1 2490 87 YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION TO MANAGE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SYMPTOMS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS AN AUTOIMMUNE, DEMYELINATING, INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY SPASTICITY, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, BOWEL AND BLADDER DYSFUNCTION, IMPAIRED MOBILITY, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT ETC. AND AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. DISEASE MODIFYING THERAPIES FOR MS WHICH HELP IN PREVENTING ACCUMULATION OF LESIONS IN WHITE MATTER OF CNS ARE COSTLY AND HAVE SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECTS. THEREFORE, PATIENTS WITH MS ARE USING COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AND YOGA IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF CAM WHICH IS BEING USED IMMENSELY TO REDUCE OR OVERCOME THE SYMPTOMS OF MS. IN THE CURRENT REVIEW ATTEMPTED TO PRESENT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON REDUCING MS RELATED SYMPTOMS. 2020 2 2300 43 THERAPEUTIC YOGA: SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS THE MOST COMMON AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY DEMYELINATING DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, AFFECTING OVER 2.3 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE, THE AGE OF DISEASE ONSET IS TYPICALLY BETWEEN 20 AND 40 YEARS, WITH A HIGHER INCIDENCE IN WOMEN. INDIVIDUALS WITH MS EXPERIENCE A WIDE RANGE OF SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING DECLINING PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS (E.G., FATIGUE, IMBALANCE, SPASTICITY, CHRONIC PAIN, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, BLADDER AND BOWEL DYSFUNCTION, VISUAL AND SPEECH IMPAIRMENTS, DEPRESSION, SENSORY DISTURBANCE, AND MOBILITY IMPAIRMENT). TO DATE, BOTH THE CAUSE OF AND CURE FOR MS REMAIN UNKNOWN. IN RECENT YEARS, MORE INDIVIDUALS WITH MS HAVE BEEN PURSUING ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF TREATMENT TO MANAGE SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE, INCLUDING MIND-BODY THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA, MEDITATION, BREATHING, AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY BE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE WAY OF MANAGING SYMPTOMS OF MS. THEREFORE, THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO SUMMARIZE THE MOST RELEVANT LITERATURE ON EXERCISE AND MIND-BODY MODALITIES TO TREAT MS SYMPTOMS AND, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE BENEFITS AND POTENTIAL ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OF SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS. THE ARTICLE ALSO DISCUSSES FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH. 2015 3 2460 36 YOGA AS A METHOD OF SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS AN IMMUNE-MEDIATED PROCESS IN WHICH THE BODY'S IMMUNE SYSTEM DAMAGES MYELIN IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS). THE ONSET OF THIS DISORDER TYPICALLY OCCURS IN YOUNG ADULTS, AND IT IS MORE COMMON AMONG WOMEN. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO CURE AND THE LONG-TERM DISEASE PROGRESSION MAKES SYMPTOMATIC MANAGEMENT CRITICAL FOR MAINTAINING QUALITY OF LIFE. SEVERAL PHARMACOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS ARE APPROVED FOR TREATMENT, BUT MANY PATIENTS SEEK COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE INTERVENTIONS. REVIEWS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED REGARDING BROAD TOPICS SUCH AS MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH MS AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON A RANGE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT REVIEW IS TO EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MS AND ADDRESS ITS USE IN MANAGING SYMPTOMS INCLUDING PAIN, MENTAL HEALTH, FATIGUE, SPASTICITY, BALANCE, BLADDER CONTROL, AND SEXUAL FUNCTION. 