1 1482 100 INTEGRATING YOGA THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF URINARY INCONTINENCE: A CASE REPORT. A 63-YEAR-OLD OVERWEIGHT FEMALE PREDIAGNOSED OF STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE PRESENTED WITH EXACERBATED EVENTS OF URINE LEAKAGE. SHE WAS ADVISED A RESIDENTIAL LIFESTYLE AND BEHAVIORAL PROGRAM, PRIMARILY CONSISTING OF A MONITORED YOGA THERAPY MODULE, APART FROM HER ONGOING ANTICHOLINERGIC MEDICINE, FOR 21 DAYS. ASSESSMENTS WERE BASED ON A FREQUENCY VOLUME CHART, A BLADDER DIARY FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION OF TREATMENT, AND THE INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION ON INCONTINENCE MODULAR QUESTIONNAIRE-URINARY INCONTINENCE SHORT FORM QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE DAYS OF ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE. A TOTAL OF 1.9 KG OF WEIGHT LOSS WAS OBSERVED DURING HER STAY. USAGE OF PAD, AS REPORTED IN HER DIARY, REDUCED FROM 3 TO 1 PER DAY. HER INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION ON INCONTINENCE MODULAR QUESTIONNAIRE-URINARY INCONTINENCE SHORT FORM SCORE REDUCED FROM 16 TO 9, INDICATING BETTER CONTINENCE. SHE EXPRESSED SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND CONFIDENCE IN HER SOCIAL INTERACTIONS. THIS IS PROBABLY THE FIRST CASE REPORT DEMONSTRATING FEASIBILITY OF INTEGRATION OF YOGA THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF URINARY INCONTINENCE. 2015 2 780 26 EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON THERAPY IN THE MODULATION OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN CHILDREN WITH DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY. BACKGROUND: DUCHENE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY (DMD) IS A PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR DISORDER. CARDIAC DISORDER IS THE SECOND-MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DEATH IN CHILDREN WITH DMD, WITH 10%-20% OF THEM DYING OF CARDIAC FAILURE. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IS SHOWN TO BE A PREDICTOR OF CARDIO-AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. PHYSIOTHERAPY (PT) IS ADVISED FOR THESE CHILDREN AS A REGULAR TREATMENT FOR MAINTAINING THEIR FUNCTIONAL STATUS. THE EFFECT OF YOGIC PRACTICES ON THE CARDIO-AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN VARIOUS NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND MAY PROVE BENEFICIAL IN DMD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, 124 PATIENTS WITH DMD WERE RANDOMIZED TO PT ALONE OR PT WITH YOGA INTERVENTION. HOME-BASED PT AND YOGA WERE ADVISED. ADHERENCE WAS SERIALLY ASSESSED AT A FOLLOW-UP INTERVAL OF 3 MONTHS. ERROR-FREE, ELECTROCARDIOGRAM WAS RECORDED IN ALL PATIENTS AT REST IN THE SUPINE POSITION. HRV PARAMETERS WERE COMPUTED IN TIME AND FREQUENCY DOMAINS. HRV WAS RECORDED AT BASELINE AND AT AN INTERVAL OF 3 MONTHS UP TO 1 YEAR. REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA WAS USED TO ANALYZE LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP AND LEAST SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FOR POST HOC ANALYSIS AND P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: IN OUR STUDY, WITH PT PROTOCOL, STANDARD DEVIATION OF NN, ROOT OF SQUARE MEAN OF SUCCESSIVE NN, TOTAL POWER, LOW FREQUENCY, HIGH-FREQUENCY NORMALIZED UNITS (HFNU), AND SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IMPROVED AT VARYING TIME POINTS AND THE IMPROVEMENT LASTED UP FOR 6-9 MONTHS, WHEREAS PT AND YOGA PROTOCOL SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN HFNU DURING THE LAST 3 MONTHS OF THE STUDY PERIOD AND ALL THE OTHER PARAMETERS WERE STABLE UP TO 1 YEAR. THUS, IT IS EVIDENT THAT BOTH THE GROUPS IMPROVED CARDIAC FUNCTIONS IN DMD. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS NOTED IN THE CHANGES OBSERVED BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THE INTENSE PT AND PT WITH YOGA, PARTICULARLY HOME-BASED PROGRAM, IS INDEED BENEFICIAL AS A THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY IN DMD CHILDREN TO MAINTAIN AND/OR TO SUSTAIN HRV IN DMD. 2019 3 190 23 A RANDOMIZED STUDY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR THE PREVENTION OF RECURRENT REFLEX VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE. AIMS: VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (VVS) IS A COMMON CARDIOVASCULAR DYSAUTONOMIC DISORDER THAT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTS HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMICS. THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY ON THE RECURRENCE OF VVS AND QOL. METHODS AND RESULTS: WE RANDOMIZED SUBJECTS WITH RECURRENT REFLEX VVS (>3 EPISODES IN THE PAST 1 YEAR) AND POSITIVE HEAD-UP TILT TEST TO GUIDELINE-DIRECTED THERAPY (GROUP 1) OR YOGA THERAPY (GROUP 2). PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 WERE ADVISED GUIDELINE-DIRECTED TREATMENT AND GROUP 2 WAS TAUGHT YOGA BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS VVS RECURRENCES AND QOL. BETWEEN JUNE 2015 AND FEBRUARY 2017, 97 HIGHLY SYMPTOMATIC VVS PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED (GROUP 1: 47 AND GROUP 2: 50). THE MEAN AGE WAS 33.1 +/- 16.6 YEARS, MALE:FEMALE OF 40:57, SYMPTOM DURATION OF 17.1 +/- 20.7 MONTHS, WITH A MEAN OF 6.4 +/- 6.1 SYNCOPE EPISODES. OVER A FOLLOW-UP OF 14.3 +/- 2.1 MONTHS GROUP 2 HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER SYNCOPE BURDEN COMPARED WITH GROUP 1 AT 3 (0.8 +/- 0.9 VS. 1.8 +/- 1.4, P < 0.001), 6 (1.0 +/- 1.2 VS. 3.4 +/- 3.0, P < 0.001), AND AT 12 MONTHS (1.1 +/- 0.8 VS. 3.8 +/- 3.2, P < 0.001). THE SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL SCORE QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN GROUP 2 COMPARED WITH GROUP 1 AT 3 (31.4 +/- 7.2 VS. 64.1 +/- 11.5, P < 0.001), 6 (26.4 +/- 6.3 VS. 61.4 +/- 10.7, P < 0.001), AND 12 MONTHS (22.2 +/- 4.7 VS. 68.3 +/- 11.4, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: FOR PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS, GUIDED YOGA THERAPY IS SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY IN REDUCING SYMPTOM BURDEN AND IMPROVING QOL. 2021 4 689 25 EFFECT OF AYURVEDA INTERVENTION, LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND YOGA IN PREDIABETIC AND TYPE 2 DIABETES UNDER THE NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF CANCER, DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND STROKE (NPCDCS)-AYUSH INTEGRATION PROJECT. BACKGROUND: TYPE 2 DIABETES IS A LIFESTYLE-RELATED DISORDER THAT AFFECTS AROUND 422 MILLION INDIVIDUALS IN INDIA. INTEGRATION OF AYUSH (AYURVEDA) WITH THE NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF CANCER, DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND STROKE (NPCDCS) WAS CONCEIVED ON PILOT BASIS AT GAYA, BIHAR, TO PROVIDE INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT FOR NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE PATIENTS AND TO MANAGE THE BURDEN OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN INDIA. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF AYURVEDA INTERVENTION, LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES UNDER NPCDCS-AYUSH INTEGRATION PROJECT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A MULTI-CENTRIC, OPEN-LABELED, PROSPECTIVE, COMPARATIVE CLINICAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT 17 COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS AND 1 DISTRICT HOSPITAL. POPULATION OVER 30 YEARS OF AGE WAS SCREENED AND PREDIABETIC OR TYPE 2 DIABETIC INDIVIDUALS WERE ENROLLED IN TWO COHORTS, I.E., PRE-DIABETIC (COHORT A) AND TYPE 2 DIABETIC (COHORT B). EACH COHORT WAS FURTHER DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: GROUP A1 WAS ADVISED FOR LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND YOGA AND GROUP A2 WAS GIVEN AYURVEDA MEDICATION IN ADDITION TO LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND YOGA. SIMILARLY, GROUP B1 WAS ADVISED FOR LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND YOGA ALONG WITH ALLOPATHIC MEDICATION AND GROUP B2 WAS GIVEN AYURVEDA MEDICATION, I.E., MAMAJJAKA, AMALAKI AND GUDUCHI POWDER IN ADDITION TO LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND YOGA ALONG WITH ALLOPATHIC MEDICATION. TREATMENT WAS GIVEN FOR 6 MONTHS. DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH PAIRED T-TEST. RESULTS: A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION WAS OBSERVED IN FASTING BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL IN GROUPS A2 AND B2 (P = 0.001) AND ALSO IN THE POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL IN GROUPS A2 AND B2 (P = 0.001). FURTHER, IMPROVEMENT IN SUBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS POLYURIA, POLYDIPSIA, POLYPHAGIA, BLURRED VISION AND WEAKNESS WAS FOUND IN ALL THE GROUPS, WHILE NON-HEALING ULCER DOES NOT SHOW ANY IMPROVEMENT. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY REVEALS THAT AYURVEDA INTERVENTION, I.E., MAMAJJAKA CHURNA (1 G), AMALAKI CHURNA (3 G) AND GUDUCHI CHURNA (3 G) TWO TIMES A DAY EFFECTIVELY CONTROLS BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL IN PRE-DIABETIC AND TYPE 2 DIABETIC PATIENTS AND IMPROVES THE DISEASE MANAGEMENT WITH LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND YOGASANA AS WELL AS WITH ALLOPATHIC TREATMENT. 2019 5 1758 26 POSITIVE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF GENERIC YOGA IN DEPRESSIVE OUT-PATIENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY. CONTEXT: THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS IN DEPRESSION OF YOGA ADOPTED FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED. THE EFFICACY OF A GENERIC MODULE OF YOGA ON DEPRESSED PATIENTS HAS NOT YET BEEN TESTED IN THE LITERATURE. AIMS: THE STUDY WAS AIMED TO COMPARE THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF A GENERIC YOGA MODULE WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS IN NON-SUICIDAL OUT-PATIENTS OF MAJOR DEPRESSION ATTENDING A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THE STUDY WAS OUTPATIENT-BASED USING AN OPEN-LABELED DESIGN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 137 OUT-PATIENTS OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS RECEIVED ONE OF THE THREE TREATMENTS AS THEY CHOSE - YOGA-ONLY, DRUGS-ONLY OR BOTH. THE YOGA WAS TAUGHT BY A TRAINED YOGA PHYSICIAN FOR OVER A MONTH IN SPACED SESSIONS TOTALING AT LEAST 12. PATIENTS WERE ASSESSED BEFORE TREATMENT, AFTER 1 AND 3 MONTHS ON DEPRESSION AND CLINICAL GLOBAL IMPRESSION SCALES. OUT OF 137, 58 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY PERIOD WITH ALL ASSESSMENTS. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN THE THREE ARMS OF TREATMENT WERE COMPARABLE ON DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL VARIABLES. PATIENTS IN ALL THREE ARMS OF TREATMENT OBTAINED A REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SCORES AS WELL AS CLINICAL SEVERITY. HOWEVER, BOTH YOGA GROUPS (WITH OR WITHOUT DRUGS) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN THE DRUGS-ONLY GROUP. HIGHER PROPORTION OF PATIENTS REMITTED IN THE YOGA GROUPS COMPARED WITH THE DRUGS-ONLY GROUP. NO UNTOWARD EVENTS WERE SPONTANEOUSLY REPORTED IN THE YOGA-TREATED PATIENTS. CONCLUSION: WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY, IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT THE FINDINGS SUPPORT A CASE FOR PRESCRIBING YOGA AS TAUGHT IN THE STUDY IN DEPRESSIVE NON-SUICIDAL OUT-PATIENTS. 2013 6 959 21 EFFECTS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON LIPID PROFILES OF DIABETES PATIENTS WITH DYSLIPIDEMIA. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DYSLIPIDEMIA IN PATIENTS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED PARALLEL STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT IN MEDICAL COLLEGE TRIVANDRUM, KERALA, INDIA. HUNDRED TYPE 2 DIABETICS WITH DYSLIPIDEMIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL AND YOGA GROUPS. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS PRESCRIBED ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC DRUGS. THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA DAILY FOR 1 H DURATION ALONG WITH ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC DRUGS FOR 3 MONTHS. THE LIPID PROFILES OF BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED AT THE START AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: AFTER INTERVENTION WITH YOGA FOR A PERIOD OF 3 MONTHS THE STUDY GROUP SHOWED A DECREASE IN TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, TRIGLYCERIDES AND LDL, WITH AN IMPROVEMENT IN HDL. CONCLUSION: YOGA, BEING A LIFESTYLE INCORPORATING EXERCISE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT TRAINING, TARGETS THE ELEVATED LIPID LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES THROUGH INTEGRATED APPROACHES. 2013 7 831 23 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MIGRAINE: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY USING CLINICAL PROFILE AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. CONTEXT AND AIMS: MIGRAINE IS AN EPISODIC DISABLING HEADACHE REQUIRING LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT. MIGRAINE MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA THERAPY WOULD REDUCE THE MEDICATION COST WITH POSITIVE HEALTH BENEFITS. YOGA HAS SHOWN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE, REDUCE THE EPISODE OF HEADACHE AND MEDICATION. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS BY ASSESSING CLINICAL OUTCOME AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS TESTS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: MIGRAINE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY GIVEN EITHER CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30) OR YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30). YOGA GROUP RECEIVED YOGA PRACTICE SESSION FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE. CLINICAL ASSESSMENT (FREQUENCY, INTENSITY OF HEADACHE AND HEADACHE IMPACT) AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TEST WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE AND CONVENTION CARE GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CLINICAL VARIABLES, BUT IT WAS BETTER WITH YOGA THERAPY. IMPROVEMENT IN THE VAGAL TONE ALONG WITH REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE RECEIVING YOGA AS ADJUVANT THERAPY. CONCLUSIONS: INTERVENTION SHOWED SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH GROUPS. HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY WERE REDUCED MORE IN YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE THAN THE CONVENTIONAL CARE GROUP ALONE. FURTHERMORE, YOGA THERAPY ENHANCED THE VAGAL TONE AND DECREASED THE SYMPATHETIC DRIVE, HENCE IMPROVING THE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC BALANCE. THUS, YOGA THERAPY CAN BE EFFECTIVELY INCORPORATED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2014 8 2003 22 STUDY OF ADDITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPIES TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT IN MIGRAINE. OBJECTIVE WE AIMED TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PHYSICAL AND YOGA THERAPIES AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. MATERIALS AND METHODS A TOTAL OF 61 CONSENTING PATIENTS DIAGNOSED TO HAVE MIGRAINE WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS TO RECEIVE EITHER STANDARD TREATMENT ALONE, PHYSICAL THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD TREATMENT, OR YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD TREATMENT. THE RESPECTIVE ADJUVANT INTERVENTION WAS TAUGHT TO THE RESPECTIVE GROUP OF PATIENTS AND THEY WERE ADVISED TO PERFORM IT DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS WITH WEEKLY TELEPHONIC REMINDERS AND REVIEW OF THEIR ACTIVITY LOGS. OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSED WERE HEADACHE FREQUENCY, SHORT-FORM MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE (SF-MPQ), AND HEADACHE IMPACT TEST-6 (HIT-6) AT RECRUITMENT AND ONCE EVERY MONTH FOR 3 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY WAS DONE BY USING STATA 14.1 SOFTWARE. ALL THE DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, PAIRED T -TEST WAS USED TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRE AND POSTINTERVENTION VALUES OF HEADACHE FREQUENCY, SF-MPQ, AND HIT-6 SCORE WITHIN ALL THE THREE GROUPS. ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE TEST AND POST HOC TEST WERE USED TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALL GROUPS FOR OUTCOME MEASURES ( P < 0.05). RESULTS HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE BEFORE INTERVENTION COMPARED DURING EACH MONTH INTERVALS FOR 3 MONTHS IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS ( P < 0.005). YOGA OR PHYSICAL THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT TO STANDARD TREATMENT LEADS TO A HIGHER REDUCTION IN HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY. SENSORY AND AFFECTIVE PAIN RATINGS OF SF-MPQ AND HIT-6 ALSO SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AT 1 TO 3 MONTHS OF TREATMENT COMPARED WITH BASELINE IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS. CONCLUSION EITHER PHYSICAL OR YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT MAY FURTHER IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCE HEADACHE FREQUENCY IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. 2021 9 555 26 CORTISOL AND ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF YOGA. CONTEXT: HYPERCORTISOLEMIA IS WELL-KNOWN IN DEPRESSION AND YOGA HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED EARLIER TO REDUCE THE PARAMETERS OF STRESS, INCLUDING CORTISOL LEVELS. AIM: WE AIMED TO FIND THE ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ANTIDEPRESSANT AS WELL AS ITS ACTION ON LOWERING THE SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: AN OPEN-LABELED STUDY CONSISTING OF THREE GROUPS (YOGA ALONE, YOGA ALONG WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION AND ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION ALONE) WAS CONDUCTED AT A TERTIARY CARE PSYCHIATRY HOSPITAL. METHODOLOGY: OUT-PATIENT DEPRESSIVES WHO WERE NOT SUICIDAL WERE OFFERED YOGA AS A POSSIBLE ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPY. A VALIDATED YOGA MODULE WAS USED AS THERAPY TAUGHT OVER A MONTH AND TO BE PRACTICED AT HOME DAILY. PATIENTS WERE FREE TO CHOOSE THE DRUGS IF THEIR PSYCHIATRIST ADVISED. PATIENTS (N=54) WERE RATED ON HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) WITH SERUM CORTISOL MEASUREMENTS AT BASELINE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS. IN 54 PATIENTS, ASSESSMENTS AND BLOOD TEST RESULTS WERE BOTH AVAILABLE. 19 EACH RECEIVED YOGA ALONE OR WITH DRUGS AND 16 RECEIVED DRUGS ONLY. HEALTHY COMPARISON SUBJECTS (N=18) TOO UNDERWENT MORNING CORTISOL MEASUREMENTS ONCE. RESULTS: SERUM CORTISOL WAS HIGHER IN DEPRESSIVES COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. IN THE TOTAL SAMPLE, THE CORTISOL LEVEL DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY AT THE END OF TREATMENT. MORE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUPS HAD A DROP IN CORTISOL LEVELS AS COMPARED TO DRUG-ONLY GROUP. IN THE YOGA-ONLY GROUP, THE CORTISOL DROP CORRELATED WITH THE DROP IN HDRS SCORE (ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECT). CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS SUPPORT THAT YOGA MAY ACT AT THE LEVEL OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS BY ITS 'ANTI-STRESS' EFFECTS (REDUCING THE CORTISOL), TO BRING ABOUT RELIEF IN DEPRESSION. 2013 10 867 22 EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: LUNG FUNCTIONS ARE FOUND TO BE IMPAIRED IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD), CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION, AND AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY. DIFFUSION CAPACITY PROGRESSIVELY WORSENS AS THE SEVERITY OF CAD INCREASES DUE TO REDUCTION IN LUNG TISSUE PARTICIPATING IN GAS EXCHANGE. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGIC POSTURES MAY PLAY AN IMPRESSIVE ROLE IN IMPROVING CARDIO-RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY AND FACILITATING GAS DIFFUSION AT THE ALVEOLO-CAPILLARY MEMBRANE. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS PARTICULARLY DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 80 STABLE CAD PATIENTS BELOW 65 YEARS OF AGE OF BOTH SEXES WERE SELECTED AND RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 40 EACH. GROUP I CAD PATIENTS WERE GIVEN YOGA REGIMEN FOR 3 MONTHS WHICH CONSISTED OF YOGIC POSTURES, PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES, DIETARY MODIFICATION, AND HOLISTIC TEACHING ALONG WITH THEIR CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE WHILE GROUP II CAD PATIENTS WERE PUT ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE. LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY WERE RECORDED THRICE IN BOTH THE GROUPS: 0 DAY AS BASELINE, 22(ND) DAY AND ON 90(TH) DAY BY USING COMPUTERIZED MS MEDISOFT CARDIO-RESPIRATORY INSTRUMENT, HYP'AIR COMPACT MODEL OF CARDIO-RESPIRATORY TESTING MACHINE WAS MANUFACTURED BY P K MORGAN, INDIA. THE RECORDED PARAMETERS WERE STATISTICALLY ANALYZED BY REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA FOLLOWED BY TUKEY'S TEST IN BOTH THE GROUPS. CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS WERE ALSO COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION IN BOTH THE GROUPS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN SLOW VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION, AND DIFFUSION FACTOR/ TRANSFER FACTOR OF LUNG FOR CARBON MONOXIDE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGA REGIMEN IN GROUP I. FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1(ST) SEC (FEV1), AND FEV1 % ALSO SHOWED A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENT ALTHOUGH NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HR, SBP AND DBP ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GROUP-I PATIENTS WHO FOLLOWED YOGA REGIMEN. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA REGIMEN WAS FOUND TO IMPROVE LUNG FUNCTIONS AND DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS BESIDES IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLIMENTARY OR ADJUNCT THERAPY ALONG WITH THE CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE FOR THEIR TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION. 2015 11 796 22 EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES IN SOUTH INDIA: RESULTS FROM THE SATYAM PROJECT. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON THE BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE FOR DIABETES DURING FEB 2017 TO OCT 2019 IN CHENNAI, INDIA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS. GROUP1(NON-YOGA) (N = 150) WAS ADVISED ON SIMPLE PHYSICAL EXERCISES WHEREAS GROUP2(YOGA) (N = 150) WAS TRAINED AND ADVISED TO DO YOGASANAS WITH STATIC LOOSENING EXERCISES FOR 50 MIN FOR 5 DAYS IN A WEEK. BOTH THE GROUPS WERE FOLLOWED UP FOR A PERIOD OF 3 MONTHS. ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL, OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SLEEP QUALITY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER FOLLOW UP. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BMI, BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS, HBA1C, LIPID LEVELS, IL6, TNFALPHA AND TBARS IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO NON-YOGA GROUP. THERE WAS MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN THE LEVELS OF ADIPONECTIN, PTGIS AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS PRACTISING YOGASANAS. CONCLUSION: REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGASANAS IMPROVED GLYCAEMIC CONTROL, OXIDATIVE STRESS, INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE AND SLEEP QUALITY AMONG SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. HENCE, YOGASANAS CAN BE USED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY FOR MANAGING TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2021 12 1703 19 PARTITIONING OF RADIOLOGICAL, STRESS AND BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN PRE-DIABETIC WOMEN SUBJECTED TO DIABETIC YOGA PROTOCOL. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS AN ANCIENT SYSTEM OF WELLNESS WITH ASANA AND PRANAYAMA AS ITS MOST POPULAR AND PROPAGATED MODULES FOR MANAGEMENT OF LIFESTYLE DISORDERS. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO CHARACTERISE THE LIVER ABNORMALITIES, BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES, AND STRESS LEVELS AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION IN PREDIABETIC FEMALES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 37 FEMALES WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA PRACTISING AND NON-PRACTISING CONTROL GROUPS. THE YOGA PRACTISING GROUP PERFORMED DIABETIC YOGA PROTOCOL (DYP) FOR 3 MONTHS. PARAMETERS INCLUDING SIZE OF LIVER, FATTY INFILTRATION, AND GRADE OF SEVERITY WERE MEASURED USING ULTRASONOGRAPHY ALONG WITH BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND STRESS LEVELS AT BASELINE AND AFTER YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS: THE GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN (HBA1C) AND GLUCOSE LEVELS WERE FOUND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN PREDIABETIC (P=0.015) WOMEN AFTER PRACTISING DYP, ALTHOUGH CHOLESTEROL LEVELS INCREASED IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. NO ESCALATION OF FATTY LIVER WAS NOTED AMONG WOMEN PRACTISING DYP. CONCLUSION: DYP REDUCED THE HBA1C AND STRESS LEVELS AND THEREFORE, COULD BE A COST-EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR PREVENTING PREDIABETES TO DIABETES PROGRESSION. 2019 13 496 18 COMBINATION OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA THERAPY REDUCES PAIN INTENSITY AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE. OBJECTIVES: TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFICACY OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MIGRAINE HEADACHE. METHODS: 30 SUBJECTS RECRUITED TO AYURVEDA AND YOGA (AY) GROUP UNDERWENT TRADITIONAL PANCHAKARMA (BIO-PURIFICATORY PROCESS) USING THERAPEUTIC PURGATION FOLLOWED BY YOGA THERAPY, WHILE 30 SUBJECTS OF CONTROL (CT) GROUP CONTINUED ON SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT (NSAID'S) FOR 90 DAYS. BODY CONSTITUTION QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO BOTH GROUPS. THE OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED SYMPTOM CHECK LIST, COMPREHENSIVE HEADACHE RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE AND VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE. RESULTS: FORTY-SIX (76.6%) OUT OF 60 SUBJECTS BELONGING TO BOTH GROUPS HAD PITTA BASED BODY CONSTITUTION. FOLLOWING 90 DAYS OF INTERVENTION THE AY GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN MIGRAINE SYMPTOMS INCLUDING