1 2427 92 YOGA AND OTHER MEDITATIVE MOVEMENT THERAPIES TO REDUCE CHRONIC PAIN. CLINICAL QUESTION: IN ADULTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN, DO YOGA AND OTHER MEDITATIVE MOVEMENT THERAPIES TO IMPROVEMENT IN CHRONIC PAIN SYMPTOMS? ANSWER: YES. HOWEVER, IN EACH OF THE STUDIES REVIEWED, YOGA CLASSES WERE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE PAIN MANAGEMENT REGIME, SOMETIMES ALONE AND SOMETIMES IN TANDEM WITH DVDS OR AUDIOTAPES. WE FEEL THAT NO EXERCISE THERAPY PROGRAM SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL COACHING FROM CERTIFIED, REGISTERED AND QUALIFIED INSTRUCTORS. DATE ANSWER WAS DETERMINED: AUGUST 2014, JUNE, 2015, AUGUST 2015. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE FOR THE ANSWER: A. SEARCH TERMS: CHRONIC PAIN, YOGA, EXERCISE THERAPY, MEDITATIVE MOVEMENT THERAPY. INCLUSION CRITERIA: ADULTS; META-ANALYSES; SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS; COHORT STUDIES; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS; PRACTICE GUIDELINES; ARTICLES FROM 2010 TO PRESENT. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 18 YEARS OF AGE, PILATES. 2017 2 1516 26 IS YOGA AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED-CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES. METHODS: A SEARCH STRATEGY WAS FORMULATED WITH KEY CONCEPTS IDENTIFIED USING THE PICO PROCESS. FOUR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED IN JUNE 2012. APPROPRIATE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE SET AND IMPLEMENTED. RESULTS: FOUR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. ALL FOUR PAPERS FOUND THAT YOGA LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK FUNCTION, AND THREE DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK PAIN WHEN COMPARED WITH CERTAIN CARE MODALITIES. ALL PAPERS HAD SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED, HOWEVER. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE STUDIES, THE CONCLUSIONS DRAWN MUST BE CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVELY. ALTHOUGH EARLY RESULTS APPEAR PROMISING, BUT FURTHER WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE WARRANTED, WITH MULTIPLE, SPECIFIED COMPARATOR CARE MODALITIES BEFORE FIRM CONCLUSIONS CAN BE GAINED. 2013 3 2294 27 THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR COMMON PRIMARY CARE CONDITIONS. INTRODUCTION: YOGA IS A POPULAR FORM OF EXERCISE THAT USES BODY POSTURES, MEDITATION, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE MANY HEALTH BENEFITS. OBJECTIVE/METHODS: OUR GOAL FOR THIS REVIEW IS TO ORIENT HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO THE EVIDENCE-BASED USES OF YOGA MOST RELEVANT TO PRIMARY CARE. WE CONDUCTED A PUBMED SEARCH THAT INCLUDED META-ANALYSES, REVIEWS, SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS, AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. RESULTS: RESULTS WERE LIMITED TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND PUBLICATION BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020. YOGA WAS FOUND TO HELP DECREASE HYPERTENSION, RELIEVE BACK PAIN, PROMOTE OVERALL WELL-BEING, AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IS A RELATIVELY SAFE AND EFFECTIVE OPTION FOR PATIENTS INTERESTED IN THERAPEUTIC LIFESTYLE CHANGE TO PROMOTE WELL-BEING AND TO HELP MANAGE HYPERTENSION, BACK PAIN, AND OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH. 2021 4 2470 28 YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) AFFECTS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, AND APPEARS TO BE INCREASING IN PREVALENCE. IT IS ASSOCIATED NOT ONLY WITH PAIN, BUT ALSO WITH INCREASED DISABILITY, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE. THERE ARE VARIOUS TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR CLBP, BUT NO SINGLE THERAPY STANDS OUT AS BEING THE MOST EFFECTIVE. IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, YOGA INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN STUDIED AS A CLBP TREATMENT APPROACH. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PAPER IS TO REVIEW THE CURRENT LITERATURE SUPPORTING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR CLBP. METHODS: A LITERATURE SEARCH THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF 2015 WAS CONDUCTED IN PUB MED FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS ADDRESSING TREATMENT OF CLBP WITH YOGA. RESULTS: IN THIS REVIEW WE EVALUATE THE USE OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR CLBP. SPECIFICALLY WE EVALUATE HOW YOGA IMPACTS PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND DISABILITY, PAIN, AND ASSOCIATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. WE ALSO EVALUATE POSSIBLE MEDIATORS OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND THE SAFETY OF YOGA. DISCUSSION: WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, PREVIOUS STUDIES AND THE RECENT RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) INDICATE THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE PAIN AND DISABILITY, CAN BE PRACTICED SAFELY, AND IS WELL RECEIVED BY PARTICIPANTS. SOME STUDIES ALSO INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, BUT THESE EFFECTS ARE CURRENTLY NOT AS WELL ESTABLISHED. 