1 1372 138 IMPACT OF A YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON STUDENTS' STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS. OBJECTIVE. TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF A SIX-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS' STRESS PERCEPTION, ANXIETY LEVELS, AND MINDFULNESS SKILLS. METHODS. COLLEGE STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A SIX-WEEK PILOT PROGRAM THAT CONSISTED OF A 60-MINUTE VINYASA FLOW YOGA CLASS ONCE WEEKLY, FOLLOWED BY GUIDED MEDITATION DELIVERED BY TRAINED FACULTY MEMBERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE OF PHARMACY. STUDENTS COMPLETED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRES TO EVALUATE CHANGES IN THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: STRESS LEVELS, ANXIETY LEVELS, AND MINDFULNESS SKILLS. THE QUESTIONNAIRE CONSISTED OF THREE SELF-REPORTING TOOLS: THE BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY (BAI), THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS), AND THE FIVE FACET MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE (FFMQ). STUDENTS' SCORES ON EACH WERE ASSESSED TO DETECT ANY CHANGES FROM BASELINE USING THE NUMERICAL AND CATEGORICAL SCALES (LOW, MEDIUM, AND HIGH) FOR EACH INSTRUMENT. RESULTS. SEVENTEEN PARTICIPANTS, AGED 19 TO 23 YEARS, COMPLETED THE STUDY. THIRTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALE AND FOUR WERE MALE. NINE OF THE STUDENTS WERE ENROLLED IN THE DOCTOR OF PHARMACY PROGRAM AND EIGHT WERE ENROLLED IN OTHER ACADEMIC PROGRAMS. STUDENTS' ANXIETY AND STRESS SCORES DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WHILE THEIR TOTAL MINDFULNESS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. CHANGES IN CATEGORICAL DATA FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION ON THE BAI AND PSS WERE SIGNIFICANT, WITH NO STUDENTS SCORING IN THE "HIGH" CATEGORY FOR STRESS OR ANXIETY ON THE POST-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRE. CONCLUSION. STUDENTS EXPERIENCED A REDUCTION IN STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS AFTER COMPLETING A SIX-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION PROGRAM PRECEDING FINAL EXAMINATIONS. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT ADOPTING A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE FOR AS LITTLE AS ONCE PER WEEK MAY REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. ADMINISTRATORS SHOULD CONSIDER INCLUDING INSTRUCTION IN NONPHARMACOLOGIC STRESS AND ANXIETY REDUCTION METHODS, WITHIN CURRICULA IN ORDER TO SUPPORT STUDENT SELF-CARE. 2019 2 2508 41 YOGA BREATHING FOR CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: RESULTS OF A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MANY DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS ARISE FROM CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT THAT ARE OFTEN UNRELIEVED BY ESTABLISHED METHODS. PRANAYAMA, A SERIES OF YOGIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES, MAY IMPROVE CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED FOR THIS PURPOSE. OBJECTIVES: A PILOT STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO EVALUATE FEASIBILITY AND TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING PRANAYAMA TO USUAL CARE. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. SUBJECTS: PATIENTS RECEIVING CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE PRANAYAMA IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (CONTROL GROUP). INTERVENTIONS: THE PRANAYAMA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF FOUR BREATHING TECHNIQUES TAUGHT IN WEEKLY CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME. THE TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING TWO CONSECUTIVE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED USUAL CARE DURING THEIR FIRST CYCLE, AND RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING THEIR SECOND CYCLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY, CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS (FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS), AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE THE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS NEARLY 100% IN BOTH GROUPS. SIXTEEN (16) PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT ANY INCREASE IN PRANAYAMA DOSE, WITH DOSE MEASURED IN THE NUMBER OF HOURS PRACTICED IN CLASS OR AT HOME, RESULTED IN IMPROVED SYMPTOM AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES. SEVERAL OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS--SLEEP DISTURBANCE (P=0.04), ANXIETY (P=0.04), AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.05)--REACHED OR APPROACHED STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA BREATHING WAS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PRANAYAMA MAY IMPROVE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN PRANAYAMA USE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE FINDINGS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN A LARGER STUDY. 