2015 4 1506 23 IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: YOGA AS REMEDIAL THERAPY. IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) IS A GROUP OF SYMPTOMS MANIFESTING AS A FUNCTIONAL GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) DISORDER IN WHICH PATIENTS EXPERIENCE ABDOMINAL PAIN, DISCOMFORT, AND BLOATING THAT IS OFTEN RELIEVED WITH DEFECATION. IBS IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH A HOST OF SECONDARY COMORBIDITIES SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, HEADACHES, AND FATIGUE. IN THIS REVIEW, WE EXAMINED THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PANCHA KOSHA (FIVE SHEATHS OF HUMAN EXISTENCE) CONCEPT FROM AN INDIAN SCRIPTURE TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD AND THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF A DISEASE FROM THE YOGA APPROACH, YOGA VASISTHA'S ADHI (ORIGINATED FROM MIND) AND VYADHI (AILMENT/DISEASE) CONCEPT. AN ANALOGY BETWEEN THE AGE OLD, THE MOST PROFOUND CONCEPT OF ADHI-VYADHI, AND MODERN SCIENTIFIC STRESS-INDUCED DYSREGULATION OF BRAIN-GUT AXIS, AS IT RELATES TO IBS THAT COULD PAVE WAY FOR IMPACTING IBS, IS EMPHASIZED. BASED ON THESE PERSPECTIVES, A PLAUSIBLE YOGA MODULE AS A REMEDIAL THERAPY IS PROVIDED TO BETTER MANAGE THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SYMPTOMS OF IBS. 2015 5 2907 16 [ON THE METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE ELUCIDATION OF MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS OF CIGUN, INDIAN AND TIBETAN YOGA THERAPY]. THE METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH IS PROPOSED ALLOWING TO OBJECTIVELY CHARACTERIZE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS OF CIGUN, INDIAN AND TIBETAN YOGA THERAPY. EXECUTION OF EXERCISES STIPULATED IN THESE PROGRAMS IS INTERPRETED AS A CONSCIOUSNESS-INSPIRED SPECIFIC FORM OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR (ACTIVITY). STEP-BY-STEP ANALYSIS OF MENTALLY-ORGANIZED BODY'S FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS AS A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF REALIZABLE BEHAVIOUR IS PRESENTED. OPERATIONAL INTERPRETATION OF INTERNAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE SYSTEM'S FUNCTIONING PERMITS TO EVALUATE THE STEREOTYPE BRAIN CONDITION ACTUALIZED BY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS AND MOTIVATIONS THAT INITIATES SENSORY DEPRIVATION TO ENSURE PRIORITY REALIZATION OF INTERNAL GENETICALLY DETERMINED ACTIVITY OF THE HUMAN BODY. MOBILIZATION OF THIS INTERNAL ACTIVITY IS DESCRIBED AS A PROCESS OF SELECTIVE FORMATION OF MANY COMPLICATED INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VARIOUS STRUCTURES OF THE RETICULAR FORMATION, LIMBIC SYSTEM, SUBCORTICAL CENTRES, AND NEOCORTEX MAINTAINING PRIORITY FUNCTIONING OF HOMEOSTATIC MECHANISMS OF SELF-REGULATION AND INBORN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR. THESE MECHANISMS ARE BELIEVED TO UNDERLIE THE AUTORECONSTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL OF HUMAN ORGANISM BY ENSURING SYSTEMIC CORRECTION AND RESTORATION OF ITS FUNCTIONAL RESOURCES. 2010 6 82 30 A MECHANISTIC MODEL FOR YOGA AS A PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC MODALITY. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT INDIAN TECHNIQUE OF HEALTHY LIVING. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE CORROBORATED YOGA'S BENEFICIAL EFFECTS, INCLUDING A FAVORABLE INFLUENCE ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTION AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH IN THE LAST FEW DECADES HAS REVEALED THE CRITICAL ROLE THAT YOGA CAN PLAY IN ERADICATING STRESS. THIS HAS LAID TO THE FOUNDATION FOR A SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES ATTRIBUTED TO STRESS, PARTICULARLY AT THE MOLECULAR AND GENETIC LEVELS. THIS PRIMARILY HAS HELPED UNDERSTAND THE EPIGENETIC AND GENETIC MECHANISM AT PLAY TO INDUCE AND ALLEVIATE STRESS, PARTICULARLY THOSE RELATED TO EMOTIONAL ABERRATIONS. AS RESEARCH HAS INDICATED, NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ARE TRANSLATED INTO VASCULAR INFLAMMATION APPROPRIATELY ACCENTUATED BY A SYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANT AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. THIS CASCADE IS BOLSTERED BY MULTIPLE FACTORS, INCLUDING ACTIVATION OF "STRESSOR" GENES AND ELABORATING HORMONES, INCLUDING STEROIDS WITH SOMETIMES NOCUOUS CONSEQUENCES, PARTICULARLY WHEN CHRONIC. YOGA HAS BEEN CATEGORICALLY FOUND TO HAVE INHIBITED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE BANEFUL EFFECTS OF STRESS. IN FACT, IT ALSO CHANGES THE NEURONAL CIRCUITS THAT POTENTIATE SUCH A PLETHORA OF PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES. THIS, IN TURN, HAS ACCENTUATED YOGA'S RELEVANCE AS A POWERFUL PREVENTIVE INTERVENTION IN NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCD). NCDS, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND RHEUMATOLOGICAL DISORDERS, ARE ESSENTIALLY INFLAMMATORY DISEASES THAT PERPETUATE INFLAMMATION IN DIFFERENT BEDS LIKE VASCULAR OR JOINT SPACES. THE PRECISE MECHANISM BY WHICH YOGA INDUCES SUCH BENEFICIAL CHANGES IS YET TO BE DELINEATED. HOWEVER, A CORNUCOPIA OF POINTERS INDICATES THAT NEURAL, ENDOCRINE, IMMUNOLOGICAL, CELLULAR, GENETIC, AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE AT PLAY. THIS ARTICLE ATTEMPTS TO COBBLE TOGETHER NEWFANGLED RESEARCH TO DELINEATE A MEDICAL MODEL FOR THIS 5000-YEAR-OLD PRACTICE FROM INDIA. THIS IS IMPERATIVE, AS A MECHANISTIC MODEL OF THIS ANCIENT-BUT-COMPLEX SYSTEM WOULD ENABLE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF ITS MECHANISM AND REVEAL ITS YET-UNDISCOVERED POSITIVE HEALTH EFFECTS. 2021 7 1594 24 MEDITATION AND YOGA PRACTICES AS POTENTIAL ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT OF SARS-COV-2 INFECTION AND COVID-19: A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF KEY SUBJECTS. EDITOR'S NOTE: AS AN ACUTE CONDITION QUICKLY ASSOCIATED WITH MULTIPLE CHRONIC SUSCEPTIBILITIES, COVID-19 HAS REKINDLED INTEREST IN, AND CONTROVERSY ABOUT, THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF THE HOST IN DISEASE PROCESSES. WHILE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF RESEARCH DOLLARS HAVE BEEN FUNNELED INTO DRUG AND VACCINE SOLUTIONS THAT TARGET THE EXTERNAL AGENT, INTEGRATIVE PRACTITIONERS TUNED TO ENHANCING IMMUNITY FACED A FAMILIAR MOSTLY UNFUNDED TASK. FIRST, GO TO SCHOOL ON THE VIRUS. THEN DRAW FROM THE GLOBAL ARRAY OF NATURAL THERAPIES AND PRACTICES WITH HOST-ENHANCING OR ANTI-VIRAL CAPABILITIES TO SUGGEST INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT STRATEGIES. THE NEAR NULL-SET OF CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT OPTIONS PROPELS THIS INVESTIGATION. IN THIS PAPER, RESEARCHERS FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SAN DIEGO, CHOPRA LIBRARY FOR INTEGRATIVE STUDIES, AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY SHARE ONE SUCH EXPLORATION. THEIR CONCLUSION, THAT "CERTAIN MEDITATION, YOGA ASANA (POSTURES), AND PRANAYAMA (BREATHING) PRACTICES MAY POSSIBLY BE EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE MEANS OF TREATING AND/OR PREVENTING SARS-COV-2 INFECTION" UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS REKINDLING. AT JACM, WE ARE PLEASED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUBLISH THIS WORK. WE HOPE THAT IT MIGHT HELP DIMINISH IN MEDICINE AND HEALTH THE POLARIZATION THAT, LIKE SO MUCH IN THE BROADER CULTURE, SEEMS TO BE AN OBSTACLE