1 2370 147 WHAT BRINGS YOUNG ADULTS TO THE YOGA MAT? CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AMONG PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROJECT EAT-IV SURVEY. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY EXAMINES MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA AND IDENTIFIES UNIQUE MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AMONG A SAMPLE OF YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THIS STUDY FURTHER DETERMINES HOW YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS' MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES ASSOCIATE WITH PHYSICAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS. SUBJECTS/SETTING: SURVEY DATA WERE DRAWN FROM THE FOURTH WAVE OF A LARGE, POPULATION-BASED STUDY (PROJECT EAT-IV; EATING AND ACTIVITY IN TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS). DESIGN: LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS (LCA) WAS USED TO IDENTIFY MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AMONG PROJECT EAT-IV PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING YOGA (N = 297; MEAN AGE: 30.8-1.7 YEARS; 79.7 % FEMALE). CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN LATENT MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES, PHYSICAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS WERE DETERMINED WITH UNADJUSTED AND ADJUSTED (GENDER, RACE/ETHNICITY, AND BODY MASS INDEX) GENERAL LINEAR MODELS. RESULTS: ACROSS MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES, MOST YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE MOTIVATED BY ENHANCED FITNESS AND STRESS REDUCTION/RELAXATION. ADDITIONAL MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA CLUSTERED BY APPEARANCE (DESIRE TO CHANGE BODY APPEARANCE OR WEIGHT) OR MINDFULNESS (DESIRE TO INCREASE PRESENT MOMENT AWARENESS) UNDERPINNINGS. THE LCA CHARACTERIZED MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AS "LOW APPEARANCE, LOW MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 1; N = 77), "LOW APPEARANCE, HIGH MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 2; N = 48), "HIGH APPEARANCE, LOW MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 3; N = 79), AND "HIGH APPEARANCE, HIGH MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 4; N = 93). HAVING A PROFILE WITH HIGH MINDFULNESS AND LOW APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 2) WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER BODY SATISFACTION IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER CLASSES (P < 0.001). RELATIVE TO CLASS 2, THOSE WITH LOW MINDFULNESS MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 1; CLASS 3) REPORTED LESS TOTAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (P = 0.002) AND THOSE WITH HIGH APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 3; CLASS 4) REPORTED HIGHER COMPULSIVE EXERCISE SCORES (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: IN THIS SAMPLE, HIGH MINDFULNESS AND LOW APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA APPEARED OPTIMAL FOR PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH. CROSS-SECTIONAL FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS' MIND-BODY HEALTH MAY BE SUPPORTED BY MOTIVATIONAL UNDERPINNINGS THAT EMPHASIZE YOGA'S INTERNAL (MINDFULNESS) RATHER THAN EXTERNAL (APPEARANCE) BENEFITS. 2022 2 2728 35 YOGA NOT A (PHYSICAL) CULTURE FOR MEN? UNDERSTANDING THE BARRIERS FOR YOGA PARTICIPATION AMONG MEN. YOGA OFFERS AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BENEFIT MEN. THIS QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY EXAMINED MEN'S PERCEPTIONS OF YOGA, AND IDENTIFIED BARRIERS AND POSSIBLE FACILITATORS FOR PARTICIPATION. TWENTY-ONE NON-YOGA PARTICIPANT MEN, 18-60 YEARS OLD, AND LIVING IN QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, WERE INTERVIEWED. TWO MAJOR BARRIERS WERE IDENTIFIED USING THEMATIC ANALYSIS: (1) PREFERENCE FOR OTHER FORMS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND (2) GENDER-RELATED PERCEPTIONS AND PRESSURES (I.E., PERCEPTION OF YOGA AS FEMININE, AND PRESENCE OF "BLOKE" CULTURE AND MASCULINE IDEALS IN SOCIETY). POTENTIAL FACILITATORS INCLUDED: (1) ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA AMONG MEN, (2) PROVIDING BRIEF INFORMATION SESSIONS, AND (3) MEN-ONLY CLASSES. THE NON-COMPETITIVE NATURE OF YOGA, IN ADDITION TO BEING PREDOMINANTLY UNDERTAKEN BY WOMEN, MAKES IT LESS APPEALING FOR MEN LIVING IN AUSTRALIA. THESE BARRIERS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED IF YOGA IS TO BE PROMOTED AS AN OPTION FOR MEN, PARTICULARLY THOSE NOT DRAWN TO TRADITIONAL SPORTS OR EXERCISE. 