1 2929 109 [YOGA TO IMPROVE ASTHMA CONTROL IN SEVERE ASTHMATICS TREATED WITH BIOLOGICS]. WE CONDUCTED A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN POORLY CONTROLLED SEVERE ASTHMATIC PATIENTS TREATED WITH MAXIMAL INHALED THERAPY AND BIOLOGICS. THE OBJECTIVE OF YOGA WAS TO IMPROVE BREATHING CONSCIOUSNESS, EXERCISING CONTROLLED VENTILATION WITH AND WITHOUT RETENTION, ABDOMINAL BREATHING OBSERVATION, IMPROVEMENT OF INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY MUSCLES, OPENING OF THE CHEST, DIAPHRAGM EXERCISES AND RELAXATION. WE MEASURED EXHALED NITRIC OXIDE, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, ASTHMA CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRES, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER THE TENTH YOGA COURSE (PERFORMED TWICE A WEEK). HALF OF THE PATIENTS WHO WERE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE TO THE STUDY DECLINED DUE TO ORGANIZATION PROBLEMS. TWO PATIENTS WERE EXCLUDED DUE TO BRONCHITIS AND ARTHRALGIA RESPECTIVELY. THE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA FROM 12 PARTICIPANTS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA CONTROL AND ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRES AND A REDUCTION OF ANXIETY.THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA IN SEVERE ASTHMATICS INSUFFICIENTLY CONTROLLED DESPITE MAXIMAL INHALED TREATMENT AND BIOTHERAPY SEEMS TO BE AN INTERESTING COMPLEMENTARY OPTION TO IMPROVE ASTHMA CONTROL. OUR RESULTS MUST BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. 2020 2 2786 41 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT IN MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CONTROL OF ASTHMA IN CHILDREN WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. METHODS: THIS HOSPITAL-BASED INTERVENTIONAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL CONDUCTED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTER OF NORTH INDIA FROM NOVEMBER 2017 TO OCTOBER 2018 ENROLLED 140 NEWLY DIAGNOSED CASES OF ASTHMA OF AGE 10-16 Y WHO WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. SEVENTY CHILDREN IN THE CASE GROUP PRACTICED YOGA UNDER SUPERVISION FOR A PERIOD OF 3 MO IN ADDITION TO PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT. SEVENTY CONTROLS RECEIVED ONLY PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT. PULMONARY-FUNCTION TESTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE, 6 WK, AND 12 WK ALONG WITH QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) ASSESSMENT BY PEDIATRIC ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (PAQLQ). THE OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSED WERE FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND (FEV1), FEV1/FVC AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR). QOL EVALUATION WAS DONE IN 3 DOMAINS: ACTIVITY LIMITATION, SYMPTOMS, AND EMOTIONAL FUNCTION. RESULTS: THE ASTHMATIC CHILDREN PRACTICING YOGA HAVE SHOWN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC AND PEFR WHICH WAS BETTER AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. IMPROVEMENT WAS ALSO NOTED IN MEAN-PAQLQ SCORE IN CASES WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT ON CONTROL OF ASTHMA MEASURED BY PULMONARY-FUNCTION TEST AND QOL. THEREFORE YOGA THERAPY CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADJUVANT IN MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT. 2021 3 2547 27 YOGA FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: A CONTROLLED STUDY. FIFTY THREE PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA UNDERWENT TRAINING FOR TWO WEEKS IN AN INTEGRATED SET OF YOGA EXERCISES, INCLUDING BREATHING EXERCISES, SURYANAMASKAR, YOGASANA (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATH SLOWING TECHNIQUES), DHYANA (MEDITATION), AND A DEVOTIONAL SESSION, AND WERE TOLD TO PRACTISE THESE EXERCISES FOR 65 MINUTES DAILY. THEY WERE THEN COMPARED WITH A CONTROL GROUP OF 53 PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA MATCHED FOR AGE, SEX, AND TYPE AND SEVERITY OF ASTHMA, WHO CONTINUED TO TAKE THEIR USUAL DRUGS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THE GROUP WHO PRACTISED YOGA IN THE WEEKLY NUMBER OF ATTACKS OF ASTHMA, SCORES FOR DRUG TREATMENT, AND PEAK FLOW RATE. THIS STUDY SHOWS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE LONG TERM MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, BUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THIS BENEFICIAL EFFECT NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED IN MORE DETAIL. 