1 91 181 A MULTICOMPONENT YOGA-BASED, BREATH INTERVENTION PROGRAM AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER WITH OR WITHOUT COMORBIDITIES. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) COURSE IN GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) OUTPATIENTS, WHO AFTER EIGHT WEEKS OF AN APPROPRIATE DOSE OF TRADITIONAL THERAPY HAD NOT YET ACHIEVED REMISSION. SUBJECTS: THE ADULT PARTICIPANTS (18-65 YEARS) WERE OUTPATIENTS WITH A PRIMARY DIAGNOSIS OF GAD WITH OR WITHOUT COMORBIDITIES ON THE MINI-INTERNATIONAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW (MINI). PARTICIPANTS HAD A MINIMUM OF EIGHT WEEKS STANDARD TREATMENT WITH AN APPROPRIATE DOSE OF A STANDARD PRESCRIPTION ANXIOLYTIC, A CLINICIAN GLOBAL IMPRESSION-SEVERITY (CGI-S) SCORE OF 5-7, A HAMILTON ANXIETY SCALE (HAM-A) TOTAL SCORE >/=20 INCLUDING A SCORE OF >2 ON THE ANXIOUS MOOD AND TENSION ITEMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FORTY-ONE PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED IN AN OPEN-LABEL TRIAL OF THE SKY COURSE AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD TREATMENT OF GAD AT THE START CLINIC FOR MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS, A TERTIARY CARE MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDER CLINIC IN TORONTO. THE SKY COURSE WAS ADMINISTERED OVER FIVE DAYS (22 H TOTAL). SUBJECTS WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE THE YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES AT HOME FOR 20 MIN PER DAY AFTER THE COURSE AND WERE OFFERED GROUP PRACTICE SESSIONS FOR 2 H ONCE A WEEK LED BY CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTORS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE MEAN CHANGE FROM PRE-TREATMENT ON THE HAM-A SCALE. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES WERE OBTAINED AT BASELINE AND FOUR WEEKS AFTER COMPLETING THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THIRTY-ONE PATIENTS COMPLETED THE PROGRAM (MEAN AGE 42.6 +/- 13.3 YEARS). AMONG COMPLETERS, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS OCCURRED IN THE PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION MEAN HAM-A TOTAL SCORE (T=4.59; P<0.01) AND PSYCHIC SUBSCALE (T=5.00; P/= 24 KG/M(2)) BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 6-MONTH, FACILITY- AND HOME-BASED VINIYOGA INTERVENTION (N = 32) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 31). THE YOGA GOAL WAS FIVE PRACTICES PER WEEK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CHANGES IN QOL, FATIGUE, AND WEIGHT FROM BASELINE TO 6 MONTHS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE. RESULTS: IT TOOK 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE RECRUITMENT. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEAN OF 19.6 CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME A MEAN OF 55.8 TIMES DURING THE 6-MONTH PERIOD. AT FOLLOW-UP, 90% OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND 87% COMPLETED ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. QOL AND FATIGUE IMPROVED TO A GREATER EXTENT AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP, ALTHOUGH NO DIFFERENCES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE DECREASED 3.1 CM (95% CI, -5.7 AND -0.4) MORE AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND PRACTICE LEVELS ACHIEVED DURING A 6-MONTH, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA MAY HELP DECREASE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. 2012 9 784 31 EFFECT OF YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING. YOGA IS ASSUMING IMPORTANCE IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE TREATMENT OF A NUMBER OF PSYCHIATRIC AND PSYCHOSOMATIC DISORDERS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS A PROSPECTIVE CONTROLLED STUDY TO EXPLORE THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF A COMPREHENSIVE BUT BRIEF LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, BASED ON YOGA, ON SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING LEVELS IN NORMAL AND DISEASED SUBJECTS. NORMAL HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND SUBJECTS HAVING HYPERTENSION, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, DIABETES MELLITUS OR A VARIETY OF OTHER ILLNESSES WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE 'SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING INVENTORY' (SUBI) SCORES, TAKEN ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF THE COURSE. THE INVENTORY CONSISTS OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO ONE'S FEELINGS AND ATTITUDE ABOUT VARIOUS AREAS OF LIFE, SUCH AS HAPPINESS, ACHIEVEMENT AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING SCORES OF THE 77 SUBJECTS WITHIN A PERIOD OF 10 DAYS AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THESE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT A SHORT LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM LEADS TO REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT IN THE SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING SCORES OF THE SUBJECTS AND CAN THEREFORE MAKE AN APPRECIABLE CONTRIBUTION TO PRIMARY PREVENTION AS WELL AS MANAGEMENT OF LIFESTYLE DISEASES. 