1 867 190 EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: LUNG FUNCTIONS ARE FOUND TO BE IMPAIRED IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD), CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION, AND AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY. DIFFUSION CAPACITY PROGRESSIVELY WORSENS AS THE SEVERITY OF CAD INCREASES DUE TO REDUCTION IN LUNG TISSUE PARTICIPATING IN GAS EXCHANGE. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGIC POSTURES MAY PLAY AN IMPRESSIVE ROLE IN IMPROVING CARDIO-RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY AND FACILITATING GAS DIFFUSION AT THE ALVEOLO-CAPILLARY MEMBRANE. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS PARTICULARLY DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 80 STABLE CAD PATIENTS BELOW 65 YEARS OF AGE OF BOTH SEXES WERE SELECTED AND RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 40 EACH. GROUP I CAD PATIENTS WERE GIVEN YOGA REGIMEN FOR 3 MONTHS WHICH CONSISTED OF YOGIC POSTURES, PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES, DIETARY MODIFICATION, AND HOLISTIC TEACHING ALONG WITH THEIR CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE WHILE GROUP II CAD PATIENTS WERE PUT ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE. LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY WERE RECORDED THRICE IN BOTH THE GROUPS: 0 DAY AS BASELINE, 22(ND) DAY AND ON 90(TH) DAY BY USING COMPUTERIZED MS MEDISOFT CARDIO-RESPIRATORY INSTRUMENT, HYP'AIR COMPACT MODEL OF CARDIO-RESPIRATORY TESTING MACHINE WAS MANUFACTURED BY P K MORGAN, INDIA. THE RECORDED PARAMETERS WERE STATISTICALLY ANALYZED BY REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA FOLLOWED BY TUKEY'S TEST IN BOTH THE GROUPS. CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS WERE ALSO COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION IN BOTH THE GROUPS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN SLOW VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION, AND DIFFUSION FACTOR/ TRANSFER FACTOR OF LUNG FOR CARBON MONOXIDE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGA REGIMEN IN GROUP I. FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1(ST) SEC (FEV1), AND FEV1 % ALSO SHOWED A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENT ALTHOUGH NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HR, SBP AND DBP ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GROUP-I PATIENTS WHO FOLLOWED YOGA REGIMEN. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA REGIMEN WAS FOUND TO IMPROVE LUNG FUNCTIONS AND DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS BESIDES IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLIMENTARY OR ADJUNCT THERAPY ALONG WITH THE CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE FOR THEIR TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION. 2015 2 1477 61 INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICE IN CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD) IS A DETRIMENTAL NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASE, WHICH IS INCREASING DUE TO SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND URBANIZATION IN THE YOUNG POPULATION. IT IS FURTHER ELEVATED WITH RISK FACTORS SUCH AS STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AN INCREASE IN TRIGLYCERIDES, DYSLIPIDEMIA, HYPERGLYCEMIA, HYPERTENSION, AND SO ON, WHICH MANIFESTS AS ATHEROSCLEROTIC DISEASE. YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IS A NONINVASIVE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT METHOD TO CONTROL AND PREVENT CARDIAC RISK FACTORS IN CAD PATIENTS. YOGA HAS BEEN USED IN INDIA AS A THERAPEUTIC METHOD TO MANAGE HYPERTENSION AND OTHER CHRONIC DISORDERS AND IS FAST GAINING POPULARITY AS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR THE ALLEVIATION OF STRESS, IMPROVEMENT OF FITNESS, AND ENHANCEMENT OF WELL-BEING. THIS STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING THE INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) IN A CARDIAC REHABILITATION CENTER IN INDIA AND UNDERSTAND ITS USEFULNESS IN IMPROVING THE CARDIAC FUNCTION AND MANAGING THE CARDIAC RISK FACTORS IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION PATIENTS WITH LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION. METHODS AND DESIGN: CARDIAC PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA-PRACTICING GROUP (N = 33) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N = 33). THE YOGA-PRACTICING GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED TO ATTEND THREE SUPERVISED IAYT CLASSES 3 DAYS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS AT THE HOSPITAL YOGA CENTER. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD CARE THAT INCLUDED PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT AND THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE CARDIOLOGIST. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (T1 = 0) AND COMPLETION (T2 = 3 MONTHS). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF). RESULTS: THERE WAS NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN LVEF (U = 420.500, P VALUE = 0.218) BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. HOWEVER, THE YOGA-PRACTICING GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION (CARDIAC DEPRESSION SCALE [CDS], U = 71, P VALUE = 0.0), ANXIETY (HAMILTON ANXIETY RATING SCALE [HAM-A], U = 128, P VALUE = 0.0), AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) SCORES (DUKE ACTIVITY STATUS INDEX [DASI], U = 146, P VALUE = 0.0; AND METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS), U = 136, P VALUE = 0.0) AT 3 MONTHS COMPARED TO CONTROL. OVERALL, THE CAD PATIENTS PRACTICING YOGA SHOWED A FAVORABLE PROFILE COMPARED TO CONTROL INDIVIDUALS ON CDS, HAM-A, DASI, AND MET OUTCOMES. CONTROL AND YOGA PRACTICING GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LIPID LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY INDICATED THAT THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA PRACTICE IN A CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM IS FEASIBLE AND HAS NO ADDED BENEFIT IN IMPROVING THE CARDIAC FUNCTION. HOWEVER, THE ADDITION OF YOGA TO CARDIAC REHABILITATION MAY BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AND IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS. 2020 3 871 60 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS AN IMMUNE-MEDIATED INFLAMMATORY DISEASE. ANTIRHEUMATOID TREATMENT REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND INFLAMMATION, BUT NOT ALL PATIENTS RESPOND TO TREATMENT. AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS COMMON IN RA LEADING TO FREQUENT CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS. YOGA THERAPY MAY BE USEFUL IN THESE PATIENTS, BUT THERE ARE LITTLE DATA ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF 12-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HRV IN PATIENTS WITH RA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED ON NEWLY DIAGNOSED RA PATIENTS ATTENDING OUTPATIENT SERVICES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, JIPMER. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: THE CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 83) AND YOGA GROUP (YG) (N = 83). YOGA THERAPY WAS ADMINISTERED TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE YG FOR 12 WEEKS, ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE CG RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE 28, INTERLEUKIN-1ALPHA (IL-1ALPHA), IL-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), CORTISOL, AND HRV PARAMETERS. ALL PARAMETERS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: DISEASE ACTIVITY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IT WAS REDUCED MORE IN YG, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). IN BOTH YG AND CG, IL-1ALPHA, IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND CORTISOL DECREASED AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IL-1ALPHA AND CORTISOL DECREASED MORE SIGNIFICANTLY IN YG THAN IN CG. LOW-FREQUENCY COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (LFNU) AND THE LOW-FREQUENCY/HIGH-FREQUENCY (LF-HF) RATIO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND TOTAL POWER AND HF COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (HFNU) INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YG COMPARED WITH CG. CONCLUSION: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA THERAPY, IF GIVEN ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND IMPROVES SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IN RA PATIENTS. 2020 4 904 57 EFFECTIVENESS OF ADJUVANT YOGA THERAPY IN DIABETIC LUNG: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. CONTEXT: RECENT STUDIES PROVIDE AMPLE EVIDENCE OF THE BENEFITS OF YOGA IN VARIOUS CHRONIC DISORDERS. DIABETES MELLITUS IS A GROUP OF METABOLIC DISEASES CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA AND SANDLER COINED THE TERM "DIABETIC LUNG" FOR THE ABNORMAL PULMONARY FUNCTION DETECTED IN DIABETIC PATIENTS DUE UNDERLYING PULMONARY DYSFUNCTION. YOGA THERAPY MAY HELP IN ACHIEVING BETTER PULMONARY FUNCTION ALONG WITH ENHANCED GLYCAEMIC CONTROL AND OVERALL HEALTH BENEFITS. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF ADJUVANT YOGA THERAPY IN DIABETIC LUNG THROUGH SPIROMETRY. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS MADE AS INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATIVE WORK BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS OF YOGA THERAPY, PULMONARY MEDICINE AND ENDOCRINOLOGY, OF MGMC & RI, SRI BALAJI VIDYAPEETH PUDUCHERRY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 72 PATIENTS OF DIABETIC LUNG AS CONFIRMED BY SPIROMETRY (<70% OF EXPECTED) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL GROUP (N=36) WHO RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT AND YOGA GROUP (N=36) WHO RECEIVED YOGA TRAINING THRICE WEEKLY FOR 4 MONTHS ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL MANAGEMENT. YOGA THERAPY PROTOCOL INCLUDED YOGIC COUNSELING, PREPARATORY PRACTICES, ASANAS OR STATIC POSTURES, PRANAYAMA OR BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. HATHENAS OF THE GITANANDA YOGA TRADITION WERE THE MAIN PRACTICES USED. SPIROMETRY WAS DONE AT THE END OF THE STUDY PERIOD. DATA WAS ANALYZED BY STUDENT'S PAIRED AND UNPAIRED 'T' TEST AS IT PASSED NORMALITY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) REDUCTION IN WEIGHT, AND BMI ALONG WITH A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.01) IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTION (FEV1, FVC) IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP WHERE PARAMETERS WORSENED OVER STUDY PERIOD. CONCLUSION: IT IS CONCLUDED FROM THE PRESENT RCT THAT YOGA HAS A DEFINITE ROLE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY AS IT ENHANCES STANDARD MEDICAL CARE AND HENCE IS EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT IN ROUTINE CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES, IMPROVING PHYSICAL CONDITION AND PULMONARY FUNCTION. 