1985 4 2197 39 THE EFFICACY OF A COMPREHENSIVE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAMME BASED ON YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF EVIDENCE ON THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. MANY STUDIES HAVE REPORTED, AS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCTION IN AIRWAY HYPER-REACTIVITY, FREQUENCY OF ATTACKS AND MEDICATION USE. IN ADDITION, A FEW STUDIES HAVE ATTEMPTED TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION (EIB) OR EXERCISE TOLERANCE CAPACITY. HOWEVER, NONE OF THESE STUDIES HAS INVESTIGATED ANY IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA IMPROVES THESE VARIABLES IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. METHODS: THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) WAS CONDUCTED ON 57 ADULT SUBJECTS WITH MILD OR MODERATE BRONCHIAL ASTHMA WHO WERE ALLOCATED RANDOMLY TO EITHER THE YOGA (INTERVENTION) GROUP (N = 29) OR THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 28). THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ONLY CONVENTIONAL CARE AND THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED AN INTERVENTION BASED ON YOGA, IN ADDITION TO THE CONVENTIONAL CARE. THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 2-WK SUPERVISED TRAINING IN LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT BASED ON YOGA FOLLOWED BY CLOSELY MONITORED CONTINUATION OF THE PRACTICES AT HOME FOR 6-WK. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ASSESSED IN BOTH THE GROUPS AT 0 WK (BASELINE), 2, 4 AND 8 WK BY USING GENERALIZED LINEAR MODEL (GLM) REPEATED MEASURES FOLLOWED BY POST-HOC ANALYSIS. RESULTS: IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A STEADY AND PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTION, THE CHANGE BEING STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN CASE OF THE FIRST SECOND OF FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (FEV1) AT 8 WK, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR) AT 2, 4 AND 8 WK AS COMPARED TO THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE VALUES. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN EIB IN THE YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO CORRESPONDING REDUCTION IN THE URINARY PROSTAGLANDIN D2 METABOLITE (11BETA PROSTAGLANDIN F2ALPHA) LEVELS IN RESPONSE TO THE EXERCISE CHALLENGE. THERE WAS ALSO NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN SERUM EOSINOPHILIC CATIONIC PROTEIN LEVELS DURING THE 8-WK STUDY PERIOD IN EITHER GROUP. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE (AQOL) SCORES IN BOTH GROUPS OVER THE 8-WK STUDY PERIOD. BUT THE IMPROVEMENT WAS ACHIEVED EARLIER AND WAS MORE COMPLETE IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE NUMBER-NEEDED-TO-TREAT WORKED OUT TO BE 1.82 FOR THE TOTAL AQOL SCORE. AN IMPROVEMENT IN TOTAL AQOL SCORE WAS GREATER THAN THE MINIMAL IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE AND THE SAME OUTCOME WAS ACHIEVED FOR THE SUB-DOMAINS OF THE AQOL. THE FREQUENCY OF RESCUE MEDICATION USE SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OVER THE STUDY PERIOD IN BOTH THE GROUPS. HOWEVER, THE DECREASE WAS ACHIEVED RELATIVELY EARLIER AND WAS MORE MARKED IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT RCT HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT ADDING THE MIND-BODY APPROACH OF YOGA TO THE PREDOMINANTLY PHYSICAL APPROACH OF CONVENTIONAL CARE RESULTS IN MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT IN SUBJECTIVE AS WELL AS OBJECTIVE OUTCOMES IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. THE TRIAL SUPPORTS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. HOWEVER, THE PRELIMINARY EFFORTS MADE TOWARDS WORKING OUT THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF THE INTERVENTION HAVE NOT THROWN MUCH LIGHT ON HOW YOGA WORKS IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CURRENT CONTROLLED TRIALS ISRCTN00815962. 