1 2319 139 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 2 277 36 ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING ENHANCES PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING. THE CURRENT STUDY ASSESSED THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH STATE MINDFULNESS, MIND-WANDERING AND STATE ANXIETY. ALSO, WE EXAMINED IF AN ADDITIONAL 20 MIN OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) FOR 8 WEEKS WOULD AFFECT THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES MORE THAN REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE (CONTROL GROUP) ALONE. METHODS: ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EXPERIMENTAL (N = 60) AND CONTROL (N = 56) GROUPS. STATE MINDFULNESS ATTENTION AWARENESS SCALE (SMAAS), MIND-WANDERING QUESTIONNAIRE (MWQ) AND STATE ANXIETY INVENTORY WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: BASELINE ASSESSMENT REVEALED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH SMAAS SCORES AND NEGATIVE CORRELATION WITH MWQ AND STATE ANXIETY SCORES. AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS, BOTH GROUPS DEMONSTRATED ENHANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, BUT THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVING ADDITIONAL YOGA BREATHING PERFORMED BETTER THAN THE GROUP PRACTICING YOGA ALONE. CONCLUSION: AN ADDITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING WAS FOUND TO ENHANCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2018 3 771 41 EFFECT OF YOGA AND AEROBICS EXERCISE ON SLEEP QUALITY IN WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE (RUNNING ON A TREADMILL) ON THE SLEEP QUALITY IN WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 39 DIABETIC WOMEN WERE SELECTED FROM SEMNAN CITY WITH THE MEAN AGE OF 46.85+/-3.35 YEARS, WEIGHT OF 69.79+/-17.18 KG, HEIGHT OF 155.03+/-5.00, BMI OF 29.64+/-5.00 KG/M(2) WHO HAD A BACKGROUND OF DIABETES FOR 6.46+/-2.69 YEARS. THEY WERE THEN RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA EXERCISE (N=15), AEROBIC EXERCISE (N=13), AND CONTROL GROUP (N=11). THE EXERCISE PROGRAM WAS PERFORMED FOR 12 WEEKS, THREE SESSIONS PER EACH WEEK. IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE SLEEP QUALITY, THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) WAS USED. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED BY NON-PARAMETRIC WILCOXON AND KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST AT SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL OF P<0.05. RESULTS: OVERALL SCORE OF SLEEP QUALITY IMPROVED AFTER SIX (P=0.001) AND 12 (P=0.001) WEEKS OF YOGA EXERCISE. ALSO, SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS OBSERVED AFTER 6 WEEKS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE (P=0.039). HOWEVER, THE POSITIVE EFFECT WAS DIMINISHED TO UNDER SIGNIFICANT LEVELS AFTER 12 WEEKS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE (P=0.154). KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND AEROBIC GROUPS AFTER 12 WEEKS OF EXERCISE (P=0.002). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN CONTROL GROUPS IN ALL SITUATION. CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA EXERCISE IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING THE SLEEP QUALITY IN COMPARISON WITH THE SAME COURSE OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN WOMEN SUFFERING FROM DIABETES TYPE 2. THUS, YOGA EXERCISE CAN BE SUGGESTED TO THESE PATIENTS. 2017 4 748 35 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 5 2103 35 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY LEVEL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS. PURPOSE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY LEVEL IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WITH PRETEST-POSTTEST CONTROL GROUP. THE POPULATION OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS WITH REGISTERED IN MALATYA AND ELAZIG COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS AND REGULARLY GOING TO THESE CENTERS. THE SAMPLE GROUP OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF TOTALLY 100 PATIENTS INCLUDING 50 PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 50 PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP WHO WERE SPECIFIED THROUGH POWER ANALYSIS AND CHOSEN BY USING RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD FROM THIS POPULATION. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED BETWEEN APRIL 2015 AND AUGUST 2015. 'PATIENT DESCRIPTION FORM' AND 'FROGS' WERE USED TO COLLECT THE DATA. YOGA WAS APPLIED TO PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. ANY INTERVENTION WAS NOT MADE TO PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION, ARITHMETIC MEAN, STANDARD DEVIATION, CHI-SQUARE, INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST, AND PAIRED T TEST WERE USED TO ASSESS THE DATA. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRETEST SUBSCALE AND THE TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FROGS WAS FOUND TO BE LOW. IN THE POSTTEST SUBSCALE AND TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FROGS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WERE HIGHER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM WERE FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PRETEST AND POSTTEST SUBSCALE AND TOTAL MEANS SCORES OF FR0GS WAS DETERMINED TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA THAT APPLIED TO SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS IT WAS DETERMINED TO INCREASED THE LEVEL OF FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. IT CAN BE SUGGESTED THAT YOGA SHOULD BE USED AS AN COMPLEMENTARY METHOD IN NURSING PRACTISE IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TREATMENT. 2016 6 2260 44 THE PRACTICE OF HATHA YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN, MENSTRUAL PATTERNS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN TWO GROUPS OF WOMEN WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS: THOSE WHO DID AND THOSE WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN A SPECIFIC 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. METHOD: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. IT WAS CONDUCTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMPINAS MEDICAL SCHOOL, CAMPINAS, SP, BRAZIL. FORTY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: AN INTERVENTION GROUP OF WOMEN WHO PRACTICED YOGA (N = 28), AND A CONTROL GROUP OF WOMEN WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA (N = 12). PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED 90-MIN SCHEDULED YOGA SESSIONS TWICE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. ADDITIONALLY, AN ENDOMETRIOSIS HEALTH PROFILE (EHP)-30 QUESTIONNAIRE WAS APPLIED TO EVALUATE WOMEN'S QOL AT ADMISSION AND 2 MONTHS LATER UPON COMPLETION OF THE YOGA PROGRAM. MENSTRUAL AND DAILY PAIN PATTERNS WERE EVALUATED THROUGH A DAILY CALENDAR (VISUAL ANALOG SCALE). RESULTS: THE DEGREE OF DAILY PAIN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AMONG THE WOMEN WHO PRACTICED YOGA COMPARED WITH THE NON-YOGA GROUP (P = 0.0007). THERE WAS AN IMPROVEMENT OF QOL IN BOTH GROUPS BETWEEN BASELINE AND THE END OF THE STUDY EVALUATION. IN RELATION TO EHP-30 DOMAINS, PAIN (P = 0.0046), IMPOTENCE (P = 0.0006), WELL-BEING (P = 0.0009), AND IMAGE (P = 0.0087) FROM THE CENTRAL QUESTIONNAIRE, AND WORK (P = 0.0027) AND TREATMENT (P = 0.0245) FROM THE MODULAR QUESTIONNAIRE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE STUDY GROUPS OVER TIME. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS REGARDING THE DIARY OF MENSTRUAL PATTERNS (P = 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A REDUCTION IN LEVELS OF CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN AND AN IMPROVEMENT IN QOL IN WOMEN WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS. 2017 7 476 37 CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS AMONG THE MOST COMMONLY STUDIED COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES FOR MANAGING CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER YOGA PRACTICES IN PREMENOPAUSE CAN AFFECT THE OCCURRENCE OF SYMPTOMS WHEN WOMEN REACH MENOPAUSE. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA PRACTICES BEFORE MENOPAUSE MAY AVOID OR MITIGATE CLIMACTERIC-RELATED SYMPTOMS. DESIGN: THIS STUDY OF 108 WOMEN BETWEEN 40 AND 65 YEARS OLD INCLUDED 28 WOMEN WHO STARTED TO PRACTICE YOGA IN PREMENOPAUSE AND HAD ALREADY PRACTICED FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS, AND AS CONTROLS 30 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PRACTITIONERS (PA) WHO HAD PRACTICED FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS, AND 50 SEDENTARY WOMEN. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS WERE EVALUATED WITH THE KUPPERMAN MENOPAUSAL INDEX (KMI) AND THE WOMEN'S HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE (WHQ). MOREOVER, WE MEASURED THE QUALITY OF LIFE WITH THE WHQ. RESULTS: THE KMI SHOWED THAT 39.3% OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD NO MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, AND NONE REPORTED SEVERE SYMPTOMS. THE WHQ INDICATED A FEW SYMPTOMS AND A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS (3.56; 3.35-3.80). IN ADDITION, WE FOUND THAT THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS MODERATE AND SEVERE SYMPTOMS (P = 0.002) COMPARED WITH THE SEDENTARY GROUP. WE ALSO OBSERVED THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD LESS VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS AND MEMORY/CONCENTRATION DISORDERS THAN PA PRACTITIONERS (P = 0.010 AND P = 0.047) AND SEDENTARY WOMEN (P = 0.001 AND P = 0.001) AND ALSO USED FEWER DRUGS THAN THE PA (P < 0.001) AND THE SEDENTARY GROUPS (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO STARTED TO PRACTICE IN PREMENOPAUSE HAD SATISFACTORY RESULTS ON THE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OF CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. ALTHOUGH FURTHER RESEARCH IS REQUIRED TO SUPPORT OUR FINDINGS, WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA PRACTICE MAY REPRESENT AN EFFICIENT NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACH TO MANAGE AND PREVENT CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS. 2022 8 1442 28 INCREASED MENTAL WELL-BEING AND REDUCED STATE ANXIETY IN TEACHERS AFTER PARTICIPATION IN A RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM. BACKGROUND REDUCING STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE IMPROVES MENTAL HEALTH. TEACHING IS OF SOCIAL IMPORTANCE, BUT IT MAY RECEIVE INADEQUATE RECOGNITION AND REWARDS. THE PRESENT STUDY COMPARED MENTAL WELL-BEING AND STATE ANXIETY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS WHO PRACTICED 15 DAYS OF YOGA IN A RESIDENTIAL SETTING WITH THOSE WHO CONTINUED THEIR USUAL ROUTINE. MATERIAL AND METHODS WE ENROLLED 236 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. WE ASSIGNED 118 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., AGE 41.5+/-6.0 YEARS, 74 FEMALES) TO THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP; THEY UNDERWENT 15 DAYS OF YOGA TRAINING FOR 6 HOURS/DAY) IN A RESIDENTIAL YOGA CENTER. THE NON-YOGA CONTROL GROUP (GROUP MEAN +/-S.D., AGE 42.3+/-6.0 YEARS, 79 FEMALES) CONSISTED OF 118 TEACHERS WHO CONTINUED WITH THEIR NORMAL TEACHING ROUTINE. RESULTS AFTER 15 DAYS IN THE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN OVERALL MENTAL WELL-BEING (P<.001) AND LOWER STATE ANXIETY (P<.01) (REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA, FOLLOWED BY POST HOC MULTIPLE COMPARISON TESTS). AT BASELINE, THE NON-YOGA CONTROL GROUP HAD HIGHER LEVELS OF STATE ANXIETY, PRESUMABLY RELATED TO THEIR REMAINING IN THE WORKPLACE. CONCLUSIONS THE STUDY WAS A 15-DAY, COMPARATIVE, CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT AFTER 15 DAYS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM, PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS INCREASED ALL ASPECTS OF MENTAL WELL-BEING AND HAD REDUCED STATE ANXIETY. 2018 9 2464 40 YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DYSFUNCTIONAL UTERINE BLEEDING: A CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: DYSFUNCTIONAL UTERINE BLEEDING (DUB) IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON GYNECOLOGICAL DISORDERS ENCOUNTERED IN WOMEN DURING THE REPRODUCTIVE AGE. YOGA THERAPY HAS SHOWN PROMISING BENEFITS IN SEVERAL GYNECOLOGICAL DISORDERS. METHODS: THIRTY WOMEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 AND 40 YEARS WITH PRIMARY DUB WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA (N = 15) AND A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 15). PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED A 3-MONTH YOGA MODULE AND WERE ASSESSED FOR HEMOGLOBIN VALUES, ENDOMETRIAL THICKNESS (ET), PICTORIAL BLOOD LOSS ASSESSMENT CHART (PBAC), STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) BEFORE AND AFTER A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. RESULTS: AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS OF INTERVENTION, THE