2019 5 831 46 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MIGRAINE: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY USING CLINICAL PROFILE AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. CONTEXT AND AIMS: MIGRAINE IS AN EPISODIC DISABLING HEADACHE REQUIRING LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT. MIGRAINE MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA THERAPY WOULD REDUCE THE MEDICATION COST WITH POSITIVE HEALTH BENEFITS. YOGA HAS SHOWN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE, REDUCE THE EPISODE OF HEADACHE AND MEDICATION. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS BY ASSESSING CLINICAL OUTCOME AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS TESTS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: MIGRAINE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY GIVEN EITHER CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30) OR YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30). YOGA GROUP RECEIVED YOGA PRACTICE SESSION FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE. CLINICAL ASSESSMENT (FREQUENCY, INTENSITY OF HEADACHE AND HEADACHE IMPACT) AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TEST WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE AND CONVENTION CARE GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CLINICAL VARIABLES, BUT IT WAS BETTER WITH YOGA THERAPY. IMPROVEMENT IN THE VAGAL TONE ALONG WITH REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE RECEIVING YOGA AS ADJUVANT THERAPY. CONCLUSIONS: INTERVENTION SHOWED SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH GROUPS. HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY WERE REDUCED MORE IN YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE THAN THE CONVENTIONAL CARE GROUP ALONE. FURTHERMORE, YOGA THERAPY ENHANCED THE VAGAL TONE AND DECREASED THE SYMPATHETIC DRIVE, HENCE IMPROVING THE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC BALANCE. THUS, YOGA THERAPY CAN BE EFFECTIVELY INCORPORATED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2014 6 161 43 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF ADJUNCTIVE YOGA AND ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. BACKGROUND: YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE HAVE BEEN USED AS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ), BUT CONTROLLED COMPARISONS ARE LACKING. AIMS A SINGLE-BLIND RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE WHETHER YOGA TRAINING OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING ENHANCE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN SZ, BASED ON A PRIOR PILOT STUDY. METHODS: CONSENTING, CLINICALLY STABLE, ADULT OUTPATIENTS WITH SZ (N=286) COMPLETED BASELINE ASSESSMENTS AND WERE RANDOMISED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU), SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING WITH TAU (YT) OR SUPERVISED PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING WITH TAU (PE). BASED ON THE PILOT STUDY, THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS SPEED INDEX FOR THE COGNITIVE DOMAIN OF 'ATTENTION' IN THE PENN COMPUTERISED NEUROCOGNITIVE BATTERY. USING MIXED MODELS AND CONTRASTS, COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AT BASELINE, 21 DAYS (END OF TRAINING), 3 AND 6 MONTHS POST-TRAINING WERE EVALUATED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT PARADIGM. RESULTS: SPEED INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN IN THE YT GROUP SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN PE AT 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP (P<0.036, EFFECT SIZE 0.51). IN THE PE GROUP, 'ACCURACY INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN TAU ALONE AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (P<0.025, EFFECT SIZE 0.61). FOR SEVERAL OTHER COGNITIVE DOMAINS, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED WITH YT OR PE COMPARED WITH TAU ALONE (P<0.05, EFFECT SIZES 0.30-1.97). CONCLUSIONS: BOTH YT AND PE IMPROVED ATTENTION AND ADDITIONAL COGNITIVE DOMAINS WELL PAST THE TRAINING PERIOD, SUPPORTING OUR PRIOR REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YT ON SPEED INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN. AS ADJUNCTS, YT OR PE CAN BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH SZ. 2017 7 1822 47 PROTOCOL TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF YOGA SUPPLEMENTATION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ) IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS THAT IS TREATED SYMPTOMATICALLY. COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IS A CORE FEATURE OF SZ THAT IS RELATIVELY INTRACTABLE TO PHARMACOTHERAPY. YOGA CAN IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. A RECENT OPEN TRIAL INDICATED SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OF YOGA TRAINING (YT) IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPY AMONG PATIENTS WITH SZ. AIMS: TO DESCRIBE THE PROTOCOL FOR AN ONGOING RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO TEST WHETHER THE REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG SZ PATIENTS CAN BE REPLICATED. SECONDARILY, THE EFFECTS OF YT ON DAILY FUNCTIONING LIVING SKILLS ARE EVALUATED. METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SZ RECEIVE ROUTINE CLINICAL TREATMENT AND ARE RANDOMISED TO ADJUNCTIVE YT, ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE (PE) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (PROPOSED N = 234 TOTAL, N = 78 IN EACH GROUP). THE TRIAL INVOLVES YT OR PE 5 DAYS A WEEK AND LASTS 3 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS ARE EVALUATED THRICE OVER 6 MONTHS. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS MEASURED BY TRAIL MAKING TEST, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA NEUROCOGNITIVE COMPUTERISED BATTERY WERE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WHILE CLINICAL SEVERITY AND DAILY FUNCTIONING MEASURED BY INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS SURVEY WERE SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 309 PARTICIPANTS HAVE BEEN RANDOMISED AS OF 31 AUGUST 2013, WHICH EXCEEDED BEYOND 294 PROPOSED AFTER ATTRITION. ONCE PARTICIPANTS BEGIN YT OR PE THEY GENERALLY COMPLETE THE PROTOCOL. NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: SHORT TERM YT IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE TO INDIAN SZ PATIENTS. IF BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ARE DETECTED, IT WILL PROVIDE A NOVEL ADJUNCTIVE COGNITIVE REMEDIATION STRATEGY FOR SZ PATIENTS. 2014 8 2666 42 YOGA IN FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTIONS. INTRODUCTION: YOGA IS A POPULAR FORM OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPY. IT IS PRACTICED BOTH IN DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS ARE COMMON AND DO NOT ALWAYS GET ADEQUATE CLINICAL ATTENTION. PHARMACOTHERAPIES FOR TREATING FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS ARE AVAILABLE BUT SUFFER FROM DRAWBACKS SUCH AS POOR COMPLIANCE, LOW EFFICACY, AND SIDE EFFECTS. MANY PATIENTS AND YOGA PROTAGONISTS CLAIM THAT IT IS USEFUL IN IMPROVING SEXUAL FUNCTIONS AND TREATING SEXUAL DISORDERS. AIM: TO ESTABLISH THE EFFECT YOGA CAN HAVE ON FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTIONS. METHODS: WE RECRUITED 40 FEMALES (AGE RANGE 22-55 YEARS, AVERAGE AGE 34.7 +/- 8.49 YEARS) WHO WERE ENROLLED IN A YOGA CAMP AND WERE GIVEN A STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRE NAMED FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTION INDEX (FSFI) BEFORE AND AFTER THE 12 WEEKS SESSION OF YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: FSFI SCORES. RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT AFTER THE COMPLETION OF YOGA SESSIONS; THE SEXUAL FUNCTIONS SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED (P < 0.0001). THE IMPROVEMENT OCCURRED IN ALL SIX DOMAINS OF FSFI (I.E., DESIRE, AROUSAL, LUBRICATION, ORGASM, SATISFACTION, AND PAIN). THE IMPROVEMENT WAS MORE IN OLDER WOMEN (AGE > 45 YEARS) COMPARED WITH YOUNGER WOMEN (AGE < 45 YEARS). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA APPEARS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF IMPROVING ALL DOMAINS OF SEXUAL FUNCTIONS IN WOMEN AS STUDIED BY FSFI. 2010 9 289 42 ADJUNCTIVE YOGA TRAINING FOR PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA: WHO BENEFITS? OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCEPTABILITY AND EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING (YT) FOR IMPROVING COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ). METHODS: WE ANALYSED DATA FROM TWO PUBLISHED CLINICAL TRIALS OF YT FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION AMONG INDIANS WITH SZ: (1) A 21-DAY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT, N = 286), 3 AND 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP AND (2) A 21-DAY OPEN TRIAL (N = 62). MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE ASSOCIATION OF BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS (AGE, SEX, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, EDUCATIONAL STATUS, DURATION, AND SEVERITY OF ILLNESS) WITH IMPROVEMENT IN COGNITION (I.E. ATTENTION AND FACE MEMORY) FOLLOWING YT. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCEPTABILITY WERE IDENTIFIED BY COMPARING BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES BETWEEN SCREENED AND ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS AS WELL AS COMPLETERS VERSUS NON-COMPLETERS. RESULTS: ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS WERE YOUNGER THAN SCREENED PERSONS WHO DECLINED PARTICIPATION (T = 2.952, P = 0.003). NO OTHER CHARACTERISTICS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH STUDY ENROLLMENT OR COMPLETION. REGARDING EFFICACY, SCHOOLING DURATION WAS NOMINALLY ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER AND SUSTAINED COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENT ON A MEASURE OF FACIAL MEMORY. NO OTHER BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH EFFICACY OF YT IN THE OPEN TRIAL, THE RCT, OR THE COMBINED SAMPLES (N = 148). CONCLUSIONS: YT IS ACCEPTABLE EVEN AMONG YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS WITH SZ. IT ALSO ENHANCES SPECIFIC COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, REGARDLESS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SELECTED PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS. THUS, YOGA COULD BE INCORPORATED AS ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH SZ. IMPORTANTLY, OUR RESULTS SUGGEST COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IS REMEDIABLE IN PERSONS WITH SZ ACROSS THE AGE SPECTRUM. 