1 2684 134 YOGA IN THE PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY POPULATION: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO EVALUATE THE CURRENT BODY OF LITERATURE ON YOGA IN THE PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY POPULATION. CONSIDERING THE INCREASING NUMBER OF STUDIES ON YOGA INDICATING IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL) AMONG THE ADULT ONCOLOGY POPULATION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXPLORE WHETHER SIMILAR BENEFITS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY PATIENTS. METHODS: CINAHL, OVID MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, PUBMED, AND SCOPUS WERE SEARCHED FROM THE YEARS 2010 THROUGH 2020 FOR STUDIES ASSESSING THE USE OF YOGA IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFFECTED BY CANCER. CONSIDERING THE BENEFITS OF YOGA ON HRQL IN THE ADULT ONCOLOGY POPULATION, THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO EVALUATE THE CURRENT BODY OF LITERATURE ON YOGA IN THE PEDIATRIC CANCER POPULATION. RESULTS: EIGHT STUDIES, ALL NONRANDOMIZED WITH SINGLE-ARM DESIGNS, WERE REVIEWED. FIVE OF THE STUDIES WERE DESIGNED AS FEASIBILITY STUDIES AND WHILE RECRUITMENT RATES RANGED FROM 34% TO 55%, RETENTION RATES WERE APPROXIMATELY 70%. QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS WAS VERY POSITIVE AND THEMES RELATED TO BOTH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. CERTAIN MEASURES OF HRQL (I.E., ANXIETY, PAIN, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING) WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION. DISCUSSION: ALTHOUGH NO RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED TO DATE ON THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC, THE STUDIES REVIEWED SHOWED THAT DELIVERING YOGA TO THIS POPULATION IS FEASIBLE AND SAFE. ADDITIONALLY, PRELIMINARY FINDINGS ON THE IMPACT OF YOGA FOR SOME OF THE COMMON SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS EXPERIENCED BY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFFECTED BY CANCER ARE PROMISING. 2021 2 2383 36 YOGA & CANCER INTERVENTIONS: A REVIEW OF THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PATIENT REPORTED OUTCOMES FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. LIMITED RESEARCH SUGGESTS YOGA MAY BE A VIABLE GENTLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION WITH A VARIETY OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, PSYCHOSOCIAL AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT BENEFITS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO DETERMINE THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS CONDUCTED WITH CANCER SURVIVORS. A TOTAL OF 25 PUBLISHED YOGA INTERVENTION STUDIES FOR CANCER SURVIVORS FROM 2004-2011 HAD PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES, INCLUDING QUALITY OF LIFE, PSYCHOSOCIAL OR SYMPTOM MEASURES. THIRTEEN OF THESE STUDIES MET THE NECESSARY CRITERIA TO ASSESS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR EACH OF THE OUTCOMES OF INTEREST WAS EXAMINED BASED ON 1 STANDARD ERROR OF THE MEASUREMENT, 0.5 STANDARD DEVIATION, AND RELATIVE COMPARATIVE EFFECT SIZES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES IN DETAIL THESE PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES, HOW THEY WERE OBTAINED, THEIR RELATIVE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR BOTH CLINICAL AND RESEARCH SETTINGS. OVERALL, CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES SUGGEST THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS HOLD PROMISE FOR IMPROVING CANCER SURVIVORS' WELL-BEING. THIS RESEARCH OVERVIEW PROVIDES NEW DIRECTIONS FOR EXAMINING HOW CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE CAN PROVIDE A UNIQUE CONTEXT FOR DESCRIBING CHANGES IN PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS. RESEARCHERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO EMPLOY INDICES OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN THE INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS FROM YOGA STUDIES. 2012 3 2488 43 YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR THE REDUCTION OF SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW IS TO EVALUATE THE IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR THE REDUCTION OF SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN YOUTH. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, THERE ARE NO SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS TO DATE LOOKING AT THE REDUCTION OF SYMPTOMS OF BOTH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. METHODS: NUMEROUS SCIENTIFIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED UP TO NOVEMBER 2018 FOR EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ASSESSING CHANGES IN SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION IN YOUTHS FOLLOWING YOGA INTERVENTIONS. QUALITY AND LEVEL OF EVIDENCE WERE ASSESSED, AND INFORMATION WAS SYNTHESIZED ACROSS STUDIES. RESULTS: TWENTY-SEVEN STUDIES INVOLVING YOUTH WITH VARYING HEALTH STATUSES WERE REVIEWED. INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS VARIED GREATLY ACROSS STUDIES REVEALING MULTIPLE FACTORS THAT MAY IMPACT INTERVENTION EFFICACY, HOWEVER 70% OF THE STUDIES OVERALL SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS. FOR STUDIES ASSESSING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, 58% SHOWED REDUCTIONS IN BOTH SYMPTOMS, WHILE 25% SHOWED REDUCTIONS IN ANXIETY ONLY. ADDITIONALLY, 70% OF STUDIES ASSESSING ANXIETY ALONE SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS AND 40% OF STUDIES ONLY ASSESSING DEPRESSION SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS. CONCLUSION: THE STUDIES REVIEWED, WHILE OF WEAK TO MODERATE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY, SHOWED THAT YOGA, DEFINED BY THE PRACTICE OF POSTURES, GENERALLY LEADS TO SOME REDUCTIONS IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN YOUTH REGARDLESS OF HEALTH STATUS AND INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS. 2020 4 2548 42 YOGA FOR CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS BEEN PRACTICED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON YOGA HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR SEVERAL DECADES, INCLUDING SEVERAL RECENT STUDIES CONDUCTED WITH CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. METHODS: THIS REVIEW PROVIDES A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO YOGA AND A DETAILED REVIEW OF YOGA RESEARCH IN CANCER. RESULTS: NINE STUDIES CONDUCTED WITH CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS YIELDED MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY, MOOD, STRESS, CANCER-RELATED DISTRESS, CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS, AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. STUDIES CONDUCTED IN OTHER PATIENT POPULATIONS AND HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS HAVE SHOWN BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOMATIC SYMPTOMS, AS WELL AS OTHER ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS FROM THE EMERGING LITERATURE ON YOGA AND CANCER PROVIDE PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR CANCER PATIENTS, ALTHOUGH CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE LACKING. FURTHER RESEARCH IS REQUIRED TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF THESE EFFECTS AND TO IDENTIFY THEIR UNDERLYING MECHANISMS. 2005 5 2915 40 [SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF SLEEP IN THE ELDERLY]. BACKGROUND: AGING AND AGE-RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE MAJOR ISSUES OF CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES. YOGA IS AN EXERCISE WITH BOTH PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON AGING. ALTHOUGH MANY STUDIES HAVE ASSESSED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE ELDERLY, LITTLE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE IN THE LITERATURE TO SUPPORT EMPIRICAL CONCLUSIONS. PURPOSE: THIS REVIEW SYNTHESIZES AND CHARACTERIZES FINDINGS RELATED TO THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF SLEEP IN THE ELDERLY. METHODS: RESEARCHERS USED KEYWORDS INCLUDING YOGA, ELDERLY, AGED / OLDER ADULT, DEPRESSION, SLEEP, AND QUALITY TO SEARCH 6 ELECTRONIC DATABASES FOR RELEVANT STUDIES PUBLISHED PRIOR TO MARCH 2013. INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE USED TO SCREEN IDENTIFIED STUDY ABSTRACTS. THE JADAD SCALE APPRAISED THE QUALITY OF IDENTIFIED STUDIES. RESULTS: SEVEN STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. FIVE STUDIES FOUND SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PARTICIPANT DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AFTER DOING YOGA. THREE STUDIES FOUND SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON THE QUALITY OF SLEEP OF PARTICIPANTS AFTER 6 MONTHS OF DOING YOGA. CONCLUSION: YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS OF ELDERLY PARTICIPANTS AND IMPROVED THEIR QUALITY OF SLEEP AFTER 6 MONTHS. FINDINGS WERE SIMILAR FOR ELDERLY LIVING IN INSTITUTIONS AND IN THE COMMUNITY. HOWEVER, THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE ASSESSED STUDIES WERE WOMEN CHARACTERIZED BY A HIGH LEVEL OF SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND PROACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN HEALTH PROMOTION ACTIVITIES. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD BROADEN THE SCOPE OF RESEARCH TO ADDRESS DIFFERENT AGING POPULATIONS AND USE LONG-TERM COHORT OBSERVATIONS IN ORDER TO BETTER ELICIT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO INTRODUCE YOGA INTO DAILY ACTIVITIES. 2014 6 1945 41 SALUTE TO THE SUN: A NEW DAWN IN YOGA THERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. INTRODUCTION: INTEREST IN THE APPLICATION OF YOGA FOR HEALTH BENEFITS IN WESTERN MEDICINE IS GROWING RAPIDLY, WITH A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN PUBLICATIONS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW IS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE INCLUSION OF YOGA THERAPY TO THE TREATMENT OF BREAST CANCER CAN IMPROVE THE PATIENT'S PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). METHODS: A SEARCH OF PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES PUBLISHED BETWEEN JANUARY 2009 AND JULY 2014 WAS CONDUCTED. STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY HAD MORE THAN 15 STUDY PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDED INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR) OR YOGA THERAPY WITH OR WITHOUT COMPARISON GROUPS AND HAD STATED PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. RESULTS: SCREENING IDENTIFIED 38 APPROPRIATE ARTICLES. THE MOST REPORTED PSYCHOSOCIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA THERAPY WERE ANXIETY, EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, STRESS, DEPRESSION AND GLOBAL QOL. THE MOST REPORTED PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA THERAPY WERE IMPROVED SALIVARY CORTISOL READINGS, SLEEP QUALITY AND LYMPHOCYTE APOPTOSIS. BENEFITS IN THESE AREAS WERE LINKED STRONGLY WITH THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS, IN ADDITION TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN OVERALL QOL. CONCLUSION: THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE USE OF YOGA THERAPY TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL QOL FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH A RANGE OF BENEFITS RELEVANT TO RADIATION THERAPY. FUTURE STUDIES ARE RECOMMENDED TO CONFIRM THESE BENEFITS. EVIDENCE-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAMME HAVE BEEN DERIVED AND INCLUDED WITHIN THIS REVIEW. LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP IS NECESSARY WITH THESE PROGRAMMES TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND PATIENT OUTCOMES. 2017 7 2023 50 SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF YOGA FOR SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT DURING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. INTRODUCTION: BREAST CANCER IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY DIAGNOSED CANCERS IN WOMEN IN THE US, AND ITS TREATMENTS HAVE SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE EFFECTS AND LONG-TERM COMPLICATIONS CAUSING SIGNIFICANT MORBIDITY AND DECREASED QUALITY OF LIFE. INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE MODALITIES, SUCH AS YOGA, HAVE BEEN FOUND TO REDUCE SIDE EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL TREATMENTS WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH THE TREATMENT ITSELF AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, WE SPECIFICALLY EXPLORED YOGA AS A POTENTIAL OPTION FOR SYMPTOMATIC MANAGEMENT IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL BREAST CANCER TREATMENTS. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A LITERATURE SEARCH THAT WAS CONDUCTED TO INCLUDE THE DATABASES PUBMED, PSYCHINFO, COCHRANE LIBRARY, SCOPUS, AND CINAHL, RESULTING IN 28 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) ARTICLES. WE REVIEW THE RESULTS OF THESE TRIALS REGARDING THE IMPACT OF YOGA IN THIS PATIENT POPULATION. RESULTS: OVERALL, THE MAJORITY OF THE RCT ARTICLES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE, FATIGUE, NAUSEA/VOMITING, SLEEP QUALITY, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND DISTRESS. THERE ARE SEVERAL STUDIES THAT HAVE EXPLORED THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM BEHIND THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND FOUND THAT YOGA AFFECTS BOTH THE IMMUNE RESPONSE AND INFLAMMATION. DISCUSSION: THESE STUDIES REVEALED THAT YOGA HAS A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC ROLE IN THE SYMPTOMATIC MANAGEMENT OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS, ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE DURING TREATMENT AS WELL AS IMPROVING ADHERENCE TO TREATMENT. FUTURE STUDIES