1 443 158 CERVICAL ARTERIAL DISSECTION AND TRAUMATIC MYELOPATHY FOLLOWING YOGA: SURGICAL CASE REPORT. INTRODUCTION: CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS CAN PREDISPOSE PATIENTS TO CENTRAL CANAL STENOSIS. IN THIS SETTING, MYELOPATHY THROUGH FURTHER FLATTENING OF THE CORD FROM EXTRINSIC COMPRESSION CAN BE PRECIPITATED BY RELATIVELY MINOR TRAUMAS. ARTERIAL DISSECTION IS SIMILARLY CONSIDERED A RESULT OF HIGH VELOCITY OR MOMENTUM DURING TRAUMA, COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH FRACTURES, CERVICAL HYPERFLEXION, OR DIRECT BLUNT FORCE TO THE NECK. OVERALL, PRECAUTIONS FOR BOTH ARTERIAL DISSECTION AND MYELOPATHY ARE RARELY CONSIDERED IN LOW-VELOCITY, STATIC ACTIVITIES SUCH AS YOGA. CASE PRESENTATION: THE AUTHORS REPORT THE CASE OF A 63-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO SUFFERED CONCURRENT CERVICAL MYELOPATHY FROM MULTILEVEL SPONDYLOPATHY, RIGHT VERTEBRAL ARTERY DISSECTION, AND LEFT CERVICAL CAROTID ARTERY DISSECTION FOLLOWING A YOGA SESSION. SYMPTOMATOLOGY CONSISTED OF ACUTE ONSET NECK PAIN, UPPER EXTREMITY SENSORY PARESTHESIA, WORSENING GAIT AND BALANCE, AND IMPAIRED DEXTERITY FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. CERVICAL MRI WAS OBTAINED GIVEN MYELOPATHIC SYMPTOMS AND REVEALED SPONDYLOSIS WITH COMPRESSION AND T2 SIGNAL CHANGE AT C3-C4. CT ANGIOGRAPHY OF THE NECK REVEALED AFOREMENTIONED DISSECTIONS WITHOUT FLOW LIMITING STENOSIS OR OCCLUSION. A THERAPEUTIC HEPARIN INFUSION WAS STARTED PREOPERATIVELY UNTIL THE PATIENT UNDERWENT C3-C4 ANTERIOR CERVICAL DISCECTOMY AND FUSION. ASPIRIN AND PLAVIX WERE THEN STARTED WITHOUT INCIDENCE AND THE PATIENT HAD SIGNIFICANT BUT GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT IN MYELOPATHIC SYMPTOMS AT 6-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. DISCUSSION: THE STATIC YET INTENSIVE POSES ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PRESENT A RARE ETIOLOGY FOR ARTERIAL DISSECTION AND MYELOPATHY, BUT PATIENTS WITH PERSISTENT AND PROGRESSIVE SYMPTOMS SHOULD BE SCREENED WITH THE APPROPRIATE IMAGING MODALITY. CERVICAL DECOMPRESSION SHOULD BE EXPEDITED BEFORE INITIATING AN ANTIPLATELET MEDICATION. 2022 2 2412 28 YOGA AND ITS IMPACT ON CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY AUTOIMMUNE ARTHRITIS. RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, WHICH ADVERSELY AFFECTS THE QUALITY OF LIFE. RA IS A DISEASE OF UNKNOWN ETIOLOGY, HOWEVER, BOTH GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS APPEAR TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THIS DISEASE. THE SEVERITY AND PROGRESSION OF THE DISEASE ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE RELEASE OF A HOST OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, CYTOTOXIC AND IMMUNE REGULATORY FACTORS. THE TREATMENTS OF RA ARE PRIMARILY LIMITED TO SYMPTOMATIC ALLEVIATION OF PAIN OR OTHER SYMPTOMS OR TO THE USE OF CYTOTOXIC DRUG TREATMENT IN SEVERE FORMS OF THE DISEASE WHICH IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT SIDE EFFECTS. DESPITE LACK OF A CURE, THE DISEASE MAY BE CONTROLLED BY MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS. HOLISTIC TREATMENTS SUCH AS YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE AND REDUCE THE PSYCHO-SOMATIC SYMPTOMS, PAIN PERCEPTION, DISABILITY QUOTIENT, JOINT FLEXIBILITY, RANGE OF MOTION, POSTURE, MUSCLE STRENGTH, COORDINATION, AND DISEASE ACTIVITY. HERE, WE DISCUSS THE FEATURES OF RA AND ADDRESS HOW YOGA CAN BE USED AS A THERAPEUTIC REGIMEN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH RA. 2021 3 1690 37 OXIDATIVE STRESS INDUCED DAMAGE TO PATERNAL GENOME AND IMPACT OF MEDITATION AND YOGA - CAN IT REDUCE INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCER? BACKGROUND: SPERM DNA DAMAGE IS UNDERLYING AETIOLOGY OF POOR IMPLANTATION AND PREGNANCY RATES BUT ALSO AFFECTS HEALTH OF OFFSPRING AND MAY ALSO RESULT IN DENOVO MUTATIONS IN GERM LINE AND POST FERTILIZATION. THIS MAY RESULT IN COMPLEX DISEASES, POLYGENIC DISORDERS AND CHILDHOOD CANCERS. CHILDHOOD CANCER LIKE RETINOBLASTOMA (RB) IS MORE PREVALENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THE INCIDENCE OF RB HAS INCREASED MORE THAN THREE FOLD IN INDIA IN THE LAST DECADE. RECENT STUDIES HAVE DOCUMENTED INCREASED INCIDENCE OF CANCERS IN CHILDREN BORN TO FATHERS WHO CONSUME ALCOHOL IN EXCESS AND TOBACCO OR WHO WERE CONCEIVED BY ASSISTED CONCEPTION. THE AETIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD CANCER AND INCREASED DISEASE BURDEN IN THESE CHILDREN IS LIN KED TO OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS) AND OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE( ODD) IN SPERM OF THEIR FATHERS. THOUGH SEVERAL ANTIOXIDANTS ARE IN USE TO COMBAT OXIDATIVE STRESS, THE EFFECT OF