2021 10 511 46 COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPY AND ADDITIONAL YOGASANAS FOR KNEE REHABILITATION AFTER TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY. BACKGROUND: AMONGST VARIOUS MODALITIES OF POST OPERATIVE REHABILITATION IN A TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT (TKR) SURGERY, THIS STUDY FOCUSES ON EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF ADDITIONAL YOGA THERAPY ON FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF TKR PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WAS DONE TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL PHYSIOTHERAPY AND ADDITIONAL YOGA ASANAS, ON 56 PATIENTS UNDERGOING TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY DUE TO OSTEOARTHRITIS. AFTER OBTAINING WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT, THE PATIENTS WERE ALTERNATELY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS: CONVENTIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL. BASELINE WOMAC SCORES FOR PAIN AND STIFFNESS WERE TAKEN ON THIRD POST OPERATIVE DAY. THE SUBJECTS IN CONVENTIONAL GROUP RECEIVED PHYSIOTHERAPY REHABILITATION PROGRAM OF SANCHETI INSTITUTE WHERE THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED ADDITIONAL MODIFIED YOGA ASANAS ONCE DAILY BY THE THERAPIST. AFTER DISCHARGE FROM THE HOSPITAL, PATIENTS WERE PROVIDED WITH WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ASANAS, TWO SETS OF WOMAC QUESTIONNAIRE WITH STAMPED AND ADDRESSED ENVELOPES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PERFORM YOGA ASANAS 3 DAYS/WEEK. SUBJECTS FILLED THE QUESTIONNAIRE AFTER 6 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS FROM THE DAY OF SURGERY AND MAILED BACK. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS WOMAC QUESTIONNAIRE WHICH CONSISTS OF 24 QUESTIONS, EACH CORRESPONDING TO A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, DESIGNED TO MEASURE PATIENT'S PERCEPTION OF PAIN, STIFFNESS AND FUNCTION. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE (P<0.05) FOR ALL THE GROUPS FOR PAIN, STIFFNESS AND FUNCTION SUBSCALES OF WOMAC SCALE. THE PAIN AND STIFFNESS WAS FOUND TO BE LESS IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVING ADDITIONAL YOGA THERAPY THAN IN CONVENTIONAL GROUP ON 3(RD) POST OPERATIVE DAY, 6 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE SURGERY. CONCLUSION: A COMBINATION OF PHYSIOTHERAPY AND YOGA ASANA PROTOCOL WORKS BETTER THAN ONLY PHYSIOTHERAPY PROTOCOL. LARGER AND BLINDED STUDY IS NEEDED. 2012 11 940 51 EFFECTS OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM ON RENAL FUNCTIONS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY-FOUR PATIENTS WITH CKD WERE STUDIED AND DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS (YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP) TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN CKD. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT MODALITIES, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP WERE TRAINED TO PERFORM SPECIFIC YOGIC ASANAS FOR AT LEAST 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 40-60 MIN A DAY. REGULAR MONITORING OF BLOOD PRESSURE, RENAL FUNCTION, REQUIREMENT OF A NUMBER OF DIALYSIS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) INDICATORS WERE DONE. FIFTY PATIENTS (YOGA - 25; CONTROL-25) COMPLETED 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: IN YOGA GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD UREA AND SERUM CREATININE LEVELS, AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMAIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QOL (AS ASSESSED BY BREF QOL SCORES) WERE SEEN AFTER 6 MONTHS. IN CONTROL GROUP, RISE OF BLOOD PRESSURE, DETERIORATION OF RENAL FUNCTION, AND QOL WERE OBSERVED. POSTSTUDY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF BLOOD PRESSURE, NONSIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD UREA AND SERUM CREATININE, AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMAIN OF QOL IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. FOR SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP, THE NEED FOR DIALYSIS WAS LESS WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP ALTHOUGH THIS DIFFERENCE WAS STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT. EXCEPT FOR INABILITY OF SOME PATIENTS TO PERFORM CERTAIN YOGIC ASANAS NO ADVERSE EFFECT WAS FOUND IN THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: SIX MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN IMPROVING RENAL FUNCTIONS AND QOL OF CKD PATIENTS. 2017 12 694 38 EFFECT OF EISCHENS YOGA DURING RADIATION THERAPY ON PROSTATE CANCER PATIENT SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: A RANDOMIZED PHASE II TRIAL. PURPOSE: A RANDOMIZED PHASE II STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO MEASURE THE POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA ON FATIGUE, ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, URINARY INCONTINENCE, AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN PROSTATE CANCER (PCA) PATIENTS UNDERGOING EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY (RT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA AND NO-YOGA COHORTS (1:1). TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE 6- TO 9-WEEK COURSES OF RT. COMPARISONS OF STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED BETWEEN THE 2 COHORTS FOR THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT OF FATIGUE AND