TO HEALING. -JOHN WEEKS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, JACM. 2020 8 2297 15 THERAPEUTIC ROLE OF YOGA IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS. YOGA IS CONSIDERED A WIDELY-USED APPROACH FOR HEALTH CONSERVATION AND CAN BE ADOPTED AS A TREATMENT MODALITY FOR A PLETHORA OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING NEUROLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS. HENCE, WE REVIEWED RELEVANT ARTICLES ENTAILING VARIOUS NEUROLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS AND GATHERED DATA ON HOW YOGA EXERTS POSITIVE IMPACTS ON PATIENTS WITH A DIVERSE RANGE OF DISORDERS, INCLUDING ITS MODULATORY EFFECTS ON BRAIN BIOELECTRICAL ACTIVITIES, NEUROTRANSMITTERS, AND SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY. THE ROLE OF YOGA PRACTICE AS AN ELEMENT OF THE TREATMENT OF SEVERAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL DISEASES WAS EVALUATED BASED ON THESE FINDINGS. 2021 9 2909 17 [PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL FUNDAMENTALS AND GENESIS OF TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA. PARAMOUNT EMPIRICAL EFFICACY]. THIS ARTICLE IS DEVOTED TO THE ANALYSIS OF PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL FUNDAMENTALS AND GENESIS OF TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA BASED ON THE OVERVIEW OF THE RELEVANT LITERATURE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE METHODOLOGY OF THESE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISCIPLINES AND THEIR THERAPEUTIC AND HEALTH-GIVING EFFICACY. BASED ON THE COMBINATION OF PHYSIOPHILOSOPHICAL CATEGORIES AND MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CONCEPT OF THE FIVE PRIMARY ELEMENTS, THE AUTHORS ILLUSTRATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEMIC APPROACH BY WHICH ANCIENT PHYSICIANS RELATED MAN TO NATURE IN ORDER TO DERIVE THE ADAPTATION PRINCIPLE REALIZED THROUGH HUMAN ACTIVITIES. TRADITIONAL AND MODERN ASPECTS OF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE CONSIDERED. IN THE TRADITIONAL CONTEXT, THE PERFORMANCE OF EXERCISES AS ASSIGNED BY TSIGUN, INDIAN, AND TIBETAN YOGA IS CONSIDERED AS THE PURPOSEFUL REALIZATION OF THE ENERGY OF CONSCIENCE FOR HEALTH IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT AND IN THE MODERN CONTEXT AS THE REALIZATION OF A NOVEL FORM OF PSYCHIC CREATIVE CAPACITY TO THE SAME EFFECT BASED ON FRUITFUL BRAINWORK. 2011 10 539 30 COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES IN PARKINSON DISEASE: A REVIEW OF ACUPUNCTURE, TAI CHI, QI GONG, YOGA, AND CANNABIS. PARKINSON DISEASE (PD) IS A PROGRESSIVE NEURODEGENERATIVE CONDITION CHARACTERIZED BY BRADYKINESIA, RIGIDITY, RESTING TREMOR, AND POSTURAL INSTABILITY. NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING PAIN, FATIGUE, INSOMNIA, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION TO NAME A FEW, ARE INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED AND OFTEN JUST AS DISABLING AT MOTOR SYMPTOMS. THE MAINSTAY OF TREATMENT IS DOPAMINE REPLACEMENT; HOWEVER, THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS TEND TO WANE OVER TIME WITH DISEASE PROGRESSION, AND PATIENTS OFTEN EXPERIENCE MOTOR FLUCTUATIONS AND MEDICATION SIDE EFFECTS. THE LACK OF A DISEASE-MODIFYING INTERVENTION AND THE SHORTCOMINGS OF TRADITIONAL SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATIONS HAVE LED MANY PATIENTS TO PURSUE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES TO ALLEVIATE MOTOR AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH PD. THE TERM COMPLEMENTARY IMPLIES THAT THE THERAPY IS USED ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE AND MAY INCLUDE SUPPLEMENTS, MANIPULATIVE TREATMENTS (CHIROPRACTIC, MASSAGE), EXERCISE-BASED PROGRAMS, AND MIND-BODY PRACTICES. AS THESE PRACTICES BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD IN WESTERN MEDICINE, THERE IS A GROWING INTEREST IN EVALUATING THEIR EFFECTS ON A NUMBER OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS, PD INCLUDED. IN THIS REVIEW, WE PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON CLINICAL TRIALS THAT HAVE EVALUATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS FOR PATIENTS WITH PD, SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING ON ACUPUNCTURE, TAI CHI, QI GONG, YOGA, AND CANNABIS. 