2009 5 353 32 ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA: A RANDOMISED TRIAL. YOGA WHICH IS USED AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IS GAINING POPULARITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 120 NON-SMOKING MALE AND FEMALE PATIENTS OF ASTHMA IN THE AGE GROUP OF 17-50 YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS I.E. GROUP A (YOGA GROUP) AND GROUP B (CONTROL GROUP). ALL PATIENTS REMAINED ON THEIR PRESCRIBED MEDICATION, BUT GROUP A PATIENTS PRACTICED YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES FOR 8 WEEKS. ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (AQLQ) AND DIARY RECORD WAS USED TO ASSESS QUALITY OF LIFE, NUMBER AND SEVERITY OF ASTHMATIC ATTACKS, AND THE DOSAGE OF THE MEDICATION REQUIRED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS. GROUP A SUBJECTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN "SYMPTOMS", "ACTIVITIES" AND "ENVIRONMENTAL" DOMAINS OF AQLQ AT 8 WEEKS (P<0.01) AND SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DAILY NUMBER AND SEVERITY OF ATTACKS, AND THE DOSAGE OF MEDICATION REQUIRED AT 4 AND 8 WEEKS (P<0.01) COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES USED ADJUNCTIVELY WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2014 6 286 19 ADJUNCT TREATMENT WITH YOGA IN CHRONIC SEVERE AIRWAYS OBSTRUCTION. ELEVEN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE CHRONIC AIRWAYS OBSTRUCTION WERE GIVEN TRAINING IN YOGIC BREATHING EXERCISES AND POSTURES. A MATCHED GROUP OF 11 PATIENTS WERE GIVEN PHYSIOTHERAPY BREATHING EXERCISES. BOTH GROUPS OF PATIENTS WERE FOLLOWED UP AT MONTHLY INTERVALS FOR NINE MONTHS WITH PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS, TESTS OF EXERCISE TOLERANCE, AND INQUIRY INTO THEIR SYMPTOMS. AFTER TRAINING IN YOGA THE MEAN MAXIMUM WORK INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY 60.55 KPM; WHEREAS NO SUCH RISE OCCURRED AFTER TRAINING IN PHYSIOTHERAPY. THIS OBJECTIVE IMPROVEMENT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SYMPTOMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF PATIENTS GIVEN TRAINING IN YOGA. 1978 7 572 17 DEFINITION OF A YOGA BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) PROTOCOL THAT IMPROVES LUNG FUNCTION. THIS STUDY TESTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) IMPROVES LUNG FUNCTION IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS DURING A 6-WEEK PROTOCOL. A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY DEMONSTRATED AN IMPROVEMENT IN PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE AND FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME. THE EASY-TO-LEARN APPROACH CAN BE TRANSLATED TO THE INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT SETTINGS. 2019 8 488 28 CLINICAL STUDY OF YOGA TECHNIQUES IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH ASTHMA: A CONTROLLED STUDY. ADULT ASTHMATICS, RANGING FROM 19 TO 52 YEARS FROM AN ASTHMA AND ALLERGY CLINIC IN A UNIVERSITY SETTING VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. THE 17 STUDENTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA (9 SUBJECTS) AND NONYOGA CONTROL (8 SUBJECTS) GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP WAS TAUGHT A SET OF BREATHING AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES INCLUDING BREATH SLOWING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA), PHYSICAL POSTURES (YOGASANAS), AND MEDITATION. YOGA TECHNIQUES WERE TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER, THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 16 WEEKS. ALL THE SUBJECTS IN BOTH GROUPS MAINTAINED DAILY SYMPTOM AND MEDICATION DIARIES, COLLECTED A.M. AND P.M. PEAK FLOW READINGS, AND COMPLETED WEEKLY QUESTIONNAIRES. SPIROMETRY WAS PERFORMED ON EACH SUBJECT EVERY WEEK. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA SHOWED THAT THE SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT DEGREE OF RELAXATION, POSITIVE ATTITUDE, AND BETTER YOGA EXERCISE TOLERANCE. THERE WAS ALSO A TENDENCY TOWARD LESSER USAGE OF BETA ADRENERGIC INHALERS. THE PULMONARY FUNCTIONS DID NOT VARY SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. YOGA TECHNIQUES SEEM BENEFICIAL AS AN ADJUNCT TO THE MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA. 1998 9 879 17 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN ADOLESCENTS WITH CHILDHOOD ASTHMA. FORTY SIX YOUNG ASTHMATICS WITH A HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA WERE ADMITTED FOR YOGA TRAINING. EFFECTS OF TRAINING ON RESTING PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, EXERCISE CAPACITY, AND EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHIAL LABILITY INDEX WERE MEASURED. YOGA TRAINING RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PULMONARY FUNCTION AND EXERCISE CAPACITY. A FOLLOW-UP STUDY SPANNING TWO YEARS SHOWED A GOOD RESPONSE WITH REDUCED SYMPTOM SCORE AND DRUG REQUIREMENTS IN THESE SUBJECTS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT YOGA TRAINING IS BENEFICIAL FOR YOUNG ASTHMATICS. 