION WAS SHORT AND LIMITED FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS AVAILABLE. CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS REDUCTION IN HEALTHY ADULT POPULATIONS. HOWEVER, THE RESULT SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES AND THE ASSOCIATED METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. FURTHER STUDIES TO ASCERTAIN YOGA'S LONG-TERM EFFECTS AND THE UNDERLYING BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS LEADING TO ITS STRESS REDUCTION EFFECT SHOULD BE CONDUCTED. 2011 9 2569 42 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION: THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE. BACKGROUND: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS MAY PROVE TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR THIS INDICATION. METHODS: SEARCHES OF THE MAJOR BIOMEDICAL DATABASES INCLUDING MEDLINE, EMBASE, CLNAHL, PSYCINFO AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE CONDUCTED. SPECIALIST COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AND THE INDMED DATABASES WERE ALSO SEARCHED AND EFFORTS MADE TO IDENTIFY UNPUBLISHED AND ONGOING RESEARCH. SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE 2004. RELEVANT RESEARCH WAS CATEGORISED BY STUDY TYPE AND APPRAISED. CLINICAL COMMENTARIES WERE OBTAINED FOR STUDIES REPORTING CLINICAL OUTCOMES. RESULTS: FIVE RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE LOCATED, EACH OF WHICH UTILISED DIFFERENT FORMS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS AND IN WHICH THE SEVERITY OF THE CONDITION RANGED FROM MILD TO SEVERE. ALL TRIALS REPORTED POSITIVE FINDINGS BUT METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS SUCH AS METHOD OF RANDOMISATION, COMPLIANCE AND ATTRITION RATES WERE MISSING. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FATIGUE AND BREATHLESSNESS IN PARTICIPANTS IN ONE STUDY. LIMITATIONS: NO LANGUAGE RESTRICTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON THE SEARCHES CONDUCTED BUT NO SEARCHES OF DATABASES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH WERE INCLUDED. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, THE INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE OF POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. VARIATION IN INTERVENTIONS, SEVERITY AND REPORTING OF TRIAL METHODOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT THE FINDINGS MUST BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. SEVERAL OF THE INTERVENTIONS MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE IN THOSE WITH REDUCED OR IMPAIRED MOBILITY. NEVERTHELESS, FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IS WARRANTED. 2005 10 495 30 COMBATING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC THROUGH YOGA: RECOMMENDATION FROM AN OVERVIEW. GLOBALLY, THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE IS BEING AFFECTED DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. GIVEN THE FACT THAT NUMEROUS SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS ALREADY EXIST ON YOGA AND MENTAL HEALTH, IT BECOMES VITAL TO UNDERTAKE AN OVERVIEW ON THE SAME. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE OVERVIEW WAS TO SUMMARISE THE EVIDENCE FROM DIFFERENT SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF DISTINCT YOGA INTERVENTIONS USED TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH AND RECOMMEND YOGA PRACTICES FOR THE SAME. THE PROTOCOL WAS REGISTERED ON PROSPERO (CRD42020185221). MEDLINE VIA PUBMED, COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR WERE SEARCHED FOR RELEVANT LITERATURE. SEARCH TERMS USED WERE "YOGA PRACTICE, MENTAL HEALTH AND SYSTEMATIC REVIEW". REVIEWS FROM EARLIEST POSSIBLE DATE TILL MAY 2020, INCLUDING THOSE EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF ANY SINGLE OR COMBINATION OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON MENTAL HEALTH REPORTED ON CHILDREN, YOUTH AND ADULTS WERE SELECTED. THE ASSESSMENT OF MULTIPLE SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS (AMSTAR) TOOL WAS USED TO EVALUATE THE EVIDENCE OF THE INCLUDED REVIEWS. OUT OF THE 90 REVIEWS FOUND, EIGHT UNIQUE REVIEWS WERE SELECTED FOR THE OVERVIEW. OVERALL, 243 STUDIES WERE ANALYZED, WITH AN OVERLAP OF ONLY 6 STUDIES ACROSS THE REVIEWS. OUT OF 8 REVIEWS, ONLY 2 WERE OF HIGH QUALITY AND THE REST WERE OF MODERATE QUALITY. OWING TO HETEROGENEITY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES, ONLY DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS WAS POSSIBLE. THE RESULTS OF THE REVIEW INDICATE MODERATE TO POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE MENTAL HEALTH PARAMETERS. PRACTICING YOGA (PHYSICAL POSTURES, BHRAMARY PRANAYAM, MINDFULNESS MEDITATION, SAHAJ YOGA AND LAUGHTER THERAPY) CAN BE BENEFICIAL TO IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. 