2016 5 912 28 EFFECTIVENESS OF IYENGAR YOGA IN TREATING SPINAL (BACK AND NECK) PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT IN HEALTH CARE IS USED FOR TREATMENTS OF LIFESTYLE RELATED, CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS, WHICH COME FROM BEHAVIORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF THE POPULATION. BACK AND NECK PAIN ARE TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS IN MODERN SOCIETY THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT COST IN HEALTH CARE. YOGA, AS A BRANCH OF COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, HAS EMERGED AND IS SHOWING TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT AGAINST NONSPECIFIC SPINAL PAIN. RECENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN POSITIVE OUTCOME OF YOGA IN GENERAL ON REDUCING PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY OF THE SPINE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO CONDUCT A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EXISTING RESEARCH WITHIN IYENGAR YOGA METHOD AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS ON RELIEVING BACK AND NECK PAIN (DEFINED AS SPINAL PAIN). DATABASE RESEARCH FORM THE FOLLOWING SOURCES (COCHRANE LIBRARY, NCBI PUBMED, THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY OF THE INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, EMBASE, CINAHL, AND PSYCHINFO) DEMONSTRATED INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA THAT SELECTED ONLY IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTIONS, WHICH IN TURN, IDENTIFIED SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS DEDICATED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR BACK AND NECK PAIN VERSUS OTHER CARE. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS ON THE POSTINTERVENTION PAIN OR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY INTENSITY ASSESSMENT WAS, IN ALL SIX STUDIES, FAVORING THE YOGA GROUP, WHICH PROJECTED A DECREASE IN BACK AND NECK PAIN. OVERALL SIX STUDIES WITH 570 PATIENTS SHOWED, THAT IYENGAR YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR BOTH BACK AND NECK PAIN IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL GROUPS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND STRONG EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS, BUT LITTLE EVIDENCE FOR LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC SPINE PAIN IN THE PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES. 2015 6 1084 25 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THIS ARTICLE REPORTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND CLINICAL CONTROLLED TRIALS (CCTS) THAT ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. SELECTED STUDIES WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE TYPES OF INTERVENTION, DURATION, OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS. THEY WERE ALSO QUALITATIVELY ASSESSED BASED ON PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. RESULTS: THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS BASED ON EIGHT RCTS AND CCTS THAT INDICATED A POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA IN REDUCING STRESS LEVELS OR STRESS SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE STUDIES HAD METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THAT THE INTERVENTION DURATION WAS SHORT AND LIMITED FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS AVAILABLE. CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS REDUCTION IN HEALTHY ADULT POPULATIONS. HOWEVER, THE RESULT SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES AND THE ASSOCIATED METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. FURTHER STUDIES TO ASCERTAIN YOGA'S LONG-TERM EFFECTS AND THE UNDERLYING BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS LEADING TO ITS STRESS REDUCTION EFFECT SHOULD BE CONDUCTED. 2011 7 2542 27 YOGA FOR ARTHRITIS: A SCOPING REVIEW. THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS THE EXISTING LITERATURE ON USING YOGA FOR ARTHRITIS. IT INCLUDES PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH FROM CLINICAL TRIALS (PUBLISHED FROM 1980 TO 2010) THAT USED YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR ARTHRITIS AND REPORTED QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS. ELEVEN STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED, INCLUDING 4 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND 4 NON-RCTS. ALL TRIALS WERE SMALL AND CONTROL GROUPS VARIED. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED, AND ATTRITION WAS COMPARABLE OR BETTER THAN THAT TYPICAL FOR EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS. EVIDENCE WAS STRONGEST FOR REDUCED DISEASE SYMPTOMS (TENDER/SWOLLEN JOINTS, PAIN) AND DISABILITY AND FOR IMPROVED SELF-EFFICACY AND MENTAL HEALTH. INTERVENTIONS, RESEARCH METHODS, AND DISEASE DIAGNOSES WERE HETEROGENEOUS. 2011 8 2292 28 THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR CHILDREN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. PURPOSE: WE COMPLETED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PHYSICAL OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION. WE EXPLORED VARIOUS DATABASES AND INCLUDED CASE-CONTROL AND PILOT STUDIES, COHORT AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT EXAMINED YOGA AS AN EXERCISE INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS: USING THE SACKETT LEVELS OF EVIDENCE, THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS THE LITERATURE ON YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY MIND-BODY MOVEMENT THERAPY. WE ADDRESS THE RESEARCH THROUGH THREE PRACTICE PATTERNS ACCORDING TO THE GUIDE TO PHYSICAL THERAPIST PRACTICE AND PROVIDE CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INCLUSION OF YOGA INTO CLINICAL PRACTICE. STATEMENT OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: THE EVIDENCE SHOWS PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION THAT MAY BENEFIT CHILDREN THROUGH THE REHABILITATION PROCESS, BUT LARGER CLINICAL TRIALS, INCLUDING SPECIFIC MEASURES OF QUALITY OF LIFE ARE NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. 2008 9 2105 24 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENSTRUAL DISORDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: TO SUMMARIZE AND EVALUATE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENSTRUAL DISORDERS. METHODS: PUBMED, CINAHL/MEDLINE, WEB OF SCIENCE, AMED, AND SCOPUS WERE SEARCHED FOR ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LITERATURE RELEVANT TO THE REVIEW QUESTION. ALL PRIMARY RESEARCH STUDIES WERE INCLUDED. RESULTS: FIFTEEN STUDIES DESCRIBED IN 18 PAPERS WERE INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW. A RANGE OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE USED. SOME STUDIES USED A COMBINATION OF ASANA, PRANAYAMA, AND OTHER YOGIC RELAXATION OR MEDITATION TECHNIQUES. ALL INCLUDED STUDIES REPORTED SOME CHANGE IN THEIR OUTCOME MEASURES, SUGGESTING REDUCED SYMPTOMS OF MENSTRUAL DISTRESS FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION; HOWEVER, THE HETEROGENEITY AND INTENSITY OF THE INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOME MEASURES MEANT THAT FINDINGS HAVE LIMITED GENERALIZABILITY AND APPLICABILITY IN PRACTICE SETTINGS. CONCLUSIONS: FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE AND MENSTRUAL DISORDERS IS WARRANTED, BUT THERE MUST BE BOTH CONSISTENCY IN THE METHODS, MEASURES, AND QUALITY OF STUDIES AND A SHIFT TOWARD RESEARCH ON YOGA PRACTICES THAT ARE REPLICABLE OUTSIDE OF THE CLINICAL TRIAL SETTING. 2017 10 2559 32 YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) USING A META-ANALYTICAL APPROACH. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT EXAMINED PAIN ANDOR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AS TREATMENT OUTCOMES WERE INCLUDED. POST-TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED. METHODS: A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH OF RELEVANT ELECTRONIC DATABASES, FROM THE TIME OF THEIR INCEPTION UNTIL NOVEMBER 2011, WAS CONDUCTED. COHEN'S D EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED AND ENTERED IN A RANDOM-EFFECTS MODEL. RESULTS: EIGHT RCTS MET THE CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION (EIGHT ASSESSING FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND FIVE ASSESSING PAIN) AND INVOLVED A TOTAL OF 743 PATIENTS. AT POST-TREATMENT, YOGA HAD A MEDIUM TO LARGE EFFECT ON FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (D=0.645) AND PAIN (D=0.623). DESPITE A WIDE RANGE OF YOGA STYLES AND TREATMENT DURATIONS, HETEROGENEITY IN POST-TREATMENT EFFECT SIZES WAS LOW. FOLLOW-UP EFFECT SIZES FOR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN WERE SMALLER, BUT REMAINED SIGNIFICANT (D=0.397 AND D=0.486, RESPECTIVELY); HOWEVER, THERE WAS A MODERATE TO HIGH LEVEL OF VARIABILITY IN THESE EFFECT SIZES. DISCUSSION: THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT STUDY INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFICACIOUS ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR CLBP. THE STRONGEST AND MOST CONSISTENT EVIDENCE EMERGED FOR THE SHORT-TERM BENEFITS OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. HOWEVER, BEFORE ANY DEFINITIVE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF METHODOLOGICAL CONCERNS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. IN PARTICULAR, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT FUTURE RCTS INCLUDE AN ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA HAS SPECIFIC TREATMENT EFFECTS AND WHETHER YOGA OFFERS ANY ADVANTAGES OVER TRADITIONAL EXERCISE PROGRAMS AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FOR CLBP. 2013 11 2622 27 YOGA FOR SUBSTANCE USE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. INTRODUCTION: SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUDS) ARE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VARIOUS GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, DEVELOPMENTAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS. YOGA IS RECOMMENDED AS A NONMAINSTREAM TREATMENT FOR MANY HEALTH CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SUDS. METHODS: FIVE DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT EVALUATED YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION IN ADULTS WITH ANY TYPE OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER. THE INTERVENTIONS BEING STUDIED INCLUDED HATHA YOGA, SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA, BREATHING YOGA EXERCISES, AND MEDITATION. STUDIES, WHERE YOGA WAS COMBINED WITH OTHER INTERVENTIONS WERE EXCLUDED. THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION WAS ANALYZED USING PRIMARY OUTCOMES SUCH AS ANXIETY, PAIN, AND CRAVING. EIGHT RCTS MET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, AND QUALITY ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED USING THE COCHRANE CRITERIA. RESULTS: AMONG THE 8 FINAL STUDIES ELIGIBLE FOR QUALITY ANALYSIS, 2 HAD UNDEFINED SUBSTANCE USE, WHILE THE OTHERS WERE FOCUSED ON TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, OR OPIOIDS. SEVEN OUT OF 8 STUDIES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT RESULTS AND IMPROVED PRIMARY OUTCOMES SUCH AS ANXIETY, PAIN, OR SUBSTANCE USE. SEVEN OUT OF THE 8 STUDIES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE OUTCOMES USING YOGA IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT MODALITIES LIKE OPIOID SUBSTITUTION THERAPY. CONCLUSIONS: SIX OUT OF 8 STUDIES SHOWED LOW CONCERNS, WHILE 2 STUDIES SHOWED SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE RISK OF BIAS JUDGMENT. ALTHOUGH THE RESULTS LOOK ENCOURAGING, RCTS WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZE ARE NEEDED TO BETTER EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT MODALITY FOR SUBSTANCE USE. 2021 12 522 25 COMPARISON GROUPS IN YOGA RESEARCH: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE LITERATURE. OBJECTIVES: COMPARISON GROUPS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ACCURATE TESTING AND INTERPRETATION OF YOGA INTERVENTION TRIALS. HOWEVER, SELECTING PROPER COMPARISON GROUPS IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE YOGA COMPRISES A VERY HETEROGENEOUS SET OF PRACTICES AND ITS MECHANISMS OF EFFECT HAVE NOT BEEN CONCLUSIVELY ESTABLISHED. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE CONTROL AND COMPARISON GROUPS USED IN PUBLISHED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA. RESULTS: WE LOCATED 128 RCTS THAT MET OUR INCLUSION CRITERIA; OF THESE, 65 INCLUDED ONLY A PASSIVE CONTROL AND 63 INCLUDED AT LEAST ONE ACTIVE COMPARISON GROUP. PRIMARY COMPARISON GROUPS WERE PHYSICAL EXERCISE (43%), RELAXATION/MEDITATION (20%), AND EDUCATION (16%). STUDIES RARELY PROVIDED A STRONG RATIONALE FOR CHOICE OF COMPARISON. CONSIDERING YEAR OF PUBLICATION, THE USE OF ACTIVE CONTROLS IN YOGA RESEARCH APPEARS TO BE SLOWLY INCREASING OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THAT YOGA HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS A POTENTIALLY POWERFUL INTERVENTION, FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD USE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. FURTHER, CARE IS NEEDED TO SELECT COMPARISON CONDITIONS THAT HELP TO ISOLATE THE SPECIFIC MECHANISMS OF YOGA'S EFFECTS. 2014 13 2181 33 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: THE GOAL WAS TO REVIEW SYSTEMATICALLY THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA, COMPARED WITH OTHER EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS, FOR OLDER ADULTS AS SHOWN ON MEASURES OF HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. DESIGN: THIS WAS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH BOTH NARRATIVE SYNTHESIS AND META-ANALYSIS. DATA SOURCES: SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED IN MEDLINE(R)/PUBMED, PSYCINFO, CINAHL, WEB OF SCIENCE, AND SCOPUS; BIBLIOGRAPHIES OF SELECTED ARTICLES; AND ONE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. METHODS: ORIGINAL STUDIES FROM 1950 TO NOVEMBER 2010 WERE SOUGHT, EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OLDER ADULTS. THE