MAJORITY OF THESE FORMULATIONS ON DNA IS NOT KNOWN. YOGA AND MEDITATION CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN OS AND ODD AND AID IN REGULATING OS LEVELS SUCH THAT REACTIVE OXYGEN SPEUES MEDITATED SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION, GENE EXPRESSION AND SEVERAL OTHER PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS ARE NOT DISRUPTED. THUS, THIS STUDY AIMED TO ANALYZE SPERM ODD AS A POSSIBLE ETIOLOGICAL FACTOR IN CHILDHOOD CANCER AND ROLE OF SIMPLE LIFE STYLE INTERVENTIONS LIKE YOGA AND MEDITATION IN SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASING SEMINAL OXIDATIVE STRESS AND OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND THEREBY DECREASING INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 131 FATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH RB (NON-FAMILIAL SPORADIC HERITABLE) AND 50 CONTROLS (FATHERS OF HEALTHY CHILDREN) WERE RECRUITED AT A TERTIARY CENTER IN INDIA. SPERM PARAMETERS AS PER WHO 2010 GUIDELINES AND REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS), DNA FRAGMENTATION INDEX (DFI), 8-HYDROXY-2'-DEOXY GUANOSINE (8-OHDG) AND TELOMERE LENGTH WERE ESTIMATED AT DAY 0, AND AFTER 3 AND 6 MONTHS OF INTERVENTION. WE ALSO EXAMINED THE COMPLIANCE WITH YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE AND SMOKING STATUS AT EACH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: THE SEMINAL MEAN ROS LEVELS (P<0.05), SPERM DFI (P<0.001), 8-OHDG (P<0.01) LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN FATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH RB, AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS AND THE RELATIVE MEAN TELOMERE LENGTH IN THE SPERM WAS SHORTER. LEVELS OF ROS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN TOBACCO USERS (P<0.05) AS WELL AS IN ALCOHOLICS (P<0.05) AFTER INTERVENTION. DFI REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.05) AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE IN ALL GROUPS. THE LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE MARKER 8-OHDG WERE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER 3 MONTHS (P<0.05) AND 6 MONTHS (P<0.05) OF PRACTICE. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT OS AND ODD DNA MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDHOOD CANCER. THIS MAY BE DUE TO ACCUMULATION OF OXIDIZED MUTAGENIC BASE 8OHDG , AND ELEVATED MDA LEVELS WHICH RESULTS IN MDA DIMERS WHICH ARE ALSO MUTAGENIC, ABERRANT METHYLATION PATTERN, ALTERED GENE EXPRESSION WHICH AFFECT CELL PROLIFERATION AND SURVIVAL THROUGH ACTIVATION OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS. INCREASED MT DNA MUTATIONS AND ABERRANT REPAIR OF MT AND NUCLEAR DNA DUE TO HIGHLY TRUNCATRED DNA REPAIR MECHANISMS ALL CONTRIBUTE TO SPERM GENOME HYPERMUTABILITY AND PERSISTANT OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE. OXIDATIVE STRESS IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH GENOME WIDE HYPOMETHYLATION, TELOMERE SHORTENING AND MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION LEADING TO GENOME HYPERMUTABILITY AND INSTABILITY. TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO REPORT DECLINE IN OS AND ODD AND IMPROVEMENT IN SPERM DNA INTEGRITY FOLLOWING ADOPTION OF MEDITATION AND YOGA BASED LIFE STYLE MODIFICATION.THIS MAY REDUCE DISEASE BURDEN IN NEXT GENERATION AND REDUCE INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCERS. 2016 4 426 22 CAN YOGA BE USED TO TREAT GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE? YOGA METHODS INCLUDING PRANAYAMA ARE THE BEST WAYS TO PREVENT MANY DISEASES AND THEIR PROGRESSION. EVEN THOUGH, YOGA IS WIDELY PRACTICED, ITS EFFECTS ON CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED OR REPORTED. GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE (GERD) IS ONE OF THEM. GERD IS EXTREMELY COMMON CONDITION REQUIRING FREQUENT CONSUMPTION OF OVER-THE-COUNTER OR PRESCRIBED PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS (PPI). IN SEVERE SYMPTOMS OF GERD AND IN THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE ETIOLOGIES, PPIS ARE INSUFFICIENT TO RELIEVE THE SYMPTOMS OF GASTRIC REFLUX. REGULAR AND PROPER USE OF THE YOGA ALONG WITH PPI CAN CONTROL THE SEVERE SYMPTOMS OF GERD AND CAN AVOID OR DELAY THE NECESSITY OF INVASIVE PROCEDURES. THIS EVIDENCE-BASED CASE REPORT FOCUSES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON GERD. OUR CASE REPORT SHOWED THAT REGULAR PRACTICE OF KAPALBHATI AND AGNISAR KRIYA ALONG WITH PPI, PATIENTS WITH HIATAL HERNIA HAD IMPROVEMENT IN SEVERE SYMPTOMS OF GERD, WHICH WERE INITIALLY REFRACTORY TO PPI ALONE. 