1991 10 2109 25 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND LIFE QUALITY OF ASTHMA PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO FIND OUT THE EFFECT OF YOGA APPLIED TO ASTHMA PATIENTS ON THE PATIENTS' RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE. METHODS: THE SAMPLE OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF A TOTAL OF RANDOMLY CHOSEN 112 ASTHMA PATIENTS, 56 IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND 56 IN THE CONTROL GROUP, WHO MET THE RESEARCH CRITERIA AND WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. A TOTAL OF 12 YOGA SESSIONS, 2 SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS, WAS APPLIED TO THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INTERVENTION. RESULTS: IN THE INTRAGROUP COMPARISON OF AVERAGE PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SCORES OF RESPIRATORY FUNCTION AND ASTHMA CONTROL TEST (ACT) AND ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE (AQLQ) TOTAL AND SUB-DIMENSION SCORES OF THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP, THE DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05). IN ADDITION, POST-TEST SCORE AVERAGES WERE FOUND TO INCREASE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, WHILE THEY WERE FOUND TO DECREASE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: IT WAS FOUND THAT YOGA INFLUENCED RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS, SYMPTOM CONTROL AND QUALITY OF LIFE POSITIVELY IN ASTHMA PATIENTS. THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER IS NCT04107415/HTTPS://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV/CT2/SHOW/NCT04107415. 2020 11 1307 32 HATHA YOGA: IMPROVED VITAL CAPACITY OF COLLEGE STUDENTS. CONTEXT: THE VITAL CAPACITY OF THE LUNGS IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF GOOD HEALTH. VITAL CAPACITY IS AN IMPORTANT CONCERN FOR THOSE WITH ASTHMA, HEART CONDITIONS, AND LUNG AILMENTS; THOSE WHO SMOKE; AND THOSE WHO HAVE NO KNOWN LUNG PROBLEMS. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA POSTURES AND BREATHING EXERCISES ON VITAL CAPACITY. DESIGN: USING THE SPIROPET SPIROMETER, RESEARCHERS MEASURED VITAL CAPACITY. VITAL CAPACITY DETERMINANTS WERE TAKEN NEAR THE BEGINNING AND END OF TWO 17-WEEK SEMESTERS. NO CONTROL GROUP WAS USED. SETTING: MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY YOGA CLASSES TAKEN FOR COLLEGE CREDIT. PARTICIPANTS: A TOTAL OF 287 COLLEGE STUDENTS, 89 MEN AND 198 WOMEN. INTERVENTION: SUBJECTS WERE TAUGHT YOGA POSES, BREATHING TECHNIQUES, AND RELAXATION IN TWO 50-MINUTE CLASS MEETINGS FOR 15 WEEKS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: VITAL CAPACITY OVER TIME FOR SMOKERS, ASTHMATICS, AND THOSE WITH NO KNOWN LUNG DISEASE. RESULTS: THE STUDY SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < .001) IMPROVEMENT IN VITAL CAPACITY ACROSS ALL CATEGORIES OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER THESE FINDINGS WERE THE RESULT OF YOGA POSES, BREATHING TECHNIQUES, RELAXATION, OR OTHER ASPECTS OF EXERCISE IN THE SUBJECTS' LIFE. THE SUBJECTS' ADHERENCE TO ATTENDING CLASS WAS 99.96%. THE LARGE NUMBER OF 287 SUBJECTS IS CONSIDERED TO BE A VALID NUMBER FOR A STUDY OF THIS TYPE. THESE FINDINGS ARE CONSISTENT WITH OTHER RESEARCH STUDIES REPORTING THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE VITAL CAPACITY OF THE LUNGS. 2000 12 214 31 A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. THE ROLE OF YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES, AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IS WELL RECOGNIZED. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PATIENTS OF ASTHMA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS I.E GROUP A (YOGA TRAINING GROUP) AND GROUP B (CONTROL GROUP). EACH GROUP INCLUDED SIXTY PATIENTS. PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON ALL THE PATIENTS AT BASELINE, AFTER 4 WEEKS AND THEN AFTER 8 WEEKS. MAJORITY OF THE SUBJECTS IN THE TWO GROUPS HAD MILD DISEASE (34 PATIENTS IN GROUP A AND 32 IN GROUP B). GROUP A SUBJECTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASING TREND (P < 0.01) IN % PREDICTED PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN THE FIRST SECOND (FEV1), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED MID EXPIRATORY FLOW IN 0.25-0.75 SECONDS (FEF25-75) AND FEV1/FVC% RATIO AT 4 WEEKS AND 8 WEEKS AS COMPARED TO GROUP B. THUS, YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES USED ADJUNCTIVELY WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2009 13 1520 42 IS YOGA TRAINING BENEFICIAL FOR EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION? BACKGROUND: SOME STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH BRONCHIAL HYPERREACTIVITY WITH REGARD TO (1) A REDUCTION IN THE USE OF RESCUE MEDICATION, (2) AN INCREASE IN EXERCISE CAPACITY, AND (3) AN IMPROVEMENT IN LUNG FUNCTION. DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOGA IS PROMISING AS A NEW TREATMENT FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS, FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ASSESS THE USE OF THIS TRAINING FOR ASTHMA MANAGEMENT. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO ASSESS THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION (EIB) IN CHILDREN. DESIGN: THE STUDY WAS PROSPECTIVE, WITH NO CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY CHOSEN AMONG THE NEW PATIENTS AT THE UNIT. SETTING: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN THE ERCIYES UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, PEDIATRIC ALLERGY UNIT, IN KAYSERI, TURKEY. PARTICIPANTS: TWO GROUPS OF ASTHMATIC CHILDREN AGED 6-17 Y WERE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY: (1) CHILDREN WITH POSITIVE RESPONSES TO AN EXERCISE CHALLENGE (N = 10), AND (2) THOSE WITH NEGATIVE RESPONSES (N = 10). INTERVENTION: BOTH GROUPS ATTENDED 1-H SESSIONS OF YOGA TRAINING 2 X/WK FOR 3 MO. OUTCOME MEASURES: RESEARCHERS ADMINISTERED SPIROMETRIC MEASUREMENT TO ALL CHILDREN BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER PARTICIPATING IN AN EXERCISE CHALLENGE. THIS PROCESS WAS PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND AT THE STUDY'S END. AGE, GENDER, IGE LEVELS, EOSINOPHIL NUMBERS, AND SPIROMETRIC MEASUREMENT PARAMETERS INCLUDING FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SEC (FEV1), FORCED EXPIRATORY FLOW 25%-75% (FEF25%-75%), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW PERCENTAGE (PEF%), AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR) WERE COMPARED USING THE MANN-WHITNEY U TEST AND THE WILCOXON TEST. A P VALUE < .05 WAS CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: AT BASELINE, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN THE GROUPS REGARDING DEMOGRAPHICS OR PRE-EXERCISE SPIROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS (P > .05, MANN-WHITNEY U TEST). LIKEWISE, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SPIROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS EXISTED BETWEEN THE GROUPS REGARDING THE CHANGE IN RESPONSES TO AN EXERCISE CHALLENGE AFTER YOGA TRAINING (P > .05, WILCOXON TEST). FOR THE EXERCISE-RESPONSE-POSITIVE GROUP, THE RESEARCH TEAM OBSERVED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MAXIMUM FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME 1% (FEV1%) FALL FOLLOWING THE EXERCISE CHALLENGE AFTER YOGA TRAINING (P > .05, WILCOXON TEST). ALL EXERCISE-RESPONSE-POSITIVE ASTHMATICS BECAME EXERCISERESPONSE-NEGATIVE ASTHMATICS AFTER YOGA TRAINING. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY SHOWED THAT TRAINING CHILDREN IN THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAD BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON EIB. IT IS THE RESEARCH TEAM'S OPINION THAT YOGA TRAINING CAN SUPPLEMENT DRUG THERAPY TO ACHIEVE BETTER CONTROL OF ASTHMA. 