WITH MORE DEFINED AND CONSISTENT METHODOLOGIES ARE NECESSARY TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL USE OF YOGA THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2022 8 2292 32 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 2422 48 YOGA AND MINDFULNESS AS THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS FOR STROKE REHABILITATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. AIM. THIS PAPER REPORTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BEHAVIORAL THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA AND MINDFULNESS PRACTICES FOR STROKE REHABILITATION. BACKGROUND. THE EXPERIENCE OF STROKE CAN HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND ON QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA AND RELEVANT PRACTICES ARE PROMISING THERAPIES THAT HAVE BEEN USED WITH PATIENTS WITH A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS. IN ORDER TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS ON EFFECTIVENESS FOR STROKE PATIENTS, THE EVIDENCE REQUIRES SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT. METHODS. A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH OF MAJOR BIOMEDICAL AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED. RELEVANT RESEARCH WAS CATEGORIZED BY STUDY TYPE AND APPRAISED ACCORDING TO STUDY DESIGN. RESULTS. FIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS AND FOUR SINGLE CASE STUDIES WERE FOUND. ADDITIONALLY, ONE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY WAS IDENTIFIED. STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE RESULTS, INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITION, MOOD, AND BALANCE AND REDUCTIONS IN STRESS. MODIFICATIONS TO DIFFERENT YOGA PRACTICES MAKE COMPARISON BETWEEN STUDIES DIFFICULT, AND A LACK OF CONTROLLED STUDIES PRECLUDES ANY FIRM CONCLUSIONS ON EFFICACY. CONCLUSION. YOGA AND MINDFULNESS COULD BE CLINICALLY VALUABLE SELF-ADMINISTERED INTERVENTION OPTIONS FOR STROKE REHABILITATION. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EVALUATE THESE SPECIFIC PRACTICES AND THEIR SUITABILITY IN STROKE REHABILITATION. 2013 10 309 46 AN EVIDENCE-BASED REVIEW OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT AN EVIDENCE-BASED REVIEW OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PAPER REVIEWED THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG CANCER PATIENTS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN MAY 2007 AND APRIL 2008. DATA FROM EACH IDENTIFIED STUDY WERE EXTRACTED BY TWO INDEPENDENT RATERS; STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY ASSESSED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING AND FOCUSED ON YOGA AS A MAIN INTERVENTION. USING A QUALITY RATING SCALE (RANGE = 9-45), THE RATERS ASSESSED THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE STUDIES, AND CONSORT GUIDELINES WERE USED TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS). EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED WHEN POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION, EACH STUDY WAS NARRATIVELY REVIEWED WITH ATTENTION TO OUTCOME VARIABLES, THE TYPE OF YOGA INTERVENTION EMPLOYED, AND METHODOLOGICAL STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS. RESULTS: TEN STUDIES WERE INCLUDED, INCLUDING SIX RCTS. ACROSS STUDIES, THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE WOMEN, AND BREAST CANCER WAS THE MOST COMMON DIAGNOSIS. METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED GREATLY ACROSS STUDIES (RANGE = 15.5-42), WITH THE AVERAGE RATING (M = 33.55) INDICATING ADEQUATE QUALITY. STUDIES ALSO VARIED IN TERMS OF CANCER POPULATIONS AND YOGA INTERVENTIONS SAMPLED. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDED A SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF THE YOGA AND CANCER LITERATURE. ALTHOUGH SOME POSITIVE RESULTS WERE NOTED, VARIABILITY ACROSS STUDIES AND METHODOLOGICAL DRAWBACKS LIMIT THE EXTENT TO WHICH YOGA CAN BE DEEMED EFFECTIVE FOR MANAGING CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, FURTHER RESEARCH IN THIS AREA IS CERTAINLY WARRANTED. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD EXAMINE WHAT COMPONENTS OF YOGA ARE MOST BENEFICIAL, AND WHAT TYPES OF PATIENTS RECEIVE THE GREATEST BENEFIT FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS. 2009 11 2623 41 YOGA FOR SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT IN ONCOLOGY: A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE BASE AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH. BECAUSE YOGA IS INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED AS A COMPLEMENTARY APPROACH TO CANCER SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT, PATIENTS/SURVIVORS AND PROVIDERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND ITS POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS BOTH DURING AND AFTER TREATMENT. THE AUTHORS REVIEWED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA CONDUCTED AT THESE POINTS IN THE CANCER CONTINUUM (N = 29; N = 13 DURING TREATMENT, N = 12 POST-TREATMENT, AND N = 4 WITH MIXED SAMPLES). FINDINGS BOTH DURING AND AFTER TREATMENT DEMONSTRATED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA TO IMPROVE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), WITH IMPROVEMENT IN SUBDOMAINS OF QOL VARYING ACROSS STUDIES. FATIGUE WAS THE MOST COMMONLY MEASURED OUTCOME, AND MOST RCTS CONDUCTED DURING OR AFTER CANCER TREATMENT REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE. RESULTS ALSO SUGGESTED THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE STRESS/DISTRESS DURING TREATMENT AND POST-TREATMENT DISTURBANCES IN SLEEP AND COGNITION. SEVERAL RCTS PROVIDED EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE BIOMARKERS OF STRESS, INFLAMMATION, AND IMMUNE FUNCTION. OUTCOMES WITH LIMITED OR MIXED FINDINGS (EG, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PAIN, CANCER-SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS, SUCH AS LYMPHEDEMA) AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES (SUCH AS BENEFIT-FINDING AND LIFE SATISFACTION) WARRANT FURTHER STUDY. IMPORTANT FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR YOGA RESEARCH IN ONCOLOGY INCLUDE: ENROLLING PARTICIPANTS WITH CANCER TYPES OTHER THAN BREAST, STANDARDIZING SELF-REPORT ASSESSMENTS, INCREASING THE USE OF ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS AND OBJECTIVE MEASURES, AND ADDRESSING THE HETEROGENEITY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS, WHICH VARY IN TYPE, KEY COMPONENTS (MOVEMENT, MEDITATION, BREATHING), DOSE, AND DELIVERY MODE. 2019 12 1907 48 REVIEW OF YOGA THERAPY DURING CANCER TREATMENT. PURPOSE: REVIEWS OF YOGA RESEARCH THAT DISTINGUISH RESULTS OF TRIALS CONDUCTED DURING (VERSUS AFTER) CANCER TREATMENT ARE NEEDED TO GUIDE FUTURE RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE. WE THEREFORE CONDUCTED A REVIEW OF NON-RANDOMIZED STUDIES AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR ANY CANCER TYPE. METHODS: STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED VIA RESEARCH DATABASES AND REFERENCE LISTS. INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE THE FOLLOWING: (1) CHILDREN OR ADULTS UNDERGOING CANCER TREATMENT, (2) INTERVENTION STATED AS YOGA OR COMPONENT OF YOGA, AND (3) PUBLICATION IN ENGLISH IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS THROUGH OCTOBER 2015. EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE THE FOLLOWING: (1) SAMPLES RECEIVING HORMONE THERAPY ONLY, (2) INTERVENTIONS INVOLVING MEDITATION ONLY, AND (3) YOGA DELIVERED WITHIN BROADER CANCER RECOVERY OR MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION PROGRAMS. RESULTS: RESULTS OF NON-RANDOMIZED (ADULT N = 8, PEDIATRIC N = 4) AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (ADULT N = 13, PEDIATRIC N = 0) CONDUCTED DURING CANCER TREATMENT ARE SUMMARIZED SEPARATELY BY AGE GROUP. FINDINGS MOST CONSISTENTLY SUPPORT IMPROVEMENT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES (E.G., DEPRESSION, DISTRESS, ANXIETY). SEVERAL STUDIES ALSO FOUND THAT YOGA ENHANCED QUALITY OF LIFE, THOUGH FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED TO CLARIFY DOMAIN-SPECIFIC EFFICACY (E.G., PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, CANCER-SPECIFIC). REGARDING PHYSICAL AND BIOMEDICAL OUTCOMES, EVIDENCE INCREASINGLY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA AMELIORATES SLEEP AND FATIGUE; ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO ADVANCE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FOR OTHER TREATMENT SEQUELAE AND STRESS/IMMUNITY BIOMARKERS. CONCLUSIONS: AMONG ADULTS UNDERGOING CANCER TREATMENT, EVIDENCE SUPPORTS RECOMMENDING YOGA FOR IMPROVING PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES, WITH POTENTIAL FOR ALSO IMPROVING PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. EVIDENCE IS INSUFFICIENT TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY. WE DESCRIBE SUGGESTIONS FOR STRENGTHENING YOGA RESEARCH METHODOLOGY TO INFORM CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES. 2017 13 318 46 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 14 2440 44 YOGA AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE IMPROVEMENT IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER: A LITERATURE REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: WOMEN UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER OFTEN TURN TO COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM), INCLUDING YOGA, FOR IMPROVEMENT OF MOOD, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), SLEEP, AND TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS. THE EXTANT LITERATURE WAS REVIEWED TO EXAMINE THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON QOL FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. QOL WAS DEFINED AS PHYSICAL WELL-BEING, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, EMOTIONAL HEALTH, AND FUNCTION-AL ADAPTATION. METHODS: SEVEN DATABASES, INCLUDING PUBMED, OVID MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, COCHRANE LIBRARY, AND WEB OF SCIENCE WERE USED TO SEARCH FOR STUDIES OF PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER THAT INCLUDED A YOGA INTERVENTION AND QOL ASSESSMENT. ATTENTION WAS PAID TO ASSESSING STUDY POPULATION, OUTCOME VARIABLES, THE TYPE OF YOGA INTERVENTION USED, AND METHODOLOGICAL STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS. RESULTS: SEVENTY-ONE ARTICLES WERE IDENTIFIED THAT FIT THE SEARCH CRITERIA. ALTHOUGH THE LITERATURE PROVIDED EVIDENCE OF QOL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, NO SPECIFIC ASPECT OF YOGA WAS IDENTIFIED AS BEING MOST ADVANTAGEOUS. CONCLUSION: ALTHOUGH PARTICIPATION IN YOGA PROGRAMS APPEARED TO BENEFIT PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, GREATER METHODOLOGICAL RIGOR IS REQUIRED TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. 2012 15 2848 50 YOGA, MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY - A REVIEW OF LITERATURE. PURPOSE: CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR CANCER ARE EXPOSED TO A WIDE VARIETY OF STRESSORS BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL. NOT ONLY ADULTS BUT ALSO CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS INCREASINGLY PRACTICE YOGA IN A HEALTH-PROMOTING MANNER AND TO COPE WITH STRESSFUL SITUATIONS. METHODS: A REVIEW OF LITERATURE WAS CONDUCTED TO PRESENT THE CURRENT OUTCOMES ON YOGA, MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO ARE AFFECTED BY AN ONCOLOGICAL DISEASE. RESULTS: EIGHT STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED THAT EXAMINED YOGA TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ONCOLOGICAL DISEASES. THREE STUDIES WERE FOUND ON MINDFULNESS IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY. THE STUDIES SUMMARIZED HERE SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND MINDFULNESS COULD HELP TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE, REDUCE FATIGUE, IMPROVE ACTIVITY AND FITNESS LEVELS, IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY, INCREASE APPETITE AND DECREASE ANXIETY IN VARIOUS STAGES OF THE DISEASE AND ITS TREATMENT. THE REVIEWED STUDIES SHOWED THAT YOGA AND MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ONCOLOGICAL ILLNESSES ARE FEASIBLE IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS AND ARE WELL RECEIVED. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS OF THE STUDIES SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND MINDFULNESS MAY HELP TO SUPPORT CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS DURING AND AFTER ONCOLOGICAL TREATMENT. BASED ON THE CURRENT BODY OF EVIDENCE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AND MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTIONS IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY PATIENTS. RESEARCH MUST MEET THIS CHALLENGE TO DEVELOP SUITABLE DESIGNS TO FURTHER AND BETTER INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND MINDFULNESS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ONCOLOGICAL DISEASES. 2021 16 2354 45 UTILIZING YOGA IN ONCOLOGIC PATIENTS TREATED WITH RADIOTHERAPY: REVIEW. PURPOSE: SEVERAL TRIALS ON NONCANCER POPULATION INDICATE THAT YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH MEANINGFUL CLINICAL EFFECTS. THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES OF YOGA IN ONCOLOGIC PATIENTS TREATED WITH RADIOTHERAPY. METHODS: WE FOCUSED ON A RESEARCH THROUGH COCHRANE REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL), BIOMED CENTRAL, AND MEDLINE STUDIES UP TO MAY 2017. RESULTS: YOGA WAS FOUND TO HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL BENEFIT IN CANCER PATIENTS' DISTRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. IT ALSO DEMONSTRATED A MODERATE IMPACT ON FATIGUE AND EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND A SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES. AS FAR AS THE EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES ARE CONCERNED, THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS SHOWED THAT YOGA HAS STRONG BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON ONCOLOGIC PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE. RESULTS OF THE CURRENT REVIEW MUST BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE RELATIVE SMALL SAMPLE SIZES OF MOST OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES, WHILE A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED STUDY STANDS IN NEED FOR THE CONFIRMATION OF OUR RESULTS. 