1 2197 222 THE EFFICACY OF A COMPREHENSIVE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAMME BASED ON YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF EVIDENCE ON THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. MANY STUDIES HAVE REPORTED, AS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCTION IN AIRWAY HYPER-REACTIVITY, FREQUENCY OF ATTACKS AND MEDICATION USE. IN ADDITION, A FEW STUDIES HAVE ATTEMPTED TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION (EIB) OR EXERCISE TOLERANCE CAPACITY. HOWEVER, NONE OF THESE STUDIES HAS INVESTIGATED ANY IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA IMPROVES THESE VARIABLES IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. METHODS: THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) WAS CONDUCTED ON 57 ADULT SUBJECTS WITH MILD OR MODERATE BRONCHIAL ASTHMA WHO WERE ALLOCATED RANDOMLY TO EITHER THE YOGA (INTERVENTION) GROUP (N = 29) OR THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 28). THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ONLY CONVENTIONAL CARE AND THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED AN INTERVENTION BASED ON YOGA, IN ADDITION TO THE CONVENTIONAL CARE. THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 2-WK SUPERVISED TRAINING IN LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT BASED ON YOGA FOLLOWED BY CLOSELY MONITORED CONTINUATION OF THE PRACTICES AT HOME FOR 6-WK. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ASSESSED IN BOTH THE GROUPS AT 0 WK (BASELINE), 2, 4 AND 8 WK BY USING GENERALIZED LINEAR MODEL (GLM) REPEATED MEASURES FOLLOWED BY POST-HOC ANALYSIS. RESULTS: IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A STEADY AND PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTION, THE CHANGE BEING STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN CASE OF THE FIRST SECOND OF FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (FEV1) AT 8 WK, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR) AT 2, 4 AND 8 WK AS COMPARED TO THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE VALUES. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN EIB IN THE YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO CORRESPONDING REDUCTION IN THE URINARY PROSTAGLANDIN D2 METABOLITE (11BETA PROSTAGLANDIN F2ALPHA) LEVELS IN RESPONSE TO THE EXERCISE CHALLENGE. THERE WAS ALSO NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN SERUM EOSINOPHILIC CATIONIC PROTEIN LEVELS DURING THE 8-WK STUDY PERIOD IN EITHER GROUP. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE (AQOL) SCORES IN BOTH GROUPS OVER THE 8-WK STUDY PERIOD. BUT THE IMPROVEMENT WAS ACHIEVED EARLIER AND WAS MORE COMPLETE IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE NUMBER-NEEDED-TO-TREAT WORKED OUT TO BE 1.82 FOR THE TOTAL AQOL SCORE. AN IMPROVEMENT IN TOTAL AQOL SCORE WAS GREATER THAN THE MINIMAL IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE AND THE SAME OUTCOME WAS ACHIEVED FOR THE SUB-DOMAINS OF THE AQOL. THE FREQUENCY OF RESCUE MEDICATION USE SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OVER THE STUDY PERIOD IN BOTH THE GROUPS. HOWEVER, THE DECREASE WAS ACHIEVED RELATIVELY EARLIER AND WAS MORE MARKED IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT RCT HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT ADDING THE MIND-BODY APPROACH OF YOGA TO THE PREDOMINANTLY PHYSICAL APPROACH OF CONVENTIONAL CARE RESULTS IN MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT IN SUBJECTIVE AS WELL AS OBJECTIVE OUTCOMES IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. THE TRIAL SUPPORTS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. HOWEVER, THE PRELIMINARY EFFORTS MADE TOWARDS WORKING OUT THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF THE INTERVENTION HAVE NOT THROWN MUCH LIGHT ON HOW YOGA WORKS IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CURRENT CONTROLLED TRIALS ISRCTN00815962. 2009 2 2786 69 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT IN MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CONTROL OF ASTHMA IN CHILDREN WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. METHODS: THIS HOSPITAL-BASED INTERVENTIONAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL CONDUCTED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTER OF NORTH INDIA FROM NOVEMBER 2017 TO OCTOBER 2018 ENROLLED 140 NEWLY DIAGNOSED CASES OF ASTHMA OF AGE 10-16 Y WHO WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. SEVENTY CHILDREN IN THE CASE GROUP PRACTICED YOGA UNDER SUPERVISION FOR A PERIOD OF 3 MO IN ADDITION TO PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT. SEVENTY CONTROLS RECEIVED ONLY PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT. PULMONARY-FUNCTION TESTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE, 6 WK, AND 12 WK ALONG WITH QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) ASSESSMENT BY PEDIATRIC ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (PAQLQ). THE OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSED WERE FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND (FEV1), FEV1/FVC AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR). QOL EVALUATION WAS DONE IN 3 DOMAINS: ACTIVITY LIMITATION, SYMPTOMS, AND EMOTIONAL FUNCTION. RESULTS: THE ASTHMATIC CHILDREN PRACTICING YOGA HAVE SHOWN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC AND PEFR WHICH WAS BETTER AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. IMPROVEMENT WAS ALSO NOTED IN MEAN-PAQLQ SCORE IN CASES WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT ON CONTROL OF ASTHMA MEASURED BY PULMONARY-FUNCTION TEST AND QOL. THEREFORE YOGA THERAPY CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADJUVANT IN MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT. 2021 3 1520 74 IS YOGA TRAINING BENEFICIAL FOR EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION? BACKGROUND: SOME STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH BRONCHIAL HYPERREACTIVITY WITH REGARD TO (1) A REDUCTION IN THE USE OF RESCUE MEDICATION, (2) AN INCREASE IN EXERCISE CAPACITY, AND (3) AN IMPROVEMENT IN LUNG FUNCTION. DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOGA IS PROMISING AS A NEW TREATMENT FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS, FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ASSESS THE USE OF THIS TRAINING FOR ASTHMA MANAGEMENT. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO ASSESS THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION (EIB) IN CHILDREN. DESIGN: THE STUDY WAS PROSPECTIVE, WITH NO CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY CHOSEN AMONG THE NEW PATIENTS AT THE UNIT. SETTING: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THE ERCIYES UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, PEDIATRIC ALLERGY UNIT, IN KAYSERI, TURKEY. PARTICIPANTS: TWO GROUPS OF ASTHMATIC CHILDREN AGED 6-17 Y WERE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY: (1) CHILDREN WITH POSITIVE RESPONSES TO AN EXERCISE CHALLENGE (N = 10), AND (2) THOSE WITH NEGATIVE RESPONSES (N = 10). INTERVENTION: BOTH GROUPS ATTENDED 1-H SESSIONS OF YOGA TRAINING 2 X/WK FOR 3 MO. OUTCOME MEASURES: RESEARCHERS ADMINISTERED SPIROMETRIC MEASUREMENT TO ALL CHILDREN BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER PARTICIPATING IN AN EXERCISE CHALLENGE. THIS PROCESS WAS PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND AT THE STUDY'S END. AGE, GENDER, IGE LEVELS, EOSINOPHIL NUMBERS, AND SPIROMETRIC MEASUREMENT PARAMETERS INCLUDING FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SEC (FEV1), FORCED EXPIRATORY FLOW 25%-75% (FEF25%-75%), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW PERCENTAGE (PEF%), AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR) WERE COMPARED USING THE MANN-WHITNEY U TEST AND THE WILCOXON TEST. A P VALUE < .05 WAS CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: AT BASELINE, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN THE GROUPS REGARDING DEMOGRAPHICS OR PRE-EXERCISE SPIROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS (P > .05, MANN-WHITNEY U TEST). LIKEWISE, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SPIROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS EXISTED BETWEEN THE GROUPS REGARDING THE CHANGE IN RESPONSES TO AN EXERCISE CHALLENGE AFTER YOGA TRAINING (P > .05, WILCOXON TEST). FOR THE EXERCISE-RESPONSE-POSITIVE GROUP, THE RESEARCH TEAM OBSERVED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MAXIMUM FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME 1% (FEV1%) FALL FOLLOWING THE EXERCISE CHALLENGE AFTER YOGA TRAINING (P > .05, WILCOXON TEST). ALL EXERCISE-RESPONSE-POSITIVE ASTHMATICS BECAME EXERCISERESPONSE-NEGATIVE ASTHMATICS AFTER YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT TRAINING CHILDREN IN THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAD BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON EIB. IT IS THE RESEARCH TEAM'S OPINION THAT YOGA TRAINING CAN SUPPLEMENT DRUG THERAPY TO ACHIEVE BETTER CONTROL OF ASTHMA. 2014 4 353 43 ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA: A RANDOMISED TRIAL. YOGA WHICH IS USED AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IS GAINING POPULARITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 120 NON-SMOKING MALE AND FEMALE PATIENTS OF ASTHMA IN THE AGE GROUP OF 17-50 YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS I.E. GROUP A (YOGA GROUP) AND GROUP B (CONTROL GROUP). ALL PATIENTS REMAINED ON THEIR PRESCRIBED MEDICATION, BUT GROUP A PATIENTS PRACTICED YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES FOR 8 WEEKS. ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (AQLQ) AND DIARY RECORD WAS USED TO ASSESS QUALITY OF LIFE, NUMBER AND SEVERITY OF ASTHMATIC ATTACKS, AND THE DOSAGE OF THE MEDICATION REQUIRED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS. GROUP A SUBJECTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN "SYMPTOMS", "ACTIVITIES" AND "ENVIRONMENTAL" DOMAINS OF AQLQ AT 8 WEEKS (P<0.01) AND SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DAILY NUMBER AND SEVERITY OF ATTACKS, AND THE DOSAGE OF MEDICATION REQUIRED AT 4 AND 8 WEEKS (P<0.01) COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES USED ADJUNCTIVELY WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2014 5 2547 40 YOGA FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: A CONTROLLED STUDY. FIFTY THREE PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA UNDERWENT TRAINING FOR TWO WEEKS IN AN INTEGRATED SET OF YOGA EXERCISES, INCLUDING BREATHING EXERCISES, SURYANAMASKAR, YOGASANA (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATH SLOWING TECHNIQUES), DHYANA (MEDITATION), AND A DEVOTIONAL SESSION, AND WERE TOLD TO PRACTISE THESE EXERCISES FOR 65 MINUTES DAILY. THEY WERE THEN COMPARED WITH A CONTROL GROUP OF 53 PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA MATCHED FOR AGE, SEX, AND TYPE AND SEVERITY OF ASTHMA, WHO CONTINUED TO TAKE THEIR USUAL DRUGS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THE GROUP WHO PRACTISED YOGA IN THE WEEKLY NUMBER OF ATTACKS OF ASTHMA, SCORES FOR DRUG TREATMENT, AND PEAK FLOW RATE. THIS STUDY SHOWS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE LONG TERM MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, BUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THIS BENEFICIAL EFFECT NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED IN MORE DETAIL. 1985 6 2109 45 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND LIFE QUALITY OF ASTHMA PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO FIND OUT THE EFFECT OF YOGA APPLIED TO ASTHMA PATIENTS ON THE PATIENTS' RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE. METHODS: THE SAMPLE OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF A TOTAL OF RANDOMLY CHOSEN 112 ASTHMA PATIENTS, 56 IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 56 IN THE CONTROL GROUP, WHO MET THE RESEARCH CRITERIA AND WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. A TOTAL OF 12 YOGA SESSIONS, 2 SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS, WAS APPLIED TO THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INTERVENTION. RESULTS: IN THE INTRAGROUP COMPARISON OF AVERAGE PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SCORES OF RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND ASTHMA CONTROL TEST (ACT) AND ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE (AQLQ) TOTAL AND SUB-DIMENSION SCORES OF THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP, THE DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). IN ADDITION, POST-TEST SCORE AVERAGES WERE FOUND TO INCREASE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, WHILE THEY WERE FOUND TO DECREASE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: IT WAS FOUND THAT YOGA INFLUENCED RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE POSITIVELY IN ASTHMA PATIENTS. THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER IS NCT04107415/HTTPS://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV/CT2/SHOW/NCT04107415. 2020 7 748 36 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 8 2929 39 [YOGA TO IMPROVE ASTHMA CONTROL IN SEVERE ASTHMATICS TREATED WITH BIOLOGICS]. WE CONDUCTED A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN POORLY CONTROLLED SEVERE ASTHMATIC PATIENTS TREATED WITH MAXIMAL INHALED THERAPY AND BIOLOGICS. THE OBJECTIVE OF YOGA WAS TO IMPROVE BREATHING CONSCIOUSNESS, EXERCISING CONTROLLED VENTILATION WITH AND WITHOUT RETENTION, ABDOMINAL BREATHING OBSERVATION, IMPROVEMENT OF INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY MUSCLES, OPENING OF THE CHEST, DIAPHRAGM EXERCISES AND RELAXATION. WE MEASURED EXHALED NITRIC OXIDE, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, ASTHMA CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRES, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER THE TENTH YOGA COURSE (PERFORMED TWICE A WEEK). HALF OF THE PATIENTS WHO WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE TO THE STUDY DECLINED DUE TO ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS. TWO PATIENTS WERE EXCLUDED DUE TO BRONCHITIS AND ARTHRALGIA RESPECTIVELY. THE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA FROM 12 PARTICIPANTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA CONTROL AND ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRES AND A REDUCTION OF ANXIETY.THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA IN SEVERE ASTHMATICS INSUFFICIENTLY CONTROLLED DESPITE MAXIMAL INHALED TREATMENT AND BIOTHERAPY SEEMS TO BE AN INTERESTING COMPLEMENTARY OPTION TO IMPROVE ASTHMA CONTROL. OUR RESULTS MUST BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. 