2021 3 29 22 'POSITIVE AND 'NEGATIVE' ASPECTS OF THE 'ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS' INDUCED BY AUTOGENIC TRAINING, ZEN AND YOGA. AS PRACTICES OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS (ASC) HAVE BECOME MORE WIDELY USED AMONG PSYCHOTHERAPISTS WHO HAVE BECOME AWARE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF PSYCHOANALYTIC, EDUCATIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL APPROACHES, NEGATIVE ASPECTS ('MAKYO') OF ASC HAVE DRAWN THEIR SPECIAL ATTENTION. FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONTROLLING OR PREVENTING THESE SIDE-EFFECTS, (1) THE PROBLEM OF INDICATION IS MOST IMPORTANT, (2) AND EVALUATION OF THE PATIENT'S PERSONALITY IS INDISPENSABLE, (3) PREPARATORY EDUCATION ABOUT ASC METHODS AND (4) GUIDANCE BY EXPERIENCED LEADERS ARE MOST HELPFUL, (5) APPROPRIATE USE OF TRANQUILIZERS AND (6) THE MERE PRESENCE OF A SUPPORTIVE THERAPIST AT THE PLACE OF PRACTICE CAN ALSO BE HELPFUL. 1978 4 1516 21 IS YOGA AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED-CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES. METHODS: A SEARCH STRATEGY WAS FORMULATED WITH KEY CONCEPTS IDENTIFIED USING THE PICO PROCESS. FOUR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED IN JUNE 2012. APPROPRIATE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE SET AND IMPLEMENTED. RESULTS: FOUR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. ALL FOUR PAPERS FOUND THAT YOGA LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK FUNCTION, AND THREE DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK PAIN WHEN COMPARED WITH CERTAIN CARE MODALITIES. ALL PAPERS HAD SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED, HOWEVER. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE STUDIES, THE CONCLUSIONS DRAWN MUST BE CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVELY. ALTHOUGH EARLY RESULTS APPEAR PROMISING, BUT FURTHER WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE WARRANTED, WITH MULTIPLE, SPECIFIED COMPARATOR CARE MODALITIES BEFORE FIRM CONCLUSIONS CAN BE GAINED. 2013 5 1445 47 INCREASING TREND OF YOGA PRACTICE AMONG U.S. ADULTS FROM 2002 TO 2017. INTRODUCTION: BENEFITS, RISKS, AND THE INCREASING POPULARITY OF YOGA USE WARRANT ASSESSING YOGA PRACTICE PREVALENCE AND USERS' PROFILES. THIS STUDY DESCRIBES TRENDS IN YOGA PRACTICE EXCLUSIVELY AMONG AMERICAN ADULTS FROM 2002 TO 2017, COMPARES THE PROFILE OF YOGA USERS, AND IDENTIFIES FACTORS RELATED TO YOGA USE OVER TIME. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A SECONDARY ANALYSIS DONE IN 2019 AND 2020 USING THE NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS) 2002, 2007, 2012, AND 2017 DATA. POPULATION WEIGHTS WERE USED TO OBTAIN STATISTICALLY ACCURATE ESTIMATES OF YOGA USE PREVALENCE FOR THE U.S. POPULATION. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS WERE USED TO PROFILE THE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH-RELATED CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA USERS. MULTIVARIABLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA USE IN EACH COHORT DEFINED BY THE NHIS YEAR. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE PREVALENCE NEARLY TRIPLED FROM 5.1% IN 2002 TO 13.7% IN 2017 (WEIGHTED ESTIMATE 10,386,456 AND 32,761,194 AMERICAN ADULTS, RESPECTIVELY). TYPICAL YOGA USERS WERE YOUNG NON-HISPANIC SINGLE WHITE FEMALE ADULTS WITH BACHELOR OR HIGHER EDUCATION AND HEALTH INSURANCE, AND RESIDED IN THE WEST REGION OF THE UNITED STATES. YOGA USE PATTERN CHANGE OVER TIME WAS SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO ONLY YOUNGER AGE (P < 0.001) BUT NOT TO OTHER SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC OR HEALTH-RELATED FACTORS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA HAS GAINED INCREASING POPULARITY IN THE PAST TWO DECADES AMONG AMERICAN ADULTS, WITH YOUNGER ADULTS BEING THE DRIVING FORCE. YOGA APPEARS TO BE ADOPTED FOR GENERAL WELL-BEING OR PREVENTION MORE THAN FOR SPECIFIC DISEASE TREATMENT. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD EVALUATE HOW YOGA CAN BE EFFECTIVELY AND SAFELY INTEGRATED INTO PREVENTIVE MEDICINE STRATEGIES. 2021 6 2009 36 SUBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY AND HORMONAL MODULATION IN LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTITIONERS. YOGA REPRESENTS A FASCINATING MIND-BODY APPROACH, WHEREIN BODY MOVEMENTS (ASANA), BREATHING EXERCISES (PRANAYAMA) AND MEDITATION ARE INTEGRATED INTO A SINGLE MULTIDIMENSIONAL PRACTICE. NUMEROUS BENEFICIAL MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFECTS HAVE BEEN CLASSICALLY ASCRIBED TO THIS HOLISTIC ANCIENT METHOD. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY HAS BEEN TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE ON SUBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY (SSQ) AND ON SEVERAL HORMONAL PARAMETERS OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS. TWENTY-SIX SUBJECTS (16 EXPERIMENTAL AND 10 CONTROLS) WERE RECRUITED TO BE PART OF THE STUDY. EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS WERE REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH A MINIMUM OF 3 YEARS OF PRACTICE. BLOOD SAMPLES FOR THE QUANTIFICATION OF ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH), CORTISOL AND DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SULPHATE (DHEA-S) WERE DRAWN FROM ALL SUBJECTS. LIKEWISE, THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) WAS EMPLOYED TO ASSESS SSQ. AS STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, MANN-WHITNEY U-TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE YOGA GROUP DISPLAYED LOWER PSQI SCORES AND HIGHER BLOOD CORTISOL LEVELS THAN CONTROL SUBJECTS. THEREFORE, IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT PSYCHO-BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES, INCLUDING BETTER SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS A MODULATORY ACTION ON THE LEVELS OF CORTISOL. THESE PRELIMINARY RESULTS SUGGEST INTERESTING CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS WHICH SHOULD BE FURTHER RESEARCHED. 