1 1980 115 SLEEP MODERATES THE EFFECTS OF TIBETAN YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. THIS STUDY EXAMINED SELF-REPORTED AND ACTIGRAPHY-ASSESSED SLEEP AND DEPRESSION AS MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF A TIBETAN YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND DEPRESSION AMONG WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS IS A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF AN RCT EXAMINING A 4-SESSION TIBETAN YOGA PROGRAM (TYP; N = 74) VERSUS STRETCHING PROGRAM (STP; N = 68) OR USUAL CARE (UC; N = 85) ON SELF-REPORTED SLEEP (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI), ACTIGRAPHY-ASSESSED SLEEP EFFICIENCY (SE)) AND DEPRESSION (CENTERS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES DEPRESSION SCALE; CES-D) FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. DATA WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE AND 1-WEEK AND 3-MONTH POST-INTERVENTION. BASELINE PSQI, ACTIGRAPHY-SE, AND CES-D WERE EXAMINED AS MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF GROUP ON PSQI, ACTIGRAPHY-SE, AND CES-D 1 WEEK AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT BASELINE ACTIGRAPHY-SE X GROUP EFFECT ON PSQI AT 1 WEEK (P < .001) AND 3 MONTHS (P = .002) AND ON CES-D AT 3 MONTHS (P = .049). SPECIFICALLY, THE NEGATIVE ASSOCIATION OF BASELINE ACTIGRAPHY-SE WITH SUBSEQUENT PSQI AND CES-D WAS BUFFERED FOR WOMEN IN THE TYP AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT IN STP, COMPARED TO THOSE IN THE UC. BASELINE PSQI AND CES-D WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF GROUP ON ANY OUTCOME. BEHAVIORALLY ASSESSED SLEEP MAY BE A MORE ROBUST INDICATOR OF WHICH PATIENTS ARE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR A YOGA INTERVENTION THAN SELF-REPORTED SLEEP QUALITY. WOMEN WITH POOR SLEEP EFFICIENCY MAY DERIVE THE GREATEST BENEFIT IN TERMS OF SLEEP QUALITY AND MOOD FROM A YOGA INTERVENTION. 2022 2 1866 55 RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF TIBETAN YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT RANDOMIZED TRIAL EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A TIBETAN YOGA PROGRAM (TYP) VERSUS A STRETCHING PROGRAM (STP) AND USUAL CARE (UC) ON SLEEP AND FATIGUE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER WHO WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: WOMEN WITH STAGE (AMERICAN JOINT COMMITTEE ON CANCER (AJCC) TNM) I TO III BREAST CANCER WHO WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO TYP (74 WOMEN), STP (68 WOMEN), OR UC (85 WOMEN). PARTICIPANTS IN THE TYP AND STP GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN 4 SESSIONS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY, FOLLOWED BY 3 BOOSTER SESSIONS OVER THE SUBSEQUENT 6 MONTHS, AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE AT HOME. SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX), FATIGUE (BRIEF FATIGUE INVENTORY), AND ACTIGRAPHY WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE; 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT; AND AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES NOTED IN TOTAL SLEEP DISTURBANCES OR FATIGUE LEVELS OVER TIME. HOWEVER, PATIENTS IN THE TYP GROUP REPORTED FEWER DAILY DISTURBANCES 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE STP (DIFFERENCE, -0.43; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [95% CI], -0.82 TO -0.04 [P = .03]) AND UC (DIFFERENCE, -0.41; 95% CI, -0.77 TO -0.05 [P = .02]) GROUPS. GROUP DIFFERENCES AT THE OTHER TIME POINTS WERE MAINTAINED FOR TYP VERSUS STP. ACTIGRAPHY DATA REVEALED GREATER MINUTES AWAKE AFTER SLEEP ONSET FOR PATIENTS IN THE STP GROUP 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT VERSUS THOSE IN THE TYP (DIFFERENCE, 15.36; 95% CI, 7.25-23.48 [P = .0003]) AND UC (DIFFERENCE, 14.48; 95% CI, 7.09-21.87 [P = .0002]) GROUPS. PATIENTS IN THE TYP GROUP WHO PRACTICED AT LEAST 2 TIMES A WEEK DURING FOLLOW-UP REPORTED BETTER PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX AND ACTIGRAPHY OUTCOMES AT 3 MONTHS AND 6 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO DID NOT AND BETTER OUTCOMES COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE UC GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATING IN TYP DURING CHEMOTHERAPY RESULTED IN MODEST SHORT-TERM BENEFITS IN SLEEP QUALITY, WITH LONG-TERM BENEFITS EMERGING OVER TIME FOR THOSE WHO PRACTICED TYP AT LEAST 2 TIMES A WEEK. CANCER 2018;124:36-45. (C) 2017 AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. 2018 3 2654 39 YOGA IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE AND BENEFIT FINDING IN WOMEN UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. SIXTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA OR A WAIT-LIST GROUP. YOGA CLASSES WERE TAUGHT BIWEEKLY DURING THE 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES OF QOL, FATIGUE, BENEFIT FINDING (FINDING MEANING IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE), INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND ANXIETY BEFORE RADIOTHERAPY AND THEN AGAIN 1 WEEK, 1 MONTH, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE END OF RADIOTHERAPY. GENERAL LINEAR MODEL ANALYSES REVEALED THAT COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTION (P = .005) AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING SCORES (P = .04) 1 WEEK POSTRADIOTHERAPY; HIGHER LEVELS OF INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01); AND GREATER BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01). THERE WERE NO OTHER GROUP DIFFERENCES IN OTHER QOL SUBSCALES FOR FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, OR SLEEP SCORES. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES INDICATED THAT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH AFTER RADIOTHERAPY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS AFTER RADIOTHERAPY (R = .36, P = .011). OUR RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STATISTICALLY AND CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ASPECTS OF QOL. 2010 4 2529 42 YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES FATIGUE AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER. PURPOSE: EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 173 CANCER PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM MILD TO SEVERE FATIGUE WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 84) (IG) VERSUS WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 88). YOGA THERAPY CONSISTED OF EIGHT WEEKLY SESSIONS WITH 60 MIN EACH. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). DATA WERE ASSESSED USING QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE (T0) AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY FOR IG VERSUS WAITING PERIOD FOR CG (T1). RESULTS: A STRONGER REDUCTION OF GENERAL FATIGUE (P = .033), PHYSICAL FATIGUE (P = .048), AND DEPRESSION (P < .001) AS WELL AS A STRONGER INCREASE IN QOL (P = .002) WAS FOUND FOR PATIENTS WHO ATTENDED 7 OR 8 SESSIONS COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. WITHIN THE YOGA GROUP, BOTH HIGHER ATTENDANCE RATE AND LOWER T0-FATIGUE WERE SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF LOWER T1-FATIGUE (P .05) OR ANXIETY (F = 2.7, P > .05). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: THE 8-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM DEVELOPED IN THIS STUDY EFFECTIVELY REDUCED FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER BUT DID NOT REDUCE DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. ONCOLOGY NURSES SHOULD STRENGTHEN THEIR CLINICAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND APPLY YOGA TO REDUCE THE FATIGUE EXPERIENCED BY PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO UNDERGO ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. 2014 8 1650 47 MULTICENTER, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR SLEEP QUALITY AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS. PURPOSE: THIRTY PERCENT TO 90% OF CANCER SURVIVORS REPORT IMPAIRED SLEEP QUALITY POST-TREATMENT, WHICH CAN BE SEVERE ENOUGH TO INCREASE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS EXERCISE, ARE RECOMMENDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH DRUGS AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF IMPAIRED SLEEP. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT YOGA-A MIND-BODY PRACTICE AND FORM OF EXERCISE-MAY IMPROVE SLEEP AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS. THE PRIMARY AIM OF THIS RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF A STANDARDIZED YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH STANDARD CARE FOR IMPROVING GLOBAL SLEEP QUALITY (PRIMARY OUTCOME) AMONG POST-TREATMENT CANCER SURVIVORS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: IN ALL, 410 SURVIVORS SUFFERING FROM MODERATE OR GREATER SLEEP DISRUPTION BETWEEN 2 AND 24 MONTHS AFTER SURGERY, CHEMOTHERAPY, AND/OR RADIATION THERAPY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO STANDARD CARE OR STANDARD CARE PLUS THE 4-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. THE YOGA INTERVENTION USED THE YOGA FOR CANCER SURVIVORS (YOCAS) PROGRAM CONSISTING OF PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), 16 GENTLE HATHA AND RESTORATIVE YOGA ASANAS (POSTURES), AND MEDITATION. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWO 75-MINUTE SESSIONS PER WEEK. SLEEP QUALITY WAS ASSESSED BY USING THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX AND ACTIGRAPHY PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION. RESULTS: IN ALL, 410 SURVIVORS WERE ACCRUED (96% FEMALE; MEAN AGE, 54 YEARS; 75% HAD BREAST CANCER). YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN GLOBAL SLEEP QUALITY AND, SECONDARILY, SUBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY, DAYTIME DYSFUNCTION, WAKE AFTER SLEEP ONSET, SLEEP EFFICIENCY, AND MEDICATION USE AT POSTINTERVENTION (ALL P /= 80% OF YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTING AVERAGE SLEEP ONSET LATENCY < 30 MINUTES AND SLEEP EFFICIENCY > 80% AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. FOR OVER 50% OF YOGA PARTICIPANTS, THE INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX DECREASED BY AT LEAST 8 POINTS AT END OF TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA, TAUGHT IN A SELF-CARE FRAMEWORK WITH MINIMAL INSTRUCTOR BURDEN, WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SELF-REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS ABOVE AND BEYOND AN ACTIVE SLEEP HYGIENE COMPARISON, SUSTAINED AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. FOLLOW-UP STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ASSESS ACTIGRAPHY AND POLYSOMNOGRAPHY OUTCOMES, AS WELL AS POSSIBLE MECHANISMS OF CHANGE. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: REGISTRY: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV; NAME: YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR INSOMNIA; URL: HTTPS://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV/CT2/SHOW/NCT00033865; IDENTIFIER: NCT00033865. CITATION: KHALSA SBS, GOLDSTEIN MR. TREATMENT OF CHRONIC PRIMARY SLEEP ONSET INSOMNIA WITH KUNDALINI YOGA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH ACTIVE SLEEP HYGIENE COMPARISON. J CLIN SLEEP MED. 2021;17(9):1841-1852. 2021 13 2508 40 YOGA BREATHING FOR CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: RESULTS OF A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MANY DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS ARISE FROM CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT THAT ARE OFTEN UNRELIEVED BY ESTABLISHED METHODS. PRANAYAMA, A SERIES OF YOGIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES, MAY IMPROVE CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED FOR THIS PURPOSE. OBJECTIVES: A PILOT STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO EVALUATE FEASIBILITY AND TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING PRANAYAMA TO USUAL CARE. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. SUBJECTS: PATIENTS RECEIVING CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE PRANAYAMA IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (CONTROL GROUP). INTERVENTIONS: THE PRANAYAMA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF FOUR BREATHING TECHNIQUES TAUGHT IN WEEKLY CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME. THE TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING TWO CONSECUTIVE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED USUAL CARE DURING THEIR FIRST CYCLE, AND RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING THEIR SECOND CYCLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY, CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS (FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS), AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE THE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS NEARLY 100% IN BOTH GROUPS. SIXTEEN (16) PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT ANY INCREASE IN PRANAYAMA DOSE, WITH DOSE MEASURED IN THE NUMBER OF HOURS PRACTICED IN CLASS OR AT HOME, RESULTED IN IMPROVED SYMPTOM AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES. SEVERAL OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS--SLEEP DISTURBANCE (P=0.04), ANXIETY (P=0.04), AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.05)--REACHED OR APPROACHED STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA BREATHING WAS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PRANAYAMA MAY IMPROVE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN PRANAYAMA USE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE FINDINGS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN A LARGER STUDY. 2012 14 1036 34 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN MANAGING FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE IS WIDELY PREVALENT IN CANCER PATIENTS AND AFFECTS QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADVANCED CANCER PATIENTS. FATIGUE IS CAUSED DUE TO BOTH PSYCHOLOGIC DISTRESS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL SEQUEL FOLLOWING CANCER PROGRESSION AND ITS TREATMENT. IN THIS STUDY, WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION IN MANAGING FATIGUE IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. METHODS: NINETY-ONE PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM (N = 46) OR SUPPORTIVE THERAPY AND EDUCATION (N = 45) OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD. ASSESSMENTS SUCH AS PERCEIVED STRESS, FATIGUE SYMPTOM INVENTORY, DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL, AND NATURAL KILLER CELL COUNTS WERE CARRIED OUT BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. ANALYSIS WAS DONE USING AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT APPROACH. POSTMEASURES FOR THE ABOVE OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING ANCOVA WITH RESPECTIVE BASELINE MEASURE AS A COVARIATE. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.001), FATIGUE FREQUENCY (P < 0.001), FATIGUE SEVERITY (P < 0.001), INTERFERENCE (P < 0.001), AND DIURNAL VARIATION (P < 0.001) WHEN COMPARED TO SUPPORTIVE THERAPY. THERE WAS A POSITIVE CORRELATION OF CHANGE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY WITH 9 A.M. SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA REDUCES FATIGUE IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 2017 15 428 37 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 16 1900 43 RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: RESTORATIVE YOGA (RY) IS A GENTLE TYPE OF YOGA THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR CANCER PATIENTS AND POST-TREATMENT SURVIVORS. STUDY GOALS WERE: TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A RY INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER; AND TO EXAMINE GROUP DIFFERENCES IN SELF-REPORTED EMOTIONAL, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SYMPTOM OUTCOMES. METHODS: WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER (N=44; MEAN AGE 55.8 YEARS) ENROLLED IN THIS STUDY; 34% WERE ACTIVELY UNDERGOING CANCER TREATMENT. STUDY PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION (10 WEEKLY 75-MINUTE RY CLASSES) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AT WEEK 0 (BASELINE) AND WEEK 10 (IMMEDIATELY POST-INTERVENTION FOR THE YOGA GROUP). RESULTS: GROUP DIFFERENCES FAVORING THE YOGA GROUP WERE SEEN FOR MENTAL HEALTH, DEPRESSION, POSITIVE AFFECT, AND SPIRITUALITY (PEACE/MEANING). SIGNIFICANT BASELINE*GROUP INTERACTIONS WERE OBSERVED FOR NEGATIVE AFFECT AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. WOMEN WITH HIGHER NEGATIVE AFFECT AND LOWER EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AT BASELINE DERIVED GREATER BENEFIT FROM THE YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED TO THOSE WITH SIMILAR VALUES AT BASELINE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP IMPROVEMENT IN FATIGUE; NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS NOTED FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH LIMITED BY SAMPLE SIZE, THESE PILOT DATA SUGGEST POTENTIAL BENEFIT OF RY ON EMOTIONAL OUTCOMES AND FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT A RY INTERVENTION IS FEASIBLE FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER; IMPLICATIONS FOR STUDY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ARE NOTED WITH AN EMPHASIS ON PROGRAM ADOPTION AND PARTICIPANT ADHERENCE. 2009 17 1194 44 EXAMINING MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. HYPOTHESIS THIS STUDY EXAMINES MODERATORS AND MEDIATORS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TARGETING QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER RECEIVING RADIOTHERAPY.METHODS WOMEN UNDERGOING 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (YG; N = 53) OR STRETCHING (ST; N = 56) INTERVENTION OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (WL; N = 54). DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE. MEDIATOR (POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS, BENEFIT FINDING, AND CORTISOL SLOPE) AND OUTCOME (36-ITEM SHORT FORM [SF]-36 MENTAL AND PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCALES [MCS AND PCS]) VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, END-OF-TREATMENT, AND 1-, 3-, AND 6-MONTHS POSTTREATMENT. RESULTS BASELINE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (P = .03) AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES (P < .01) MODERATED THE GROUP X TIME EFFECT ON MCS, BUT NOT PCS. WOMEN WITH HIGH BASELINE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN YG REPORTED MARGINALLY HIGHER 3-MONTH MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN WL (P = .11). WOMEN WITH HIGH BASELINE SLEEP DISTURBANCES IN YG REPORTED HIGHER 3-MONTHS MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN WL (P < .01) AND HIGHER 6-MONTH MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN ST (P = .01). YG LED TO GREATER BENEFIT FINDING THAN ST AND WL ACROSS THE FOLLOW-UP (P = .01). THREE-MONTH BENEFIT FINDING PARTIALLY MEDIATED THE EFFECT OF YG ON 6-MONTH PCS. POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL SLOPE DID NOT MEDIATE TREATMENT EFFECT ON QOL. CONCLUSION YOGA MAY PROVIDE THE GREATEST MENTAL-HEALTH-RELATED QOL BENEFITS FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING PRE-RADIOTHERAPY SLEEP DISTURBANCE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY IMPROVE PHYSICAL-HEALTH-RELATED QOL BY INCREASING ABILITY TO FIND BENEFIT IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE. 2016 18 962 38 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON CORTISOL RHYTHM AND MOOD STATES IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES. THIS STUDY COMPARES THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WITH BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY AT A CANCER CENTER. METHODS: EIGHTY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS ARE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 44) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N = 44) PRIOR TO RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS 3 DAYS BEFORE AND AFTER RADIOTHERAPY AND SELF-RATINGS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND STRESS COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. RESULTS: ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE REVEALS SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN ANXIETY (P < .001), DEPRESSION (P = .002), PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .001), 6 A.M. SALIVARY CORTISOL (P = .009), AND POOLED MEAN CORTISOL (P = .03) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN MORNING SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVEL AND ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. CONCLUSION: YOGA MIGHT HAVE A ROLE IN MANAGING SELF-REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND MODULATING CIRCADIAN PATTERNS OF STRESS HORMONES IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY. 2009 19 2605 36 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY. APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS EXPERIENCES PERSISTENT FATIGUE FOR MONTHS OR YEARS AFTER SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT COMPLETION. THERE IS A LACK OF EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS FOR CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, PARTICULARLY AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS. THIS SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR FATIGUED BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS BASED ON THE IYENGAR TRADITION. IYENGAR YOGA PRESCRIBES SPECIFIC POSES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIFIC MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND CONDITIONS; THIS TRIAL EMPHASIZED POSTURES BELIEVED TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING FATIGUE AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, INCLUDING INVERSIONS AND BACKBENDS PERFORMED WITH THE SUPPORT OF PROPS. TWELVE WOMEN WERE ENROLLED IN THE TRIAL, AND 11 COMPLETED THE FULL 12-WEEK COURSE OF TREATMENT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FATIGUE SCORES FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION THAT WAS MAINTAINED AT THE 3-MONTH POST-INTERVENTION FOLLOWUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE ALSO OBSERVED IN MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION, DEPRESSED MOOD, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE RESULTS SUPPORT THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THIS INTERVENTION AND SUGGEST THAT IT MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. HOWEVER, RESULTS REQUIRE REPLICATION IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2011 20 1408 45 IMPACT OF YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY. OBJECTIVES: CARING FOR A CHILD WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY DISORDER (IDD) IS A TREMENDOUSLY STRESSFUL TASK FOR ANY MOTHER, LEADING TO POOR MENTAL HEALTH AND COMPROMISED QUALITY OF LIFE. ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS, AND POOR SLEEP QUALITY ARE FREQUENTLY OBSERVED IN MOTHERS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY DISORDER CHILD. THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE IMPACT OF A 1-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION ON ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS AND SLEEP QUALITY IN MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. METHODS: WE SELECTED 53 MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES BETWEEN THE AGE OF 30 AND 50 YEARS (MEAN AGE, 40.2 +/- 7.1 YEARS). OF THESE MOTHERS, 28 RECEIVED 1.5 HOURS OF INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICE CONSISTING OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING TECHNIQUES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES AND MEDITATION EVERY OTHER DAY FOR 1 MONTH. THE REMAINING 25 MOTHERS, WHO SERVED AS THE CONTROL GROUP, PARTICIPATED IN A GROUP DISCUSSION SESSION TWICE A WEEK FOR 1 MONTH. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ALL MOTHERS WERE ASSESSED FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION WITH THE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS), STRESS WITH THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS), AND SLEEP QUALITY WITH THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) AT BASELINE AND AT 1 MONTH. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ANXIETY (-24.8%; P < .001), DEPRESSION (-15.9%; P < .001), SLEEP QUALITY (-25.1%; P < .05) AND STRESS (-11.4%; P < .001) WERE OBSERVED AFTER 1 MONTH COMPARED WITH BASELINE IN THE YOGA GROUP. IN A SIMILAR FASHION, A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY (-12.3%; P < .001), DEPRESSION (-8.6%; P < .001) AND SLEEP QUALITY (-5.6%; P < .001) WAS SEEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP AS WELL. THE BETWEEN-GROUP COMPARISON OF POST-INTERVENTION SCORES REVEALED A SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN ANXIETY (P <.001), DEPRESSION (P < .001), PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .001) AND SLEEP QUALITY (P = .012) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: OUR STUDY INDICATES THAT YOGA CAN BE USED AS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND SLEEP QUALITY IN MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. WE RECOMMEND FUTURE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZES AND OF LONGER DURATION TO STUDY THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA. 2021