2020 11 2887 31 YOGA: CAN IT BE INTEGRATED WITH TREATMENT OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN? BACKGROUND: NEUROPATHIC PAIN (NP) IS A DEBILITATING CONDITION THAT MAY RESULT FROM SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI). NEARLY 75% OF ALL SCI RESULTS IN NP AFFECTING 17,000 NEW INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR, AND AN ESTIMATED 7-10% OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. IT IS CAUSED BY DAMAGED OR DYSFUNCTIONAL NERVE FIBERS SENDING ABERRANT SIGNALS TO PAIN CENTERS IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING SEVERE PAIN THAT AFFECTS DAILY LIFE AND ROUTINE. THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING NP ARE NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD, MAKING TREATMENT DIFFICULT. IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC MOLECULAR PATHWAYS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN PAIN SYNDROMES AND FINDING EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS HAS BECOME A MAJOR PRIORITY IN CURRENT SCI RESEARCH. YOGA HAS THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS MAY PROVE BENEFICIAL IN TREATING SUBJECTS SUFFERING CHRONICALLY WITH SCI INDUCED NP, CHRONIC BACK AND ASSOCIATED PAINS IF NECESSARY EXPERIMENTAL DATA IS GENERATED. SUMMARY: THIS REVIEW AIMS TO DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS OF VARIOUS MECHANISTIC APPROACHES OF YOGA WHICH CAN BE TESTED BY NEW STUDY DESIGNS AROUND VARIOUS NOCICEPTIVE MOLECULES INCLUDING MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES (MMPS), CATION-DEPENDENT CHLORIDE TRANSPORTER (NKCC1) ETC IN SCI INDUCED NP PATIENTS. KEY MESSAGES: THUS, YOGIC PRACTICES COULD BE USED IN MANAGING SCI INDUCED NP PAIN BY REGULATING THE ACTION OF VARIOUS MECHANISMS AND ITS ASSOCIATED MOLECULES. MODERN PRESCRIPTIVE TREATMENT STRATEGIES COMBINED WITH ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES LIKE YOGA SHOULD BE USED IN REHABILITATION CENTERS AND CLINICS IN ORDER TO AMELIORATE CHRONIC NP. WE RECOMMEND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF CAREFUL YOGA PRACTICE AS PART OF AN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE APPROACH FOR NP ASSOCIATED WITH SCI. 2019 12 1639 18 MODULATION OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN STRESS BY YOGA. STRESS IS A CONSTANT FACTOR IN TODAY'S FASTPACED LIFE THAT CAN JEOPARDIZE OUR HEALTH IF LEFT UNCHECKED. IT IS ONLY IN THE LAST HALF CENTURY THAT THE ROLE OF STRESS IN EVERY AILMENT FROM THE COMMON COLD TO AIDS HAS BEEN EMPHASIZED, AND THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS HAVE BEEN STUDIED. STRESS INFLUENCES THE IMMUNE RESPONSE PRESUMABLY THROUGH THE ACTIVATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS, HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY-GONADAL AXIS, AND THE SYMPATHETIC-ADRENAL-MEDULLARY SYSTEM. VARIOUS NEUROTRANSMITTERS, NEUROPEPTIDES, HORMONES, AND CYTOKINES MEDIATE THESE COMPLEX BIDIRECTIONAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSES RESULT IN ALTERATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF IMMUNE CELLS AND CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION. VARIOUS STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES SUCH AS MEDITATION, YOGA, HYPNOSIS, AND MUSCLE RELAXATION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF STRESS IN CANCERS AND HIV INFECTION. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO DISCUSS THE EFFECT OF STRESS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND EXAMINE HOW RELAXATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS YOGA AND MEDITATION COULD REGULATE THE CYTOKINE LEVELS AND HENCE, THE IMMUNE RESPONSES DURING STRESS. 2008 13 1887 19 REFLECTIONS ON CLINICAL APPLICATIONS OF YOGA IN VOICE THERAPY WITH MTD. THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE APPLICATION OF MODIFIED YOGA TECHNIQUES, AS AN ADJUNCT TO VOICE THERAPY, BY A SPEECH PATHOLOGIST WHO IS ALSO A YOGA TEACHER. YOGA PRACTICES, WITH EFFECTS THAT MAY BE SHORT-TERM, ARE NOT CONSIDERED A SUBSTITUTE FOR COMPREHENSIVE AND INTEGRATED SOMATIC RETRAINING SYSTEMS (SUCH AS THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE OR FELDENKRAIS ATM). HOWEVER, WHEN YOGA IS CONDUCTED EMPHASIZING KINAESTHETIC AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE AWARENESS, THE CLIENT MAY ACHIEVE AN 'AWARENESS STATE' THAT FACILITATES THE LEARNING OF VOCAL REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES (FOR EXAMPLE, BY MORE EASILY 'TUNING IN' TO THE SUBTLE SENSATIONS OF SUPRALARYNGEAL DECONSTRICTION). CORE YOGA ELEMENTS AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS ARE IDENTIFIED. THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND CONSIDERATIONS WHEN USING YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO THE TREATMENT OF MUSCLE TENSION DYSPHONIA (MTD) ARE EXPLORED. 2012 14 1502 13 INVEST IN YOURSELF. YOGA AS A SELF-CARE STRATEGY. A WIDENING RECOGNITION OF THE MIND-BODY-SPIRIT CONNECTION IN WESTERN MEDICINE HAS RESULTED IN A GROWING INTEREST IN ANCIENT HEALTH PRACTICES SUCH AS YOGA. AS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES ENTER MAINSTREAM MEDICAL SETTINGS, NURSES AND OTHER HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS NEED A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THESE MODALITIES TO BE ABLE TO ADVISE PATIENTS EFFECTIVELY. THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF YOGA AND DETAILS THE BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE. 2000 15 424 14 BUILDING BRIDGES FOR YOGA THERAPY RESEARCH: THE AETNA, INC. MIND-BODY PILOT STUDY ON CHRONIC AND HIGH STRESS. IN 2009, AETNA, INC., INVITED GARY KRAFTSOW AND THE AMERICAN VINIYOGA INSTITUTE (AVI) TO CONTRIBUTE TO A RESEARCH STUDY ON MODULATING STRESS. THIS PARTNERSHIP REPRESENTED THE FIRST FORMAL RECOGNITION OF THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF YOGA THERAPY IN MODERN HEALTHCARE BY AN INSURANCE COMPANY. THIS PROJECT EXEMPLIFIED THE POWER AND VALUE OF A COLLABORATION IN WHICH YOGA THERAPISTS MADE THE ANCIENT YOGA TEACHINGS RELEVANT TO HEALTHCARE RESEARCH. WE MUST UNDER-STAND OUR OWN ANCIENT TRADITIONS, LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF WESTERN MEDICINE, AND RECOGNIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD BRIDGES TO MEDICAL DISCIPLINES, ACADEMIC PARTNERS, INSURERS, FUNDERS, AND POLICY MAKERS. 2012 16 2420 14 YOGA AND MENTAL HEALTH: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN ANCIENT WISDOM AND MODERN PSYCHOLOGY. BACKGROUND: MANY YOGA TEXTS MAKE REFERENCE TO THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND THE USE OF SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES IN THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDERS. DIFFERENT CONCEPTS UTILIZED IN MODERN PSYCHOLOGY MAY NOT COME WITH CONTEMPORARY IDEAS, INSTEAD, THEY SEEM TO SHARE A COMMON ROOT WITH ANCIENT WISDOM. AIMS: THE GOAL OF THIS PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE IS TO CORRELATE MODERN TECHNIQUES USED IN PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY WITH YOGIC PRACTICES, IN THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE CURRENT ARTICLE PRESENTED A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE YOGIC APPROACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDER AND CONCEPTS USED IN MODERN PSYCHOLOGY, SUCH AS META-COGNITION, DISIDENTIFICATION, DECONDITIONING AND INTEROCEPTIVE EXPOSURE. CONCLUSIONS: CONTEMPLATIVE RESEARCH FOUND OUT THAT MODERN INTERVENTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGY MIGHT NOT COME FROM MODERN CONCEPTS AFTER ALL, BUT SHARE GREAT SIMILARITY WITH ANCIENT YOGIC KNOWLEDGE, GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WISDOM OF BOTH EAST AND WEST. 2016 17 1347 30 HYPOXIA IN CNS PATHOLOGIES: EMERGING ROLE OF MIRNA-BASED NEUROTHERAPEUTICS AND YOGA BASED ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES. CELLULAR RESPIRATION IS A VITAL PROCESS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE. ANY CONDITION THAT RESULTS IN DEPRIVATION OF OXYGEN (ALSO TERMED AS HYPOXIA) MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON THE FUNCTIONING OF TISSUES. BRAIN BEING THE HIGHEST CONSUMER OF OXYGEN IS PRONE TO INCREASED RISK OF HYPOXIA-INDUCED NEUROLOGICAL INSULTS. THIS IN TURN HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH MANY DISEASES OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) SUCH AS STROKE, ALZHEIMER'S, ENCEPHALOPATHY ETC. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING ISCHEMIC/HYPOXIC CNS DISEASES, THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PROTECTIVE THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES TO AMELIORATE THE AFFECTED NEURONAL CELLS IS MEAGER. THIS HAS AUGMENTED THE NEED TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HYPOXIC AND ISCHEMIC EVENTS OCCURRING IN THE BRAIN AND IDENTIFY NOVEL AND ALTERNATE TREATMENT MODALITIES FOR SUCH INSULTS. MICRORNA (MIRNAS), SMALL NON-CODING RNA MOLECULES, HAVE RECENTLY EMERGED AS POTENTIAL NEUROPROTECTIVE AGENTS AS WELL AS TARGETS, UNDER HYPOXIC CONDITIONS. THESE 18-22 NUCLEOTIDE LONG RNA MOLECULES ARE PROFUSELY PRESENT IN BRAIN AND OTHER ORGANS AND FUNCTION AS GENE REGULATORS BY CLEAVING AND SILENCING THE GENE EXPRESSION. IN BRAIN, THESE ARE KNOWN TO BE INVOLVED IN NEURONAL DIFFERENTIATION AND PLASTICITY. THEREFORE, TARGETING MIRNA EXPRESSION REPRESENTS A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO INTERCEDE AGAINST HYPOXIC AND ISCHEMIC BRAIN INJURY. IN THE FIRST PART OF THIS REVIEW, WE WILL DISCUSS THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES CAUSED AS A RESULT OF HYPOXIA, FOLLOWED BY THE CONTRIBUTION OF HYPOXIA IN THE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. SECONDLY, WE WILL PROVIDE RECENT UPDATES AND INSIGHTS INTO THE ROLES OF MIRNA IN THE REGULATION OF GENES IN OXYGEN AND GLUCOSE DEPRIVED BRAIN IN ASSOCIATION WITH CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS AND HOW THESE CAN BE TARGETED AS NEUROPROTECTIVE AGENTS FOR CNS INJURIES. FINALLY, WE WILL EMPHASIZE ON ALTERNATE BREATHING OR YOGIC INTERVENTIONS TO OVERCOME THE HYPOXIA ASSOCIATED ANOMALIES THAT COULD ULTIMATELY LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT IN CEREBRAL PERFUSION. 2017 18 1536 30 KETAMINE, TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION, AND DEPRESSION SPECIFIC YOGA AND MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY IN MANAGEMENT OF TREATMENT RESISTANT DEPRESSION: REVIEW AND SOME DATA ON EFFICACY. DEPRESSION AFFECTS ABOUT 121 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AND PREVALENCE OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) IN US ADULTS IS 6.4%. TREATMENT RESISTANT DEPRESSION (TRD) ACCOUNTS FOR APPROXIMATELY 12-20% OF ALL DEPRESSION PATIENTS AND COSTS $29-$48 BILLION ANNUALLY. KETAMINE AND REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION (RTMS) HAVE USEFUL ROLES IN TRD, BUT THEIR UTILITY IN LONG TERM IS UNKNOWN. AS PER THE LATEST