YOGA GROUP, UNLIKE THE CONTROL GROUP, REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE ANXIETY SCORES (P < 0.05) AND PERCEIVED STRESS (P < 0.05). THE PSQI SCORES INDICATED A REDUCTION IN SLEEP DISTURBANCES (P < 0.001) AND THE NEED FOR SLEEP MEDICATIONS (P < 0.01) AND HIGHER GLOBAL SCORES (P < 0.001). HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN PBAC AND ET IN BOTH THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA THERAPY POSITIVELY IMPACTS THE OUTCOME OF DUB BY REDUCING THE PERCEIVED STRESS AND STATE ANXIETY AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF SLEEP. THIS WARRANTS LARGER CLINICAL TRIALS TO VALIDATE THE FINDINGS OF THIS PILOT STUDY. 2018 10 819 39 EFFECT OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN HYPOTHYROIDISM: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THE PREVALENCE OF HYPOTHYROIDISM AMONG INDIAN WOMEN IS 15.8%. DEPRESSION IS FREQUENTLY REPORTED IN HYPOTHYROIDISM. YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. AIM: THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECT OF A 3-MONTH INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION (3-IY) ON DEPRESSION, LIPID INDICES, AND SERUM THYROID-STIMULATING HORMONE (STSH) LEVELS AMONG FEMALE PATIENTS HAVING HYPOTHYROIDISM, AND MILD-TO-MODERATE DEPRESSION. METHOD: THE PRESENT SINGLE-ARM PRE-POST DESIGN STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THIRTY-EIGHT WOMEN (AVERAGE AGE 34.2 +/- 4.7 YEARS). PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A 3-IY COMPRISING ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES FOR 60 MIN DAILY (5 DAYS A WEEK). DEPRESSION, STSH, LIPID PROFILE INDICES, BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), FATIGUE, ANXIETY, AND STRESS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. THYROID MEDICATION WAS KEPT CONSTANT DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. DATA WERE ANALYSED USING R STUDIO SOFTWARE. RESULT: A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION (58%), STSH (37%), BMI (6%), FATIGUE (64%), ANXIETY (57%), LIPID PROFILE INDICES (HLD INCREASED SIGNIFICANTY), AND STRESS (55%) LEVELS WAS OBSERVED AFTER 3 MONTHS, COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE 3-IY IS USEFUL FOR REDUCING DEPRESSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA, AND STSH IN WOMEN WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM AND DEPRESSION. FURTHER STUDIES WITH A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND A ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGN USING OBJECTIVE VARIABLES MUST BE CONDUCTED TO STRENGTHEN THE STUDY FINDINGS. 2021 11 2653 51 YOGA IMPROVES OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, DEPRESSION, AND DAILY ACTIVITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC PAIN IS A COMPLEX ACCUMULATION OF PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS, THUS INTERVENTIONS THAT ADDRESS PAIN AND PROMOTE OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE ARE NEEDED. A HOLISTIC INTERVENTION, WITH MIND AND BODY COMPONENTS, IS LIKELY NECESSARY TO BEST TREAT THE COMPLEXITIES OF CHRONIC PAIN. THUS, WE DEVELOPED AND TESTED A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN. OBJECTIVES: IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL (RCT), PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA INTERVENTION OR USUAL CARE GROUP. BETWEEN AND WITHIN GROUP DIFFERENCES FOR PRE-AND POST-OUTCOME MEASURE SCORES WERE ASSESSED FOR: OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, COMPLETION OF ACTIVITIES, AND DEPRESSION. METHODS: PILOT RCT WITH PARTICIPANT ALLOCATION TO 8 WEEKS OF YOGA OR USUAL CARE. BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED ONGOING MONTHLY SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMING. DATA WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR USUAL CARE AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENTS. DEMOGRAPHICS WERE COLLECTED AND MEASURES INCLUDED: CANADIAN OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE MEASURE (COPM) TO ASSESS OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE; THE 15-ITEM FRENCHAY ACTIVITIES INDEX (FAI)(ACTIVITIES); AND THE 9-ITEM PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE (PHQ-9) FOR DEPRESSION. INDEPENDENT T-TESTS WERE USED TO ASSESS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. PAIRED T-TESTS WERE USED TO ASSESS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRE- AND POST 8-WEEK INTERVENTION FOR BOTH THE YOGA AND THE USUAL CARE GROUPS. PERCENT CHANGE SCORES AND EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: 83 PEOPLE WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY AND COMPLETED BASELINE ASSESSMENTS; 44 INDIVIDUALS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA AND 39 TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE AVERAGE AGE OF ALL PARTICIPANTS WAS 51.4+/-10.5 YEARS, 68% WERE FEMALE; AND 60% HAD AT LEAST SOME COLLEGE EDUCATION. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN DEMOGRAPHICS OR OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN GROUPS AT BASELINE OR 8 WEEKS; HOWEVER, THE STUDY WAS NOT POWERED TO SEE SUCH DIFFERENCES. INDIVIDUALS RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE IN ANY OUTCOME MEASURE OVER THE 8 WEEKS. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN COPM PERFORMANCE AND COPM SATISFACTION SCORES FOR INDIVIDUALS RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA GROUP; BOTH SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. COPM PERFORMANCE IMPROVED BY 27% WITH A MODERATE TO LARGE EFFECT SIZE (3.66+/-1.85 VS 4.66+/-1.93, P < 0.001, D = 0.76). COPM SATISFACTION SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED BY 78% (2.14+/-2.31 VS. 3.80+/-2.50, P < 0.001) AND HAD A LARGE EFFECTS SIZE (D = 1.02). FAI SCORES IMPROVED, INDICATING INCREASED ACTIVITY OR ENGAGEMENT IN DAILY OCCUPATION DURING THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. SCORES INCREASED BY 5% (38.13+/-8.48 VS. 39.90+/-8.57, P = 0.024) WITH A SMALL EFFECT SIZE (D = 0.37). DEPRESSION SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED FROM 13.21+/-5.60 TO 11.41+/-5.82, P = 0.041, WITH A SMALL EFFECT SIZE. CONCLUSION: DATA FROM THIS PILOT RCT INDICATE YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION WITH PEOPLE IN CHRONIC PAIN TO IMPROVE OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE, INCREASE ENGAGEMENT IN ACTIVITIES, AND DECREASE DEPRESSION. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTITIONERS MAY CONSIDER ADDING YOGA AS A TREATMENT INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH PAIN. 2019 12 459 42 CHANGES IN PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE WITH IYENGAR YOGA IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK (NCLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG ADULT POPULATION AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND HIGHER HEALTHCARE COSTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) WITH NCLBP. AIM OF THE STUDY: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY AND CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE THERAPY ON PAIN INTENSITY AND HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH RANDOM SAMPLING TECHNIQUE. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: SIXTY SUBJECTS WHO FULFILLED THE SELECTION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO IYENGAR YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N = 30) AND CONTROL GROUP (EXERCISE GROUP, N = 30). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED LOW BACK PAIN EVALUATION FORM AND HRQOL-4 QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE THEIR INTERVENTION AND AGAIN 4 WEEKS AND 6 MONTH LATER. YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 29 YOGIC POSTURES TRAINING AND EXERCISE GROUP HAD UNDERGONE GENERAL EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR 4 WEEKS. STATISTICS: REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME, WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PAIN AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL. IN VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 72.81% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 42.50% (P = 0.001). IN HRQOL, YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCTION OF 86.99% (P = 0.001) AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP 67.66% (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA PROVIDES BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN HRQOL IN NONSPECIFIC CHRONIC BACK PAIN THAN GENERAL EXERCISE. 