PAIN INTENSITY (P<.001) AND IMPROVEMENT IN HEADACHE RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (P<.001). THE CT GROUP SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE (P>.05). CONCLUSION: TRADITIONAL AYURVEDA ALONG WITH YOGA THERAPY REDUCES SYMPTOMS, INTENSITY OF PAIN AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2018 14 685 22 EFFECT OF AN INTEGRATED NATUROPATHY AND YOGA PROGRAM ON LONG-TERM GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS PATIENTS: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY. AIM: LIFESTYLE IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR INCREASING THE PREVALENCE OF DIABETES IN THE INDIAN POPULATION. IN THIS STUDY, WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF NATUROPATHY TREATMENT, SALT-RESTRICTED LOW-CALORIE DIETS, AND YOGA IN LONG-TERM GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. METHODS: IN THIS PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL, TWO-ARM COHORT STUDY, PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS REFERRED FROM A TERTIARY CARE CENTER UNDERGOING A 3-MONTH RESIDENTIAL NATUROPATHY TREATMENT WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE UNDERGOING ONLY CONVENTIONAL MANAGEMENT ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL. BOTH FASTING AND POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE (PPBG) LEVELS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 3 MONTHS FOLLOWING INTERVENTION, AT 6 MONTHS, AND 12 MONTHS FROM THE STUDY START. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA WITH POST HOC BONFERRONI CORRECTION. RESULTS: NATUROPATHY AND YOGA INTERVENTION SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PPBG LEVELS (P < 0.001), GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS (P < 0.001), AND REDUCED REQUIREMENT FOR ANTIDIABETIC MEDICATIONS (P < 0.008) IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THE EFFECTS WERE MORE PROFOUND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING INTERVENTION AND LASTED UP TO 6 MONTHS FROM THE START OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST BENEFIT WITH AN INTENSIVE RESIDENTIAL NATUROPATHY-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAM. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO FURTHER VALIDATE THE FINDINGS. 2020 15 453 25 CHANGES IN MIDAS, PERCEIVED STRESS, FRONTALIS MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS USAGE IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE WITHOUT AURA FOLLOWING AYURVEDA AND YOGA COMPARED TO CONTROLS: AN OPEN LABELED NON-RANDOMIZED STUDY. BACKGROUND: THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE TO PROVIDE LONG-TERM HEALING SOLUTIONS IN MIGRAINE HEADACHE PATIENTS. KNOWING THE LIMITATIONS OF CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL APPROACH, THE PRESENT STUDY EVALUATED THE INFLUENCE OF TWO INDIAN TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE ON MIGRAINE-RELATED DISABILITY, AUTONOMIC VARIABLES, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE WITHOUT AURA. METHODS: THIRTY SUBJECTS RECRUITED TO THE AYURVEDA AND YOGA (AY) GROUP UNDERWENT TRADITIONAL PANCHAKARMA (BIO-PURIFICATION) USING THERAPEUTIC PURGATION FOLLOWED BY YOGA THERAPY, WHILE 30 SUBJECTS OF CONTROL (CT) GROUP CONTINUED ON SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT (NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS [NSAID'S]) FOR 90 DAYS. MIGRAINE DISABILITY ASSESSMENT SCORE, PERCEIVED STRESS, HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), AND SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) OF FRONTALIS MUSCLE WERE MEASURED ON DAY 1, DAY 30, AND DAY 90 IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN MIGRAINE DISABILITY AND PERCEIVED STRESS SCORES WERE OBSERVED IN THE AY GROUP. THE LOW-FREQUENCY COMPONENT OF THE HRV DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, THE HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT INCREASED AND THEIR RATIO SHOWED IMPROVED SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE. THE EMG SHOWED DECREASED ACTIVITY OF THE FRONTALIS MUSCLE IN THE AY GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATIVE APPROACH COMBINING AYURVEDA AND YOGA THERAPY REDUCES MIGRAINE-RELATED DISABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, SYMPATHETIC AROUSAL, AND MUSCLE TENSION. 2018 16 526 22 COMPARISON OF LAUGHTER YOGA AND ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION ON ANXIETY AND GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS OF PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. BACKGROUND IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) IS THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) DISORDER. PATIENTS WITH IBS USUALLY SUFFER FROM ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. A COMBINATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS CAN BE A SIGNIFICANTLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR IBS. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO PROVIDE A THERAPEUTIC PLAN BASED ON LAUGHTER YOGA AND ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION, EMPLOYED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, AND TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE TREATMENTS ON THE ANXIETY AND GI SYMPTOMS OF PATIENTS WITH IBS. METHODS IN THIS RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, CLINICAL TRIAL, THE PARTICIPANTS WERE 60 PATIENTS SELECTED FROM THOSE WHO REFERRED TO THE GI CLINIC OF VALI-ASR HOSPITAL (BIRJAND, IRAN) DURING THE STUDY PERIOD (APRIL 2017 TO MARCH 2017) AND WERE DIAGNOSED AS HAVING IBS BASED ON ROME III CRITERIA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE LAUGHTER YOGA GROUP, THE ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION GROUP, OR THE SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT (CONTROL) GROUP. SEVERITY LEVELS OF ANXIETY AND GI SYMPTOMS BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION WERE DETERMINED AND COMPARED AMONG THESE THREE GROUPS ACCORDING TO APPROVED PROTOCOLS. RESULTS THE SEVERITY OF IBS SYMPTOMS AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS WAS MORE GREATLY REDUCED IN THE LAUGHTER YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION AND CONTROL GROUPS (P = 0.006). THE SEVERITY OF ANXIETY AFTER INTERVENTIONS DECREASED IN ALL THREE GROUPS, ESPECIALLY IN THE YOGA TREATMENT GROUP, BUT THE DIFFERENCE WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.1). CONCLUSION LAUGHTER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION IN REDUCING THE GI SYMPTOMS OF PATIENTS WITH IBS. THEREFORE, APPLYING LAUGHTER YOGA ALONG WITH COMMON PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPIES FOR PATIENTS WITH IBS MIGHT BE STRONGLY ADVISED. 2019 17 1491 25 INTERLEUKIN-6, VITAMIN D & DIABETES RISK-FACTORS MODIFIED BY A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: SEVERAL DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAMMES HAVE DEMONSTRATED A REDUCTION IN INCIDENCE OF DIABETES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREDIABETES THROUGH WEIGHT LOSS. SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES HAVE ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFICACIOUS IN WEIGHT LOSS. THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO INVESTIGATE IF INTERLEUKIN (IL)-6, VITAMIN D, NEOPTERIN, VASPIN, AND DIABETES RISK FACTORS CAN BE MODIFIED BY A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE SUBJECTS. METHODS: IN THIS PILOT STUDY, 34 OVERWEIGHT/OBESE [BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) >/= 23 TO <35 KG/M [2] PER ASIAN CUT-OFF VALUES] INDIVIDUALS WERE ENROLLED, AND RECEIVED DIRECTLY SUPERVISED INTERVENTION FOR 10 DAYS. THEREAFTER, THEY WERE ADVISED TO FOLLOW THIS YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE AT HOME FOR ONE MONTH, AND WERE REASSESSED FOR STUDY VARIABLES AT DAY 30. RESULTS: THERE WAS A REDUCTION FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 IN WEIGHT ( P <0.001), BMI ( P <0.001), WAIST/HIP-RATIO ( P <0.05), BLOOD GLUCOSE ( P <0.01), AND A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN LIPID PROFILE. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN MEDIAN FASTING INSULIN ( P <0.05), HOMEOSTATIC MODEL ASSESSMENT-INSULIN RESISTANCE ( P <0.01), AND IL-6 ( PP <0.05). A NON-SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN 25-OH-VITAMIN D, AND A DECREASE IN NEOPTERIN AND VASPIN WERE OBSERVED. TWENTY SUBJECTS RETURNED FOR FOLLOW UP ASSESSMENTS. AT DAY 30, WEIGHT LOSS WAS SUSTAINED WHILE SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE ALSO SHOWED REDUCTION ( P <0.05). CHANGES IN VITAMIN D LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY AND NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN WEIGHT, BMI AND FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, AND POSITIVELY WITH CHANGE IN HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN. CHANGES IN BODY WEIGHT AND BMI SIGNIFICANTLY AND POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH INSULIN. CHANGES IN IL-6 LEVELS POSITIVELY AND SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH CHANGE IN NEOPTERIN LEVELS. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SHOWED THAT IL-6, VITAMIN D, AND DIABETES RISK FACTORS WERE FAVOURABLY MODIFIED BY A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OBESITY. THIS STUDY ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THE CHALLENGES IN COMPLIANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOLLOW UP OF SUBJECTS FOLLOWING AN AGGRESSIVE SUPERVISED INTERVENTION OF 10 DAYS. 2015 18 940 24 EFFECTS OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM ON RENAL FUNCTIONS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY-FOUR PATIENTS WITH CKD WERE STUDIED AND DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS (YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP) TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN CKD. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT MODALITIES, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP WERE TRAINED TO PERFORM SPECIFIC YOGIC ASANAS FOR AT LEAST 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 40-60 MIN A DAY. REGULAR MONITORING OF BLOOD PRESSURE, RENAL FUNCTION, REQUIREMENT OF A NUMBER OF DIALYSIS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) INDICATORS WERE DONE. FIFTY PATIENTS (YOGA - 25; CONTROL-25) COMPLETED 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: IN YOGA GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD UREA AND SERUM CREATININE LEVELS, AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMAIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QOL (AS ASSESSED BY BREF QOL SCORES) WERE SEEN AFTER 6 MONTHS. IN CONTROL GROUP, RISE OF BLOOD PRESSURE, DETERIORATION