1 1968 138 SERUM MINERAL STATUS AND CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY, AN ONGOING STUDY. BACKGROUND: MANY WOMEN REPORT AN INCREASED LEVEL OF ANXIETY, IRRITABILITY AND MOOD SWINGS DURING THEIR PERIMENOPAUSAL STATE. STUDIES SHOW THAT PHYSICALLY ACTIVE PEOPLE CAN REDUCE THEIR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION BY PRACTICING YOGA. SERUM MINERALS SUCH AS CALCIUM, COPPER AND MAGNESIUM AND THE FERRO-OXIDASE, CERULOPLASMIN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE BODY DURING THE PERIMENOPAUSAL PERIOD. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO ASSESS THE SERUM MINERAL STATUS, ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS AND CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 30 SUBJECTS WITH PERIMENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, AGED BETWEEN 40 AND 60 YEARS (49.43 +/- 6.15) WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. YOGA INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN ON A DAILY BASIS (45 MIN DURATION) FOR 12 WEEKS. THE CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED BY GREENE'S CLIMACTERIC SCALE AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS WERE ANALYZED SPECTROPHOTOMETRICALLY. RESULTS: A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE WAIST HIP RATIO (P < 0.036) AND BODY MASS INDEX (P < 0.036) WAS OBSERVED AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION. SYSTOLIC (P < 0.064) AND DIASTOLIC (P < 0.082) BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) SHOWED MARGINAL DECREASE AFTER YOGA THERAPY. CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.001) AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION. A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE (P < 0.001) IN SERUM CALCIUM AND COPPER AND A MARKED DECREASE IN SERUM MAGNESIUM (P < 0.05) AND CERULOPLASMIN (P < 0.028) LEVELS WAS OBSERVED, POST YOGA THERAPY. SERUM MAGNESIUM NEGATIVELY CORRELATED (R = -0.467, P < 0.035) WITH SYSTOLIC BP AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE OVERALL CHANGES OBSERVED IN THE MINERAL STATUS AND CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS SUGGEST THAT YOGA THERAPY PROTOCOL CAN BE EFFECTIVELY USED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. 2013 2 2319 39 TREATING THE CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS IN INDIAN WOMEN WITH AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PERSONALITY IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. DESIGN: ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PARTICIPANTS (AGES 40-55 Y) WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO STUDY ARMS, IE, YOGA AND CONTROL. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY COMPRISING SURYA NAMASKARA (SUN SALUTATION) WITH 12 POSTURES, PRANAYAMA (BREATHING PRACTICES), AND AVARTAN DHYAN (CYCLIC MEDITATION), WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED A SET OF SIMPLE PHYSICAL EXERCISES UNDER SUPERVISION OF TRAINED TEACHERS FOR 8 WEEKS (1 H DAILY, 5 DAYS PER WEEK). THE ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE BY GREENE CLIMACTERIC SCALE, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, AND EYSENCK'S PERSONALITY INVENTORY BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: OF THE THREE FACTORS OF THE GREENE CLIMACTERIC SCALE, THE MANN-WHITNEY TEST SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05) IN THE VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, A MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE (P = 0.06) IN PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS BUT NOT IN THE SOMATIC COMPONENT. EFFECT SIZES WERE HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP FOR ALL FACTORS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DEGREE OF DECREASE IN PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE SCORES (P < 0.001, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH CONTROLS (BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSIS) WITH A HIGHER EFFECT SIZE IN THE YOGA GROUP (1.10) THAN THE CONTROL (0.27). ON THE EYSENCK'S PERSONALITY INVENTORY, THE DECREASE IN NEUROTICISM WAS GREATER (P < 0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP (EFFECT SIZE = 0.43) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (EFFECT SIZE = 0.21) WITH NO CHANGE IN EXTROVERSION IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: EIGHT WEEKS OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY DECREASES CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND NEUROTICISM IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN BETTER THAN PHYSICAL EXERCISE. 2008 3 505 46 COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON BIOCHEMICAL FUNCTIONS IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. INTRODUCTION: MENOPAUSE IS A TRANSITIONAL PHASE IN WHICH SOME WOMEN EXPERIENCE DISCOMFORT, WHILE OTHERS MAY EXHIBIT VARIETY OF SYMPTOMS. THE POWER OF YOGA THERAPY IN RELIEVING STRESS, ENHANCING HEALTH, IMPROVING FITNESS AND MANAGING SYMPTOMS OF A VARIETY OF DISORDERS IS REMARKABLE. AIM: THE CURRENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF HATHA YOGA THERAPY AND REGULAR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON THE FASTING BLOOD SUGAR (FBS), GLYCATED HAEMOGLOBIN (GHB), THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE (TSH), SERUM CORTISOL AND TOTAL PLASMA THIOL LEVELS IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY INCLUDED 216 WOMEN WITH PERIMENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, 111 IN TEST GROUP (HATHA YOGA) AND 105 IN CONTROL GROUP (PHYSICAL EXERCISE). THE DURATION OF INTERVENTION WAS 45 MINUTES EVERY DAY FOR 12 WEEKS. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED IN THE PRE AND POST INTERVENTION PERIOD. STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE WAS DEFINED AS P<0.05. RESULTS: FBS AND GHB (P