2008 10 2649 40 YOGA IMPROVES ATTENTION AND SELF-ESTEEM IN UNDERPRIVILEGED GIRL STUDENT. BACKGROUND: A STUDENT UNDER OPTIMAL STRESS DOES BRING OUT HIS OR HER BEST; HOWEVER, EXTREME STRESS CAN RESULT IN MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AND DETERIORATES THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. STUDENTS WHO ESTEEM THEMSELVES LOW ARE MOST LIKELY TO ENGAGE IN DESTRUCTIVE AND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIORS. MOREOVER, EXCESSIVE STRESS IS HARMFUL TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND MAY LEAD TO DROPPING OUT IN STUDENT. CAN YOGA BE OF BENEFIT IN STUDENTS FOR IMPROVING THEIR ATTENTION AND SELF-ESTEEM (SE)? OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS ATTENTION AND SE IN GIRLS UNDERGOING INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE (IYM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: SIXTY LOW-INCOME HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS WITH 15.17 + 0.64 YEARS OF MEAN AGE PARTICIPATED IN THIS SINGLE GROUP PRE-POST STUDY. THE DATA WAS COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER 5 DAYS OF IYM. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: MEANS, STANDARD DEVIATIONS, KOLMOGOROV-SMIRNOV TEST, AND WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST WERE USED TO ANALYZE THE DATA WITH THE HELP OF SPSS 16. RESULTS: THE DATA ANALYSIS SHOWED 9.04% INCREASE (P = 0.001) IN SE SCORES, WHEREAS D2 TEST FOR ATTENTION REVEALED 10.12% INCREASE (P < 0.001) IN TOTAL NUMBER OF SYMBOLS PROCESSED SCORES AND 44.73% DECREASE (P < 0.001) IN TOTAL NUMBER OF ERRORS. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY SUGGESTS THAT OF IYM CAN RESULT IN IMPROVEMENT OF ATTENTION AND SE AMONG STUDENTS AND THEREBY ENHANCING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND CAN HELP THEM IN IMPROVING THEIR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. EFFORTS AIMED AT REDUCING MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AMONG STUDENTS MAY FOCUS MORE ON IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE AND CULTURALLY ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS YOGA, COUNSELING, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT. ADDITIONAL WELL-DESIGNED STUDIES ARE NEEDED BEFORE A STRONG RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE. 2013 11 1378 42 IMPACT OF INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA THERAPY ON PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE PERFORMANCE ON COGNITIVE TASKS AND DEPRESSION AMONG TYPE II DIABETIC PATIENTS. CONTEXT: AN INDIVIDUALIZED APPROACH OF PROVIDING YOGA SUPPORT CAN ADDRESS MANY OF THE DISEASE-RELATED CONCERNS INDICATED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES, SPECIFICALLY THE IMPACT ON OTHER LIFE ACTIVITIES AND LONG-TERM FUNCTIONAL WELLBEING. AIM: TO ANALYZE THE ROLE OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE AS A SELF-MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO ACHIEVE GLYCEMIC CONTROL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING IN TYPE II DIABETIC PATIENTS. METHODS: NINETY-ONE SUBJECTS OF BOTH SEXES RESPONDED TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. THIS WAS A SINGLE GROUP, BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA EVALUATION WITHOUT CONTROL COMPARISON. THE FASTING AND POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR, GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN (HBA1C), COGNITIVE TASKS, DEPRESSION, COGNITIVE FAILURE, AND DIABETIC-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) WERE MEASURED AS PRETEST. THE SUBJECTS UNDERWENT ONE-TO-ONE INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA THERAPY SESSIONS, WHICH INCLUDED 12 SUPERVISED SESSIONS SPREAD OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD. THE POSTTEST DATA WERE ANALYZED USING PAIRED T-TEST AND WILCOXON PAIRED RANK TEST. RESULTS: SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN FASTING BLOOD SUGAR. QOL OF THE DIABETIC PATIENTS HAD IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE FREQUENCY (MEAN DIFFERENCE OF 7.58, P > 0.01) OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND INTENSITY OF DEPRESSION (MEAN DIFFERENCE 1.66, P > 0.05). CONCENTRATION AND ATTENTION SPAN IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY AND MEAN DISCREPANCY SCORE REDUCED (MEAN DIFFERENCE 3.42, P > 0.01). THERE WERE NO MARKED CHANGES IN THE POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR AND HBA1C. CONCLUSION: YOGA PRACTICE ENHANCES THE SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING, QOL, IMPROVES MOOD AND CONCENTRATION, AND FACILITATES ACHIEVEMENT OF ADEQUATE GLYCEMIC CONTROL AMONG TYPE II DIABETIC PATIENTS. 