2021 11 1064 33 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON IMMUNE FUNCTION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVE: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ATTEMPTS TO CONFIRM THE ADDED EVIDENCE TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON IMMUNE FUNCTION. METHODS: THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, PUBMED, AND WEB OF SCIENCE ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED ACCORDING TO THE PRISRMA METHOD TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ON THE IMMUNOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PUBLISHED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE FROM JANUARY 1, 2017, TO DECEMBER 31, 2020. THIS REVIEW COULD ONLY BE DESCRIPTIVELY SUMMARIZED BECAUSE OF HETEROGENEITY OF THE INCLUDED RCTS. RESULTS: ELEVEN POTENTIAL TRIALS WERE IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. QUALITY APPRAISAL OF INCLUDED TRIALS RANGED FROM 3 FOR UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS AND 8 FOR HIGH RISK OF BIAS. THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM 11 RCTS THAT YOGA MAY HAVE FAVORABLE EFFECTS FOR REDUCING THE LEVELS OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MARKERS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY BE USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR CLINICAL POPULATIONS OR HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. 2021 12 1518 36 IS YOGA CONSIDERED EXERCISE WITHIN SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS? A SCOPING REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: YOGA IS AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR CHOICE OF EXERCISE FOR THE WESTERN POPULATION, WITH PEOPLE ENGAGING IN YOGA FOR A RANGE OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING REASONS. THE AIM OF THIS SCOPING REVIEW IS TO EXAMINE WHETHER YOGA IS CONSIDERED AN EXERCISE MODALITY WITHIN RELEVANT LEADING JOURNALS, AS EVIDENCED BY ITS CONSIDERATION IN SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS (SRS) OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES. METHODS: DESIGN: SCOPING REVIEW. DATA SOURCES: THREE LEADING SOURCES (SPORTS MEDICINE, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE AND COCHRANE COLLABORATION) WERE SEARCHED. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: THE TEN MOST RECENTLY PUBLISHED SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES FROM EACH JOURNAL WERE INCLUDED (N = 30) THAT MET THESE CRITERIA: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW STUDYING HUMANS PARTICIPATING IN GENERAL EXERCISE AND MEASURING A HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOME. EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS WITH ANY SPECIFIC QUALIFYING TERMS (E.G. AQUATIC, STRENGTH, AEROBIC) WERE EXCLUDED. RESULTS: THE ARTICLES RETRIEVED WERE PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2007 AND 2019, AND COLLECTIVELY INCLUDED 991 INTERVENTIONS. SEVEN REVIEWS EXPLICITLY STATED THAT YOGA WAS TO BE INCLUDED/EXCLUDED WHILE TWENTY-THREE STUDIES MADE NO MENTION OF HOW YOGA WAS BEING CONSIDERED IN THE METHODOLOGY. FIVE STUDIES INCLUDED YOGA IN THE SEARCH STRATEGY, IMPLYING ITS INCLUSION. POST-HOC ANALYSES FOUND THAT THE DEFINITIONS OF EXERCISE IN GENERAL WERE ALSO VARIABLE. EXERCISE DEFINITION SPECIFICITY WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH WHETHER OR NOT YOGA WAS ASSESSED FOR INCLUSION. CONCLUSIONS: SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES DO NOT CONSISTENTLY MAKE CLEAR WHETHER OR NOT THEY INCLUDE OR EXCLUDE YOGA AS A FORM OF EXERCISE. 