2012 3 2553 30 YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER COMPLETING CANCER TREATMENT. SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER MAY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, AND BALANCE IMPAIRMENT. YOGA IS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT IMPROVES FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. USING A ONE GROUP, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND ASSESSED IF CANCER SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 10 TO 17 YEARS (N = 13) HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FATIGUE AND ANXIETY, AND BETTER BALANCE AND SLEEP, AFTER A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH A 6-WEEK PRE-INTERVENTION WAIT PERIOD. STUDY RECRUITMENT WAS CHALLENGING WITH A 32% ENROLLMENT RATE; YOGA ATTENDANCE WAS 90%. NONE OF THE SCORES FOR ANXIETY, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE HAD SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING THE WAIT PERIOD. AFTER THE 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, CHILDREN (N = 7) HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY SCORE (P = .04) WHILE ADOLESCENT SCORES (N = 7) SHOWED A DECREASING TREND (P = .10). SCORES FOR FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE REMAINED STABLE POST-INTERVENTION. FATIGUE AND BALANCE SCORES WERE BELOW NORMS FOR HEALTH CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS WHILE SLEEP AND ANXIETY SCORES WERE SIMILAR TO HEALTHY PEERS. 2016 4 1063 40 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND MOOD IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTY-TWO HEALTHY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, WHICH COMPRISED A 60-MINUTE SESSION TWICE A WEEK. EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF BREATHING EXERCISES, YOGA POSE PRACTICE, AND SUPINE MEDITATION/RELAXATION. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY YOGA PRACTICE AND TO MAINTAIN THEIR USUAL LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE STUDY. OUTCOME MEASURES: PARTICIPANTS' HEART RATE VARIABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (WEEK 0) AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (WEEK 9). RESULTS: NO MEASURES OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY IN EITHER THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP AFTER INTERVENTION. STATE ANXIETY WAS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YOGA GROUP BUT NOT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTED IN PERCEIVED STRESS, DEPRESSION, OR TRAIT ANXIETY IN EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO IMPROVE HEART RATE VARIABILITY. HOWEVER, SUCH A PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY IN GENERALLY HEALTHY WOMEN. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD INVOLVE LONGER PERIODS OF YOGA TRAINING, INCLUDE HEART RATE VARIABILITY MEASURES BOTH AT REST AND DURING YOGA PRACTICE, AND ENROLL WOMEN WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF STRESS AND TRAIT ANXIETY. 2015 5 282 34 ADHERENCE TO YOGA AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS IN A 6-MONTH CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: TO DETERMINE FACTORS THAT PREDICT ADHERENCE TO A MIND-BODY INTERVENTION IN A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. DESIGN: WE ANALYZED ADHERENCE DATA FROM A 3-ARM TRIAL INVOLVING 135 GENERALLY HEALTHY SENIORS 65-85 YEARS OF AGE RANDOMIZED TO A 6-MONTH INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF: AN IYENGAR YOGA CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, AN EXERCISE CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD, FATIGUE, ANXIETY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL MEASURES. ADHERENCE TO THE INTERVENTION WAS OBTAINED BY CLASS ATTENDANCE AND BIWEEKLY HOME PRACTICE LOGS. RESULTS: THE DROP-OUT RATE WAS 13%. AMONG THE COMPLETERS OF THE TWO ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS, AVERAGE YOGA CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 77% AND HOME PRACTICE OCCURRED 64% OF ALL DAYS. AVERAGE EXERCISE CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 69% AND HOME EXERCISE OCCURRED 54% OF ALL DAYS. THERE WERE NO CLEAR EFFECTS OF ADHERENCE ON THE SIGNIFICANT STUDY OUTCOMES (QUALITY OF LIFE AND PHYSICAL MEASURES). CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH BASELINE MEASURES OF DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, AND PHYSICAL COMPONENTS OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN BASELINE MEASURES WERE ALSO FOUND BETWEEN STUDY COMPLETERS AND DROP-OUTS IN THE ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS. ADHERENCE WAS NOT RELATED TO AGE, GENDER, OR EDUCATION LEVEL. CONCLUSION: HEALTHY SENIORS HAVE GOOD ATTENDANCE AT CLASSES WITH A PHYSICALLY ACTIVE INTERVENTION. HOME PRACTICE TAKES PLACE OVER HALF OF THE TIME. DECREASED ADHERENCE TO A POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE THE EFFECT OF THE INTERVENTION IN A CLINICAL TRIAL BECAUSE SUBJECTS WHO MIGHT SUSTAIN THE GREATEST BENEFIT WILL RECEIVE A LOWER DOSE OF THE INTERVENTION AND SUBJECTS WITH HIGHER ADHERENCE RATES MAY BE FUNCTIONING CLOSER TO MAXIMUM ABILITY BEFORE THE INTERVENTION. STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE ADHERENCE AMONG SUBJECTS AT GREATER RISK FOR LOW ADHERENCE WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE TRIALS, ESPECIALLY COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS REQUIRING GREATER EFFORT THAN SIMPLE PILL-TAKING. 