2013 5 258 25 ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF A 12-WEEK YOGA VS. EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS): STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS) IS A COMMON AND BURDENSOME SLEEP DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH PROFOUND IMPAIRMENT OF HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE MEDICATIONS USED FOR RLS MANAGEMENT CARRY RISK OF SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, INCLUDING AUGMENTATION OF SYMPTOMS. YOGA, AN ANCIENT MIND-BODY DISCIPLINE DESIGNED TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND MENTAL WELL-BEING, MAY OFFER A VIABLE, LOW-RISK NEW TREATMENT. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS PILOT, PARALLEL-ARM, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) ARE TO ASSESS THE ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF A 12-WEEK YOGA VS. EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RLS. METHODS: FORTY-FOUR ADULTS WITH CONFIRMED MODERATE TO SEVERE RLS WILL BE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA (N = 22) OR STANDARDIZED EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM (N = 22). YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS WILL ATTEND TWO 75-MIN IYENGAR YOGA CLASSES PER WEEK FOR THE FIRST 4 WEEKS, THEN ONE 75-MIN CLASS PER WEEK FOR THE REMAINING 8 WEEKS, AND WILL COMPLETE A 30-MIN HOMEWORK ROUTINE ON NON-CLASS DAYS. EDUCATIONAL FILM GROUP PARTICIPANTS WILL ATTEND ONE 75-MIN CLASS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS AND COMPLETE A DAILY RLS TREATMENT LOG; CLASSES WILL INCLUDE INFORMATION ON: RLS MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING SLEEP HYGIENE PRACTICES; OTHER SLEEP DISORDERS; AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES LIKELY TO BE OF INTEREST TO THOSE PARTICIPATING IN A YOGA AND SLEEP EDUCATION STUDY. YOGA AND TREATMENT LOGS WILL BE COLLECTED WEEKLY. FEASIBILITY OUTCOMES WILL INCLUDE RECRUITMENT, ENROLLMENT, AND RANDOMIZATION RATES, RETENTION, ADHERENCE, AND PROGRAM SATISFACTION. PROGRAM EVALUATION AND YOGA-DOSING QUESTIONNAIRES WILL BE COLLECTED AT WEEK 12; DATA ON EXPLORATORY OUTCOMES (E.G., RLS SYMPTOM SEVERITY (IRLS), SLEEP QUALITY (PSQI), MOOD (POMS, PSS), AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36)) WILL BE GATHERED AT BASELINE AND WEEK 12. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL LAY THE ESSENTIAL GROUNDWORK FOR A PLANNED LARGER RCT TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA PROGRAM FOR REDUCING SYMPTOMS AND ASSOCIATED BURDEN OF RLS. IF THE FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT TRIAL AND THE SUBSEQUENT LARGER RCTS ARE POSITIVE, THIS STUDY WILL ALSO HELP SUPPORT A NEW APPROACH TO CLINICAL TREATMENT OF THIS CHALLENGING DISORDER, HELP FOSTER IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF RLS ETIOLOGY, AND ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCING THE INDIVIDUAL, SOCIETAL, AND ECONOMIC BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONDITION. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, ID: NCT03570515 . RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED ON 1 FEBRUARY 2017. 2019 6 103 28 A PILOT CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY ON AWARENESS AND PRACTICE REGARDING TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS MANAGEMENT WITH YOGA. DIABETES MELLITUS IS A METABOLIC DISORDER OF MULTIPLE ETIOLOGY, CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC HYPERGLYCAEMIA WITH DISTURBANCE OF CARBOHYDRATE, FAT, AND PROTEIN METABOLISM RESULTING FROM DEFECT IN INSULIN SECRETION, INSULIN ACTION OR BOTH. IMPROPER LIFESTYLE CONTRIBUTES TO THE INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF T2DM IN ADULTS THROUGH YOGA REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN MULTIPLE MODIFIABLE INDICES OF DIABETES MELLITUS MANAGEMENT INCLUDING GLYCEMIC CONTROL, LIPID LEVELS, AND BODY COMPOSITION. AWARENESS LEVELS OF A CONDITION AMONG THE POPULATION PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN BEHAVIOUR CHANGE. HOWEVER, STUDIES RELATED TO ASSESSING THE AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF YOGA FOR MANAGING DISEASES ARE LIMITED. HENCE, THIS STUDY WAS FORMULATED WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF ASSESSING THE AWARENESS LEVEL AND EXTENT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA. A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY WITH A SAMPLE SIZE OF 317 WAS CONDUCTED USING A STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE AT 5 DISTRICTS IN TAMIL NADU AND KERALA. 