SEARCH WAS RESTRICTED TO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA IN SUBJECTS >/=AGE 60, AND PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH. DATA WERE EXTRACTED AND EVALUATED REGARDING SETTING, POPULATION SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS, INTERVENTION TYPE AND DURATION, COMPARISON GROUP, OUTCOME ASSESSMENT, DATA ANALYSIS, FOLLOW-UP, KEY RESULTS, AND THE QUALITY OF EACH STUDY ACCORDING TO SPECIFIC PREDETERMINED CRITERIA. RESULTS: THE SEARCH YIELDED 18 ELIGIBLE STUDIES (N=649). THE STUDIES REPORTED ON OLDER ADULTS ACROSS A RANGE OF SETTINGS, INTERVENTION INTENSITY, AND OUTCOME MEASURES. THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDIES HAD<35 PARTICIPANTS (RANGE 9-77). QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS OF THE STUDIES SUGGESTED THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY EXCEED THOSE OF CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR SELF-RATED HEALTH STATUS, AEROBIC FITNESS, AND STRENGTH. HOWEVER, THE EFFECT SIZES WERE MODEST, AND THE EVIDENCE WAS MIXED FOR YOGA'S EFFECT ON DEPRESSION, SLEEP, AND BONE-MINERAL DENSITY. STUDIES DID NOT FIND AN EFFECT ON COGNITION. CONCLUSIONS: SMALL STUDIES WITH MIXED METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY SUGGESTED THAT YOGA MAY BE SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE. THE PRECISION OF THE ESTIMATES REMAINS LOW. LARGER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO DEFINE BETTER THE INTERSECTION OF POPULATIONS, SETTINGS, AND INTERVENTIONS IN WHICH YOGA IS MOST BENEFICIAL. 2012 14 2573 33 YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS THOUGHT TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE ARTICLE AIMS TO ASSESS THE CURRENT CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION (EH). STRATEGY: MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL) IN THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED UNTIL JUNE, 2013. WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS TESTING YOGA AGAINST CONVENTIONAL THERAPY, YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT, YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. STUDY SELECTION, DATA EXTRACTION, QUALITY ASSESSMENT, AND DATA ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE STANDARDS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 6 STUDIES (INVOLVING 386 PATIENTS) WERE INCLUDED. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED TRIALS WAS EVALUATED AS GENERALLY LOW. A TOTAL OF 6 RCTS MET ALL THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. 4 OF THEM COMPARED YOGA PLUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. 2 RCT TESTED THE EFFECT OF YOGA VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY ALONE. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT. ONLY ONE TRIAL REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS WITHOUT DETAILS, THE SAFETY OF YOGA IS STILL UNCERTAIN. CONCLUSIONS: THERE IS SOME ENCOURAGING EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR LOWERING SBP AND DBP. HOWEVER, DUE TO LOW METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THESE IDENTIFIED TRIALS, A DEFINITE CONCLUSION ABOUT THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA ON EH CANNOT BE DRAWN FROM THIS REVIEW. THEREFORE, FURTHER THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, LARGE-SCALE, PROPER STUDY DESIGNED, RANDOMIZED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR HYPERTENSION WILL BE REQUIRED TO JUSTIFY THE EFFECTS REPORTED HERE. 2013 15 1055 24 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC NECK PAIN. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] FIVE ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN. THE TRIALS WERE PUBLISHED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE BETWEEN JANUARY 1966 AND DECEMBER 2015. THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS. [RESULTS] THREE TRIALS WERE IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. A CRITICAL APPRAISAL WAS PERFORMED ON THE TRIALS, AND THE RESULT INDICATED A HIGH RISK OF BIAS. A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION WAS PROCESSED BECAUSE OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUPS THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUPS. [CONCLUSION] EVIDENCE FROM THE 3 RANDOMLY CONTROLLED TRIALS SHOWS THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN. THE LOW-QUALITY RESULT OF THE CRITICAL APPRAISAL AND THE SMALL NUMBER OF TRIALS SUGGEST THAT HIGH-QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO EXAMINE FURTHER THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN RELIEF. 