1 1859 145 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES. PURPOSE: TO OBTAIN ESTIMATES OF TIME TO RECRUIT THE STUDY SAMPLE, RETENTION, FACILITY-BASED CLASS ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE FOR A STUDY OF YOGA IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, AND ITS EFFICACY ON FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND WEIGHT CHANGE. METHODS: SIXTY-THREE POST-TREATMENT STAGES 0-III BORDERLINE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE (BODY MASS INDEX >/= 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 2 2415 50 YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE ONLY VERY LIMITED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EITHER TO A 12-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION OR TO USUAL CARE. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE [MRS] TOTAL SCORE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED MRS SUBSCALES, QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST), FATIGUE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 12 AND WEEK 24 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 40 WOMEN (MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION, 49.2 +/- 5.9 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 19) OR TO USUAL CARE (N = 21). WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS COMPARED WITH THE USUAL CARE GROUP AT WEEK 12 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -5.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -9.2 TO -1.9; P = .004) AND AT WEEK 24 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -4.5; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -8.3 TO -0.7; P = .023). AT WEEK 12, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS; LESS FATIGUE; AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (ALL P < .05). AT WEEK 24, ALL EFFECTS PERSISTED EXCEPT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS REMAINED SIGNIFICANT WHEN ONLY WOMEN WHO WERE RECEIVING ANTIESTROGEN MEDICATION (N = 36) WERE ANALYZED. SIX MINOR ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN EACH GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA COMBINED WITH MEDITATION CAN BE CONSIDERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE EFFECTS SEEM TO PERSIST FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS. 2015 3 1180 49 EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. STUDY DESIGN: THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE ASSESSED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT AND PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS. NINETY SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (N = 43) OR CONTROL GROUP (N = 47) RECEIVING STANDARD MEDICAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS WERE FOLLOWED 6 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. YOGA SUBJECTS WERE HYPOTHESIZED TO REPORT GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE THAN CONTROLS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: CLBP IS A MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. PILOT STUDIES OF YOGA AND BACK PAIN HAVE REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CLINICALLY IMPORTANT OUTCOMES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED THROUGH SELF-REFERRAL AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REFERRALS ACCORDING TO EXPLICIT INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. YOGA SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN 24 WEEKS OF BIWEEKLY YOGA CLASSES DESIGNED FOR CLBP. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT 12 (MIDWAY), 24 (IMMEDIATELY AFTER), AND 48 WEEKS (6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP) AFTER THE START OF THE INTERVENTION USING THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, AND A PAIN MEDICATION-USAGE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WITH REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA (GROUP X TIME), SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN INTENSITY WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AT 24 WEEKS. A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER PROPORTION OF YOGA SUBJECTS ALSO REPORTED CLINICAL IMPROVEMENTS AT BOTH 12 AND 24 WEEKS. IN ADDITION, DEPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA SUBJECTS. FURTHERMORE, WHILE A REDUCTION IN PAIN MEDICATION OCCURRED, THIS WAS COMPARABLE IN BOTH GROUPS. WHEN RESULTS WERE ANALYZED USING PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS, IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED FOR ALL OUTCOMES IN THE YOGA GROUP, INCLUDING AGREATER TREND FOR REDUCED PAIN MEDICATION USAGE. ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY LESS THAN AT 24 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION COMPARED TO STANDARD MEDICAL CARE 6-MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: YOGA IMPROVES FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. THERE WAS ALSO A CLINICALLY IMPORTANT TREND FOR THE YOGA GROUP TO REDUCE THEIR PAIN MEDICATION USAGE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. 2009 4 2811 44 YOGA TO PREVENT MOBILITY LIMITATIONS IN OLDER ADULTS: FEASIBILITY OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE LOSS OF MOBILITY DURING AGING IMPACTS INDEPENDENCE AND LEADS TO FURTHER DISABILITY, MORBIDITY, AND REDUCED LIFE EXPECTANCY. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY LIMITATIONS. METHODS: SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS (N = 46; AGE 60-89) WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A HEALTH EDUCATION COMPARISON GROUP. YOGA SESSIONS (60-MIN) OCCURRED 2X WEEKLY, AND 90-MIN HEALTH EDUCATION SESSIONS OCCURRED WEEKLY, FOR 10 WEEKS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE RECRUITMENT RATE, INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND RETENTION AT ASSESSMENTS. ADVERSE EVENT RATES AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE ALSO MEASURED. PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF GAIT, BALANCE, AND STRENGTH AND SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND 10-WEEKS. RESULTS: RECRUITMENT LASTED 6 MONTHS. RETENTION OF PARTICIPANTS AT THE 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP WAS HIGH (89% - PERFORMANCE MEASURES; 98% - SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES). ATTENDANCE WAS GOOD WITH 82% OF YOGA AND 74% OF HEALTH EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING AT LEAST 50% OF THE SESSIONS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH THE INTERVENTIONS WAS HIGH. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR THE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES WAS 0.35 WITH SOME OVER 0.50. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WAS 0.36. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS INDICATE THAT IT IS FEASIBLE TO CONDUCT A LARGER RCT OF YOGA FOR SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY PROBLEMS. THE YOGA AND COMPARISON INTERVENTIONS WERE SAFE, WELL ACCEPTED, AND WELL ATTENDED. EFFECT SIZES SUGGEST YOGA MAY HAVE IMPORTANT BENEFITS FOR THIS POPULATION AND SHOULD BE STUDIED FURTHER. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS # NCT03544879 ; RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED 4 JUNE, 2018. 2018 5 1902 50 RESTORATIVE YOGA IN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: METABOLIC SYNDROME INCREASES THE RISK OF DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. YOGA IMPROVES SOME METABOLIC PARAMETERS, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED IN PERSONS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER A RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE IN UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: TWENTY SIX UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULT MEN AND WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE RANDOMIZED TO ATTEND 15 YOGA SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH OVER 10 WEEKS OR TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. FEASIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, SUBJECT RETENTION, AND ADHERENCE. ACCEPTABILITY WAS ASSESSED BY INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRES. CHANGES IN METABOLIC OUTCOMES AND QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 10 WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 280 PEOPLE WERE SCREENED BY PHONE, AND 93 WITH HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE INVITED TO A SCREENING VISIT. OF THE 68 WHO ATTENDED SCREENING VISITS, 26 (38%) WERE RANDOMIZED, AND 24 (92%) COMPLETED THE TRIAL. ATTENDANCE AT YOGA CLASSES AND ADHERENCE TO HOME PRACTICE EXCEEDED OUR GOALS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, ALL PARTICIPANTS GAVE THE STUDY THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SATISFACTION RATING, AND THE MAJORITY (87%) FELT THAT THE YOGA POSES WERE EASY TO PERFORM. THERE WAS TREND TO REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE (P = 0.07), A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ENERGY LEVEL (P < 0.009), AND TRENDS TO IMPROVEMENT IN WELL-BEING (P < 0.12) AND STRESS (P < 0.22) IN THE YOGA VERSUS CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORATIVE YOGA WAS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING METABOLIC PARAMETERS IN THIS POPULATION SHOULD BE EXPLORED IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2008 6 1862 57 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA AMONG A MULTIETHNIC SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE IMPACT OF YOGA, INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION EXERCISES, ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), FATIGUE, DISTRESSED MOOD, AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING AMONG A MULTIETHNIC SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT PATIENTS (42% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 31% HISPANIC) RECRUITED FROM AN URBAN CANCER CENTER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED (2:1 RATIO) TO A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 84) OR A 12-WEEK WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 44). CHANGES IN QOL (EG, FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY) FROM BEFORE RANDOM ASSIGNMENT (T1) TO THE 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (T3) WERE EXAMINED; PREDICTORS OF ADHERENCE WERE ALSO ASSESSED. NEARLY HALF OF ALL PATIENTS WERE RECEIVING MEDICAL TREATMENT. RESULTS: REGRESSION ANALYSES INDICATED THAT THE CONTROL GROUP HAD A GREATER DECREASE IN SOCIAL WELL-BEING COMPARED WITH THE INTERVENTION GROUP AFTER CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE SOCIAL WELL-BEING AND COVARIATES (P < .0001). SECONDARY ANALYSES OF 71 PATIENTS NOT RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY DURING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD INDICATED FAVORABLE OUTCOMES FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN OVERALL QOL (P < .008), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (P < .015), SOCIAL WELL-BEING (P < .004), SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (P < .009), AND DISTRESSED MOOD (P < .031). SIXTY-NINE PERCENT OF INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED CLASSES (MEAN NUMBER OF CLASSES ATTENDED BY ACTIVE CLASS PARTICIPANTS = 7.00 +/- 3.80), WITH LOWER ADHERENCE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED FATIGUE (P < .001), RADIOTHERAPY (P < .0001), YOUNGER AGE (P < .008), AND NO ANTIESTROGEN THERAPY (P < .02). CONCLUSION: DESPITE LIMITED ADHERENCE, THIS INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AMONG A MEDICALLY DIVERSE SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. AMONG PATIENTS NOT RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY, YOGA APPEARS TO ENHANCE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND MOOD AND MAY SERVE TO BUFFER DETERIORATION IN BOTH OVERALL AND SPECIFIC DOMAINS OF QOL. 2007 7 428 45 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 8 1041 47 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN ELDERLY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. CONTEXT: YOGA AS A LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE ELDERLY FOR SUCH BENEFITS MERITS INVESTIGATION. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) AND SLEEP QUALITY IN THE ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: SINGLE BLIND CONTROLLED STUDY WITH BLOCK RANDOMIZATION OF ELDERLY HOMES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 120 SUBJECTS FROM NINE ELDERLY HOMES WERE RANDOMIZED IN TO YOGA GROUP (N=62) AND WAITLIST GROUP (N=58). SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE GIVEN YOGA INTERVENTION DAILY FOR 1 MONTH AND WEEKLY UNTIL 3 MONTHS AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE YOGA WITHOUT SUPERVISION UNTIL FOR 6 MONTHS. SUBJECTS IN WAITLIST GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION DURING THIS PERIOD. SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL)-BREF FOR MEASURING QOL AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN THE BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: INDEPENDENT T-TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE RESPECTIVELY WAS USED TO MEASURE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF YEARS OF FORMAL EDUCATION. SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE DOMAINS OF QOL AND TOTAL SLEEP QUALITY AFTER CONTROLLING FOR THE EFFECT OF BASELINE DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY OF ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY TO CONFIRM THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR ELDERLY IN QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY. 2013 9 944 48 EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON METABOLIC RISK AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN HONG KONG CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METABOLIC SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS). METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A CONTROLLED TRIAL WITHIN AN UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED HOSPITAL. 