2009 7 22 38 "YOGA WAS MY SAVING GRACE": THE EXPERIENCE OF WOMEN WHO PRACTICE PRENATAL YOGA. BACKGROUND: APPROXIMATELY 20% OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES PRACTICE PRENATAL YOGA, BUT THERE IS A PAUCITY OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF THESE WOMEN. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY-BASED PRENATAL YOGA. METHOD: A QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE EXPLORATORY DESIGN USED FOCUS GROUPS WITH A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN (N = 14) WHO ENGAGED IN PRENATAL YOGA WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 6 MONTHS. CONTENT ANALYSIS WAS EMPLOYED TO IDENTIFY KEY THEMES AND SUBTHEMES. RESULTS: THREE THEMES AROSE: (A) STRESS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS COMMONLY INSTIGATE WOMEN'S INTEREST IN PRENATAL YOGA, (B) PRENATAL YOGA IS PERCEIVED TO BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND PHYSICALLY BENEFICIAL, AND (C) PRENATAL YOGA IS PERCEIVED AS MORE BENEFICIAL THAN OTHER GROUP CLASSES. CONCLUSIONS: PREGNANT WOMEN WITH STRESS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS MAY BE DRAWN TO PRENATAL YOGA FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL BENEFITS. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND RESEARCHERS FOCUS ON THESE NEEDS, PARTICULARLY WHEN DESIGNING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES WITH THIS POPULATION. 2015 8 2182 36 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH AMONG HEALTHY ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO PRESENT AN OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH (PMH) AMONG NON-CLINICAL ADULT POPULATIONS. METHODS: THIS WAS A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS, INCLUDING A RISK OF BIAS ASSESSMENT. THE ELECTRONIC DATABASES PUBMED/MEDLINE, SCOPUS, INDMED, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED FROM 1975 TO 2015. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON PMH AMONG A HEALTHY ADULT POPULATION WERE SELECTED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 17 RCTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS. FOUR INDICATORS OF PMH WERE FOUND: PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, LIFE SATISFACTION, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, AND MINDFULNESS. A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN FAVOR OF YOGA OVER NO ACTIVE CONTROL WAS FOUND. OVERALL RISK OF BIAS WAS UNCLEAR DUE TO INCOMPLETE REPORTING. CONCLUSIONS: THE CURRENT BODY OF RESEARCH OFFERS WEAK EVIDENCE THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA CONTRIBUTES TO AN INCREASE IN PMH AMONG ADULTS FROM NON-CLINICAL POPULATIONS IN GENERAL. YOGA WAS FOUND TO CONTRIBUTE TO A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING WHEN COMPARED TO NO INTERVENTION BUT NOT COMPARED TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. FOR LIFE SATISFACTION (EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING), SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS (SOCIAL WELL-BEING), AND MINDFULNESS NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS FOR YOGA WERE FOUND OVER ACTIVE OR NON-ACTIVE CONTROLS. DUE TO THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF STUDIES, THE HETEROGENEITY OF THE INTERVENTION, AND PERHAPS THE WAY PMH IS BEING MEASURED, ANY DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PMH CANNOT BE DRAWN. 2017 9 2902 29 [FROM YOGA TO PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A HERMENEUTIC STUDY ON THE ETHICAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI]. THE SCOPE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO INTERPRET ETHICAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF THE YOGA TRADITION AND DISCUSS THEM WITH A VIEW TO POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE (PHC). A THEORETICAL-HERMENEUTIC STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, IN WHICH CONCEPTS CONTAINED IN THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI WERE INTERPRETED FROM THE STANDPOINT OF MENTAL HEALTH. IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE VALUES FOUND IN THE TEXTS CAN ENRICH THE EXISTING PRACTICES OF YOGA FOR PHC USERS (WHO SUFFER FROM AFFLICTIONS INHERENT TO LIFE) BY PROVIDING IDEAS AND GUIDELINES THAT PROMOTE A SENSE OF LIBERATION FROM SUFFERING. SUCH VALUES AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE DISCUSSIONS IN PHC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE, SUCH AS THE REDUCTION OF IATROGENIC DISORDERS AND UNNECESSARY MEDICATION (QUATERNARY PREVENTION). IT CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THE RELATIVIZATION OF BIOMEDICAL POWER, STIMULATION OF EMPATHY AND PARTICIPATION OF USERS IN CARE, WITH THEIR SUBJECTIVE REPOSITIONING, MULTIPLYING AUTONOMOUS WAYS OF MANAGING SUFFERING AND BUILDING NETWORKS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT. THE CONCLUSION DRAWN WAS THAT THE VALUES OF THE YOGA SUTRAS MAY BE PRESENT IN VARIOUS DOMAINS OF PHC, WHICH MIGHT PROVIDE A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT 'THE PRACTICE OF YOGA' MEANS. 