2016 16 318 28 AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF YOGA AND MINDFULNESS-BASED APPROACHES FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ASTHMA. PROBLEM: ASTHMA AFFECTS ALMOST 15% OF CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES. DESPITE THE AVAILABILITY OF TREATMENTS AND EDUCATIONAL METHODS, CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA CONTINUE TO REPORT AN IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE, INCLUDING SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND INABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. AS COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH APPROACHES ARE BECOMING MORE POPULAR AND SHOW PROMISE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MANY CHRONIC DISEASES, THE PURPOSE OF THIS INTEGRATIVE REVIEW IS TO EXAMINE THE STATE OF THE SCIENCE REGARDING POPULAR COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH APPROACHES- YOGA AND MINDFULNESS- FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ASTHMA. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH OF FIVE DATABASES FOR PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY EXPERIMENTAL AND NON-EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES. THE SEARCH FOR EACH DATABASE WAS PERFORMED FROM THE INCEPTION OF EACH TO JANUARY 2020 AND LIMITED TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. THE SEARCH INCLUDED TERMINOLOGY THAT ADDRESSED THE CONCEPTS OF "ASTHMA", "YOGA" AND "MINDFULNESS". SAMPLE: A TOTAL OF ELEVEN ARTICLES MET THE CRITERIA FOR REVIEW FROM THE YEARS 1991 TO 2019. RESULTS: NINE PUBLICATIONS FOCUSED ON THE USE OF YOGA IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ASTHMA AND TWO PUBLICATIONS FOCUSED ON MINDFULNESS IN ADOLESCENTS WITH ASTHMA. CONCLUSIONS: INTERVENTIONS INVOLVING EITHER MINDFULNESS OR YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STRESS AND ANXIETY AND IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE AND LUNG FUNCTION IN THIS POPULATION. IMPLICATIONS: MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION STUDIES IN THE PEDIATRIC AND ADOLESCENT ASTHMA POPULATION ARE WARRANTED AS ARE ADDITIONAL STUDIES THAT INCLUDE THE USE OF YOGA WITH SKILLS IN MINDFULNESS IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS. 2020 17 2742 33 YOGA PRACTICE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS IN ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES WAS ASSESSED IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW THROUGH SEARCHING RELATED ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND THE GREY LITERATURE TO THE END OF MAY 2007 USING OVID. ALL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE WITH OTHER TYPE OF INTERVENTION OR WITH REGULAR PRACTICE OR BOTH, WERE INCLUDED REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE OR TYPE OF PUBLICATION. EACH STUDY WAS ASSESSED FOR QUALITY BY TWO INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS. MEAN DIFFERENCE WAS USED FOR SUMMARIZING THE EFFECT OF EACH STUDY OUTCOMES WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. POOLING OF THE STUDIES DID NOT TAKE PLACE DUE TO THE WIDE CLINICAL VARIATION BETWEEN THE STUDIES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS ASSESSED BY STATISTICAL METHODS. FIVE TRIALS WITH 363 PARTICIPANTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WITH MEDIUM TO HIGH RISK OF BIAS AND DIFFERENT INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS. THE STUDIES' RESULTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOMES AMONG PATIENTS WITH DIABETES TYPE II. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WERE MAINLY AMONG SHORT TERM OR IMMEDIATE DIABETES OUTCOMES AND NOT ALL WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE RESULTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE AND NOT SIGNIFICANT FOR THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. SHORT-TERM BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MAY BE ACHIEVED FROM PRACTICING YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED IN THIS AREA. FACTORS LIKE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS AND OTHER METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES SHOULD BE IMPROVED BY LARGE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS WITH ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON DIABETES TYPE II. A DEFINITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR PHYSICIANS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR PATIENTS TO PRACTICE YOGA CANNOT BE REACHED AT PRESENT. 