2014 13 979 35 EFFECTS OF BRIEF YOGA EXERCISES AND MOTIVATIONAL PREPARATORY INTERVENTIONS IN DISTANCE RUNNERS: RESULTS OF A CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFICACY OF TWO PREPARATORY INTERVENTIONS ON ONE MILE RUN PERFORMANCE IN 90 HIGH SCHOOL LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS. METHOD: AFTER PARTICIPANTS HAD COMPLETED A ONE MILE BASELINE RUN, THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO PARTICIPATE IN EITHER ONE OF TWO INTERVENTIONS (BRIEF YOGA EXERCISES, MOTIVATIONAL SHOUTING EXERCISES) OR A NO INTERVENTION CONTROL CONDITION. EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS WERE IMPLEMENTED ONE WEEK AFTER THE BASELINE RUN ABOUT 20 MINUTES BEFORE A SECOND ONE MILE TRIAL. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS ASSIGNED TO THE MOTIVATIONAL INTERVENTION IMPROVED THEIR RUNNING PERFORMANCE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THOSE ASSIGNED TO THE OTHER TWO CONDITIONS. ALTHOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF THE EFFECT WAS SMALL, PARTICIPANTS ASSIGNED TO YOGA EXERCISES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN RUNNING PERFORMANCE RELATIVE TO CONTROL CONDITION PARTICIPANTS. CONSUMER SATISFACTION RATINGS INDICATED THAT PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE ASSIGNED TO THE MOTIVATIONAL AND YOGA EXERCISE GROUPS LIKED THEIR INTERVENTIONS MORE THAN THOSE ASSIGNED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: MOTIVATIONAL AND YOGA INTERVENTIONS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE LONG DISTANCE RUNNING PERFORMANCE WERE EQUALLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE PARTICIPANTS, BUT THE FORMER HAD A GREATER EFFECT. 2006 14 2112 32 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN. BACKGROUND: IN RECENT DECADES, SEVERAL MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON YOGA PROVED IT TO BE VERY USEFUL IN THE TREATMENT OF SOME DISEASES. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN WOMEN LIVING IN ILAM, IRAN. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH PRE-POST TEST. TO COLLECT DATA, THE QUESTIONNAIRE OF DASS-21 (DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE-21) WAS USED. FOR ELIGIBLE SAMPLES, HATHA YOGA EXERCISES AND TRAINING SESSIONS WERE HELD FOR 4 WEEKS (3 TIME/WEEKS; 60-70 MIN EACH) BY A SPECIALIST. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS VERSION 20. RESULTS: 52 WOMEN WITH A MEAN AGE OF 33.5 +/- 6.5 WERE INCLUDED FOR ANALYSIS. DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN WOMEN AFTER 12 SESSIONS OF REGULAR HATHA YOGA PRACTICE (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA HAS AN EFFECTIVE ROLE IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE. 2018 15 1085 41 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS, FATIGUE, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EMPLOYEES OF DIAMOND INDUSTRY: A NEW APPROACH IN EMPLOYEE WELLNESS. BACKGROUND: DIAMOND INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES OFTEN EXPERIENCE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, AND STRESS, CONTRIBUTING TO A LOW QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA IS AN ANCIENT DISCIPLINE OF MIND-BODY PRACTICE YOGA HAS NUMEROUS HEALTH BENEFITS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFICACY OF WORKPLACE YOGA IN IMPROVING STRESS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, AND QOL AMONG EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY. METHODS: ONE-HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 AND 60 PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 84) OR WAITLIST (N = 82) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED ONE HOUR OF YOGA, FOUR DAYS A WEEK FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAITLIST GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR DAILY ROUTINES. MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, STRESS, AND QOL WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER THREE MONTHS. RESULTS: ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE EMPLOYEES COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN, PERCEIVED STRESS, FATIGUE, AND QOL DOMAINS AFTER THREE MONTHS COMPARED TO BASELINE. THE WAITLIST GROUP SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ANY OF THE MEASURES. IN THE POST SCORES COMPARISON BETWEEN THE GROUPS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: WORKPLACE YOGA FOUND TO BE A USEFUL, COST-EFFECTIVE AND FEASIBLE INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING STRESS, MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUES AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG EMPLOYEES OF THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY. YOGA MAY BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE WORKPLACE AS A WELLNESS PROGRAM AT THE WORKPLACE. 