2007 6 948 45 EFFECTS OF A 6 WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING IN WOMEN SCREENING POSITIVE FOR ADULT ADHD: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING IN ADULTS WITH ADHD SYMPTOMS. THIS PILOT STUDY SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND SELECTED PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF 6 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING IN WOMEN SCREENING POSITIVE FOR ADULT ADHD COMPARED TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED WITH 32 ADULT WOMEN (18-24 YEARS) WHO VOLUNTEERED AFTER SCREENING POSITIVE FOR ADULT ADHD AS ASSESSED BY THE ADULT ADHD SELF-REPORT SCALE (ASRS). PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO 6 WEEKS OF BIKRAM YOGA TRAINING OR TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF TWO 90-MIN CLASSES PER WEEK. MULTILEVEL MODELS WERE USED TO TEST HYPOTHESIZED INTERACTIONS OF YOGA-INDUCED IMPROVEMENTS COMPARED TO CONTROLS ACROSS TIME (BASELINE, 3 WEEKS, AND 6 WEEKS). THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES ASSESSED INHIBITORY CONTROL, COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY AND WORKING MEMORY USING THE NIH TOOLBOX. SEPARATE MODELS WITH TRAIT MINDFULNESS, TRAIT ANXIETY AND EXPECTATIONS FOR CHANGE IN EITHER ATTENTION OR WORKING MEMORY AS COVARIATES TESTED WHETHER THESE VARIABLES MEDIATED THE CHANGES IN THE THREE MEASURES OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED MOOD, PERCEIVED FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT AND MOTIVATION FOR, AND HYPERACTIVITY DURING, THE COGNITIVE TESTS. RESULTS: NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE OBSERVED. ATTENDANCE AVERAGED 91.7% AMONG THE 69% OF THE SAMPLE THAT DID NOT DROPOUT. NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP X TIME INTERACTIONS WERE FOUND FOR ANY OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES AND THE NULL EXECUTIVE FUNCTION FINDINGS WERE UNCHANGED WHEN INCLUDING THE COVARIATES. CONCLUSION: SIX-WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING TWICE PER WEEK IS POTENTIALLY FEASIBLE FOR WOMEN EXPERIENCING ADHD SYMPTOMS, BUT AN EXERCISE STIMULUS OF THIS DURATION AND MAGNITUDE YIELDS NO BENEFICIAL COGNITIVE OR MOOD OUTCOMES. 2022 7 390 46 BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING IN A US HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM: A PRELIMINARY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO TEST FEASIBILITY OF YOGA WITHIN A HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND EVALUATE PREVENTIVE EFFICACY FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING. METHODS: GRADE 11 OR 12 STUDENTS (N = 51) WHO REGISTERED FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE) WERE CLUSTER-RANDOMIZED BY CLASS 2:1 YOGA:PE-AS-USUAL. A KRIPALU-BASED YOGA PROGRAM OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, RELAXATION, AND MEDITATION WAS TAUGHT 2 TO 3 TIMES A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS. SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES WERE ADMINISTERED TO STUDENTS 1 WEEK BEFORE AND AFTER. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING WERE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-SHORT FORM AND POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SCHEDULE FOR CHILDREN. ADDITIONAL MEASURES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING INCLUDED PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE AND INVENTORY OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTITUDES. SECONDARY MEASURES OF SELF-REGULATORY SKILLS INCLUDED RESILIENCE SCALE, STATE TRAIT ANGER EXPRESSION INVENTORY-2, AND CHILD ACCEPTANCE MINDFULNESS MEASURE. TO ASSESS FEASIBILITY, YOGA STUDENTS COMPLETED A PROGRAM EVALUATION. ANALYSES OF COVARIANCE WERE CONDUCTED BETWEEN GROUPS WITH BASELINE AS THE COVARIATE. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH PE-AS-USUAL STUDENTS SHOWED DECREASES IN PRIMARY OUTCOMES, YOGA STUDENTS MAINTAINED OR IMPROVED. TOTAL MOOD DISTURBANCE IMPROVED IN YOGA STUDENTS AND WORSENED IN CONTROLS (P = .015), AS DID PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-SHORT FORM (POMS-SF) TENSION-ANXIETY SUBSCALE (P = .002). ALTHOUGH POSITIVE AFFECT REMAINED UNCHANGED IN BOTH, NEGATIVE AFFECT SIGNIFICANTLY WORSENED IN CONTROLS WHILE IMPROVING IN YOGA STUDENTS (P = .006). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT. STUDENTS RATED YOGA FAIRLY HIGH, DESPITE MODERATE ATTENDANCE. CONCLUSIONS: IMPLEMENTATION WAS FEASIBLE AND STUDENTS GENERALLY FOUND IT BENEFICIAL. ALTHOUGH NOT CAUSAL DUE TO SMALL, UNEVEN SAMPLE SIZE, THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY SUGGESTS PREVENTIVE BENEFITS IN PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING FROM KRIPALU YOGA DURING HIGH SCHOOL PE. THESE RESULTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED STUDIES OF YOGA IN SCHOOL SETTINGS. 