95% OF THE STUDY POPULATION WERE AWARE OF DIABETES MELLITUS WHILE 61.2% RESPONDED THAT DIABETES CAN BE PREVENTED BY REGULAR EXERCISE AND HEALTHY DIET. 62.4% PEOPLE PERCEIVED THAT YOGA PRACTICES CAN PREVENT DIABETES MELLITUS AND 59% MENTIONED THAT REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE CAN HELP IN CONTROLLING DIABETES AND PREVENT FURTHER COMPLICATIONS. ONLY 13% REPORTED TO PRACTICE YOGA REGULARLY AT LEAST THREE DAYS A WEEK. IDENTIFYING A QUALIFIED YOGA TRAINER WAS REPORTED TO BE A LIMITING FACTOR FOR REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE. THE STUDY SUGGESTED THAT THERE IS A NEED TO INCREASE THE ACCESS TO QUALIFIED YOGA PROFESSIONALS AT COMMUNITY LEVEL. FURTHER LARGE SCALE STUDIES WITH RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD TO ASSESS THE AWARENESS LEVEL AND PRACTICE OF YOGA IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS IS INDICATED. 2020 7 2668 20 YOGA IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL UTILITY. MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) IS A MIND-BODY DISORDER. CELLULAR AGING HAS BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF MDD WITH THE ALTERED MIND-BODY COMMUNICATION MARKERS LIKE STRESS RESPONSE, IMMUNE RESPONSE, NUTRITION SENSING, AND A RANGE OF OTHER REGULATORY FEEDBACK SYSTEMS. IN THIS AGE OF SUPER SPECIALIZATIONS, ONE SPECIFIC TARGET AND INTERVENTIONS (PREFERABLY A DRUG) ON IT ARE BEING RIGOROUSLY SOUGHT BY THE HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY AND INDUSTRY, BUT HAVE FAILED IN IT IN THE LAST FIFTY YEARS IN SPITE OF ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY. SINCE, DEPRESSION IS A COMPLEX DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INCIDENCE OF OTHER COMPLEX DISORDERS, IT MUST BE TREATED BY AN INTEGRATED HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT CAN ADDRESS THE COMPLEXITY OF MDD. INTERVENTIONS TARGETING ACCELERATED BIOLOGICAL AGING TO INCREASE CELLULAR HEALTH IN WHOLE BODY HAVE POTENTIAL TO MANAGE COMPLEX CONDITIONS LIKE MDD AND ITS OVERLAPPING SYMPTOMS AND COMORBIDITIES. YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE THE NEXUS BETWEEN, CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF MDD AND OTHER LIFESTYLE DISEASES. 2021 8 2486 28 YOGA AS AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH FOR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ORAL CANCER. DESPITE TREMENDOUS ADVANCEMENTS IN MEDICINE, THE NUMBER OF ORAL CANCER CASES CONTINUES TO INCREASE, AND THE NEED FOR INTEGRATING ALTERNATE MEDICINE OR ADOPTING AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH HAS BECOME A COMPELLING COST-EFFECTIVE REQUIREMENT FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES. CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT OF ORAL CANCER INVOLVES SURGERY FOLLOWED BY RADIOTHERAPY WITH OR WITHOUT CHEMOTHERAPY WHICH CAUSES SEVERAL COMPLICATIONS INCLUDING POOR QUALITY OF LIFE AND HIGH CHANCES OF RECURRENCE OF CANCER. ORAL CANCER IS OFTEN LINKED WITH OBESITY WHICH IS MAJOR RISK FACTORS IN OTHER CANCERS. APART FROM OBESITY, ORAL CANCER IS THOUGHT TO HAVE AN INVERSE RELATION WITH NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS PRESUMABLY BECAUSE CELL DEATH DECREASES IN THE FORMER CASE AND INCREASES IN THE LATTER. ANCIENT MIND-BODY TECHNIQUES SUCH AS YOGA HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY TESTED AS A TOOL TO SYNERGIZE THE CELLULAR EQUILIBRIUM PERTAINING TO THE TREATMENT OF ORAL CANCER. NERVE GROWTH FACTOR (NGF), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), AND INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) ARE AMONG THE EARLY EXPERIMENTAL CELLULAR BIOMARKERS THAT MAY BE USED TO PROBE THE MODULATION OF ORAL CANCER, OBESITY, AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS. YOGA HAS BEEN REPORTED TO INFLUENCE THESE MOLECULES IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS BUT WHETHER THEIR EXPRESSION CAN BE ALTERED IN PATIENTS OF ORAL CANCER BY YOGA INTERVENTION IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS RESEARCH BEING DISCUSSED IN THIS REVIEW ARTICLE. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT ARTICLE NOT ONLY REVIEWS THE CURRENT STATUS OF RESEARCH STUDIES IN ORAL CANCER, OBESITY, AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS BUT ALSO HOW THESE ARE LINKED TO EACH OTHER AND WHY THE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE PUTATIVE NGF PATHWAY, INVOLVING TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6, COULD PROVIDE USEFUL CLUES TO UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR EFFECTS BROUGHT ABOUT BY YOGA INTERVENTION IN SUCH PATIENTS. 2018 9 2179 20 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PATIENTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND DEMENTIA: A SCOPING REVIEW. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT MIND BODY PRACTICE. ALTHOUGH YOGA HAS BEEN USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH APPROACH FOR ENHANCING WELLNESS AND ADDRESSING A VARIETY OF HEALTH ISSUES, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN ADULTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (MCI) AND DEMENTIA. WE CONDUCTED A LITERATURE REVIEW TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON PERSONS WITH MCI AND DEMENTIA. EIGHT STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED THAT REPORTED ON YOGA AS EITHER THE PRIMARY INTERVENTION OR ONE COMPONENT OF A MULTI-COMPONENT INTERVENTION IN SAMPLES OF PERSONS WITH MCI OR DEMENTIA. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, PARTICULARLY ON ATTENTION AND VERBAL MEMORY. FURTHER, YOGA MAY AFFECT COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING THROUGH IMPROVED SLEEP, MOOD, AND NEURAL CONNECTIVITY. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF LIMITATIONS OF THE EXISTING STUDIES, INCLUDING A LACK OF INTERVENTION DETAILS, AS WELL AS VARIABILITY IN THE FREQUENCY/DURATION AND COMPONENTS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS. A FURTHER COMPLICATING ISSUE IS THE ROLE OF VARIOUS UNDERLYING ETIOLOGIES OF COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. DESPITE THESE LIMITATIONS, PROVIDERS MAY CONSIDER RECOMMENDING YOGA TO PERSONS WITH MCI OR DEMENTIA AS A SAFE AND POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH APPROACH. 2019 10 1295 29 GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING YOGA TO WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHOEDEMA: AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH. BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHOEDEMA (BCRL) IS A CHRONIC CONDITION THAT REQUIRES LIFELONG MANAGEMENT TO PREVENT THE CONDITION WORSENING AND TO REDUCE THE THREAT OF INFECTION. WOMEN ARE AFFECTED IN ALL DOMAINS OF THEIR LIFE. AS A HOLISTIC PRACTICE, YOGA MAY BE OF BENEFIT BY REDUCING BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS OF LYMPHOEDEMA. WOMEN WITH BCRL ARE ATTENDING YOGA CLASSES IN INCREASING NUMBERS, SO IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOGA BE BASED ON PRINCIPLES THAT ENSURE LYMPHOEDEMA IS CONTROLLED AND NOT EXACERBATED. TWO RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A YOGA INTERVENTION HAVE HAD POSITIVE RESULTS AFTER AN 8-WEEK INTERVENTION (N=28) AND 6-MONTHS AFTER A 4-WEEK INTERVENTION (N=18). THE FIRST STUDY HAD SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT RESULTS AND WOMEN REPORTED INCREASED BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL IMPROVEMENTS. BOTH STUDIES SHOWED TRENDS TO IMPROVED LYMPHOEDEMA STATUS. THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS COMPROMISED BREATHING, PHYSICAL POSTURES, MEDITATION AND RELAXATION PRACTICES BASED ON SATYANANDA YOGA(R), WITH MODIFICATIONS TO PROMOTE LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE AND FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES OF BEST CURRENT CARE FOR THOSE WITH BCRL. INDIVIDUAL NEEDS WERE CONSIDERED. THE YOGA PROTOCOL THAT WAS USED IN THE 8-WEEK TRIAL IS PRESENTED. OUR AIM IS TO PROVIDE PRINCIPLES FOR YOGA TEACHERS/THERAPISTS WORKING WITH THIS CLIENTELE THAT CAN BE ADAPTED TO OTHER YOGA STYLES. FURTHER, THESE PRINCIPLES MAY PROVIDE A BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOGA PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE WITH SECONDARY LYMPHOEDEMA IN OTHER AREAS OF THEIR BODY AS THE POPULATION REQUIRING CANCER TREATMENT CONTINUES TO INCREASE. WHILST THE STYLE OF YOGA PRESENTED HERE HAS HAD POSITIVE OUTCOMES, FURTHER APPLICATION AND RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO FULLY DEMONSTRATE ITS EFFECTIVENESS. 2017 11 2565 34 YOGA FOR CORRECTION OF LYMPHEDEMA'S IMPAIRMENT OF GAIT AS AN ADJUNCT TO LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE: A PILOT OBSERVATIONAL STUDY. INTRODUCTION: YOGA USED AS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT PROTOCOL IN 14 INDIAN VILLAGE CAMPS IMPROVED QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN 425 LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS PATIENTS. THEY EXPERIENCED BETTER MOBILITY AND REDUCED DISABILITY. THIS PAPER DOCUMENTS THE GAIT ABNORMALITIES OBSERVED IN LOWER LIMB LYMPHEDEMA PATIENTS AND THE LOCOMOTOR CHANGES FOLLOWING INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: YOGA POSTURES WERE PERFORMED AS EXPLAINED BY TRADITIONAL YOGA PRACTICE IN TWO SESSIONS: BEFORE AYURVEDIC OIL MASSAGE WITHOUT COMPRESSION BANDAGES AND AFTER THE MASSAGE WITH COMPRESSION BANDAGES. EACH YOGA POSTURE LASTED FOR 5 MIN AND THE WHOLE SESSION ENDED IN 45 MIN. THROUGHOUT EACH SESSION, WE ADVISED PATIENTS TO DO LONG, DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING, CONCENTRATING ON EACH BREATH. THE FLEXION OF JOINTS WAS COORDINATED WITH EXHALATION AND EXTENSION WITH INHALATION. WE EDUCATED THE PATIENTS TO DO LONGER EXPIRATION THAN INSPIRATION. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A TOTAL OF 98 PATIENTS (133 LIMBS) ATTENDING THE 6(TH) MONTH FOLLOW-UP WERE EVALUATED. THE MOST COMMON GAIT ABNORMALITY WAS ANTALGIC GAIT. STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL ABNORMALITIES WERE OBSERVED IN HIP, KNEE AND ANKLE JOINTS. WE FOUND THAT YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO OTHER COMPONENTS IN INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT IMPROVED THE GAIT PROBLEMS. LONG STANDING LYMPHEDEMA CAUSED ALTERED GAIT AND JOINT DEFORMITIES. THIS WAS MOSTLY DUE TO INACTIVITY CAUSING MUSCLE WEAKNESS AND EDEMA WITHIN AND AROUND THE MUSCLES. BOTH LARGE AND SMALL LIMBS HAVE SHOWN SIGNIFICANT VOLUME REDUCTION (P < 0.01) DURING FOLLOW-UP AFTER 6 MONTHS. CONCLUSION: THERE CAN BE A MIXED ETIOLOGY FOR GAIT RELATED PROBLEMS IN LYMPHEDEMA PATIENTS. FURTHER STUDIES ARE RECOMMENDED TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES OF DEFORMITIES IN LYMPHEDEMA PATIENTS AND AN EXACT ROLE OF YOGA. 2015 12 1840 27 PSYCHOSOMATIC ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THINKING PATTERNS AND PARKINSON'S DISEASE FROM A YOGA PHILOSOPHY PERSPECTIVE: A NEW ZEALAND CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. WHEN INVESTIGATING THE ETIOLOGY OF DISEASES, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES TRADITIONALLY DEEMPHASIZE PSYCHOSOMATIC ASSOCIATIONS. EXPLORING COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR PROVIDES AN INSIGHT INTO HOW PSYCHOSOMATIC ASSOCIATIONS AFFECT DISEASE. YOGA PHILOSOPHY IDENTIFIES THE KLESHAS (MENTAL AFFLICTIONS) OF IGNORANCE, EGO, DESIRE, HATRED, AND FEAR OF DEATH WITH DISEASE. THIS IS BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS' PERCEPTIONS AND BELIEFS GENERATE AND REFLECT STREAMS OF THOUGHT THAT MAY SHAPE THEIR BEHAVIOR AND MANIFEST AS, OR PREDISPOSE THEM TO, PARTICULAR DISEASE(S). THE PRESENT STUDY TAKES A YOGIC PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE TO HELP ELUCIDATE UNEXPLORED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF LIFE AND THE SEVERITY OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD). THE STUDY INVOLVED A CROSS-SECTIONAL SAMPLE SURVEY. PARKINSON'S NEW ZEALAND SELECTED A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 990 OF ITS MEMBERS. A SELF-COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SENT TO THEM. IT ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW OFTEN, OVER THE PREVIOUS 4 WEEKS, THEY HAD THOUGHT ABOUT 18 ASPECTS OF LIFE COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE KLESHAS. A COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS RETURNED BY 319 PEOPLE (32%). RESPONDENTS THOUGHT MOST ABOUT FAMILY (87%), HEALTH (64%), REST AND SLEEP (57%), FOOD (53%), AND THE FUTURE (52%). THEY REPORTED THINKING LEAST ABOUT WORK (48%), SEX (45%), DEATH (42%), AND BEING VIRTUOUS (39%). A WEAK, BUT HYPOTHESIZED POSITIVE, ASSOCIATION (R = 0.2, P < 0.000) WAS DETECTED BETWEEN PD SEVERITY AND THINKING ABOUT DEATH. THE STUDY COULD NOT DETERMINE WHETHER THINKING ABOUT DEATH WAS (1) A CAUSE OR CONSEQUENCE OF PD SEVERITY, AND (2) A PREMORBID BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, THE POSSIBILITY THAT STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH THINKING ABOUT DEATH ACCELERATES PD PROGRESSION IS CONSISTENT WITH YOGA PHILOSOPHY AND WITH NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PSYCHOSOMATIC CONNECTIONS. THE FINDINGS ARE WORTHY OF FUTURE TESTING. A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH COULD DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE ROLE OF KLESHAS IN PD. 2019 13 2299 30 THERAPEUTIC YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN: CURRENT EVIDENCE AND MECHANISMS. CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN (CNNP), WHICH IS NECK PAIN IN THE ABSENCE OF ATTRIBUTABLE STRUCTURAL AND NEUROLOGICAL FINDINGS, IS OFTEN CHALLENGING FOR MEDICAL AND REHABILITATION PROFESSIONALS TO TREAT. CONVENTIONAL TREATMENTS SUCH AS MEDICATIONS AND PHYSICAL THERAPY OFTEN FAIL TO PROVIDE LASTING RELIEF, WHICH LEADS PATIENTS TO PURSUE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES THE EVIDENCE FROM NINE STUDIES, INCLUDING FOUR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT A SUPERVISED YOGA PROGRAM MAY DECREASE PAIN INTENSITY, DISABILITY, AND MOOD SYMPTOMS IN ADULTS WITH CNNP. CERVICAL RANGE OF MOTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE (BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL) MAY ALSO IMPROVE WITH YOGA INTERVENTION, ALTHOUGH THIS IS LESS CONSISTENT ACROSS STUDIES. EVIDENCE OF YOGA'S SUPERIORITY TO OTHER EXERCISE-BASED PRACTICES SUCH AS PILATES WAS CONFLICTING. ADVERSE EFFECTS OF YOGA, SUCH AS EXACERBATION OF NECK PAIN, WERE RELATIVELY