2021 16 657 32 EFFECT OF 'EXERCISE WITHOUT MOVEMENT' YOGA METHOD ON MINDFULNESS, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. OBJECTIVE: TO ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF THE 'EXERCISE WITHOUT MOVEMENT' (E.W.M) YOGA METHOD ON MINDFULNESS AND ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS. METHODS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF ONE MONTH E.W.M. INTERVENTION AMONG 38 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE ENROLLED VOLUNTARILY TO BOTH GROUPS, STUDY (N = 16) AND CONTROL (N = 22). FIVE PARTICIPANTS DROPPED OUT DURING THE STUDY. THE STATE MINDFULNESS SCALE (SMS) WAS USED TO MEASURE MINDFULNESS. THE ANXIETY INVENTORY BECK (BAI) AND THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI-II) WERE USED TO MEASURE THE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, RESPECTIVELY, BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: STUDY GROUP SHOWED BOTH A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN MINDFULNESS AND DECREASE IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE E.W.M. HAS BEEN USEFUL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINDFULNESS AND IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND MAY REPRESENT A NEW METHOD IN THE MINDFULNESS-BASED THERAPEUTIC APPLICATION. 2016 17 2533 33 YOGA EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION AMONG THE IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A CHRONIC AND DISABLING DISEASE RESULTING IN DISABILITIES IN YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED PERSONS. IN THIS STUDY, RESEARCHERS EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF YOGA TECHNIQUES ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL FUNCTION AMONG SOME IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, 60 IRANIAN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) WERE PLACED IN TWO EQUALLY DIVIDED CONTROL AND CASE GROUPS THROUGH RANDOM SELECTION TO ASSESS PRE-AND POST-EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES ON THEIR PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION LEVELS. WOMEN IN CASE GROUP WERE OFFERED A SERIES OF YOGA TRAINING AND EXERCISES FOR 3 MONTHS, WHICH CONSISTED OF 8 SESSIONS PER MONTH FOR 60 TO 90 MINUTES AT EACH SESSION. YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDED THE 3 PRINCIPLES OF SLOW MOTIONS (HATAYOGA), RESPIRATORY EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA) AND CENTRALIZATION TO CONTROL MIND VIA MEDITATION, EXPANSION AND STASIS (RAJAYOGA). AFTER 3 MONTHS BOTH GROUPS WERE SURVEYED USING THE INITIAL QUESTIONNAIRE TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE FINDINGS WITH THE BASE-LINE DATA. RESULTS: RESEARCHERS FOUND SIGNIFICANT STATISTICAL DIFFERENCE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION LEVELS AMONG THE WOMEN IN CASE GROUP (P=0.001). WOMEN IN CASE GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL ABILITY WHILE WOMEN IN CONTROL GROUP MANIFESTED EXACERBATED SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: YOGA TECHNIQUES MAY IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION FUNCTION OF WOMEN WITH MS. 2014 18 1760 41 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. CONTEXT: YOGA IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF ASANA AND ASANA WITH PRANAYAMA LESSONS IN ORDER TO CLARIFY THE INFLUENCE OF TWO DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON PHYSICAL AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 28 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE: 52.7 YEARS) WERE DIVIDED INTO A YOGA ASANA (YA) GROUP AND YA WITH PRANAYAMA (YAP) GROUP. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A 70-MIN SESSION ONCE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. THE YA GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITHOUT SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS, WHILE THE YAP GROUP PRACTICED BASIC ASANA WITH SPECIFIC BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS (PRANAYAMA). RESPIRATORY FUNCTION WAS MEASURED WITH AN AUTOSPIROMETER. PHYSICAL FUNCTION ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED THE 30-S CHAIR STAND TEST AND UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY. ALL TESTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: CHANGES IN SCORES WERE ANALYZED WITH THE PAIRED T-TEST FOR EACH GROUP. PRE-POST RESULTS WERE COMPARED FOR ALL THE MEASURED VALUES. P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL AND OVERALL RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS AFTER THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, THE MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE AND LOWER EXTREMITY FLEXIBILITY IMPROVED ONLY IN THE YAP GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION FOR HEALTHY INACTIVE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE IMPROVED THE OVERALL RESPIRATORY AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS, AND THE INCLUSION OF PRANAYAMA HAD THE ADDED BENEFIT OF IMPROVING INSPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND GLOBAL BODY FLEXIBILITY. 2019 19 983 36 EFFECTS OF HATA YOGA ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF 8 WEEKS OF HATA YOGA EXERCISES ON WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. STUDIES ABOUT EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DIFFERENT CHRONIC DISEASES SHOW THAT THESE EXERCISES HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CHRONIC DISEASES. AS KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS IS VERY COMMON AMONG MIDDLE AGE WOMEN WE DECIDED TO MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE EXERCISES ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. METHODS: SAMPLE INCLUDED 30 WOMEN WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS WHO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THIS SEMI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND WERE DIVIDED INTO A CONTROL GROUP (15) AND A YOGA GROUP (15). THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED 60 MINUTES SESSIONS OF HATA YOGA, 3 TIMES A WEEK AND FOR 8 WEEKS. PAIN, SYMPTOMS, DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS AND SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE RESPECTIVELY MEASURED BY VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS) AND KNEE INJURY AND OSTEOARTHRITIS OUTCOME SCALE (KOOS) QUESTIONNAIRE. THE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) METHOD FOR REPETITIVE DATA WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE RESULTS (P = 0.05). RESULTS: FINDINGS SHOWED THAT PAIN AND SYMPTOMS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AND SCORES OF DAILY ACTIVITIES, SPORTS, SPARE-TIME ACTIVITIES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT YOGA CAN BE USED AS A CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT BESIDES USUAL TREATMENTS AND MEDICATIONS TO IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF PEOPLE WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. 2013 20 1081 33 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SEXUAL FUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE; IT HAS A HIGH GLOBAL PREVALENCE, BUT NO EFFECTIVE AND SAFE TREATMENT OPTIONS. THE PREVALENCE OF SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IS HIGHER IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME THAN IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED STUDY, 41 WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME (AGE 30-60 YEARS) WERE ASSIGNED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE GROUP (N=20) OR A WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N=21). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY END POINTS WERE CHANGES IN TOTAL AND INDIVIDUAL DOMAIN SCORES ON THE FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTION INDEX. RESULTS: THE 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN AROUSAL (0.74+/-1.18 VS. 0.16+/-0.82, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.042) AND LUBRICATION (0.72+/-1.12 VS. 0.06+/-0.87, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.008) COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE 12-WEEK FOLLOW UP (-3.5+/-13.7 VS. 2.0+/-14.7, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.040). CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME AS WELL AS FOR METABOLIC RISK FACTORS. 2013