2014 14 2151 33 THE EFFECTS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE ON PULMONARY FUNCTION IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS: A LITERATURE REVIEW. OBJECTIVES: YOGA IS A POPULAR FORM OF EXERCISE IN THE WESTERN WORLD, AND YOGA'S EFFECTS ON PULMONARY FUNCTION HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED PREVIOUSLY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO REVIEW THIS RESEARCH SYSTEMATICALLY AND DETERMINE IF REGULAR YOGA TRAINING IMPROVES PULMONARY FUNCTION IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. METHODS: USING THE ALTERNATIVE HEALTH WATCH, THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION INDEX, MEDLINE,((R)) AND THE SPORTDISCUS DATABASES; AND THE KEYWORDS YOGA, RESPIRATION, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION, A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED THAT YIELDED 57 STUDIES. OF THESE STUDIES SELECTIONS WERE MADE TO INCLUDE ONLY EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, PUBLISHED IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS AFTER 1980, AND INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE ON PULMONARY FUNCTION IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDIES. RESULTS: YOGA IMPROVED PULMONARY FUNCTION, AS MEASURED BY MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY PRESSURE, MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE, MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, IN ALL (N=9), BUT 1, STUDY. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, PULMONARY FUNCTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE WITH A MINIMUM OF 10 WEEKS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE, AND THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS IMPROVEMENT IS RELATED TO FITNESS LEVEL AND/OR THE LENGTH OF TIME THE SUBJECTS SPEND PRACTICING PRANAYAMA (I.E., BREATHING EXERCISES). IN OTHER WORDS, GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN PULMONARY FUNCTION ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE SEEN IN LESS-FIT INDIVIDUALS AND/OR THOSE THAT ENGAGE IN LONGER PERIODS OF PRANAYAMA. ADDITIONAL STUDIES EXAMINING VARIOUS YOGA PRACTICES ARE WARRANTED TO GAIN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TECHNIQUES ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS. 2013 15 792 35 EFFECT OF YOGA IN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. YOGA IS ADJUNCTIVELY UTILIZED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN THE TREATMENT OF A VARIETY OF DISEASES, INCLUDING CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), BUT THERE ARE NO STUDIES ASSESSING ITS ADJUNCTIVE EFFICACY IN THE UNITED STATES. WE PROSPECTIVELY EVALUATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND THE PARAMETERS OF LUNG FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH COPD. THIRTY-THREE PATIENTS WITH DOCUMENTED COPD, PER GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE CRITERIA, WERE RECRUITED. ALL PATIENTS RECEIVED STANDARD COPD CARE. THE QOL WAS ASSESSED BY THE ST. GEORGE RESPIRATORY QUESTIONNAIRE. STANDARD SPIROMETRY AND MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY (MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE) AND EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (MAXIMAL EXPIRATORY PRESSURE) WERE MEASURED. PATIENTS WERE TAUGHT SELECTED YOGA EXERCISES INCLUDING BREATHING EXERCISES, MEDITATION, AND YOGA POSTURES FOR 1 HOUR, THRICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS BY A CERTIFIED YOGA THERAPIST. THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND LUNG FUNCTION WERE AGAIN ASSESSED AT THE END OF 6 WEEKS. TWENTY-TWO PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. DIFFERENCES IN PREYOGA VERSUS POSTYOGA SCORES WERE EVALUATED USING PAIRED T-TESTS. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P < 0.05) WERE OBSERVED FOR THE ST. GEORGE RESPIRATORY QUESTIONNAIRE [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) 43.13-58.47], VITAL CAPACITY (95% CI 2.53-7.65), MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE (95% CI 6.62-23.64), AND MAXIMAL EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (95% CI 1.63-13.81). YOGA WHEN PRACTICED BY PATIENTS WITH COPD RESULTS IN IMPROVEMENT IN THE QOL AND LUNG FUNCTION ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL AND IN THE LONGER TERM. 2012 16 751 20 EFFECT OF SHORT TERM YOGA PRACTICE ON VENTILATORY FUNCTION TESTS. TWENTYFIVE NORMAL MALE VOLUNTEERS UNDERGOING A TEN WEEKS COURSE IN THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAVE BEEN STUDIED BY SOME PARAMETERS OF VENTILATORY FUNCTIONS