2021 10 2571 49 YOGA FOR EPILEPSY. BACKGROUND: THIS IS AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL COCHRANE REVIEW PUBLISHED IN THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, ISSUE 1, 2002.YOGA MAY INDUCE RELAXATION AND STRESS REDUCTION, AND INFLUENCE THE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM AND THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, THEREBY CONTROLLING SEIZURES. YOGA WOULD BE AN ATTRACTIVE THERAPEUTIC OPTION FOR EPILEPSY IF PROVED EFFECTIVE. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS WHETHER PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY TREATED WITH YOGA:(A) HAVE A GREATER PROBABILITY OF BECOMING SEIZURE FREE;(B) HAVE A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE FREQUENCY OR DURATION OF SEIZURES, OR BOTH; AND(C) HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. SEARCH METHODS: WE SEARCHED THE COCHRANE EPILEPSY GROUP SPECIALIZED REGISTER (26 MARCH 2015), THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, 26 MARCH 2015), MEDLINE (OVID, 1946 TO 26 MARCH 2015), SCOPUS (1823 TO 9 JANUARY 2014), CLINICALTRIALS.GOV (26 MARCH 2015), THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) INTERNATIONAL CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY PLATFORM ICTRP (26 MARCH 2015), AND ALSO REGISTRIES OF THE YOGA BIOMEDICAL TRUST AND THE RESEARCH COUNCIL FOR COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE. IN ADDITION, WE SEARCHED THE REFERENCES OF ALL THE IDENTIFIED STUDIES. NO LANGUAGE RESTRICTIONS WERE IMPOSED. SELECTION CRITERIA: THE FOLLOWING STUDY DESIGNS WERE ELIGIBLE FOR INCLUSION: RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCT) OF TREATMENT OF EPILEPSY WITH YOGA. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS WERE ADULTS WITH UNCONTROLLED EPILEPSY COMPARING YOGA WITH NO TREATMENT OR DIFFERENT BEHAVIOURAL TREATMENTS. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: THREE REVIEW AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY SELECTED TRIALS FOR INCLUSION AND EXTRACTED DATA. THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED: (A) PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE RENDERED SEIZURE FREE; (B) SEIZURE FREQUENCY AND DURATION; (C) QUALITY OF LIFE. ANALYSES WERE ON AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT BASIS. ODDS RATIO (OR) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (95% CL) WERE ESTIMATED FOR THE OUTCOMES. MAIN RESULTS: TWO UNBLINDED TRIALS RECRUITED A TOTAL OF 50 PEOPLE (18 TREATED WITH YOGA AND 32 TO CONTROL INTERVENTIONS). ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS WERE CONTINUED IN ALL THE PARTICIPANTS. BASELINE PHASE LASTED 3 MONTHS IN BOTH STUDIES AND TREATMENT PHASE FROM 5 WEEKS TO 6 MONTHS IN THE TWO TRIALS. RANDOMISATION WAS BY ROLL OF A DIE IN ONE STUDY AND USING A COMPUTERISED RANDOMISATION TABLE IN THE OTHER ONE BUT NEITHER STUDY PROVIDED DETAILS OF CONCEALMENT OF ALLOCATION AND WERE RATED AS UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS. OVERALL, THE TWO STUDIES WERE RATED AS LOW RISK OF BIAS (ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS; ALL EXPECTED AND PRE-EXPECTED OUTCOMES WERE REPORTED; NO OTHER SOURCES OF BIAS). THE OVERALL OR WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) WAS: (I) SEIZURE FREE FOR SIX MONTHS - FOR YOGA VERSUS SHAM YOGA ORS OF 14.54 (95% CI 0.67 TO 316.69) AND FOR YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT GROUP 17.31 (95% CI 0.80 TO 373.45); FOR ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY (ACT) VERSUS YOGA ORS OF 1.00 (95% CL 0.16 TO 6.42; (II) REDUCTION IN SEIZURE FREQUENCY - THE MEAN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOGA VERSUS SHAM YOGA GROUP WAS -2.10 (95% CI -3.15 TO -1.05) AND FOR YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT GROUP -1.10 (95% CI -1.80 TO -0.40); (III) MORE THAN 50% REDUCTION IN SEIZURE FREQUENCY - FOR YOGA VERSUS SHAM YOGA GROUP ORS OF 81.00 (95% CI 4.36 TO 1504.46) AND FOR THE YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT GROUP 158.33 (95% CI 5.78 TO 4335.63); ACT VERSUS YOGA ORS OF 0.78 (95% CL 0.04 TO 14.75); (IV) MORE THAN 50% REDUCTION IN SEIZURE DURATION - FOR YOGA VERSUS SHAM YOGA GROUP ORS OF 45.00 (95% CI 2.01 TO 1006.75) AND FOR YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT GROUP 53.57 (95% CI 2.42 TO 1187.26); ACT VERSUS YOGA ORS OF 0.67 (95% CL 0.10 TO 4.35). IN ADDITION IN PANJWANI 1996 THE AUTHORS REPORTED THAT THE ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE REVEALED NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE THREE GROUPS. A P-LAMBDA TEST TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE P VALUES BETWEEN THE THREE GROUPS ALSO INDICATED THAT THE DURATION OF EPILEPSY IN THE THREE GROUPS WAS NOT COMPARABLE. NO DATA WERE AVAILABLE REGARDING QUALITY OF LIFE. IN LUNDGREN 2008 THE AUTHORS REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE YOGA AND ACT GROUPS IN SEIZURE FREE RATES, 50% OR GREATER REDUCTION IN SEIZURE FREQUENCY OR SEIZURE DURATION AT ONE YEAR FOLLOW-UP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE ACCORDING TO THE SATISFACTION WITH LIFE SCALE (SWLS) (P < 0.05), WHILE THE ACT GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) SCALE (P < 0.01). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: STUDY OF 50 SUBJECTS WITH EPILEPSY FROM TWO TRIALS REVEALS POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL EFFECT IN CONTROL OF SEIZURES. RESULTS OF THE OVERALL EFFICACY ANALYSIS SHOW THAT YOGA TREATMENT WAS BETTER WHEN COMPARED WITH NO INTERVENTION OR INTERVENTIONS OTHER THAN YOGA (POSTURAL EXERCISES MIMICKING YOGA). THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOGA AND ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY. HOWEVER NO RELIABLE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN REGARDING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR UNCONTROLLED EPILEPSY, IN VIEW OF METHODOLOGICAL DEFICIENCIES SUCH AS LIMITED NUMBER OF STUDIES, LIMITED NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS RANDOMISED TO YOGA, LACK OF BLINDING AND LIMITED DATA ON QUALITY-OF-LIFE OUTCOME. PHYSICIAN BLINDING WOULD NORMALLY BE TAKEN TO BE THE PERSON DELIVERING THE INTERVENTION, WHEREAS WE THINK THE 'PHYSICIAN' WOULD IN FACT BE THE OUTCOME ASSESSOR (WHO COULD BE BLINDED), SO THAT WOULD BE A REDUCTION IN DETECTION BIAS RATHER THAN PERFORMANCE BIAS. IN ADDITION, EVIDENCE TO INFORM OUTCOMES IS LIMITED AND OF LOW QUALITY. FURTHER HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO FULLY EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR REFRACTORY EPILEPSY. 2015 11 2377 26 WHO PRACTICES YOGA? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF DEMOGRAPHIC, HEALTH-RELATED, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN THE US AND AROUND THE WORLD, YET BECAUSE MOST YOGA RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED AS CLINICAL TRIALS OR EXPERIMENTS, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS AND CORRELATES OF PEOPLE WHO INDEPENDENTLY CHOOSE TO PRACTICE YOGA. WE CONDUCTED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THIS ISSUE, IDENTIFYING 55 STUDIES AND CATEGORIZING CORRELATES OF YOGA PRACTICE INTO SOCIODEMOGRAPHICS, PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING. YOGA USE IS GREATEST AMONG WOMEN AND THOSE WITH HIGHER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND APPEARS FAVORABLY RELATED TO PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS SUCH AS COPING AND MINDFULNESS. YOGA PRACTICE OFTEN RELATES TO BETTER SUBJECTIVE HEALTH AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS BUT ALSO WITH MORE DISTRESS AND PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE IS SPARSE AND METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS PRECLUDE DRAWING CAUSAL INFERENCES. NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE STUDIES HAVE MINIMALLY ASSESSED YOGA WHILE STUDIES WITH STRONG ASSESSMENT OF YOGA PRACTICE (E.G., TYPE, DOSE) ARE GENERALLY CONDUCTED WITH CONVENIENCE SAMPLES. ALMOST ALL STUDIES REVIEWED ARE CROSS-SECTIONAL AND FEW CONTROL FOR POTENTIAL CONFOUNDING VARIABLES. WE PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CORRELATES OF YOGA PRACTICE. 2015 12 2033 26 TEACHING YOGA TO SENIORS: ESSENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS TO ENHANCE SAFETY AND REDUCE RISK IN A UNIQUELY VULNERABLE AGE GROUP. BACKGROUND: SENIORS AGE 65 AND OLDER REPRESENT THE FASTEST-GROWING SECTOR OF THE POPULATION AND, LIKE MANY AMERICANS, ARE INCREASINGLY DRAWN TO YOGA. THIS PRESENTS BOTH AN EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY AND A SERIOUS CHALLENGE FOR YOGA INSTRUCTORS WHO MUST BE BOTH A RESOURCE AND GUARDIANS OF SAFETY FOR THIS UNIQUELY VULNERABLE GROUP. A TYPICAL CLASS OF SENIORS IS LIKELY TO REPRESENT THE MOST DIVERSE MIX OF ABILITIES OF ANY AGE GROUP. WHILE SOME MAY BE EXCEEDINGLY HEALTHY, MOST FIT THE PROFILE OF THE AVERAGE OLDER ADULT IN AMERICA, 80% OF WHOM HAVE AT LEAST ONE CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITION AND 50% OF WHOM HAVE AT LEAST TWO. OBJECTIVES: THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE THERAPEUTIC YOGA FOR SENIORS PROGRAM, OFFERED SINCE 2007 AT DUKE INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE TO FILL A CRITICAL NEED TO HELP YOGA INSTRUCTORS WORK SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY WITH THE INCREASING NUMBER OF OLDER ADULTS COMING TO YOGA CLASSES, AND EXPLORES THREE AREAS THAT POSE THE GREATEST RISK OF COMPROMISE TO OLDER ADULT STUDENTS: SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, AND OSTEOPOROSIS. TO PROVIDE A SKILLFUL FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING YOGA TO SENIORS, WE HAVE DEVELOPED SPECIFIC PRINCIPLES OF PRACTICE THAT INTEGRATE THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM WESTERN MEDICINE WITH YOGIC TEACHINGS. 