2021 13 2184 30 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW STUDY. INTRODUCTION: THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IS CONSIDERED TO BE AN IMPORTANT HEALTH ISSUE IN DIFFERENT SOCIETIES AND ONE OF THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF HEALTH CARE IN THIS PERIOD. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. METHOD: ENGLISH DATABASES OF GOOGLE SCHOLAR, SCIENCE DIRECT, PUBMED, SCOPUS, AND COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED TO ACCESS RELATED ARTICLES USING KEYWORDS OF MENOPAUSE, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND YOGA. FURTHERMORE, PERSIAN EQUIVALENTS OF THE SAME KEYWORDS WERE SEARCHED IN DATABASES OF GOOGLE SCHOLAR, SID, AND MAGIRAN, IN ADDITION TO A COMBINATION OF THE KEYWORDS. THE SEARCH INTERVAL WAS FROM THE INSPECTION TO JANUARY 2020. THE QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIED WAS ASSESSED BASED ON CONSORT 2017 CHECKLIST. RESULTS: OUT OF 120 ARTICLES FOUND IN THE DATABASES, SIX ARTICLES ENTERED THE STUDY BASED ON THE INCLUSION CRITERIA AND WERE INVESTIGATED FOR INTERVENTION METHODS AND CONSEQUENCES. THE RESULTS INDICATED THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. CONCLUSION: CONSIDERING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THIS LOW-COST METHOD BE USED TO IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH. 2021 14 541 40 COMPONENTS AND REPORTING OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVES: TO IDENTIFY THE CONTENT AND REPORTING DETAILS OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. DESIGN: TWENTY ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE FULL-TEXT, PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES, OF RCTS WITH YOGA AS A PRIMARY INTERVENTION, ON A POPULATION AGED 18 YEARS AND OVER, WITH A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF A MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITION. DATA RELATING TO STUDY CHARACTERISTICS, YOGA STYLES, YOGA PRACTICES, HOME PRACTICE, AND REPORTING WERE EXTRACTED AND SUMMARISED. RESULTS: SEVENTEEN ARTICLES MET INCLUSION CRITERIA, REPRESENTING FIVE MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS: LOW BACK PAIN, OSTEOARTHRITIS, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, KYPHOSIS, AND FIBROMYALGIA. 15 STUDIES WERE NON-RESIDENTIAL, AND TWO WERE RESIDENTIAL. STUDY DURATION RANGED FROM 1 TO 24 WEEKS; WEEKLY DOSAGE OF YOGA RANGED FROM 1 TO 56H. FIVE STYLES OF POSTURE-BASED HATHA YOGA WERE SPECIFIED. INTERVENTION CONTENT INCLUDED SEVEN YOGA PRACTISES: POSTURES, BREATHING, RELAXATION, MEDITATION, PHILOSOPHY, CHANTING, AND CLEANSING PRACTISES. TEN STUDIES EITHER ENCOURAGED OR REQUESTED HOME PRACTICE. REPORTING DETAILS INCLUDED CLASS PLANS, POSTURE LISTS, AND DIAGRAMS. DUE TO INSUFFICIENT DETAIL REGARDING DELIVERY OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION ONLY EIGHT OF THE 17 INTERVENTIONS WERE CONSIDERED REPLICABLE AS REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: EVALUATION OF STUDY CHARACTERISTICS AND YOGA COMPONENTS INDICATED SEVERAL AREAS OF HOMOGENEITY ACROSS STUDIES, SUGGESTING AN EXISTING DEGREE OF STANDARDISATION. HOWEVER, HETEROGENEITY RELATED TO INTERVENTION CONTENT AND REPORTING IMPEDED DETERMINATION OF INTERVENTION CONTENT AND DELIVERY. STANDARDISATION OF CONTENT, NOMENCLATURE, AND REPORTING DETAILS IS RECOMMENDED TO ENHANCE PROTOCOL TRANSPARENCY, REPLICATION, AND COMPARISON OF INTERVENTION EFFECTIVENESS. 2014 15 1108 30 EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED COGNITIVE DECLINE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: TO SUMMARIZE AND EVALUATE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED COGNITIVE DECLINE (CACD). RECENT FINDINGS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED USING FOUR DATABASES OF ARTICLES PUBLISHED BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2020. TEN ARTICLES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA (SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS, TWO SINGLE-ARM STUDIES, ONE NON-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, AND ONE CASE SERIES STUDY). STUDIES WERE PREDOMINANTLY CONDUCTED WITH BREAST CANCER PATIENTS USING LOW-INTENSITY HATHA YOGA PROGRAMS. OF THE 10 ARTICLES, FIVE REPORTED SOME POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CACD, BUT SIGNIFICANT BIASES WERE POSSIBLE DUE TO DESIGN SHORTCOMINGS. COHEN'S D EFFECT SIZES RANGED FROM |0.03| TO |0.74|. THE EVIDENCE TO DATE IS INSUFFICIENT TO SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS BENEFICIAL FOR ATTENUATING CACD. MORE RIGOROUS TRIALS CONTROLLING FOR NON-SPECIFIC FACTORS ARE WARRANTED. THE FIELD WOULD ALSO BENEFIT FROM EXAMINING SELF-DELIVERED MODES OF YOGA FOR TREATING CACD IN VARIOUS CANCER POPULATIONS TO ENHANCE PRACTICE SUSTAINABILITY AND GENERALIZABILITY. 