2020 9 488 45 CLINICAL STUDY OF YOGA TECHNIQUES IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH ASTHMA: A CONTROLLED STUDY. ADULT ASTHMATICS, RANGING FROM 19 TO 52 YEARS FROM AN ASTHMA AND ALLERGY CLINIC IN A UNIVERSITY SETTING VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. THE 17 STUDENTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA (9 SUBJECTS) AND NONYOGA CONTROL (8 SUBJECTS) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP WAS TAUGHT A SET OF BREATHING AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES INCLUDING BREATH SLOWING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA), PHYSICAL POSTURES (YOGASANAS), AND MEDITATION. YOGA TECHNIQUES WERE TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER, THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 16 WEEKS. ALL THE SUBJECTS IN BOTH GROUPS MAINTAINED DAILY SYMPTOM AND MEDICATION DIARIES, COLLECTED A.M. AND P.M. PEAK FLOW READINGS, AND COMPLETED WEEKLY QUESTIONNAIRES. SPIROMETRY WAS PERFORMED ON EACH SUBJECT EVERY WEEK. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA SHOWED THAT THE SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT DEGREE OF RELAXATION, POSITIVE ATTITUDE, AND BETTER YOGA EXERCISE TOLERANCE. THERE WAS ALSO A TENDENCY TOWARD LESSER USAGE OF BETA ADRENERGIC INHALERS. THE PULMONARY FUNCTIONS DID NOT VARY SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. YOGA TECHNIQUES SEEM BENEFICIAL AS AN ADJUNCT TO THE MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA. 1998 10 286 26 ADJUNCT TREATMENT WITH YOGA IN CHRONIC SEVERE AIRWAYS OBSTRUCTION. ELEVEN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE CHRONIC AIRWAYS OBSTRUCTION WERE GIVEN TRAINING IN YOGIC BREATHING EXERCISES AND POSTURES. A MATCHED GROUP OF 11 PATIENTS WERE GIVEN PHYSIOTHERAPY BREATHING EXERCISES. BOTH GROUPS OF PATIENTS WERE FOLLOWED UP AT MONTHLY INTERVALS FOR NINE MONTHS WITH PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS, TESTS OF EXERCISE TOLERANCE, AND INQUIRY INTO THEIR SYMPTOMS. AFTER TRAINING IN YOGA THE MEAN MAXIMUM WORK INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY 60.55 KPM; WHEREAS NO SUCH RISE OCCURRED AFTER TRAINING IN PHYSIOTHERAPY. THIS OBJECTIVE IMPROVEMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SYMPTOMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF PATIENTS GIVEN TRAINING IN YOGA. 1978 11 2871 42 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 12 2699 68 YOGA INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE ASTHMA: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: PRELIMINARY STUDIES INVESTIGATING YOGA AND BREATH WORK FOR TREATING ASTHMA HAVE BEEN PROMISING. SEVERAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS HAVE SHOWN A BENEFIT FROM YOGA POSTURES AND BREATHING VS CONTROL, BUT THE CONTROL IN THESE CASES INVOLVED NO INTERVENTION OTHER THAN USUAL CARE. THIS STUDY ADVANCES THE FIELD BY PROVIDING AN ACTIVE CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA AND BREATH WORK INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING CLINICAL INDICES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULTS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE ASTHMA. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, DOUBLE-MASKED CLINICAL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN OCTOBER 1, 2001, AND MARCH 31, 2003. RANDOM ASSIGNMENT WAS MADE TO EITHER A 4-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION THAT INCLUDED POSTURES AND BREATH WORK OR A STRETCHING CONTROL CONDITION. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE EVALUATED AT 4, 8, 12, AND 16 WEEKS AND INCLUDED THE MINI ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE, RESCUE INHALER USE, SPIROMETRY, SYMPTOM DIARIES, AND HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION. RESULTS: SIXTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS, AND 45 COMPLETED THE FINAL FOLLOW-UP MEASURES. INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN POSTBRONCHODILATOR FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND AND MORNING SYMPTOM SCORES WERE APPARENT IN BOTH GROUPS AT 4 AND 16 WEEKS; HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS WERE OBSERVED ON ANY OUTCOME MEASURES. CONCLUSIONS: IYENGAR YOGA CONFERRED NO APPRECIABLE BENEFIT IN MILD-TO-MODERATE ASTHMA. CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH YOGA IS OF BENEFIT IN ASTHMA MANAGEMENT, IF ANY, REMAIN TO BE DETERMINED. 