2010 18 2569 30 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION: THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE. BACKGROUND: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS MAY PROVE TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR THIS INDICATION. METHODS: SEARCHES OF THE MAJOR BIOMEDICAL DATABASES INCLUDING MEDLINE, EMBASE, CLNAHL, PSYCINFO AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE CONDUCTED. SPECIALIST COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AND THE INDMED DATABASES WERE ALSO SEARCHED AND EFFORTS MADE TO IDENTIFY UNPUBLISHED AND ONGOING RESEARCH. SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE 2004. RELEVANT RESEARCH WAS CATEGORISED BY STUDY TYPE AND APPRAISED. CLINICAL COMMENTARIES WERE OBTAINED FOR STUDIES REPORTING CLINICAL OUTCOMES. RESULTS: FIVE RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE LOCATED, EACH OF WHICH UTILISED DIFFERENT FORMS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS AND IN WHICH THE SEVERITY OF THE CONDITION RANGED FROM MILD TO SEVERE. ALL TRIALS REPORTED POSITIVE FINDINGS BUT METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS SUCH AS METHOD OF RANDOMISATION, COMPLIANCE AND ATTRITION RATES WERE MISSING. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FATIGUE AND BREATHLESSNESS IN PARTICIPANTS IN ONE STUDY. LIMITATIONS: NO LANGUAGE RESTRICTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON THE SEARCHES CONDUCTED BUT NO SEARCHES OF DATABASES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH WERE INCLUDED. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, THE INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE OF POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. VARIATION IN INTERVENTIONS, SEVERITY AND REPORTING OF TRIAL METHODOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT THE FINDINGS MUST BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. SEVERAL OF THE INTERVENTIONS MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE IN THOSE WITH REDUCED OR IMPAIRED MOBILITY. NEVERTHELESS, FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IS WARRANTED. 2005 19 1031 27 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR HEADACHES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA EXERCISES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHES. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED OF SIX ELECTRONIC DATABASES TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) REPORTING THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION ON HEADACHES PUBLISHED IN ANY LANGUAGE BEFORE JANUARY 2015. QUALITY ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. [RESULTS] ONE POTENTIAL TRIAL WAS IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. THE QUALITY CRITICAL APPRAISAL INDICATED A MODERATE RISK OF BIAS. THE AVAILABLE DATA COULD ONLY BE INCLUDED AS A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION. HEADACHE INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES, AND SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATION USE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. [CONCLUSION] THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM ONE RCT THAT YOGA EXERCISES MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR HEADACHES. HOWEVER, THE FINDINGS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. THEREFORE, FURTHER RIGOROUS METHODOLOGICAL AND HIGH QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO INVESTIGATE THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES ALLEVIATE HEADACHES, AND TO CONFIRM AND FURTHER COMPREHEND THE EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED YOGA PROGRAMS ON HEADACHES. 2015 20 2689 25 YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: HEALTH PROMOTION IN THE WORKPLACE IS INTENDED TO ENHANCE EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. YOGA PROGRAMMES ARE EASY TO IMPLEMENT AND HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VARIOUS HEALTH CONDITIONS. AIMS: TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE REGARDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA PROGRAMMES AT WORK. METHODS: A SEARCH OF ELECTRONIC DATABASES OF PUBLISHED STUDIES UP UNTIL THE 1ST OF APRIL 2017. INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WERE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF ADULT EMPLOYEES AND YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE. QUALITY APPRAISAL WAS CARRIED OUT USING THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION'S TOOL FOR ASSESSING RISK OF BIAS IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. RESULTS: OF 1343 PAPERS IDENTIFIED, 13 STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. NINE OUT OF 13 TRIALS WERE CLASSIFIED AS HAVING AN UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS. THE OVERALL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES WERE BENEFICIAL, MAINLY ON STRESS. MOST OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR ENDPOINTS SHOWED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROLS. OTHER OUTCOMES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA OR NO CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE, PARTICULARLY IN REDUCING STRESS, AND NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. FURTHER LARGER STUDIES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THIS. 2019