1 1771 135 POTENTIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. BACKGROUND: ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS (AS) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY WITH UNCLEAR PATHOGENESIS. THE INFLAMMATORY PAIN IN AS LEADS TO RESTRICTED SPINAL MOBILITY AND SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY. YOGA IS A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION THAT HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON VARIOUS MUSCULOSKELETAL-RELATED PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, ITS ROLE IN AS IS UNKNOWN. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFICACY OF A TWO-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA INTERVENTION ON SPINAL FLEXIBILITY AMONG AS PATIENTS. METHODS: THE RECORDS FOR 24 MALE AS PATIENTS WITHIN THE AGE RANGE 30 TO 50 YEARS (AVERAGE AGE 38.3 +/- 10.5 YEARS) WHO UNDERWENT A TWO-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA RETREAT BETWEEN 2015 AND 2020 WERE OBTAINED FROM A YOGA CENTER LOCATED IN SOUTH INDIA. YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING PRACTICES, MEDITATION, A HEALTHY DIET, AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. PRE AND POST DATA OF THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, AND SYMPTOM SCORE WERE ANALYZED USING STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS). RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE BASELINE, THE POST SCORES OF THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .05) LOWER. THE SYMPTOM SCORE AND ANALGESIC MEDICATION SCORE ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AFTER TWO-WEEKS COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. CONCLUSION: THIS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY INDICATES THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF ON AND ANALGESIC USE AMONG AS PATIENTS. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL STUDIES USING ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGNS ARE WARRANTED. 2021 2 1076 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) AS A CHRONIC DISEASE COULD AFFECT PATIENTS' VARIOUS DOMAINS OF LIFE. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES, ANXIETY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING OF PATIENTS WITH MS IN SOUTHWEST, IRAN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY, 60 MS PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED ACCORDING TO INCLUSION CRITERIA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. PRIOR TO AND AFTER INTERVENTION, THE PATIENTS' VITAL SIGNS WERE MEASURED. FOR CASE GROUP YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED THREE SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS WHILE CONTROL GROUP PERFORMED NO EXERCISE. THE DATA WERE GATHERED BY QUESTIONNAIRE AND ANALYSED BY DESCRIPTIVE AND ANALYTICAL STATISTICS IN SPSS. RESULTS: PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN FATIGUE SEVERITY AND PAIN IN CASE GROUP DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION. PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS BUT THE MEAN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICES IN CASE GROUP DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA IS LIKELY TO INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY OF MS PATIENTS THROUGH ENHANCING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCREASING THE STRENGTH OF LOWER LIMBS AND BALANCE, AND DECREASING FATIGUE AND PAIN, AND FINALLY TO PROMOTE SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN THESE PATIENTS. 2016 3 2235 34 THE IMPACT OF YOGA UPON FEMALE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. DESIGN: THE WHO QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE(22) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF 20 FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. SUBJECTS ATTENDED ONE HOUR YOGA SESSIONS DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF ONE MONTH. A PRETEST-POST-TEST RESEARCH DESIGN WAS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS. RESULTS: PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES FOLLOWING THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE GREATER THAN SCORES OBTAINED PRIOR TO UNDERTAKING YOGA (P < 0.01). PATIENTS ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND OF THEIR HEALTH POST YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING THE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS TO MANAGE THEIR DISEASE-RELATED SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY BE CONSIDERED AS SUPPORTIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY IN CONJUNCTION WITH MEDICAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYPOTHYROID DISORDER. 2011 4 584 51 DESIGNING, VALIDATION, AND FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA MODULE FOR PATIENTS WITH ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS. BACKGROUND: ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS (AS) IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE THAT CAUSES SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY AND REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON YOGA HAVE REVEALED ITS VARIOUS HEALTH BENEFITS IN CHRONIC CONDITIONS, INCLUDING AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. HOWEVER, WHETHER YOGA IS FEASIBLE FOR AS PATIENTS OR NOT IS NOT STUDIED. FURTHER, NO VALIDATED YOGA MODULE IS AVAILABLE FOR AS PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE(S): THIS STUDY INTENDED TO DEVELOP A YOGA MODULE FOR AS PATIENTS AND INVESTIGATED ITS FEASIBILITY OF USE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS COMPLETED IN THREE STAGES. IN STAGE I, SIX YOGA EXPERTS PREPARED A LIST OF 64 YOGA PRACTICES BASED ON THE CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY YOGIC LITERATURE REVIEW. OF THESE PRACTICES, 41 WERE INCLUDED IN THE DESIGNED YOGA MODULE. IN STAGE II, 41 EXPERTS WITH A MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN YOGA THERAPY WERE INVITED FOR YOGA MODULE VALIDATION. THE USEFULNESS OF THE PRACTICES WAS RATED BY EXPERTS ON A 3-POINT SCALE (1: NOT AT ALL USEFUL, 2: MODERATELY USEFUL, AND 3: VERY MUCH USEFUL). THE LAWSHE CONTENT VALIDITY RATIO (CVR) METHOD WAS USED FOR THE CONTENT VALIDITY OF THE YOGA MODULE. PRACTICES WITH A CVR SCORE OF > 0.3 WERE RETAINED IN THE FINAL YOGA MODULE. IN STAGE III, A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR ADMINISTERED THE VALIDATED YOGA MODULE TO 19 AS PATIENTS (AVERAGE AGE: 35.5 +/- 10.7 YEARS) THRICE WEEKLY FOR A MONTH. FEASIBILITY WAS ASSESSED ON THE BASIS OF THE ATTRITION RATE, RETENTION RATE, ATTENDANCE OF THE PARTICIPANTS, AND THE SUBJECTIVE RESPONSE ON PRACTICAL SESSIONS USING A STRUCTURED CHECKLIST. RESULTS: OF THE 41 PRACTICES IN THE MODULE, 31 HAD A CVR SCORE OF > 0.3 AND WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL YOGA MODULE. OF THE 25 PARTICIPANTS, 19 (76%) COMPLETED THE STUDY WHILE SIX DROPPED OUT (24%). NINETEEN PATIENTS REPORTED GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN AND FLEXIBILITY. THEY FOUND YOGA RELAXING AND EASY TO PRACTICE. MOST PARTICIPANTS (65%) WERE ABLE TO PRACTICE A MINIMUM OF 30 MIN/DAY. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY OFFERS A VALIDATED YOGA MODULE CONSISTING OF 31 PRACTICES FOR AS PATIENTS. THE RESULTS OF THE PILOT SUGGESTED THAT THE MODULE IS FEASIBLE, ACCEPTABLE, AND EASY TO PRACTICE FOR AS PATIENTS. WE RECOMMEND THAT AS PATIENTS SHOULD PRACTICE THIS YOGA MODULE FOR A MINIMUM OF 30 MIN EVERY DAY UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A YOGA EXPERT. 2022 5 159 29 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 6 1402 45 IMPACT OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION - A CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PRIMARY CARE, MATCHED FOR SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IS NOT ALWAYS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESPITE THIS, PREVIOUS STUDIES ON SUPPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, SUCH AS YOGA, ARE RELATIVELY FEW. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION. METHODS: ADULT PATIENTS (AGE 20-80 YEARS) WITH DIAGNOSED HYPERTENSION WERE IDENTIFIED BY AN ELECTRONIC CHART SEARCH AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER IN SOUTHERN SWEDEN. IN TOTAL, 83 SUBJECTS WITH BLOOD PRESSURE VALUES OF 120-179/