2005 13 1616 50 MINDFUL AWARENESS FOR FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS THROUGH YOGA, MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO, AND A COMBINATION OF TWO ON STRESS REDUCTION. OBJECTIVE: ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL EFFECT OF YOGA, MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS, AND A COMBINATION OF TWO ON STRESS REDUCTION IN FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS. METHODS: THE CURRENT STUDY DESIGN IS A NONRANDOMIZED TRIAL CARRIED OUT AMONG FEMALE DENTAL STUDENTS (N = 120). THE SELECTED SUBJECTS WERE ALLOCATED INTO THREE GROUPS, NAMELY, GROUP A: YOGA GROUP ASSIGNED UNDER A PROFESSIONAL YOGA INSTRUCTOR, GROUP B: MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO GROUP, AND GROUP C: A COMBINATION OF TWO (A AND B) INVOLVING YOGA SESSIONS AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS; FOLLOWING WHICH FORMATIVE EXAMINATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT AT 6 WEEKS WHICH WERE REFERRED TO AS STRESSOR 1 AND THOSE CARRIED OUT AT 12 WEEKS WERE REFERRED TO AS STRESSOR 2. USING SPIELBERGER'S STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY FOR ADULTS (STAI-A) RECORDINGS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, STRESSOR 1, AND STRESSOR 2. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES AT BOTH STRESSORS IN ALL THE GROUPS WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SCORE FROM STRESSOR 1 TO 2 IN GROUP 1 AND GROUP 3 SUBJECTS. THE SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OCCURRED IN STAI-A SCORES IN GROUP 1 AND GROUP 3 SUBJECTS AT BOTH STRESSORS (P < 0.001) WITH NO CHANGE OBSERVED IN GROUP 2 SUBJECTS. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY IS ONE OF A KIND AND POSITIVELY CORRELATES YOGA AND MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS WITH STRESS REDUCTION. BOTH OF THESE INTERVENTIONS PROVED TO BE BENEFICIARY FOR PHYSICAL AS WELL AS MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDY SUBJECTS. 2020 14 716 52 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES ON IMMUNE RESPONSES IN EXAMINATION STRESS - A PRELIMINARY STUDY. BACKGROUND: STRESS IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED OCCURRENCE OF AUTONOMIC, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM PATHOLOGY. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM DURING MEDICAL TERM -ACADEMIC EXAMINATION AND THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON THE SAME. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT ON SIXTY FIRST-YEAR MBBS STUDENTS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP (30 EACH). THE YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICES FOR 35 MINUTES DAILY IN THE PRESENCE OF TRAINED YOGA TEACHER FOR 12 WEEKS. CONTROL GROUP DID NOT UNDERGO ANY KIND OF YOGA PRACTICE OR STRESS MANAGEMENT. PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS LIKE HEART RATE, RESPIRATORY RATE, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE MEASURED. GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF RECENT STRESS SCALE AND SPIELBERGERS STATE ANXIETY SCORE WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND DURING THE EXAMINATION. SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS, IL-4, AND IFN-GAMMA LEVELS WERE DETERMINED BY ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY TECHNIQUE. RESULT: IN THE YOGA GROUP, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS DURING THE EXAMINATION STRESS, WHEREAS IN THE CONTROL GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WAS OBSERVED. LIKEWISE, THE INDICATORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS SHOWED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN CONTROL GROUP COMPARED WITH SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN YOGA GROUP. DURING THE EXAMINATION, THE INCREASE IN SERUM CORTICAL AND DECREASE IN SERUM IFN-GAMMA IN YOGA GROUP WAS LESS SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01) THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). BOTH THE GROUPS DEMONSTRATED AN INCREASE IN SERUM IL-4 LEVELS, THE CHANGES BEING INSIGNIFICANT FOR THE DURATION OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: YOGA RESISTS THE AUTONOMIC CHANGES AND IMPAIRMENT OF CELLULAR IMMUNITY SEEN IN EXAMINATION STRESS. 2011 15 1402 64 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/