2012 8 1240 41 FEASIBILITY OF A MINDFUL YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER: RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER (MBC) EXPERIENCE HIGH LEVELS OF SYMPTOMS. YOGA INTERVENTIONS HAVE SHOWN PROMISE FOR IMPROVING CANCER SYMPTOMS BUT HAVE RARELY BEEN TESTED IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED DISEASE. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE ACCEPTABILITY OF A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM FOR MBC AND THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED TRIAL TESTING THE INTERVENTION. METHODS: SIXTY-THREE WOMEN WITH MBC WERE RANDOMIZED WITH A 2:1 ALLOCATION TO YOGA OR A SUPPORT GROUP COMPARISON CONDITION. BOTH INTERVENTIONS INVOLVED EIGHT WEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS. FEASIBILITY WAS QUANTIFIED USING RATES OF ACCRUAL, ATTRITION, AND SESSION ATTENDANCE. ACCEPTABILITY WAS ASSESSED WITH A STANDARDIZED SELF-REPORT MEASURE. PAIN, FATIGUE, SLEEP QUALITY, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, MINDFULNESS, AND FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, POST-INTERVENTION, AND 3 AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: WE MET GOALS FOR ACCRUAL AND RETENTION, WITH 50% OF ELIGIBLE PATIENTS ENROLLED AND 87% OF RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING POST-INTERVENTION SURVEYS. SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF WOMEN IN THE YOGA CONDITION AND 90% IN THE SUPPORT GROUP ATTENDED >/= 4 SESSIONS. EIGHTY PERCENT OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA CONDITION AND 65% IN THE SUPPORT GROUP INDICATED THAT THEY WERE HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH THE INTERVENTION. FOLLOWING TREATMENT, WOMEN IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION HAD MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN SOME OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, OVERALL SYMPTOM LEVELS WERE LOW FOR WOMEN IN BOTH CONDITIONS. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION CONTENT WAS HIGHLY ACCEPTABLE TO PATIENTS WITH MBC, BUT THAT THERE ARE CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTING AN INTERVENTION INVOLVING EIGHT GROUP-BASED IN-PERSON SESSIONS. ALTERNATIVE MODES OF DELIVERY MAY BE NECESSARY TO REACH PATIENTS MOST IN NEED OF INTERVENTION. 2019 9 1899 38 RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG JAPANESE FEMALE NURSES WORKING NIGHT SHIFT: RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE WHETHER RESTORATIVE YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR RELIEVING OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG FEMALE NURSES WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT IN JAPAN. METHODS: FROM JULY 2017 TO MAY 2018, 20 FEMALE NURSES AGED IN THEIR 20S TO 30S WHO WERE WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT AT A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL PARTICIPATED IN A RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL, CONSISTING OF A 1-HOUR GUIDED GROUP YOGA SESSION FOLLOWED BY 4 WEEKS OF AT-HOME PRACTICE AND 4 WEEKS OF USUAL STRESS RELIEF METHODS. THE LEVEL OF STRESS WAS ASSESSED BY THE BRIEF JOB STRESS QUESTIONNAIRE OF THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, LABOUR AND WELFARE BEFORE AND AFTER PERFORMING RESTORATIVE YOGA. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS WERE CALCULATED AND DATA WERE ANALYZED BY STUDENT'S T TEST, ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (WITH REPEATED MEASURES), OR BONFERRONI'S MULTIPLE COMPARISON TEST. RESULTS: VITAL SIGNS SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FROM BEFORE TO AFTER THE GROUP YOGA SESSION, AND THERE WAS NO CHANGE OF WEIGHT AFTER 4 WEEKS OF AT-HOME PRACTICE. THE MEAN QUESTIONNAIRE SCORE FOR "PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL STRESS REACTIONS" WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AFTER THE GROUP YOGA SESSION. IN ADDITION, THE MEAN SCORE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AFTER 4 WEEKS OF AT-HOME PRACTICE THAN BEFORE OR AFTER GROUP YOGA, OR AFTER 4 WEEKS OF THE USUAL STRESS RELIEF METHODS. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT RESTORATIVE YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR ALLEVIATING OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG FEMALE NURSES WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT. 2019 10 2274 46 THE ROLE OF YOGA IN TREATING STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN DENTAL HYGIENE STUDENTS. CONTEXT: RESEARCH HAS PROVIDED EVIDENCE FOR YOGA'S EFFECTIVENESS IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF PAIN AND STRESS, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED AS SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE MODERATORS OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND EXPERIENCE. AIMS: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY IMPACT OF A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION WITH DENTAL HYGIENE STUDENTS TO REDUCE PERCEPTIONS OF STRESS AND STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: STUDENTS SELF-SELECTED INTO A YOGA TREATMENT VERSUS CONTROL CONDITION. THEY COMPLETED STRESS AND PAIN MEASURES AT FOUR TIME POINTS DURING AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION OR CONTROL PERIOD OF 10-WEEKS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A DENTAL HYGIENE PROGRAM. ALL 77 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A 10-WEEK STUDY, SELF-SELECTING INTO AN INTERVENTION OR CONTROL GROUP. THEY COMPLETED THREE SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING PAIN AND STRESS, ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE, MID-POINT, POSTINTERVENTION, AND TWO FOLLOW-UPS. THE 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 10 90-MIN YOGA SESSIONS THAT PROVIDED CHECK-INS, BREATHING EXERCISES, SEQUENCES OF POSTURES, RELAXATION EXERCISES, AND CLOSING MEDITATIONS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T-TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE PERCEIVED STRESS LEVELS OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL VERSUS TREATMENT GROUPS. PAIRED T-TEST WAS USED TO ASSESS DIFFERENCES IN STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOM LEVELS ACROSS TIME. RESULTS: RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT A YOGA INTERVENTION IS FEASIBLE FOR THIS GROUP AND THAT ACTIVE YOGA PRACTICE CAN LOWER PERCEIVED STRESS ACROSS MULTIPLE DOMAINS AND ACROSS TIME. CONCLUSIONS: A SPECIALLY ADAPTED AND DESIGNED 10-WEEK YOGA PROTOCOL APPEARS TO BE AN ACCESSIBLE OPTION FOR DENTAL HYGIENE PROGRAMS THAT SEEK TO SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS IN IMPROVING OVERALL WELLBEING. 2020 11 70 38 A FEASIBILITY STUDY EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH AND SYMPTOMS IN PEDIATRIC OUTPATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PURPOSE: PEDIATRIC CANCER PATIENTS EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT QUALITY OF LIFE; YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A 10-WEEK, WEEKLY INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS RECEIVING OUTPATIENT CANCER THERAPY PRIMARILY DELIVERED REMOTELY USING SKYPE. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES WERE TO DESCRIBE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, ANGER, FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SYMPTOMS AT 5 AND 10 WEEKS AFTER ENROLLMENT. METHODS: WE INCLUDED ENGLISH-SPEAKING PATIENTS AGED 10 TO 18 YEARS RECEIVING OUTPATIENT CHEMOTHERAPY FOR CANCER. WEEKLY INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA SESSIONS WERE OFFERED FOR 10 WEEKS. WEEKS 1, 5, AND 10 WERE IN-HOSPITAL WHILE THE REMAINING SESSIONS WERE DELIVERED REMOTELY USING SKYPE. TWICE WEEKLY, HOMEWORK WAS ASSIGNED BETWEEN EACH SESSION. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS FEASIBILITY, DEFINED AS 80% OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING AT LEAST 60% OF PLANNED IN-HOSPITAL OR REMOTE YOGA SESSIONS. RESULTS: BETWEEN MARCH AND NOVEMBER 2017, 10 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED. TWO PATIENTS DISCONTINUED THE STUDY AFTER ONE AND TWO SESSIONS. ONLY SIX PARTICIPANTS ACHIEVED AT LEAST 60% OF PLANNED YOGA SESSIONS AND THUS, THE STUDY DID NOT MEET THE A PRIORI DEFINED FEASIBILITY THRESHOLD. AMONG ALL PARTICIPANTS, ONLY ONE HOMEWORK SESSION WAS PERFORMED. CONCLUSIONS: A 10-WEEK INDIVIDUALIZED IN-PERSON AND REMOTELY CONDUCTED YOGA INTERVENTION WAS NOT FEASIBLE IN CHILDREN RECEIVING CANCER TREATMENTS BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED FREQUENCY OF YOGA SESSIONS IN A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD IDENTIFY APPROACHES TO IMPROVE COMPLIANCE WITH REMOTE YOGA SESSIONS AND HOME PRACTICE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03318068. 2019 12 71 27 A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF RESTORATIVE YOGA VERSUS VIGOROUS YOGA INTERVENTION FOR SEDENTARY BREAST AND OVARIAN CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE CANCER SURVIVORS' QUALITY OF LIFE, YET REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE IS A CHALLENGE FOR THOSE WHO ARE SEDENTARY. WE CONDUCTED A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY TO ASSESS FEASIBILITY AND ADHERENCE OF TWO TYPES OF YOGA INTERVENTION AMONG SEDENTARY CANCER SURVIVORS. SEDENTARY BREAST AND OVARIAN CANCER SURVIVORS WERE RANDOMIZED TO PRACTICE EITHER RESTORATIVE YOGA (MINIMAL PHYSICAL EXERTION, GROUP R) OR VIGOROUS YOGA (CONSIDERABLE PHYSICAL EXERTION, GROUP V) IN THREE 60-MINUTE SUPERVISED SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS, FOLLOWED BY 12 WEEKS OF HOME PRACTICE. ACCRUAL, ADHERENCE, AND ATTENDANCE RATES WERE ASSESSED. OF THE 226 ELIGIBLE PATIENTS, 175 (77%) DECLINED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY, CITING TIME COMMITMENT