173 CHINESE MEN AND WOMEN AGED 18 OR ABOVE WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 87) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 86). PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED 12-WEEK CHANGE IN METABOLIC RISK FACTORS AND METS Z SCORE. SECONDARY OUTCOME WAS HRQOL (MEDICAL OUTCOMES SHORT FORM SURVEY AT 12 WEEKS). RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 52.0 (SD 7.4, RANGE 31-71) YEARS. ANALYSIS INVOLVING THE ENTIRE STUDY POPULATION REVEALED THAT THE YOGA GROUP ACHIEVED GREATER DECLINE IN WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (P<0.001), FASTING GLUCOSE (P<0.01), TRIGLYCERIDES (P<0.05), AND METS Z SCORE (P<0.01). YOGA TRAINING ALSO IMPROVED GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS (P<0.01), PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCORE (P<0.01), AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING (P<0.01) DOMAINS SCORE OF HRQOL. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS WERE OBSERVED IN THE MEAN CHANGE OF SYSTOLIC/DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES OR HIGH-DENSITY LIPID PROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (ALL P>0.05). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND METS Z SCORE BETWEEN THE METS SUBGROUPS (BOTH P>0.05). CONCLUSION: A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVES METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HRQOL IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ACTRN12613000816752. 2015 10 829 33 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVES: TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS USING A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED AND INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES TOTAL MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE (MRS) SCORE AND THREE SUBSCALE SCORES (SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND UROGENITAL) WERE MEASURED ON DAY 1 AND DAY 90 IN THE STUDY GROUP WHICH PERFORMED YOGA (ASANA, PRANAYAM AND MEDITATION) UNDER SUPERVISION FOR THREE MONTHS, AND WERE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP THAT DID NOT PERFORM YOGA. MRS HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO MEASURE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF AGEING WOMEN. IT CONSISTS OF 11 SYMPTOMS AND THREE SUBSCALES. RESULTS: IT WAS OBSERVED THAT ON DAY 1 THE SCORES IN BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE. ON DAY 90, THE SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A REDUCTION IN SCORE ON ALL THE SUBSCALES, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS NOTED IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. 2011 11 269 53 ADAPTED YOGA TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A HOLISTIC THERAPY OF EXPANDING POPULARITY, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A RANGE OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS. THIS TRIAL EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTS OF AN ADAPTED YOGA PROGRAMME ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL, 52 OLDER ADULTS (90% FEMALE; MEAN AGE 74.8 YEARS, SD 7.2) WERE RANDOMISED 1:1 TO A YOGA PROGRAMME OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE YOGA GROUP (N = 25) RECEIVED A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EDUCATION BOOKLET AND WERE INVITED TO ATTEND TEN YOGA SESSIONS DURING A 12-WEEK PERIOD. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 27) RECEIVED THE EDUCATION BOOKLET ONLY. MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION (E.G., SHORT PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE BATTERY; SPPB), HEALTH STATUS (EQ-5D) AND MENTAL WELL-BEING (WARWICK-EDINBURGH MENTAL WELL-BEING SCALE; WEMWBS) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 3 MONTHS. FEASIBILITY WAS ASSESSED USING COURSE ATTENDANCE AND ADVERSE EVENT DATA, AND PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS. RESULTS: FORTY-SEVEN PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. MEDIAN CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 8 (RANGE 3 TO 10). AT THE 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A HIGHER SPPB TOTAL SCORE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE 0.9, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] -0.3 TO 2.0), A FASTER TIME TO RISE FROM A CHAIR FIVE TIMES (MEAN DIFFERENCE - 1.73 S, 95% CI -4.08 TO 0.62), AND BETTER PERFORMANCE ON THE CHAIR SIT-AND-REACH LOWER-LIMB FLEXIBILITY TEST (MEAN DIFFERENCE 5 CM, 95% CI 0 TO 10). THE YOGA GROUP ALSO HAD SUPERIOR HEALTH STATUS AND MENTAL WELL-BEING (VS. CONTROL) AT 3 MONTHS, WITH MEAN DIFFERENCES IN EQ-5D AND WEMWBS SCORES OF 0.12 (95% CI, 0.03 TO 0.21) AND 6 (95% CI, 1 TO 11), RESPECTIVELY. THE INTERVIEWS INDICATED THAT PARTICIPANTS VALUED ATTENDING THE YOGA PROGRAMME, AND THAT THEY EXPERIENCED A RANGE OF BENEFITS. CONCLUSIONS: THE ADAPTED YOGA PROGRAMME APPEARED TO BE FEASIBLE AND POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL IN TERMS OF IMPROVING MENTAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING AND ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. AN APPROPRIATELY-POWERED TRIAL IS REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THE FINDINGS OF THE PRESENT STUDY AND TO DETERMINE LONGER-TERM EFFECTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02663726 . 