2016 12 1552 37 LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION IN BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY II (LIMBS): STUDY PROTOCOL OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF A 24 WEEK STRUCTURED YOGA PROGRAM VERSUS LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION ON BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION. HYPERTENSION IS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE AFFECTING 68 MILLION ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES. LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS INCLUDING COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS THE MOVEMENT BASED MIND BODY PRACTICE OF YOGA HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN THE UNITED STATES AND HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED AS A POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE TO MEDICATION IN BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION. WE COMPLETED A PILOT STUDY IN 2009 WHICH SHOWED MEANINGFUL DECREASES IN 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS AFTER A 12 WEEK PERIOD OF YOGA PARTICIPATION. BASED ON DATA FROM OUR PILOT STUDY WE ARE NOW COMPLETING THE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY (LIMBS II) WHICH IS A PHASE 2 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY AND ENHANCED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION ON LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE IN PRE-HYPERTENSIVE AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSIVE SUBJECTS. USING 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING, LIMBS II AIMS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS ON BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION IN SUBJECTS RANDOMIZED FOR 24 WEEKS TO ONE OF THE THREE FOLLOWING GROUPS: YOGA THERAPY VERSUS BLOOD PRESSURE EDUCATION PROGRAM (SODIUM RESTRICTION AND WALKING PROGRAM) VERSUS A COMBINATION PROGRAM THAT INVOLVES COMPONENTS OF BOTH GROUPS. LIMBS II WILL ALSO EXAMINE THE IMPACT THAT CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE HAVE ON CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE LIMBS STUDY WILL DETERMINE IF YOGA THERAPY COMBINED WITH ENHANCED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION WILL RESULT IN CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL DECREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND THUS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DRUG THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. 2013 13 1861 40 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF BIKRAM YOGA AND AEROBIC EXERCISE FOR DEPRESSION IN WOMEN: EFFICACY AND STRESS-BASED MECHANISMS. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT STUDY PRESENTS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED 8-WEEK TRIAL OF BIKRAM YOGA, AEROBIC EXERCISE, AND WAITLIST FOR DEPRESSION. BIKRAM YOGA WAS CHOSEN SPECIFICALLY FOR ITS STANDARDIZED NATURE. FURTHER, WE EXAMINED CHANGES IN THREE STRESS-RELATED CONSTRUCTS-PERCEIVED STRESS, RUMINATION, AND MINDFULNESS-AS MEDIATORS OF ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS. METHOD: FIFTY-THREE WOMEN (AGE 18-65; 74% WHITE) WITH A UNIPOLAR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THE THREE CONDITIONS. RESPONSE WAS DEFINED AS >50% REDUCTION ON THE HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSION (HAM-D). REMISSION WAS DEFINED AS NO LONGER MEETING CRITERIA FOR DEPRESSION AND A HAM-D 75% OF PARTICIPANTS IN AGREEMENT) WAS ACHIEVED ON PARAMETERS OF PRACTICE (DOSAGE): AN AVERAGE OF 30 TO 40 MINUTES, TO BE DONE 5 TIMES PER WEEK, OVER A PERIOD OF 6 WEEKS. NUMEROUS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOGA TECHNIQUES TO INCLUDE OR AVOID WERE COLLECTED IN THE FIRST ROUND. THE SECOND ROUND PRODUCED A CONSENSUS STATEMENT ON THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. BREATH REGULATION AND POSTURES WERE CONSIDERED VERY IMPORTANT OR ESSENTIAL FOR PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION; AND RELAXATION, BREATH REGULATION AND MEDITATION BEING VERY IMPORTANT OR ESSENTIAL FOR PEOPLE WITH ANXIETY. OTHER RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS ALSO ACHIEVED CONSENSUS. THERE WAS ALSO GENERAL CONSENSUS THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT OR ESSENTIAL FOR TEACHERS TO HAVE A MINIMUM OF 500 TRAINING HOURS OVER 2 YEARS, AT LEAST 2 YEARS TEACHING EXPERIENCE, TRAINING IN DEVELOPING PERSONALISED YOGA PRACTICES, TRAINING IN YOGA FOR MENTAL HEALTH, AND PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION OR MENTORING. CONCLUSIONS: THE DELPHI PROCESS HAS ACHIEVED A CONSENSUS STATEMENT ON THE APPLICATION OF YOGA FOR REDUCING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. THIS CONSENSUS PROVIDES A CHECKLIST FOR IDENTIFICATION OF COMMONALITIES AND EVALUATION OF PAST RESEARCH. FUTURE RESEARCH CAN PROCEED TO DEVELOP AND EVALUATE CONSENSUS-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION PROTOCOLS FOR THE REDUCTION OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN WELL-BEING. 2015 20 1402 58 IMPACT OF YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION - A CONTROLLED TRIAL IN PRIMARY CARE, MATCHED FOR SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. BACKGROUND: MEDICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IS NOT ALWAYS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL. DESPITE THIS, PREVIOUS STUDIES ON SUPPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, SUCH AS YOGA, ARE RELATIVELY FEW. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION. METHODS: ADULT PATIENTS (AGE 20-80 YEARS) WITH DIAGNOSED HYPERTENSION WERE IDENTIFIED BY AN ELECTRONIC CHART SEARCH AT A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER IN SOUTHERN SWEDEN. IN TOTAL, 83 SUBJECTS WITH BLOOD PRESSURE VALUES OF 120-179/