UNCOMMON, MINOR, AND OFTEN TRANSIENT. THIS ARTICLE ALSO COMPREHENSIVELY REVIEWS THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF CNNP, THERAPEUTIC MECHANISMS OF YOGA, AND LIMITATIONS IN THE EVIDENCE (INCLUDING RISK-OF-BIAS ASSESSMENT). FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD ATTEMPT TO: (1) COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT LINEAGES OF YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CNNP, (2) DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL LENGTH AND DURATION OF THESE YOGA INTERVENTIONS, (3) BETTER CHARACTERIZE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF YOGA, (4) COMPARE YOGA TO OTHER EXERCISE- AND MINDFULNESS-BASED PRACTICES, (5) EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON SLEEP IN THE CNNP POPULATION, AND (6) EXPLORE THE APPLICABILITY/EFFICACY OF VIRTUAL YOGA INSTRUCTION. 2022 14 1640 20 MOLECULAR SIGNATURE OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO YOGA THERAPY IN STRESS-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASE CONDITIONS: AN INSIGHT. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DEFINES HEALTH AS COMPLETE WELL-BEING IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL, AND NOT MERELY THE ABSENCE OF DISEASE. TO ATTAIN THIS, INDIVIDUAL SHOULD ADAPT AND SELF-MANGE THE SOCIAL, PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES OF LIFE. EXPOSURE TO CHRONIC STRESS DUE TO URBANIZATION, WORK STRESS, NUCLEAR FAMILY, POLLUTION, UNHEALTHY FOOD HABITS, LIFESTYLE, ACCIDENTAL DEATH IN THE FAMILY, AND NATURAL CALAMITIES ARE THE TRIGGERING FACTORS, LEADING TO HORMONAL IMBALANCE AND INFLAMMATION IN THE TISSUE. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRESS AND ILLNESS IS COMPLEX; ALL CHRONIC ILLNESSES SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND ASTHMA HAVE THEIR ROOT IN CHRONIC STRESS ATTRIBUTED BY INFLAMMATION. IN RECENT TIMES, YOGA THERAPY HAS EMERGED AS AN IMPORTANT COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR MANY HUMAN DISEASES. YOGA THERAPY HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON MIND AND BODY; IT ACTS BY INCORPORATING APPROPRIATE BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND MINDFULNESS TO ATTAIN CONSCIOUS DIRECTION OF OUR AWARENESS OF THE PRESENT MOMENT BY MEDITATION, WHICH HELPS ACHIEVE HARMONY BETWEEN THE BODY AND MIND. STUDIES HAVE ALSO DEMONSTRATED THE IMPORTANT REGULATORY EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY ON BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS. DESPITE THESE ADVANCES, THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA THERAPY RENDERS ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ARE INADEQUATELY KNOWN. A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT YOGA THERAPY HAS IMMUNOMODULATORY EFFECTS. HOWEVER, THE PRECISE MECHANISTIC BASIS HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED EMPIRICALLY. IN THIS REVIEW, WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTIONING WITH AN AIM TO IDENTIFY IMPORTANT IMMUNOLOGICAL SIGNATURES THAT INDEX THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY. TOWARD THIS, WE HAVE SUMMARIZED THE AVAILABLE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SHOWING POSITIVE IMPACTS OF YOGA THERAPY. FINALLY, WE HAVE EMPHASIZED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN IMPROVING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING. YOGA HAS BEEN A PART OF INDIAN CULTURE AND TRADITION FOR LONG; NOW, THE TIME HAS COME TO SCIENTIFICALLY VALIDATE THIS AND IMPLEMENT THIS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT METHOD FOR STRESS-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASE. 2020 15 1983 25 SLEEP, COGNITION, AND YOGA. STRESS IS ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS GLOBALLY, ASSOCIATED WITH POOR SLEEP QUALITY AND COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION. MODERN SOCIETY IS PLAGUED BY SLEEP DISTURBANCES, EITHER DUE TO PROFESSIONAL DEMANDS OR LIFESTYLE OR BOTH THE ASPECTS, OFTEN LEADING TO REDUCED ALERTNESS AND COMPROMISED MENTAL FUNCTION, BESIDES THE WELL DOCUMENTED ILL EFFECTS OF DISTURBED SLEEP ON PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS. THIS PERTINENT ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT INDIAN SCIENCE, PHILOSOPHY AND WAY OF LIFE. RECENTLY, YOGA PRACTICE HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR WORLDWIDE. YOGA PRACTICE IS AN ADJUNCT EFFECTIVE FOR STRESS, SLEEP AND ASSOCIATED DISORDERS. THERE ARE LIMITED WELL CONTROLLED PUBLISHED STUDIES CONDUCTED IN THIS AREA. WE REVIEWED THE AVAILABLE LITERATURE INCLUDING THE EFFECT OF MODERN LIFESTYLE IN CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS, ADULTS AND GERIATRIC POPULATION. THE