2018 17 2609 50 YOGA FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, STROKE, CANCER, AND CHRONIC PULMONARY DISEASE ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. COMPOUNDING SYMPTOMS AND LOSS OF FUNCTION, PEOPLE LIVING WITH CHRONIC DISEASE OFTEN EXPERIENCE REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO RELIEVE STRESS AND IMPROVE QOL. YOGA IS A PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICE THAT MAY BE A VIABLE APPROACH FOR IMPROVING QOL IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND SUMMARIZE THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. DESIGN: THE STUDY DESIGN WAS A A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS. METHODS: WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QOL OR HEALTH-RELATED QOL (HRQOL) FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. WE INCLUDED ONLY STUDIES THAT USED AT LEAST 1 PREVIOUSLY VALIDATED MEASURE OF QOL OR HRQOL AND SPECIFIED A MINIMUM DURATION OF FOLLOW-UP OF AT LEAST 1 WK. INTERVENTIONS: WE INCLUDED BOTH MOVEMENT-BASED AND BREATH-BASED YOGA PRACTICES. STUDIES THAT INCLUDED YOGA AS PART OF A LARGER INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EG, MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION TRAINING) OR STUDIES THAT DID NOT PROVIDE FINDINGS SPECIFIC TO YOGA WERE EXCLUDED. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME ANALYZED WAS IMPROVEMENT IN QOL AS MEASURED BY A VALIDATED QOL OR HRQOL SCALE. RESULTS: AMONG THE 1488 STUDIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED ON INITIAL SEARCH, 7 ARTICLES MET ALL INCLUSION CRITERIA. FIVE STUDIES REPORTED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER USUAL CARE ALONE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE, BUT THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DIFFERENCES WAS CLEAR IN ONLY 1 TRIAL. WE FOUND CONSIDERABLE HETEROGENEITY AMONG THE INCLUDED STUDIES AND STUDY QUALITY WAS GENERALLY LOW. CONCLUSIONS: MORE HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE APPROACH TO IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. 2019 18 1042 44 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: FATIGUE IS ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED, DISTRESSING SIDE EFFECTS REPORTED BY CANCER SURVIVORS AND OFTEN HAS SIGNIFICANT LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT YOGA CAN PRODUCE INVIGORATING EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENERGY, AND THEREBY MAY IMPROVE LEVELS OF FATIGUE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO EXAMINE THE LITERATURE THAT REPORTS THE EFFECTS OF RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. THE ONLINE ELECTRONIC DATABASES, PUBMED AND PSYCINFO, WERE USED TO SEARCH FOR PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH ARTICLES STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE IN CANCER SURVIVORS. COMBINATIONS OF YOGA, CANCER, AND FATIGUE-RELATED SEARCH TERMS WERE ENTERED SIMULTANEOUSLY TO OBTAIN ARTICLES THAT INCLUDED ALL THREE ELEMENTS. STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY MET THE FOLLOWING INCLUSION CRITERIA: PARTICIPANTS WERE MALE OR FEMALE CANCER PATIENTS OR SURVIVORS PARTICIPATING IN RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED YOGA INTERVENTIONS. THE MAIN OUTCOME OF INTEREST WAS CHANGE IN FATIGUE FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION. INTERVENTIONS OF ANY LENGTH WERE INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS. RISK OF BIAS USING THE FORMAT OF THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION'S TOOL FOR ASSESSING RISK OF BIAS WAS ALSO EXAMINED ACROSS STUDIES. RESULTS: TEN ARTICLES MET INCLUSION CRITERIA AND INVOLVED A TOTAL OF 583 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE PREDOMINANTLY FEMALE, BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. FOUR STUDIES INDICATED THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION. THREE OF THE STUDIES REPORTED THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS OF FATIGUE