THE SECONDARY ENDPOINTS OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, URINARY INCONTINENCE, AND QOL BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER RT. RESULTS: FROM OCTOBER 2014 TO JANUARY 2016, 68 ELIGIBLE PCA PATIENTS UNDERWENT INFORMED CONSENT AND AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. OF THE 68 PATIENTS, 18 WITHDREW EARLY, MOSTLY BECAUSE OF TREATMENT SCHEDULE-RELATED TIME CONSTRAINTS, RESULTING IN 22 AND 28 PATIENTS IN THE YOGA AND NO-YOGA GROUPS, RESPECTIVELY. THROUGHOUT TREATMENT, THOSE IN THE YOGA ARM REPORTED LESS FATIGUE THAN THOSE IN THE CONTROL ARM, WITH GLOBAL FATIGUE, EFFECT OF FATIGUE, AND SEVERITY OF FATIGUE SUBSCALES SHOWING STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INTERACTIONS (P<.0001). THE SEXUAL HEALTH SCORES (INTERNATIONAL INDEX OF ERECTILE FUNCTION QUESTIONNAIRE) ALSO DISPLAYED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION (P=.0333). THE INTERNATIONAL PROSTATE SYMPTOM SCORE REVEALED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF TIME (P<.0001) BUT NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF TREATMENT (P=.1022). THE QOL MEASURES HAD MIXED RESULTS, WITH YOGA HAVING A SIGNIFICANT TIME BY TREATMENT EFFECT ON THE EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, AND SOCIAL SCORES BUT NOT ON FUNCTIONAL SCORES. CONCLUSIONS: A STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION OF TWICE-WEEKLY CLASSES DURING A COURSE OF RT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PRE-EXISTING AND RT-RELATED FATIGUE AND URINARY AND SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN PCA PATIENTS. 2017 13 705 41 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) HAD SHOWN BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (DM). AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS ONE OF THE MAJOR COMPLICATIONS OF TYPE 2 DM. RESEARCH STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA CAN MODULATE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. HENCE, THE CURRENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF IAYT ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN TYPE 2 DIABETICS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 15 PATIENTS OF TYPE 2 DM WITH AGES RANGING FROM 35 TO 60 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. THEY WERE DIAGNOSED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES FROM 1-YEAR TO 15 YEARS. ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE ON DAY 1 (BEFORE YOGA) AND DAY 7 (AFTER 1-WEEK OF YOGA PRACTICE). HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) RESPONSE TO THE ISOMETRIC HANDGRIP AND HEART RATE RESPONSE TO DEEP BREATHING WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 1-WEEK OF IAYT. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE FROM 154.67-130.27 MG/DL (WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST, P = 0.029) FOLLOWING 1-WEEK OF IAYT. BP RESPONSE TO ISOMETRIC HAND GRIP IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST, P = 0.01). THERE WAS NO STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HRV COMPONENTS AND HEART RATE RESPONSE TO DEEP BREATHING TEST. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A TREND OF INCREASE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY POWER (41.07%), HIGH FREQUENCY POWER (6.29%), TOTAL POWER (5.38%), AND STANDARD DEVIATION OF ALL NN INTERVALS (SDNN) (6.29%). CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT, IAYT IMPROVED AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES PATIENTS. 2015 14 1318 49 HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR STANDARD CARE. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC PAIN CAN ALTER THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE WITH INCREASED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY REFLECTED IN ALTERED HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT YOGA CAN BE USEFUL TO CORRECT THE AUTONOMIC IMBALANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN WHO HAVE REDUCED HRV. METHODS AND DESIGNS: IN THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL 62 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS (AGED BETWEEN 20 AND 45 YEARS, 32 MALES) WERE RANDOMIZED TO 2 GROUPS. ONE GROUP RECEIVED YOGA FOR 3 MONTHS WHILE THE OTHER GROUP CARRIED OUT STANDARD MEDICAL CARE BASED ON THE PHYSICIAN'S ADVICE. THE DURATION WAS THE SAME, I.E., 3 MONTHS. THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND RATE OF RESPIRATION WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE BASELINE (PRE) VALUES BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.008) FOR RESPIRATION RATE WHICH WAS HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE CHANGES REPORTED BELOW ARE PRE-POST COMPARISONS WITHIN EACH GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05; REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST-HOC ANALYSES) DECREASE IN THE LF POWER OF HRV, RATE OF RESPIRATION AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE HF POWER OF HRV AND IN THE PNN50. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE CAN SHIFT THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE TOWARDS VAGAL DOMINANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE STUDY IS REGISTERED WITH THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA ( CTRI/2012/11/003094 ) AND CAN BE ACCESSED AT. 2016 15 2701 41 YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER UNDERGOING EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY: A PILOT FEASIBILITY STUDY. PURPOSE: STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL HEALTH EFFECTS FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN CANCER PATIENTS, BUT PREDOMINANTLY IN BREAST CANCER. RESEARCH ON ITS ROLE IN ALLEVIATING PROSTATE CANCER (PC) PATIENTS' SIDE EFFECTS HAS BEEN LACKING. OUR PRIMARY GOAL WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF RECRUITING PC PATIENTS ON A CLINICAL TRIAL OF YOGA WHILE THEY UNDERWENT EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY (RT). METHODS: TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE RT COURSE (6-9 WEEKS). BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED. FEASIBILITY WAS DECLARED IF 15 OF THE FIRST 75 ELIGIBLE PC PATIENTS APPROACHED (20%) WERE SUCCESSFULLY ACCRUED AND COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. ADDITIONAL END POINTS INCLUDED STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS OF FATIGUE, ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED), URINARY INCONTINENCE (UI), AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AT TIME POINTS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER RT. RESULTS: BETWEEN MAY 2013 AND JUNE 2014, 68 ELIGIBLE PC PATIENTS WERE IDENTIFIED. 23 PATIENTS (34%) DECLINED, AND 45 (56%) CONSENTED TO THE STUDY. 18 (40%) WERE VOLUNTARILY WITHDRAWN DUE TO TREATMENT CONFLICTS. OF THE REMAINING 27, 12 (30%) PARTICIPATED IN >/=50% OF CLASSES, AND 15 (59%) WERE EVALUABLE. SEVERITY OF FATIGUE SCORES DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT VARIABILITY, WITH FATIGUE INCREASING BY WEEK 4, BUT THEN IMPROVING OVER THE COURSE OF TREATMENT (P = .008). ED, UI, AND GENERAL QOL SCORES DEMONSTRATED REASSURINGLY STABLE, ALBEIT NOT SIGNIFICANT TRENDS. CONCLUSIONS: A STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION OF TWICE-WEEKLY CLASSES IS FEASIBLE FOR PC PATIENTS DURING A 6- TO 9-WEEK COURSE OF OUTPATIENT RADIOTHERAPY. PRELIMINARY RESULTS ARE PROMISING, SHOWING STABLE MEASUREMENTS IN FATIGUE, SEXUAL HEALTH, UI, AND GENERAL QOL. 2016 16 611 48 DEVELOPMENT OF A YOGA MODULE TARGETING CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH FOR PATIENTS WITH POST-MYOCARDIAL LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION IN INDIA. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS KNOWN TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEED-BASED YOGA PROGRAM WHICH IS SUITABLE TO BE INTEGRATED INTO THE CARDIAC REHABILITATION OF POST-MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION PATIENTS WITH LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BASED ON THE ASSESSMENT OF THE NEED OF THE PATIENTS, LITERATURE REVIEW, AND EXPERT OPINION, A YOGA MODULE WAS DEVELOPED USING THE QUALITATIVE METHOD OF INQUIRY. THE PROGRAM INCLUDED WARM-UP EXERCISES, YOGIC ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION AND COUNSELING SESSIONS. A STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE ELICITING COMMENTS ON THE CONTENTS WAS GIVEN INDEPENDENTLY TO TEN EXPERTS WORKING IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH AND YOGA FOR VALIDATION. THE FINAL MODULE WAS DERIVED AFTER INCORPORATING THE SUGGESTIONS OF THE EXPERTS. RESULTS: USING THE RATERS' EXPERTISE IN CARDIOLOGY AND YOGA PRACTICE, THE PRACTICES WHICH CONSTITUTE THE MODULE WERE OPTIMIZED. MAJORITY OF THE EXPERTS (RATERS) AGREED WITH THE DURATION OF 1 H TRAINING FOR 1MONTH UNDER SUPERVISION AS ADEQUATE FOR SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE AT HOME. THERE WAS A 0.786 INTER-RATER RELIABILITY ESTIMATED USING THE INTERCLASS COEFFICIENT (ICC) AND 0.789 INTERNAL CONSISTENCY OF THE QUESTIONS, MEASURED USING CRONBACH'S ALPHA. BOTH VALUES INDICATE "GOOD" RELIABILITY AND CONSISTENCY OF THE YOGA MODULE. CONCLUSION: THE DEVELOPED YOGA MODULE WAS FOUND TO BE ACCEPTABLE. FUTURE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS WILL BE NECESSARY TO VALIDATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS MODULE AND IF THE MODULE DEMONSTRATES TO BE EFFECTIVE BY CLINICAL STUDIES, IT MAY ADD A THERAPEUTIC OPTION IN THE REHABILITATION OF PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE FOLLOWING MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, WHICH CAN BE APPLIED IN THE HOSPITALS AND COMMUNITY LEVEL. 2019 17 2425 39 YOGA AND NATUROPATHY INTERVENTION FOR REDUCING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION OF COVID-19 PATIENTS - A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) INFECTION HAS CAUSED A PROMINENT PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MENTAL HAVOC AMONG THE PATIENTS. TILL NOW, THERE IS PAUCITY IN LITERATURE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AMONG PATIENTS WITH COVID-19. SO WE AIMED IN OUR STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND NATUROPATHY INTERVENTION ON ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION OF COVID-19 PATIENTS. METHODS: THIS QUASI EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG 130 COVID-19 POSITIVE PATIENTS ADMITTED IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. YOGA AND NATUROPATHIC INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN FOR 60 MIN A DAY FOR TWO WEEKS. HOSPITAL ANXIETY DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS) AND CORONA ANXIETY SCALE (CAS) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE GENERALIZED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AMONG