OF RENAL FUNCTION, AND QOL WERE OBSERVED. POSTSTUDY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF BLOOD PRESSURE, NONSIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD UREA AND SERUM CREATININE, AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMAIN OF QOL IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. FOR SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP, THE NEED FOR DIALYSIS WAS LESS WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP ALTHOUGH THIS DIFFERENCE WAS STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT. EXCEPT FOR INABILITY OF SOME PATIENTS TO PERFORM CERTAIN YOGIC ASANAS NO ADVERSE EFFECT WAS FOUND IN THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: SIX MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN IMPROVING RENAL FUNCTIONS AND QOL OF CKD PATIENTS. 2017 19 1453 17 INFLUENCE OF PRANAYAMAS AND YOGA-ASANAS ON SERUM INSULIN, BLOOD GLUCOSE AND LIPID PROFILE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES. A DISTINGUISHABLE FEATURE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES BESIDES HYPERGLYCEMIA AND DERANGED LIPID PROFILE IS AN IMPAIRED INSULIN SECRETION, PERIPHERAL INSULIN RESISTANCE AND OBESITY WHICH HAS BECOME A MAJOR HEALTH CONCERN WORLDWIDE. INDIA WITH AN ESTIMATED 31MILLION DIABETICS IN 2000 AND 79MLLIONS BY THE YR 2030 HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF TYPE 2 DIABETICS IN THE WORLD. IN THIS STUDY, WE AIMED TO SEE IF YOGA-ASANAS AND PRANAYAMAS HAVE ANY INFLUENCE IN MODIFYING CERTAIN BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS. SIXTY PATIENTS OF UNCOMPLICATED TYPE 2 DIABETES (AGE 35-60 YRS OF 1-10 YRS DURATION) WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: GROUP 1 (N=30): PERFORMED YOGA ALONG WITH THE CONVENTIONAL HYPOGLYCEMIC MEDICINES AND GROUP 2 (N=30): PATIENTS WHO ONLY RECEIVED CONVENTIONAL MEDICINES. DURATION OF THE STUDY WAS 45 DAYS. BASAL RECORDINGS OF BLOOD GLUCOSE (FASTING AND POST-PRANDIAL), LIPID PROFILE AND SERUM INSULIN WERE TAKEN AT THE TIME OF RECRUITMENT AND THE SECOND READING AFTER FORTY FIVE DAYS. RESULTS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN GROUP 1 WHILE GROUP 2 SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ONLY FEW PARAMETERS, THUS SUGGESTING A BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON THESE PARAMETERS IN DIABETIC PATIENTS. 2008 20 1374 21 IMPACT OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY PROTOCOL ON INSULIN RESISTANCE AND GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. OBJECTIVE: DIABETES MELLITUS (DM), CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA, IS ATTRIBUTED TO RELATIVE INSULIN DEFICIENCY OR RESISTANCE, OR BOTH. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA CAN MODULATE PARAMETERS OF INSULIN RESISTANCE. THE PRESENT STUDY EXPLORED THE POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY WITH REFERENCE TO GLYCEMIC CONTROL AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH DIABETES MAINTAINED ON STANDARD ORAL MEDICAL CARE WITH YOGA THERAPY, COMPARED TO THOSE ON STANDARD ORAL MEDICAL CARE ALONE. METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, THE SUBJECTS ON YOGA INTERVENTION COMPRISED 35 TYPE 2 DIABETICS, AND AN EQUAL NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS CONSTITUTED THE CONTROL GROUP. SUBJECTS RANGED IN AGE FROM 30 TO 70 YEARS, WITH HEMOGLOBIN A1C (HBA1C) TEST MORE THAN 7%, AND WERE MAINTAINED ON DIABETIC DIET AND ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC AGENTS. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE DRAWN PRIOR TO AND AFTER 120 DAYS OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION. FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE (FBG), POST-PRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE (PPBG), HBA1C, INSULIN, AND LIPID PROFILE WERE ASSESSED IN BOTH THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS. RESULTS: THE INTERVENTION GROUP REVEALED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) (0.7 KG/M(2) MEDIAN DECREASE; P=0.001), FBG (20 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P<0.001), PPBG (33 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P<0.001), HBA1C (0.4% MEDIAN DECREASE; P<0.001), HOMEOSTATIC MODEL ASSESSMENT FOR INSULIN RESISTANCE (HOMA-IR) (1.2 MEDIAN DECREASE; P<0.001), CHOLESTEROL (13 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE, P=0.006), TRIACYLGLYCEROL (22 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P=0.027), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (6 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P=0.004), AND VERY-LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN LEVELS (4 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P=0.032). INCREASES IN HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN AFTER 120 DAYS WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT (6 MG/DL MEDIAN INCREASE; P=0.15). HOWEVER, WHEN COMPARED TO CHANGES OBSERVED IN PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP, ALL THESE IMPROVEMENTS PROVED TO BE SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: ADMINISTRATION OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DIABETES LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GLYCEMIC CONTROL, INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND KEY BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS. 2022