LITERATURE, THE INTERVENTIONS USING YOGA AND MEDITATION INCLUDING THE MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) HAVE BEEN USEFUL IN TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION AND RELAPSE PREVENTION. WE PRESENT A REVIEW OF RTMS, KETAMINE, AND MBCT AND ALSO REPORT EFFICACY OF A DEPRESSION SPECIFIC, INNOVATIVE, AND TRANSLATIONAL MODEL OF YOGA AND MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (DEPS Y-MBCT), DEVELOPED BY THE FIRST AUTHOR. DEPS Y-MBCT AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT SUCCESSFULLY AMELIORATED TRD SYMPTOMS IN 27/32 PATIENTS IN AN OPEN LABEL PILOT TRIAL IN TRD PATIENTS. CONSIDERING THE LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING TREATMENT OPTIONS, INCLUDING THOSE OF KETAMINE AND RTMS WHEN USED AS THE SOLE MODALITY OF TREATMENT, WE SUGGEST A "TIERED APPROACH FOR TRD" BY COMBINING KETAMINE AND RTMS (ALONE OR ALONG WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS) FOR RAPID REMISSION OF ACUTE DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND TO USE DEPS Y-MBCT FOR MAINTAINING REMISSION AND PREVENTING RELAPSE. 2015 19 407 16 BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PIEZOELECTRICITY IN RELATION TO ACUPUNCTURE, HATHA YOGA, OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AND ACTION OF AIR IONS. PIEZOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES SUCH AS PROTEINS, NUCLEIC ACIDS AND MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES ARE REVIEWED IN THIS PAPER. IT IS INDICATED THAT THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN BODY COMPOSED OF THESE PIEZOELECTRIC SUBSTANCES ARE CAPABLE OF TRANSDUCING A MECHANICAL ENERGY INTO AN ELECTRIC CURRENT. SUCH A TRANSDUCTION MAY BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY MOVEMENTS OF AN ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLE, OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATIONS; HATHA YOGA POSTURES OR ACTION OF NEGATIVELY CHARGED AIR IRONS. IT IS POSTULATED THAT ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED BY STIMULATION OF THE SPECIFIC SITES ON THE SURFACE OF HUMAN BODY FLOWS TOWARDS THE INTERNAL ORGANS ALONG THE SEMICONDUCTIVE CHANNELS OF BIOLOGIC MACROMOLECULES. ELECTRIC CURRENT INDUCED EITHER BY THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCTION OR DIRECTLY APPLIED FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE MAY IN TURN STIMULATE INDIVIDUAL CELLS IN THE TARGET ORGAN. INVOLVEMENT OF ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA IN REGULATORY MECHANISMS ON CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVELS IS DISCUSSED. 1977 20 1952 12 SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER AND THE YOGA PARADIGM: A RECONSIDERATION OF THE ROLE OF THE PINEAL GLAND. SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER IS A PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER WHOSE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND CLINICAL PRESENTATION ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. BY APPLYING THE ANCIENT PARADIGM OF YOGA PSYCHOLOGY TO THIS SUBJECT, NEW UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE SYNDROME EMERGE REGARDING THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF THE PINEAL GLAND, THE CLINICAL PRESENTATION OF THE SYNDROME, AND THE POSSIBLE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF PHOTOTHERAPY. THE ENERGY DEPLETION MODEL PRESENTED HERE TIES TOGETHER SUCH DIVERSE ELEMENTS AS: DOSE-RESPONSE ASPECTS OF PHOTOTHERAPY, ANERGIA AS A PRIMARY SYMPTOM OF SAD, 'SPRING FEVER', MYOFASCIAL PAIN DISORDER, THE ANTI-GONADOTROPHIC EFFECT OF MELATONIN, AND PINEAL SUPERSENSITIVITY IN BIPOLAR PATIENTS. CLINICAL PREDICTIONS ARE MADE, AND SIMPLE RESEARCH PROTOCOLS ARE SUGGESTED WHICH CAN DIRECTLY TEST THE HYPOTHESES GENERATED BY THIS PARADIGM. 1990