2017 12 963 40 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA: A SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. DESIGN: SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: 40 RANDOMLY SELECTED UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS, WITH 20 EACH ASSIGNED TO AN EXERCISE OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTION: THE PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN A YOGA PROGRAM FOR 60 MINUTES ONCE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. THE PROGRAM CONSISTED OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE COMBINED WITH RELAXATION AND MEDITATION. OUTCOME MEASURES: MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS LEVELS WERE MEASURED BY USING THE VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE FOR PAIN AND THE MENSTRUAL DISTRESS QUESTIONNAIRE, RESPECTIVELY. DATA WERE ANALYZED BY USING THE KOLMOGOROV-SMIRNOV AND SHAPIRO-WILK NORMALITY TESTS, T-TEST, CHI-SQUARE TEST, LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSIS, AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (SPSS PROGRAM). RESULTS: MENSTRUAL PAIN INTENSITY (GROUP DIFFERENCE, -0.94; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI], -1.47 TO -0.42; P = 0.001) AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS (GROUP DIFFERENCE, -1.13; 95% CI, -1.43 TO -0.82; P < 0.0001) SCORES DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY REDUCE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN FEMALE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. 2016 13 192 42 A RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISES ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN AMONG NURSING POPULATION WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) ADVERSELY AFFECTS QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN NURSING PROFESSIONALS. INTEGRATED YOGA HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON CLBP. STUDIES ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CLBP IN NURSING POPULATION ARE LACKING. AIM: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES ON QOL IN NURSES WITH CLBP. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 88 WOMEN NURSES FROM A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF SOUTH INDIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA GROUP (N = 44; AGE - 31.45 +/- 3.47 YEARS) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP (N = 44; AGE - 32.75 +/- 3.71 YEARS). YOGA GROUP WAS INTERVENED WITH INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY MODULE PRACTICES, 1 H/DAY AND 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP PRACTICED A SET OF PHYSICAL EXERCISES FOR THE SAME DURATION. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE-BRIEF (WHOQOL-BREF) QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: DATA WERE ANALYZED BY PAIRED-SAMPLES T-TEST AND INDEPENDENT-SAMPLES T-TEST FOR WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP COMPARISONS, RESPECTIVELY, USING THE STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS). WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSIS FOR QOL REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL DOMAINS (EXCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN) IN BOTH GROUPS. BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSIS SHOWED A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA AS COMPARED TO EXERCISE GROUP EXCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN. CONCLUSIONS: INTEGRATED YOGA WAS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL HEALTH DOMAINS OF QOL BETTER THAN PHYSICAL EXERCISES AMONG NURSING PROFESSIONALS WITH CLBP. THERE IS A NEED TO INCORPORATE YOGA AS LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR NURSING PROFESSIONALS. 2018 14 162 52 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT A PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (LBP) TO INFORM THE FEASIBILITY AND PRACTICALITY OF CONDUCTING A FULL-SCALE TRIAL IN THE UK; AND TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: A PRAGMATIC RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY PARTICIPANTS WHO HAD PRESENTED TO THEIR GP WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN THE PREVIOUS 18 MONTHS WERE RECRUITED VIA GP RECORDS FROM ONE PRACTICE IN YORK, UK. INTERVENTIONS: TWENTY PATIENTS WERE RANDOMISED TO EITHER 12 WEEKLY 75-MIN SESSIONS OF SPECIALISED YOGA PLUS WRITTEN ADVICE, OR USUAL CARE PLUS WRITTEN ADVICE. ALLOCATION WAS 50/50. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: RECRUITMENT RATE, LEVELS OF INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND LOSS TO FOLLOW-UP WERE THE MAIN NON-CLINICAL OUTCOMES. CHANGE AS MEASURED BY THE ROLAND AND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE WAS THE PRIMARY CLINICAL OUTCOME. CHANGES IN THE ABERDEEN BACK PAIN SCALE, SF-12, EQ-5D, AND PAIN SELF-EFFICACY WERE SECONDARY CLINICAL OUTCOMES. DATA WERE COLLECTED VIA POSTAL QUESTIONNAIRE AT BASELINE, 4 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: OF THE 286 PATIENTS IDENTIFIED FROM THE GP DATABASE, 52 (18%) CONSENTED AND RETURNED THE ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, OUT OF THESE 20 (6.9%) WERE ELIGIBLE AND RANDOMISED. THE TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS RANDOMISED FROM THE GP PRACTICE POPULATION WAS 0.28%. TEN PATIENTS WERE RANDOMISED TO YOGA, RECEIVING AN AVERAGE OF 1.7 SESSIONS (RANGE 0-5), AND 10 WERE RANDOMISED TO USUAL CARE. AT 12 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS RECEIVED FROM 60% OF PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 90% OF PATIENTS IN THE USUAL CARE GROUP (75% OVERALL). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE SEEN BETWEEN GROUPS IN CLINICAL OUTCOMES APART FROM ON THE ABERDEEN BACK PAIN SCALE AT FOUR WEEKS FOLLOW-UP WHERE THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PAIN. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDED USEFUL DATA AND INFORMATION TO INFORM THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A FULL-SCALE TRIAL OF YOGA FOR CLBP IN THE UK. A KEY FINDING IS THE CALCULATION OF GP PRACTICE TOTAL LIST SIZE REQUIRED FOR PATIENT RECRUITMENT IN A FULL-SCALE TRIAL, AND THE NEED TO IMPLEMENT METHODS TO INCREASE CLASS ATTENDANCE. 2010 15 159 43 A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF YOGA AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE YOGA AND RELAXATION AS TREATMENT MODALITIES AT 10 AND 16 WEEKS FROM STUDY BASELINE TO DETERMINE IF EITHER OF MODALITY REDUCES SUBJECT STRESS, ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED COMPARATIVE TRIAL WAS UNDERTAKEN COMPARING YOGA WITH RELAXATION. PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE SUBJECTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE LEVELS OF STRESS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE COMMUNITY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. INTERVENTIONS: TEN WEEKLY 1- H SESSIONS OF RELAXATION OR HATHA YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN THE STATE TRAIT PERSONALITY INVENTORY SUB-SCALE ANXIETY, GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SHORT FORM-36. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 10 WEEK INTERVENTION STRESS, ANXIETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IMPROVED OVER TIME. YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS RELAXATION IN REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY AND IMPROVING HEALTH STATUS ON SEVEN DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN RELAXATION IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. AT THE END OF THE 6 WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND ON FIVE DOMAINS OF THE SF-36. VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES ON THE SF-36 WERE HIGHER IN THE RELAXATION GROUP DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO PROVIDE A COMPARABLE IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS, ANXIETY AND HEALTH STATUS COMPARED TO RELAXATION. 2007 16 2667 41 YOGA IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA PRACTICE HAVE BECOME COMMONPLACE, YET THE SAFETY, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE (HF) ARE UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS SAFE AND WOULD POSITIVELY INFLUENCE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION IN HF PATIENTS. METHODS AND RESULTS: STABLE HF PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED (N = 15) AND COMPLETED (N = 12) 8 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES. DATA COLLECTED WERE: SAFETY (CARDIAC AND ORTHOPEDIC ADVERSE EVENTS); PHYSICAL FUNCTION (STRENGTH, BALANCE, ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY); AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION (QUALITY OF LIFE [QOL], DEPRESSION SCORES, MINDFULNESS) BEFORE AND AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASSES. RESULTS: MEAN AGE WAS 52.4 + OR - 11.6 WITH THREE-FOURTHS (N = 9) BEING MALE AND CAUCASIAN. NO PARTICIPANT HAD ANY ADVERSE EVENTS. ENDURANCE (P < .02) AND STRENGTH (UPPER