2010 13 392 34 BENEFITS OF YOGA ON IL-6: FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION. THE PRESENT RESEARCH SOUGHT TO EXAMINE WHETHER HATHA YOGA, IMPLEMENTED AS AN ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR MAJOR DEPRESSION, INFLUENCES MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION. A SUBSET OF 84 PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE ENROLLED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) OF HATHA YOGA VS. HEALTH EDUCATION CONTROL PROVIDED BLOOD SAMPLES AT BASELINE (PRE-TREATMENT) AND AT 3-(DURING TREATMENT) AND 10-WEEK (END OF TREATMENT) FOLLOW-UP VISITS. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE RCT, PARTICIPANTS MET CRITERIA FOR A CURRENT OR RECENT (PAST TWO YEARS) MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODE, HAD CURRENT ELEVATED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, AND CURRENT ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION USE. VENOUS BLOOD WAS DRAWN BETWEEN 2 AND 6 PM AND FOLLOWING AT LEAST ONE HOUR OF FASTING, AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS (IL-6, CRP, AND TNF-ALPHA) WERE ASSAYED. EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION IN YOGA RELATIVE TO HEALTH EDUCATION ON INFLAMMATORY MARKERS OVER TIME WERE EXAMINED WITH LATENT GROWTH ANALYSES. WE OBSERVED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN IL-6 CONCENTRATIONS IN THE YOGA TREATMENT GROUP RELATIVE TO THE HEALTH EDUCATION CONTROL GROUP AS DEMONSTRATED BY A NEGATIVE INTERACTION BETWEEN TREATMENT GROUP AND SLOPE OF IL-6. TNF-ALPHA AND CRP DID NOT EVIDENCE SIGNIFICANT INTERACTIONS OF TREATMENT GROUP BY MEAN SLOPE OR INTERCEPT. IN ADDITION TO THE BENEFITS OF HATHA YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SHOWN INADEQUATE RESPONSE TO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS, OUR FINDINGS POINT TO POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF YOGA ON IL-6 IN DEPRESSED POPULATIONS. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON IMMUNE FUNCTION OVER TIME. 2021 14 1871 26 RANGE OF YOGA INTENSITIES FROM SAVASANA TO SWEATING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: THERE IS LIMITED RESEARCH EXAMINING THE INTENSITY OF YOGA AND INTENSITY VARIATIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT STYLES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW IS TO EXAMINE THE INTENSITY OF YOGA BASED ON DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGIC RESPONSES BOTH BETWEEN DIFFERENT YOGA STYLES AND WITHIN STYLES OF YOGA. METHODS: ARTICLES WERE SEARCHED FOR ON THE PUBMED DATABASE IN EARLY 2019. INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE AS FOLLOWS: (1) WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, (2) CITE A SPECIFIC STYLE OF YOGA AND INCLUDE WHOLE YOGA SESSION, AND (3) MEASURE METABOLIC OR HEART RATE RESPONSE. RESULTS: TEN ARTICLES WERE REVIEWED; ARTICLES REPORTED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (N = 1), HEART RATE (N = 4), OR BOTH VARIABLES (N = 5). YOGA STYLES ASSESSED INCLUDED ASHTANGA (N = 2), BIKRAM (N = 3), GENTLE (N = 1), HATHA (N = 3), IYENGAR (N = 1), POWER (N = 1), AND VINYASA (N = 1). OXYGEN CONSUMPTION COMMONLY CATEGORIZED YOGA AS A LIGHT-INTENSITY ACTIVITY, WHILE HEART RATE RESPONSES CLASSIFIED DIFFERENT YOGA INTO MULTIPLE INTENSITIES. CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW DEMONSTRATES THAT LARGE DIFFERENCES IN INTENSITY CLASSIFICATIONS ARE OBSERVED BETWEEN DIFFERENT STYLES OF YOGA. FURTHERMORE, METABOLIC AND HEART RATE RESPONSES CAN BE VARIABLE, LEADING TO INCONSISTENT INTENSITY CLASSIFICATIONS. THIS IS LIKELY DUE TO THEIR NONLINEAR RELATIONSHIP DURING YOGA. THUS, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE FIELD OF YOGA RESEARCH WORKS TOGETHER TO CREATE A STANDARD FOR REPORTING YOGA. 2020 15 1847 41 QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOGA EXPERIENCED AND YOGA NAIVE ASIAN INDIAN ADULTS WITH OBESITY. BACKGROUND: OBESITY ADVERSELY AFFECTS QUALITY OF LIFE WHICH THEN ACTS AS A BARRIER TO WEIGHT LOSS AND WEIGHT LOSS MAINTENANCE. HENCE, THOSE INTERVENTIONS WHICH POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE ALONG WITH WEIGHT REDUCTION ARE CONSIDERED USEFUL FOR SUSTAINED WEIGHT LOSS IN PERSONS WITH OBESITY. AN EARLIER STUDY SHOWED BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE IN OBESE ADULTS WHO HAD EXPERIENCE OF YOGA COMPARED TO YOGA NAIVE OBESE ADULTS. HOWEVER, THE MAIN LIMITATION OF THE STUDY WAS THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE (N=20 IN EACH GROUP). OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZES THE QUALITY OF LIFE WOULD DIFFER IN YOGA EXPERIENCED COMPARED TO YOGA NAIVE ADULTS WITH OBESITY. METHODS: THERE WERE 596 ASIAN INDIAN OBESE ADULTS (AGE RANGE 20 TO 59 YEARS; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD; 43.9 +/- 9.9 YEARS): OF WHOM (I) 298 WERE YOGA EXPERIENCED (154 FEMALES; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD; 44.0 +/- 9.8 YEARS) WITH A MINIMUM OF 1 MONTH OF EXPERIENCE IN YOGA PRACTICE AND (II) 298 WERE YOGA NAIVE (154 FEMALES; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD; 43.8 +/- 10.0 YEARS). ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR QUALITY OF LIFE USING THE MOOREHEAD-ARDELT QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE II. DATA WERE DRAWN FROM A LARGER NATIONWIDE TRIAL WHICH ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO NUTRITIONAL ADVICE ON OBESITY OVER A ONE-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (CTRI/2018/05/014077). RESULTS: THERE WERE HIGHER PARTICIPANT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FOR FOUR OUT OF SIX ASPECTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE YOGA EXPERIENCED COMPARED TO THE YOGA NAIVE (P < 0.008, BASED ON T VALUES OF THE LEAST SQUARES LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSES, BONFERRONI ADJUSTED, AND ADJUSTED FOR AGE, GENDER, AND BMI AS COVARIATES). THESE WERE ENJOYMENT IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, ABILITY TO WORK, SELF-ESTEEM, AND SOCIAL SATISFACTION. CONCLUSION: OBESE ADULTS WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE APPEAR TO HAVE BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE IN SPECIFIC ASPECTS, COMPARED TO YOGA NAIVE PERSONS WITH A COMPARABLE DEGREE OF OBESITY. 2019 16 2245 35 THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA-BASED PROGRAMS ON RISK PROFILES IN ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY OFFER A SAFE AND COST-EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (DM 2). HOWEVER, SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS ARE LACKING. THIS ARTICLE CRITICALLY REVIEWS THE PUBLISHED LITERATURE REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED PROGRAMS ON PHYSIOLOGIC AND ANTHROPOMETRIC RISK PROFILES AND RELATED CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN ADULTS WITH DM 2. WE PERFORMED A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE SEARCH USING FOUR COMPUTERIZED ENGLISH AND INDIAN SCIENTIFIC DATABASES. THE SEARCH WAS RESTRICTED TO ORIGINAL STUDIES (1970-2006) THAT EVALUATED THE METABOLIC AND CLINICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN ADULTS WITH DM 2. STUDIES TARGETING CLINICAL POPULATIONS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS THAT INCLUDED ADULTS WITH COMORBID DM WERE ALSO EVALUATED. DATA WERE EXTRACTED REGARDING STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, TARGET POPULATION, INTERVENTION, COMPARISON GROUP OR CONDITION, OUTCOME ASSESSMENT, DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION, FOLLOW-UP, AND KEY RESULTS, AND THE QUALITY OF EACH STUDY WAS EVALUATED ACCORDING TO SPECIFIC PREDETERMINED CRITERIA. WE IDENTIFIED 25 ELIGIBLE STUDIES, INCLUDING 15 UNCONTROLLED TRIALS, 6 NON-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS AND 4 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS). OVERALL, THESE STUDIES SUGGEST BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN SEVERAL RISK INDICES, INCLUDING GLUCOSE TOLERANCE AND INSULIN SENSITIVITY, LIPID PROFILES, ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, BLOOD PRESSURE, OXIDATIVE STRESS, COAGULATION PROFILES, SYMPATHETIC ACTIVATION AND PULMONARY FUNCTION, AS WELL AS IMPROVEMENT IN SPECIFIC CLINICAL OUTCOMES. YOGA MAY IMPROVE RISK PROFILES IN ADULTS WITH DM 2, AND MAY HAVE PROMISE FOR THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS IN THIS POPULATION. HOWEVER, THE LIMITATIONS CHARACTERIZING MOST STUDIES PRECLUDE DRAWING FIRM CONCLUSIONS. ADDITIONAL HIGH-QUALITY RCTS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM AND FURTHER ELUCIDATE THE EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED YOGA PROGRAMS IN POPULATIONS WITH DM 2. 2007 17 2573 32 YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS THOUGHT TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE ARTICLE AIMS TO ASSESS THE CURRENT CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION (EH). STRATEGY: MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL) IN THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED UNTIL JUNE, 2013. WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS TESTING YOGA AGAINST CONVENTIONAL THERAPY, YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT, YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. STUDY SELECTION, DATA EXTRACTION, QUALITY ASSESSMENT, AND DATA ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE STANDARDS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 6 STUDIES (INVOLVING 386 PATIENTS) WERE INCLUDED. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED TRIALS WAS EVALUATED AS GENERALLY LOW. A TOTAL OF 6 RCTS MET ALL THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. 4 OF THEM COMPARED YOGA PLUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. 2 RCT TESTED THE EFFECT OF YOGA VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY ALONE. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT. ONLY ONE TRIAL REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS WITHOUT DETAILS, THE SAFETY OF YOGA IS STILL UNCERTAIN. CONCLUSIONS: THERE IS SOME ENCOURAGING EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR LOWERING SBP AND DBP. HOWEVER, DUE TO LOW METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THESE IDENTIFIED TRIALS, A DEFINITE CONCLUSION ABOUT THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA ON EH CANNOT BE DRAWN FROM THIS REVIEW. THEREFORE, FURTHER THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, LARGE-SCALE, PROPER STUDY DESIGNED, RANDOMIZED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR HYPERTENSION WILL BE REQUIRED TO JUSTIFY THE EFFECTS REPORTED HERE. 2013 18 2416 26 YOGA AND MEDITATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. YOGA IS A HOLISTIC MIND-BODY INTERVENTION AIMED AT PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL BEING. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA AND/OR MEDITATION CAN CONTROL RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE LIKE HYPERTENSION, TYPE II DIABETES AND INSULIN RESISTANCE, OBESITY, LIPID PROFILE, PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS AND SMOKING. SOME RANDOMIZED STUDIES SUGGEST THAT YOGA/MEDITATION COULD RETARD OR EVEN REGRESS EARLY AND ADVANCED CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS. A RECENT STUDY SUGGESTS THAT TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION MAY BE EXTREMELY USEFUL IN SECONDARY PREVENTION OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE AND MAY REDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS BY 48% OVER A 5-YEAR PERIOD. ANOTHER SMALL STUDY SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY BE HELPFUL IN PREVENTION OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION. HOWEVER, MOST STUDIES HAVE SEVERAL LIMITATIONS LIKE LACK OF ADEQUATE CONTROLS, SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, INCONSISTENCIES IN BASELINE AND DIFFERENT METHODOLOGIES, ETC. AND THEREFORE LARGE TRIALS WITH IMPROVED METHODOLOGIES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. HOWEVER, IN VIEW OF THE EXISTING KNOWLEDGE AND YOGA BEING A COST-EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE WITHOUT SIDE EFFECTS, IT APPEARS APPROPRIATE TO INCORPORATE YOGA/MEDITATION FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. 2014 19 1200 24 EXERCISE AND YOGA DURING PREGNANCY: A SURVEY. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS SURVEY WAS TO ASCERTAIN THE OPINIONS, PRACTICES AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EXERCISE, INCLUDING YOGA, DURING PREGNANCY; THE SECONDARY OBJECTIVE TO COMPARE THE RESPONSES AMONG WOMEN WITH BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) <30 KG/M(2) VERSUS >/=30 KG/M(2). SURVEY CONSISTED OF 20 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS ASSESSING DEMOGRAPHICS AND EXERCISE PRACTICES, AND FIVE QUESTIONS TESTING THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT DURING PREGNANCY (ACOG COMMITTEE OPINION # 267). OF THE 500 SURVEYS DISTRIBUTED, 84% (422) RESPONSES WERE ANALYZED. WHILE 86% OF WOMEN RESPONDED THAT EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY IS BENEFICIAL, 83% FELT IT WAS BENEFICIAL TO START PRIOR TO PREGNANCY, AND WALKING WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST BENEFICIAL (62%). THE MAJORITY (64%) OF RESPONDENTS WERE CURRENTLY EXERCISING DURING PREGNANCY AND 51% EXERCISED 2-3 TIMES/WEEK. AMONG THE FIVE QUESTIONS TESTING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PRENATAL EXERCISE, MAJORITY (RANGE 60 TO 92%) WERE AWARE OF ACOG RECOMMENDATIONS. ABOUT HALF HAD A BMI >/=30. KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BENEFITS OF EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN OBESE AND NON-OBESE. YOGA WAS TRIED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE AMONG NON-OBESE, 65% BELIEVED IT IS BENEFICIAL, AND 40% HAD ATTEMPTED YOGA BEFORE PREGNANCY. IN OUR POPULATION, THE MAJORITY BELIEVES THAT EXERCISE, INCLUDING YOGA, IS BENEFICIAL AND THEY ARE ACTIVE. 2015 20 639 33 DO SIDE-EFFECTS/INJURIES FROM YOGA PRACTICE RESULT IN DISCONTINUED USE? RESULTS OF A NATIONAL SURVEY. CONTEXT: YOGA-RELATED INJURIES ARE OF INCREASING CONCERN AS THE USE OF YOGA CONTINUES TO RISE. AIMS: THE AIM OF THE FOLLOWING STUDY IS TO EXAMINE WHETHER A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS WOULD REPORT DISCONTINUED USE OF YOGA DUE TO INJURY FROM THE PRACTICE, ASSESS WHAT INJURIES RESULTED IN DISCONTINUED USE, DETERMINE WHAT INJURIES WERE MOST COMMON AND IDENTIFY INJURIES REQUIRING MEDICAL ATTENTION. METHODS: SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS OF A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES (N = 23,393). RESULTS: LESS THAN 1% OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD EVER PRACTICED YOGA (N = 2230) REPORTED AN INJURY FROM YOGA THAT LED TO DISCONTINUED USE. OF THOSE REPORTING INJURY, LESS THAN ONE-THIRD (N = 4) REPORTED SEEKING MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE MOST COMMON SIDE-EFFECT WAS BACK PAIN. APPROXIMATELY, HALF OF THOSE REPORTING BACK PAIN SOUGHT MEDICAL ATTENTION. CONCLUSIONS: INJURY DUE TO YOGA IS AN INFREQUENT BARRIER TO CONTINUED PRACTICE AND SEVERE INJURY DUE TO YOGA IS RARE. 2014