TESTS. THE OBSERVATIONS RECORDED AT THE END OF TEN WEEKS OF THE COURSE HAVE SHOWN IMPROVED VENTILATORY FUNCTIONS IN THE FORM OF LOWERED RESPIRATORY RATE, INCREASED FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FEV1, MAXIMUM BREATHING CAPACITY AND BREATH HOLDING TIME, WHILE TIDAL VOLUME AND %FEV1, DID NOT REVEAL ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. THUS, A COMBINED PRACTICE OF YOGA SEEMS TO BE BENEFICIAL ON RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY. 1988 17 316 25 AN INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: A 3-54-MONTH PROSPECTIVE STUDY. AFTER AN INITIAL INTEGRATED YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM OF 2 TO 4 WEEKS, 570 BRONCHIAL ASTHMATICS WERE FOLLOWED UP FOR 3 TO 54 MONTHS. THE TRAINING CONSISTED OF YOGA PRACTICES--YOGASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION, AND KRIYAS--AND THEORY OF YOGA. RESULTS SHOW HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MOST OF THE SPECIFIC PARAMETERS. THE REGULAR PRACTITIONERS SHOWED THE GREATEST IMPROVEMENT. PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PFR) VALUES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENT OF PATIENTS TOWARD NORMALCY AFTER YOGA, AND 72, 69, AND 66% OF THE PATIENTS HAVE STOPPED OR REDUCED PARENTERAL, ORAL, AND CORTISONE MEDICATION, RESPECTIVELY. THESE RESULTS ESTABLISH THE LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF THE INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 1986 18 748 28 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 19 947 24 EFFECTS OF A 4-MONTH ANANDA YOGA PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVES: YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR ADDRESSING PROBLEMS WITH STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, BALANCE, GAIT, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND CONCENTRATION. VARYING DEGREES OF THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE, 4-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM ON STRENGTH, MOBILITY, BALANCE, RESPIRATORY FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS. METHODS: TWENTY FOUR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS PARTICIPATED IN AN INTENSIVE ANANDA YOGA TRAINING FOLLOWED BY 17 WEEKS OF HOME PRACTICE. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH, BALANCE, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW AND A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES WERE DETECTED FOLLOWING THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS OF THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PERSONS WITH MILD TO MODERATE MS. 2013 20 787 31 EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA) ON AIRWAY REACTIVITY IN SUBJECTS WITH ASTHMA. THE EFFECTS OF TWO PRANAYAMA YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON AIRWAY REACTIVITY, AIRWAY CALIBRE, SYMPTOM SCORES, AND MEDICATION USE IN PATIENTS WITH MILD ASTHMA WERE ASSESSED IN A RANDOMISED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, CROSSOVER TRIAL. AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENT OVER 1 WEEK, 18 PATIENTS WITH MILD ASTHMA PRACTISED SLOW DEEP BREATHING FOR 15 MIN TWICE A DAY FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE 2-WEEK PERIODS. DURING THE ACTIVE PERIOD, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO BREATHE THROUGH A PINK CITY LUNG (PCL) EXERCISER--A DEVICE WHICH IMPOSES SLOWING OF BREATHING AND A 1:2 INSPIRATION:EXPIRATION DURATION RATIO EQUIVALENT TO PRANAYAMA BREATHING METHODS; DURING THE CONTROL PERIOD, SUBJECTS BREATHED THROUGH A MATCHED PLACEBO DEVICE. MEAN FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 S (FEV1), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, SYMPTOM SCORE, AND INHALER USE OVER THE LAST 3 DAYS OF EACH TREATMENT PERIOD WERE ASSESSED IN COMPARISON WITH THE BASELINE ASSESSMENT PERIOD; ALL IMPROVED MORE WITH THE PCL EXERCISER THAN WITH THE PLACEBO DEVICE, BUT THE DIFFERENCES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT. THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE DOSE OF HISTAMINE NEEDED TO PROVOKE A 20% REDUCTION IN FEV1 (PD20) DURING PRANAYAMA BREATHING BUT NOT WITH THE PLACEBO DEVICE. THE USEFULNESS OF CONTROLLED VENTILATION EXERCISES IN THE CONTROL OF ASTHMA SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED. 1990