P = .04 AND LOWER BODY P = .01) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. BALANCE IMPROVED BY 13.6 SECONDS (26.9 + OR - 19.7 TO 40.0 + OR - 18.5; P = .05). SYMPTOM STABILITY, A SUBSCALE OF QOL, IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P = .02). ALTHOUGH NO SUBJECT WAS DEPRESSED, OVERALL MOOD WAS IMPROVED. SUBJECTS SUBJECTIVELY REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN OVERALL WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE WAS SAFE, WITH PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCING IMPROVED PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND SYMPTOM STABILITY. LARGER STUDIES ARE WARRANTED TO PROVIDE MORE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS FOR IMPROVED OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH HF. 2010 17 2681 48 YOGA IN SEDENTARY ADULTS WITH ARTHRITIS: EFFECTS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PRAGMATIC TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF INTEGRAL-BASED HATHA YOGA IN SEDENTARY PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS. METHODS: THERE WERE 75 SEDENTARY ADULTS AGED 18+ YEARS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) OR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 8 WEEKS OF YOGA (TWO 60-MIN CLASSES AND 1 HOME PRACTICE/WK) OR WAITLIST. POSES WERE MODIFIED FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS PHYSICAL HEALTH [MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT FORM-36 (SF-36) PHYSICAL COMPONENT SUMMARY (PCS)] ADJUSTED FOR BASELINE; EXPLORATORY ADJUSTED OUTCOMES INCLUDED FITNESS, MOOD, STRESS, SELF-EFFICACY, SF-36 HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL), AND RA DISEASE ACTIVITY. IN EVERYONE COMPLETING YOGA, WE EXPLORED LONGTERM EFFECTS AT 9 MONTHS. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE MOSTLY FEMALE (96%), WHITE (55%), AND COLLEGE-EDUCATED (51%), WITH A MEAN (SD) AGE OF 52 YEARS (12 YRS). AVERAGE DISEASE DURATION WAS 9 YEARS AND 49% HAD RA. AT 8 WEEKS, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PCS (6.5, 95% CI 2.0-10.7), WALKING CAPACITY (125 M, 95% CI 15-235), POSITIVE AFFECT (5.2, 95% CI 1.4-8.9), AND LOWER CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES DEPRESSION SCALE (-3.0, 95% CI -4.8 - -1.3). SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P < 0.05) WERE EVIDENT IN SF-36 ROLE PHYSICAL, PAIN, GENERAL HEALTH, VITALITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH SCALES. BALANCE, GRIP STRENGTH, AND FLEXIBILITY WERE SIMILAR BETWEEN GROUPS. TWENTY-TWO OUT OF 28 IN THE WAITLIST GROUP COMPLETED YOGA. AMONG ALL YOGA PARTICIPANTS, SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED IN MEAN PCS, FLEXIBILITY, 6-MIN WALK, AND ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MOST HRQOL DOMAINS AT 8 WEEKS WITH MOST STILL EVIDENT 9 MONTHS LATER. OF 7 ADVERSE EVENTS, NONE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS YOGA MAY HELP SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS WITH ARTHRITIS SAFELY INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND HRQOL. CLINICAL TRIALS NCT00349869. 2015 18 2628 48 YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN AND SLEEP IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, DESIGNED AND REPORTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH DELPHI RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A HOSPITAL DATABASE, AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER EIGHT WEEKLY 75-MIN YOGA CLASSES OR A USUAL CARE CONTROL. FEASIBILITY WAS DETERMINED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, RETENTION, PROTOCOL ADHERENCE, PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION AND ADVERSE EVENTS. SECONDARY PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING SELF-REPORTED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE (WEEK 0), WEEK 9 (PRIMARY TIME POINT) AND WEEK 12 (FOLLOW-UP). RESULTS: OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD, 26 PARTICIPANTS WITH MILD PAIN, MILD TO MODERATE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND MODERATE DISEASE ACTIVITY WERE RECRUITED INTO THE STUDY (25% RECRUITMENT RATE). RETENTION RATES WERE 100% FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND 92% FOR USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS AT BOTH WEEKS 9 AND 12. PROTOCOL ADHERENCE AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE HIGH. YOGA PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEDIAN OF SEVEN CLASSES; ADDITIONALLY, SEVEN OF THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS (54%) REPORTED CONTINUING YOGA AT HOME DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RELATED TO THE STUDY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES SHOWED NO GROUP EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. CONCLUSIONS: A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA PROGRAMME WAS FOUND TO BE FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-RELATED PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE MINOR, AND NOT UNEXPECTED FROM AN INTERVENTION INCLUDING PHYSICAL COMPONENTS. THIS PILOT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK FOR LARGER INTERVENTION STUDIES, AND SUPPORTS FURTHER EXPLORATION OF YOGA AS A COMPLEX INTERVENTION TO ASSIST WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. 