AND TRAVEL AS THE MOST COMMON BARRIERS. FORTY-TWO SUBJECTS CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. OF THE 35 PARTICIPANTS WHO BEGAN THE INTERVENTION (20 IN GROUP R AND 15 IN GROUP V), ADHERENCE RATE (PERCENTAGE REMAINING IN THE STUDY AT WEEK 12) WAS 100% AND 87%, RESPECTIVELY. RATE OF ADEQUATE ATTENDANCE (MORE THAN 66% OF THE SCHEDULED SUPERVISED SESSIONS) WAS 85% AND 73%, RESPECTIVELY. RATE OF COMPLETION OF THE HOME PRACTICE PERIOD WAS 85% AND 77%, RESPECTIVELY. IN THIS STUDY, SEDENTARY CANCER SURVIVORS WERE ABLE TO ADHERE TO A LONG-TERM, REGULAR YOGA REGIMEN. THE RATE OF ADEQUATE ATTENDANCE WAS HIGHER FOR RESTORATIVE YOGA. FUTURE STUDIES FOR SEDENTARY PATIENTS SHOULD FOCUS ON REDUCING TIME COMMITMENT AND TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS TO IMPROVE RECRUITMENT, AND ON USING RESTORATIVE YOGA AS A MORE FEASIBLE INTERVENTION FOR THIS POPULATION. 2018 13 41 37 A BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION IMPLEMENTED DURING CHEMOTHERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: FATIGUE AND OTHER TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS (E.G., SLEEP DISTURBANCE) ARE CRITICAL TARGETS FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. YOGA MAY REDUCE THE BURDEN OF SUCH SYMPTOMS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY OF A BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION DURING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR COLORECTAL CANCER. DESIGN: WE RANDOMIZED ADULTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER TO A BRIEF YOGA SKILLS TRAINING (YST) OR AN ATTENTION CONTROL (AC; EMPATHIC ATTENTION AND RECORDED EDUCATION). SETTING: THE INTERVENTIONS AND ASSESSMENTS WERE IMPLEMENTED INDIVIDUALLY IN THE CLINIC WHILE PATIENTS WERE IN THE CHAIR RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. INTERVENTIONS: BOTH INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF THREE SESSIONS AND RECOMMENDED HOME PRACTICE. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS FEASIBILITY (ACCRUAL, RETENTION, ADHERENCE, DATA COLLECTION). SELF-REPORTED OUTCOMES (I.E., FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, QUALITY OF LIFE) AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS WERE ALSO DESCRIBED TO INFORM FUTURE STUDIES. RESULTS: OF 52 PATIENTS INITIALLY IDENTIFIED, 28 WERE APPROACHED, AND 15 ENROLLED (AGE MEAN = 57.5 YEARS; 80% WHITE; 60% MALE). REASONS FOR DECLINING PARTICIPATION WERE: NOT INTERESTED (N = 6), DID NOT PERCEIVE A NEED (N = 2), AND OTHER (N = 5). TWO PARTICIPANTS WERE LOST TO FOLLOW-UP IN EACH GROUP DUE TO TREATMENT CHANGES. THUS, 75% OF PARTICIPANTS WERE RETAINED IN THE YST AND 71% IN THE AC ARM. PARTICIPANTS RETAINED IN THE STUDY ADHERED TO 97% OF THE IN-PERSON INTERVENTION SESSIONS AND COMPLETED ALL QUESTIONNAIRES. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATED THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO ASSESS YST AMONG PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR COLORECTAL CANCER. DATA COLLECTED AND CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED WILL INFORM FUTURE RESEARCH. 2016 14 2639 42 YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC BACK PAIN AFFECTS A LARGE PROPORTION OF BOTH THE GENERAL POPULATION AND OF MILITARY VETERANS. ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS THERAPIES EXIST FOR TREATING CHRONIC BACK PAIN, THEY CAN BE COSTLY AND TEND TO HAVE LIMITED EFFECTIVENESS. THUS, DEMONSTRATING THE EFFICACY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ADDITIONAL TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES IS IMPORTANT. THE PURPOSE OF OUR STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE BENEFITS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR VETERANS ADMINISTRATION (VA) PATIENTS. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: VA PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC BACK PAIN WERE REFERRED BY THEIR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS TO A YOGA PROGRAM AS PART OF CLINICAL CARE. BEFORE STARTING YOGA, A VA PHYSICIAN TRAINED IN YOGA EVALUATED EACH PATIENT TO ENSURE THAT THEY COULD PARTICIPATE SAFELY. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH STUDY CONSISTED OF COMPLETING A SHORT BATTERY OF QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE AND AGAIN 10 WEEKS LATER. OUTCOME MEASURES: QUESTIONNAIRES INCLUDED MEASURES OF PAIN, DEPRESSION, ENERGY/FATIGUE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PROGRAM SATISFACTION. PAIRED T-TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE BASELINE SCORES TO THOSE AT THE 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP FOR THE SINGLE GROUP, PRE-POST DESIGN. CORRELATIONS WERE USED TO EXAMINE WHETHER YOGA ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER OUTCOMES. RESULTS: BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP DATA WERE AVAILABLE FOR 33 PARTICIPANTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE VA PATIENTS WITH A MEAN AGE OF 55 YEARS. THEY WERE 21% FEMALE, 70% WHITE, 52% MARRIED, 68% COLLEGE GRADUATES, AND 44% WERE RETIRED. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND FOR PAIN, DEPRESSION, ENERGY/FATIGUE, AND THE SHORT FORM-12 MENTAL HEALTH SCALE. THE NUMBER OF YOGA SESSIONS ATTENDED AND THE FREQUENCY OF HOME PRACTICE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED OUTCOMES. PARTICIPANTS APPEARED HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND MODERATELY SATISFIED WITH THE EASE OF PARTICIPATION AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE YOGA PROGRAM. CONCLUSIONS: PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST THAT A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR VA PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC BACK PAIN MAY IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF VETERANS. HOWEVER, THE LIMITATIONS OF A PRE-POST STUDY DESIGN MAKE CONCLUSIONS TENTATIVE. A LARGER RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE YOGA PROGRAM IS PLANNED. 2008 15 344 32 ASSESSING DEPRESSION FOLLOWING TWO ANCIENT INDIAN INTERVENTIONS: EFFECTS OF YOGA AND AYURVEDA ON OLDER ADULTS IN A RESIDENTIAL HOME. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND AYURVEDA ON GERIATRIC DEPRESSION WERE EVALUATED IN 69 PERSONS OLDER THAN 60 WHO WERE LIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL HOME. PARTICIPANTS WERE STRATIFIED BY AGE AND GENDER AND RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO THREE GROUPS: YOGA, AYURVEDA, OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE 15-ITEM GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE WAS USED TO ASSESS DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO THE INTERVENTION, AND AFTER 3 MONTHS AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. PARTICIPATION IN ONE OF THE THREE GROUPS LASTED 24 WEEKS. THE YOGA PROGRAM (7 HOURS 30 MINUTES PER WEEK) INCLUDED PHYSICAL POSTURES, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, REGULATED BREATHING, DEVOTIONAL SONGS, AND LECTURES. THE AYURVEDA GROUP RECEIVED AN HERBAL PREPARATION TWICE DAILY FOR THE WHOLE PERIOD. THE DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SCORES OF THE YOGA GROUP AT BOTH 3 AND 6 MONTHS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, FROM A GROUP AVERAGE BASELINE OF 10.6 TO 8.1 AND 6.7, RESPECTIVELY (P < .001, PAIRED T-TEST). THE OTHER GROUPS SHOWED NO CHANGE. HENCE, AN INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA INCLUDING THE MENTAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS IN ADDITION TO THE PHYSICAL PRACTICES WAS USEFUL FOR INSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER PERSONS. 2007 16 1313 50 HEALTH-RELATED BENEFITS AND ADVERSE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA CLASSES AMONG PARTICIPANTS THAT ARE HEALTHY, IN POOR HEALTH, OR WITH CHRONIC DISEASES. BACKGROUND: OUR PREVIOUS STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT 42% OF YOGA CLASS PARTICIPANTS IN JAPAN HAD CHRONIC DISEASES REQUIRING MEDICATION. THIS RAISES THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER THOSE WITH CHRONIC DISEASES WOULD BENEFIT FROM PRACTICING YOGA OR IF THEY ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR SPECIFIC ADVERSE EVENTS COMPARED TO HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING THE SAME INSTRUCTION. METHODS: TO ADDRESS THESE QUESTIONS, 328 ADULTS WHO STARTED PRACTICING YOGA FOR THE FIRST TIME WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS), PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS), AND MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT FORM 8, STANDARD VERSION (SF-8) AND TO RECORD ANY ADVERSE EVENTS ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE YOGA CLASS AND AGAIN THREE MONTHS LATER. THE PARTICIPANTS CONSISTED OF THREE GROUPS: A HEALTHY (H) GROUP (N = 70), A POOR HEALTH (PH) GROUP (N = 117), AND A CHRONIC DISEASE (CD) GROUP (N = 141). THE DEGREE OF SUBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS WAS ALSO COMPARED BETWEEN THE PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION PERIOD IN THE PH AND CD GROUPS. RESULTS: TYPICALLY, YOGA CLASSES WERE HELD ONCE A WEEK FOR 60-90 MIN. THE PROGRAMS INCLUDED ASANAS, PRANAYAMAS, MEDITATION, ISOMETRIC YOGA, AND SUKSHMA VYAYAMA. IN THE PH AND CD GROUPS, THE POMS TENSION-ANXIETY AND FATIGUE SCORES DECREASED AND THE VIGOR SCORE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER THE FIRST CLASS. FURTHERMORE, PSS SCORES DECREASED AND THE SF-8 SCORES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY THREE MONTHS LATER. THE DEGREE OF SUBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS EASY FATIGABILITY, SHOULDER STIFFNESS, AND INSOMNIA ALSO DECREASED OVER THREE MONTHS. INDIVIDUALS IN THESE GROUPS EXPERIENCED MORE FREQUENT ADVERSE EVENTS THAN THOSE IN THE H GROUP. THE PH AND CD GROUPS ALSO EXPERIENCED A GREATER VARIETY OF SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING PSYCHOLOGICAL ONES, NOT REPORTED BY THE H GROUP. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE NOT SO SERIOUS THAT PARTICIPANTS STOPPED PRACTICING YOGA DURING THE CLASS. ABOUT 60% OF ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH PARTICIPATING IN YOGA CLASSES. CONCLUSIONS: IF YOGA CLASSES ARE CONDUCTED WITH ATTENTION TO POSSIBLE ADVERSE EVENTS, YOGA PRACTICE IN A YOGA STUDIO MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS FOR PEOPLE WITH FUNCTIONAL SOMATIC SYMPTOMS AND CHRONIC DISEASES, AS WELL AS HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS. THESE BENEFITS INCLUDE REDUCTIONS IN PERCEIVED STRESS AND UNCOMFORTABLE SYMPTOMS AS WELL AS IMPROVED MOOD AND QUALITY OF LIFE. 2021 17 2754 36 YOGA PRACTICE PREDICTS IMPROVEMENTS IN DAY-TO-DAY PAIN IN WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER. CONTEXT: WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER (MBC) EXPERIENCE A SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOM BURDEN, INCLUDING CANCER PAIN. YOGA IS A MIND-BODY DISCIPLINE THAT HAS SHOWN PROMISE FOR ALLEVIATING CANCER PAIN, BUT FEW STUDIES HAVE INCLUDED PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC DISEASE OR EXAMINED THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE WHETHER DAILY PAIN CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE MINDFUL YOGA PROGRAM AMONG WOMEN WITH MBC AND WHETHER TIME SPENT IN YOGA PRACTICE WAS RELATED TO DAILY PAIN. METHODS: ON ALTERNATE WEEKS DURING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, WE COLLECTED DAILY MEASURES OF PAIN FROM A SUBSET OF 48 WOMEN RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 30) OR A SUPPORT GROUP CONDITION (N = 18). WE ALSO ASSESSED DAILY DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE AMONG PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO YOGA. RESULTS: PAIN LEVELS WERE LOW FOR WOMEN IN BOTH CONDITIONS, AND NO DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT EFFECTS WERE FOUND ON DAILY PAIN. HOWEVER, AMONG WOMEN RANDOMIZED TO YOGA, A DOSE/RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE DURATION AND DAILY PAIN. WHEN PATIENTS HAD SPENT RELATIVELY MORE TIME PRACTICING YOGA ACROSS TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS, THEY WERE MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE LOWER PAIN ON THE NEXT DAY. THIS FINDING IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EARLIER MBC STUDY. MEDITATION PRACTICE SHOWED THE STRONGEST ASSOCIATION WITH LOWER DAILY PAIN. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE (MEDITATION PRACTICE IN PARTICULAR) IS ASSOCIATED WITH ACUTE IMPROVEMENTS IN CANCER PAIN, AND THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY BE MORE IMPACTFUL IF TESTED IN A SAMPLE OF PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED CANCER IN WHICH PAIN IS RELATIVELY ELEVATED. 2021 18 2628 35 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 19 260 36 ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY AND YOGA FOR DRUG-REFRACTORY EPILEPSY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THERE IS A NEED FOR CONTROLLED OUTCOME STUDIES ON BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT OF EPILEPSY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY (ACT) AND YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF EPILEPSY. METHODS: THE DESIGN CONSISTED OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH REPEATED MEASURES (N=18). ALL PARTICIPANTS HAD AN EEG-VERIFIED EPILEPSY DIAGNOSIS WITH DRUG-REFRACTORY SEIZURES. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO ONE OF TWO GROUPS: ACT OR YOGA. THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS WERE MEASURED USING SEIZURE INDEX (FREQUENCY X DURATION) AND QUALITY OF LIFE (SATISFACTION WITH LIFE SCALE, WHOQOL-BREF). THE TREATMENT PROTOCOLS CONSISTED OF 12 HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL THERAPY DISTRIBUTED IN TWO INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS, TWO GROUP SESSIONS DURING A 5-WEEK PERIOD, AND BOOSTER SESSIONS AT 6 AND 12 MONTHS POSTTREATMENT. SEIZURE INDEX WAS CONTINUOUSLY ASSESSED DURING THE 3-MONTH BASELINE AND 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. QUALITY OF LIFE WAS MEASURED AFTER TREATMENT AND AT THE 6-MONTH AND 1-YEAR FOLLOW-UPS. RESULTS: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT BOTH ACT AND YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE SEIZURE INDEX AND INCREASE QUALITY OF LIFE OVER TIME. ACT REDUCED SEIZURE INDEX SIGNIFICANTLY MORE AS COMPARED WITH YOGA. PARTICIPANTS IN BOTH THE ACT AND YOGA GROUPS IMPROVED THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE SIGNIFICANTLY AS MEASURED BY ONE OF TWO QUALITY-OF-LIFE INSTRUMENTS. THE ACT GROUP INCREASED THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE SIGNIFICANTLY AS COMPARED WITH THE YOGA GROUP AS MEASURED BY THE WHOQOL-BREF, AND THE YOGA GROUP INCREASED THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE SIGNIFICANTLY AS COMPARED WITH THE ACT GROUP AS MEASURED BY THE SWLS. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS, SUCH AS ACT AND YOGA, DECREASE SEIZURE INDEX AND INCREASE QUALITY OF LIFE. 2008 20 159 34 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