THE PATIENTS. RESULTS: AVERAGE AGE OF THE PATIENTS PARTICIPATED WAS 44 WITH THE RANGE FROM 36 TO 53 YEARS. AMONG THEM 85 WERE MALE AND 45 WERE FEMALE. OF ALL 130 PATIENTS, 33% HAD SYMPTOMS OF BORDERLINE DEPRESSION, 9.2% HAD SEVERE DEPRESSION, 40% HAD BORDERLINE ANXIETY AND 12.3% HAD SEVERE ANXIETY. IN CAS, 59 PATIENTS (45.38%) REPORTED COVID-19 RELATED DYSFUNCTIONAL ANXIETY. ALL THE PATIENTS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE HADS- ANXIETY (P < 0.01), HADS-DEPRESSION (P < 0.01) AND CAS (P < 0.01) SCORE AFTER THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION LEVEL AMONG THE COVID-19 PATIENTS. THESE INTERVENTIONS CAN BE ADDED TO THE CONVENTIONAL CARE FOR BETTER MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING OF THE PATIENTS AFTER VALIDATING THE FINDINGS WITH JUSTIFIED STUDY DESIGN. 2021 18 973 52 EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE, SPINAL FLEXIBILITY, AND STRENGTH IN OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. CONTEXT: AGING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS A RESULT OF METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION AND HORMONAL IMBALANCE THAT CAN CAUSE DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE AND AGING-RELATED INFLAMMATION. AS AGE ADVANCES, A DECREASE IN MUSCLE MASS, MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND FLEXIBILITY CAN IMPAIR PHYSICAL FUNCTION. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE IN IMPROVING THE FLEXIBILITY, MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF OLDER ADULTS. DESIGN: THIS RESEARCH TEAM DESIGNED A PROSPECTIVE, TWO-ARM, OPEN-LABEL, AND PARALLEL, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE IN AN OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT AT DIVINE PARK, YOGA & NATUROPATHY HOSPITAL, UDUPI, KARNATAKA, INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 96 OLDER ADULTS, AGED 60-75 YEARS (64.1 +/- 3.95 YEARS) TAKING PART IN A YOGA PROGRAM IN THE DEPARTMENT. INTERVENTION: THE PROGRAM WAS A THREE-MONTH, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 48) OR TO A WAITLISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 48). THE INTERVENTION GROUP UNDERWENT THREE ONE-HOUR SESSIONS OF YOGA WEEKLY, WITH EACH SESSION INCLUDING LOOSENING EXERCISES, ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION SPANNING. OUTCOME MEASURES: AT BASELINE AND POST INTERVENTION, ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE: (1) FOR SPINAL FLEXIBILITY USING A SIT AND REACH TEST, (2) FOR BACK AND LEG STRENGTH USING A BACK LEG DYNAMOMETER, (3) FOR HANDGRIP STRENGTH (HGS) AND ENDURANCE (HGE) USING A HAND-GRIP DYNAMOMETER, AND (4) THE OLDER PEOPLE'S QUALITY OF LIFE (OPQOL) QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED EMPLOYING WILCOXON'S SIGN RANK TESTS AND MANN WHITNEY TESTS, USING AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT APPROACH. RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE INTERVENTION GROUP EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN SPINAL FLEXIBILITY (P < .001), BACK LEG STRENGTH (P < .001), HGE (P < .01), AND QOL (P < .001) AFTER THREE MONTHS OF YOGA. CONCLUSION: YOGA CAN BE USED SAFELY FOR OLDER ADULTS TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND FUNCTIONAL QOL. LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL INTERVENTION ARE WARRANTED. 2022 19 1771 46 POTENTIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. BACKGROUND: ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS (AS) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY WITH UNCLEAR PATHOGENESIS. THE INFLAMMATORY PAIN IN AS LEADS TO RESTRICTED SPINAL MOBILITY AND SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY. YOGA IS A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION THAT HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON VARIOUS MUSCULOSKELETAL-RELATED PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, ITS ROLE IN AS IS UNKNOWN. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFICACY OF A TWO-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA INTERVENTION ON SPINAL FLEXIBILITY AMONG AS PATIENTS. METHODS: THE RECORDS FOR 24 MALE AS PATIENTS WITHIN THE AGE RANGE 30 TO 50 YEARS (AVERAGE AGE 38.3 +/- 10.5 YEARS) WHO UNDERWENT A TWO-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA RETREAT BETWEEN 2015 AND 2020 WERE OBTAINED FROM A YOGA CENTER LOCATED IN SOUTH INDIA. YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING PRACTICES, MEDITATION, A HEALTHY DIET, AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. PRE AND POST DATA OF THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, AND SYMPTOM SCORE WERE ANALYZED USING STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS). RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE BASELINE, THE POST SCORES OF THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .05) LOWER. THE SYMPTOM SCORE AND ANALGESIC MEDICATION SCORE ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AFTER TWO-WEEKS COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. CONCLUSION: THIS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY INDICATES THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF ON AND ANALGESIC USE AMONG AS PATIENTS. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL STUDIES USING ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGNS ARE WARRANTED. 2021 20 2490 25 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