2018 19 1527 38 IYENGAR YOGA FOR DISTRESSED WOMEN: A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. DISTRESS IS AN INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN DISTRESSED WOMEN AND EVALUATED A POTENTIAL DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP. SEVENTY-TWO FEMALE DISTRESSED SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED INTO A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL AND ALLOCATED TO YOGA GROUP 1 (N = 24) WITH TWELVE 90 MIN SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, YOGA GROUP 2 (N = 24) WITH 24 SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, OR A WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 24). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS STRESS PERCEPTION, MEASURED BY COHEN STRESS SCALE; SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED STATE TRAIT ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, WELL BEING, AND BODILY COMPLAINTS. AFTER THREE MONTHS, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.003), STATE TRAIT ANXIETY (P = 0.021 AND P = 0.003), DEPRESSION (P = 0.008), PSYCHOLOGICAL QOL (P = 0.012), MOOD STATES BEING (P = 0.007), AND BODILY COMPLAINTS WELL(P = 0.012) WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROLS. BOTH YOGA PROGRAMS WERE SIMILARLY EFFECTIVE FOR THESE OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, COMPLIANCE WAS BETTER IN THE GROUP WITH FEWER SESSIONS (YOGA GROUP 1). DOSE EFFECTS WERE SEEN ONLY IN THE ANALYSIS OF GROUP-INDEPENDENT EFFECTS FOR BACK PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES DISTRESS AND IMPROVES RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL OUTCOMES. FURTHERMORE, ATTENDING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO ONCE-WEEKLY CLASSES, AS A RESULT OF LIMITED COMPLIANCE IN THE TWICE-WEEKLY GROUP. 2012 20 2644 38 YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH URGENCY URINARY INCONTINENCE: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A GENTLE YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH URGENCY URINARY INCONTINENCE (UUI). ALSO, THESE PRELIMINARY DATA CAN EVALUATE IF YOGA IMPROVES SYMPTOM BURDEN, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS FOR WOMEN WITH UUI. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE NONRANDOMIZED SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TWICE-WEEKLY, 8-WEEK GENTLE YOGA INTERVENTION TO REDUCE UUI SYMPTOM BURDEN. CHANGES IN SYMPTOM BURDEN WERE MEASURED USING THE PELVIC FLOOR DISTRESS INVENTORY 20. SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, STRESS, ANXIETY, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS. OUTCOMES WERE EVALUATED WITH PAIRED T TESTING. RESULTS: TWELVE WOMEN COMPLETED THE YOGA INTERVENTION WITH NO ADVERSE OUTCOMES NOTED. URGENCY SYMPTOM BURDEN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.01), AND WOMEN REPORTED AN INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE (P = 0.04) AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION. FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION, THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN REPORTED SYMPTOMS AS "MUCH BETTER" (N = 4 [33%]) AND "A LITTLE BETTER" (N = 5 [42%]), WITH 3 WOMEN (25%) REPORTING "NO CHANGE." WOMEN ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (P = 0.03) AND BETTER QUALITY OF SLEEP (P = 0.03). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE FOUND IN ANXIETY OR STRESS PERCEPTION. PLASMA LEVELS OF THE INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKER TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA WERE REDUCED AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION (P = 0.009); HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT POSTYOGA CHANGES WERE FOUND FOR INTERLEUKIN 6 OR C-REACTIVE PROTEIN. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA IS A FEASIBLE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT REDUCES INCONTINENCE SYMPTOM BURDEN, ALONG WITH IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND SLEEP QUALITY. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA MAY LOWER INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH INCONTINENCE. 2021