AMONG PARTICIPANTS WHO ATTENDED A GREATER NUMBER OF YOGA CLASSES. RISK OF BIAS WAS HIGH FOR AREAS OF ADEQUATE SELECTION, PERFORMANCE, DETECTION, AND PATIENT-REPORTED BIAS AND MIXED FOR ATTRITION AND REPORTING BIAS. RISK OF BIAS WAS UNIFORMLY LOW FOR OTHER FORMS OF BIAS, INCLUDING FINANCIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS OF THE STUDIES INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW SUGGEST THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR REDUCING CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER; HOWEVER, CONCLUSIONS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION AS A RESULT OF LEVELS OF BIAS AND INCONSISTENT METHODS USED ACROSS STUDIES. MORE WELL-CONSTRUCTED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. 2013 19 836 43 EFFECT OF YOGA ON PATIENTS WITH CANCER: OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERAPEUTIC YOGA IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER. DATA SOURCES: SEARCH OF MEDLINE DATABASE (1950-2010) USING KEY WORDS YOGA, CANCER, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. STUDY SELECTION: PRIORITY WAS GIVEN TO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDIES CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON TYPICAL SYMPTOMS OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER IN NORTH AMERICA. SYNTHESIS: INITIALLY, 4 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDIES WERE ANALYZED, THEN 2 STUDIES WITHOUT CONTROL GROUPS WERE ANALYZED. THREE STUDIES CONDUCTED IN INDIA AND THE NEAR EAST PROVIDED INTERESTING INFORMATION ON METHODOLOGIES. THE INTERVENTIONS INCLUDED YOGA SESSIONS OF VARYING LENGTH AND FREQUENCY. THE PARAMETERS MEASURED ALSO VARIED AMONG STUDIES. SEVERAL SYMPTOMS IMPROVED SUBSTANTIALLY WITH YOGA (HIGHER QUALITY OF SLEEP, DECREASE IN SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, IMPROVEMENT IN SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING, ETC). IT WOULD APPEAR THAT QUALITY OF LIFE, OR SOME ASPECTS THEREOF, ALSO IMPROVED. CONCLUSION: THE VARIETY OF BENEFITS DERIVED, THE ABSENCE OF SIDE EFFECTS, AND THE COST-BENEFIT RATIO OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA MAKE IT AN INTERESTING ALTERNATIVE FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS TO SUGGEST TO THEIR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. CERTAIN METHODOLOGIC SHORTCOMINGS, INCLUDING THE LIMITED SIZE OF THE SAMPLES AND VARYING LEVELS OF ATTENDANCE ON THE PART OF THE SUBJECTS, MIGHT HAVE REDUCED THE STATISTICAL STRENGTH OF THE STUDIES PRESENTED. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT THE MEASUREMENT SCALES USED DID NOT SUIT THIS TYPE OF SITUATION AND PATIENT POPULATION, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT. HOWEVER, FAVOURABLE COMMENTS BY PARTICIPANTS DURING THE STUDIES AND THEIR LEVEL OF APPRECIATION AND WELL-BEING SUGGEST THAT FURTHER RESEARCH IS CALLED FOR TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS OF THESE EFFECTS. 2012 20 2170 39 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY AND STRESS. STRESS AND ANXIETY HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED AS CONTRIBUTORS TO MANY CHRONIC DISEASES AND TO DECREASED QUALITY OF LIFE, EVEN WITH PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT. EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY TO FIND NON-PHARMACOLOGIC THERAPIES TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY, AND YOGA IS ONE OPTION FOR WHICH RESULTS ARE PROMISING. THE FOCUS OF THIS REVIEW IS ON THE RESULTS OF HUMAN TRIALS ASSESSING THE ROLE OF YOGA IN IMPROVING THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY. OF 35 TRIALS ADDRESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY AND STRESS, 25 NOTED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STRESS AND/OR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS WHEN A YOGA REGIMEN WAS IMPLEMENTED; HOWEVER, MANY OF THE STUDIES WERE ALSO HINDERED BY LIMITATIONS, SUCH AS SMALL STUDY POPULATIONS, LACK OF RANDOMIZATION, AND LACK OF A CONTROL GROUP. FOURTEEN OF THE 35 STUDIES REPORTED BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MARKERS OF STRESS AND ANXIETY, BUT YIELDED INCONSISTENT SUPPORT OF YOGA FOR RELIEF OF STRESS AND ANXIETY. EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT PRIMARY LITERATURE IS SUGGESTIVE OF BENEFITS OF YOGA IN RELIEVING STRESS AND ANXIETY, BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THIS RELATIONSHIP USING LARGE, WELL-DEFINED POPULATIONS, ADEQUATE CONTROLS, RANDOMIZATION AND LONG DURATION SHOULD BE EXPLORED BEFORE RECOMMENDING YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION. 2012