2020 16 1031 38 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR HEADACHES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA EXERCISES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHES. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED OF SIX ELECTRONIC DATABASES TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) REPORTING THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION ON HEADACHES PUBLISHED IN ANY LANGUAGE BEFORE JANUARY 2015. QUALITY ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. [RESULTS] ONE POTENTIAL TRIAL WAS IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. THE QUALITY CRITICAL APPRAISAL INDICATED A MODERATE RISK OF BIAS. THE AVAILABLE DATA COULD ONLY BE INCLUDED AS A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION. HEADACHE INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES, AND SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATION USE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. [CONCLUSION] THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM ONE RCT THAT YOGA EXERCISES MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR HEADACHES. HOWEVER, THE FINDINGS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. THEREFORE, FURTHER RIGOROUS METHODOLOGICAL AND HIGH QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO INVESTIGATE THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES ALLEVIATE HEADACHES, AND TO CONFIRM AND FURTHER COMPREHEND THE EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED YOGA PROGRAMS ON HEADACHES. 2015 17 2578 28 YOGA FOR HEALTH CARE IN KOREA: A PROTOCOL FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CLINICAL TRIALS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AIMS TO EVALUATE THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY USING AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH AND INVESTIGATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND THE MERIDIAN ENERGIES BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE CLINICAL STUDIES IN KOREA. SIXTEEN ELECTRONIC DATABASES WILL BE SEARCHED FROM THE INCEPTION OF THE STUDY UNTIL JANUARY 2016. ALL CLINICAL EVIDENCES THAT EVALUATE ANY TYPE OF YOGA AND ANY TYPE OF CONTROL IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ANY TYPE OF CONDITION WILL BE ELIGIBLE. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY WILL BE ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL FOR RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS AND THE NEWCASTLE-OTTAWA SCALE FOR NONRANDOMIZED STUDIES. TWO AUTHORS WILL INDEPENDENTLY ASSESS EACH STUDY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND THE RISK OF BIAS, AND THEN THEY WILL EXTRACT THE DATA. WITH ITS EXTENSIVE, UNBIASED SEARCH OF THE KOREAN LITERATURE FROM VARIOUS DATABASES WITHOUT ANY LANGUAGE RESTRICTIONS, THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WILL BE USEFUL FOR BOTH PRACTITIONERS IN THE FIELD OF YOGA RESEARCH AS WELL AS FOR PATIENTS. 2016 18 309 42 AN EVIDENCE-BASED REVIEW OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT AN EVIDENCE-BASED REVIEW OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PAPER REVIEWED THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG CANCER PATIENTS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN MAY 2007 AND APRIL 2008. DATA FROM EACH IDENTIFIED STUDY WERE EXTRACTED BY TWO INDEPENDENT RATERS; STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY ASSESSED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING AND FOCUSED ON YOGA AS A MAIN INTERVENTION. USING A QUALITY RATING SCALE (RANGE = 9-45), THE RATERS ASSESSED THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE STUDIES, AND CONSORT GUIDELINES WERE USED TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS). EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED WHEN POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION, EACH STUDY WAS NARRATIVELY REVIEWED WITH ATTENTION TO OUTCOME VARIABLES, THE TYPE OF YOGA INTERVENTION EMPLOYED, AND METHODOLOGICAL STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS. RESULTS: TEN STUDIES WERE INCLUDED, INCLUDING SIX RCTS. ACROSS STUDIES, THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE WOMEN, AND BREAST CANCER WAS THE MOST COMMON DIAGNOSIS. METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED GREATLY ACROSS STUDIES (RANGE = 15.5-42), WITH THE AVERAGE RATING (M = 33.55) INDICATING ADEQUATE QUALITY. STUDIES ALSO VARIED IN TERMS OF CANCER POPULATIONS AND YOGA INTERVENTIONS SAMPLED. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDED A SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF THE YOGA AND CANCER LITERATURE. ALTHOUGH SOME POSITIVE RESULTS WERE NOTED, VARIABILITY ACROSS STUDIES AND METHODOLOGICAL DRAWBACKS LIMIT THE EXTENT TO WHICH YOGA CAN BE DEEMED EFFECTIVE FOR MANAGING CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, FURTHER RESEARCH IN THIS AREA IS CERTAINLY WARRANTED. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD EXAMINE WHAT COMPONENTS OF YOGA ARE MOST BENEFICIAL, AND WHAT TYPES OF PATIENTS RECEIVE THE GREATEST BENEFIT FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS. 2009 19 1737 37 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA-BASED APPROACHES FOR PREGNANCY-RELATED LOW BACK AND PELVIC PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW TO EVALUATE CURRENT LITERATURE ABOUT NONPHARMACOLOGIC, EASILY ACCESSIBLE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR PREGNANCY-RELATED LOW BACK AND PELVIC PAIN (PR-LBPP). DATA SOURCES: PUBMED, CINAHL, COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS. STUDY SELECTION: ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLES WERE CONSIDERED FOR REVIEW IF THEY WERE FULL-LENGTH PUBLICATIONS WRITTEN IN ENGLISH AND PUBLISHED IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS FROM 2005 THROUGH 2015, INCLUDED MEASURES OF PAIN AND SYMPTOMS RELATED TO PR-LBPP, AND EVALUATED TREATMENT MODALITIES THAT USED A PHYSICAL EXERCISE OR YOGA-BASED APPROACH FOR THE DESCRIBED CONDITIONS. DATA EXTRACTION: ELECTRONIC DATABASE SEARCHES YIELDED 1,435 ARTICLES. A TOTAL OF 15 ARTICLES MET ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR FURTHER REVIEW. DATA SYNTHESIS: THESE MODALITIES SHOW PRELIMINARY PROMISE FOR PAIN RELIEF AND OTHER RELATED SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING STRESS AND DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, OUR FINDINGS ALSO INDICATE SEVERAL GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THESE THERAPIES FOR PR-LBPP AND METHODOLOGIC ISSUES WITH THE CURRENT LITERATURE. CONCLUSION: ALTHOUGH ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS REQUIRED, THE RESULTS OF THIS INTEGRATIVE REVIEW SUGGEST THAT CLINICIANS MAY CONSIDER RECOMMENDING NONPHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT OPTIONS, SUCH AS GENTLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS, FOR PR-LBPP AND RELATED SYMPTOMS. 2017 20 1516 31 IS YOGA AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED-CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES. METHODS: A SEARCH STRATEGY WAS FORMULATED WITH KEY CONCEPTS IDENTIFIED USING THE PICO PROCESS. FOUR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED IN JUNE 2012. APPROPRIATE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE SET AND IMPLEMENTED. RESULTS: FOUR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. ALL FOUR PAPERS FOUND THAT YOGA LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK FUNCTION, AND THREE DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK PAIN WHEN COMPARED WITH CERTAIN CARE MODALITIES. ALL PAPERS HAD SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED, HOWEVER. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE STUDIES, THE CONCLUSIONS DRAWN MUST BE CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVELY. ALTHOUGH EARLY RESULTS APPEAR PROMISING, BUT FURTHER WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE WARRANTED, WITH MULTIPLE, SPECIFIED COMPARATOR CARE MODALITIES BEFORE FIRM CONCLUSIONS CAN BE GAINED. 2013