ROLE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION IN OPTIMIZING SLEEP ARCHITECTURE AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS LEADING TO OPTIMAL BRAIN FUNCTIONING IN NORMAL AND DISEASED STATE IS DISCUSSED. WE INCLUDED ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH WITH NO FIXED TIME DURATION FOR LITERATURE SEARCH. LITERATURE WAS SEARCHED MAINLY BY USING PUBMED AND SCIENCE DIRECT SEARCH ENGINES AND CRITICALLY EXAMINED. STUDIES HAVE REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SLEEP AND COGNITIVE SKILLS AMONG HEALTHY ADULTS AS WELL AS PATIENTS OF SOME NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES. FURTHER, ON EVALUATING THE PUBLISHED STUDIES, IT IS CONCLUDED THAT SLEEP AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS ARE OPTIMIZED BY YOGA PRACTICE, WHICH BRINGS ABOUT CHANGES IN AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, STRUCTURAL CHANGES, CHANGES IN METABOLISM, NEUROCHEMISTRY AND IMPROVED FUNCTIONAL BRAIN NETWORK CONNECTIVITY IN KEY REGIONS OF THE BRAIN. 2021 16 1911 22 ROLE OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC - A NARRATIVE REVIEW. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS POSED AN IMMENSE CHALLENGE TO HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS AROUND THE GLOBE IN TERMS OF LIMITED HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AND PROVEN MEDICAL THERAPEUTICS TO ADDRESS THE SYMPTOMS OF THE INFECTION. THE CURRENT HEALTH CARE STRATEGIES ARE PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON EITHER THE PATHOGEN OR THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. HOWEVER, EFFORTS TOWARDS STRENGTHENING THE HOST IMMUNITY ARE IMPORTANT FROM PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF INFECTION AND DOWNREGULATE THE POTENCY OF THE INFECTIOUS AGENT. WHILE A VACCINE CAN INDUCE SPECIFIC IMMUNITY IN THE HOST, NON-SPECIFIC WAYS OF IMPROVING OVERALL HOST IMMUNITY ARE NEEDED AS WELL. THIS SCENARIO HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR THE USE OF TRADITIONAL INDIAN THERAPIES SUCH AS AYURVEDA AND YOGA. THIS REVIEW AIMS AT COLLATING AVAILABLE EVIDENCE ON AYURVEDA, YOGA, AND COVID-19. FURTHER, IT DRAWS INFERENCES FROM RECENT STUDIES ON YOGA AND AYURVEDA ON IMMUNITY, RESPIRATORY HEALTH, AND MENTAL HEALTH RESPECTIVELY TO APPROXIMATE ITS PROBABLE ROLE IN PROPHYLAXIS AND AS AN ADD-ON MANAGEMENT OPTION FOR THE CURRENT PANDEMIC. 2022 17 76 25 A HEURISTIC MODEL LINKING YOGA PHILOSOPHY AND SELF-REFLECTION TO EXAMINE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF ADD-ON YOGA TREATMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS EFFICACY OF YOGA AS ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA, BUT THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM BY WHICH YOGA IMPROVES THE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD. YOGA IMPROVES SELF-REFLECTION IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, AND SELF-REFLECTION ABNORMALITIES ARE TYPICALLY SEEN IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. HOWEVER, WHETHER YOGA TREATMENT IMPROVES IMPAIRMENTS IN SELF-REFLECTION TYPICALLY SEEN IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT EXAMINED. THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE POTENTIAL MECHANISM OF YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PROPOSES A TESTABLE HYPOTHESIS FOR FURTHER EMPIRICAL STUDIES. IT IS PROPOSED THAT SELF-REFLECTION ABNORMALITIES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA IMPROVE WITH YOGA AND THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CAN BE EXAMINED USING EMPIRICAL BEHAVIOURAL MEASURES AND NEUROIMAGING MEASURES SUCH AS MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. 2016 18 2300 25 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 19 2035 23 TELE-YOGA FOR CHRONIC PAIN: CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. PAIN IS A PERVASIVE, DEBILITATING DISORDER THAT IS RESISTANT TO LONG-TERM PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS. ALTHOUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPIES SUCH AS COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY DEMONSTRATE MODERATE EFFICACY, MANY INDIVIDUALS CONTINUE TO HAVE ONGOING DIFFICULTIES FOLLOWING TREATMENT. THERE IS A CURRENT TREND TO ESTABLISH COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONIC PAIN, FOR WHICH YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO HAVE EXCITING POTENTIAL. NEVERTHELESS, AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION WITHIN THE FIELD IS ACCESSIBILITY TO ADEQUATE CARE. TELEHEALTH CAN BE USED TO PROVIDE REAL-TIME INTERACTIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING LEADING TO INCREASED ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS LOCATED REMOTELY OR WHO OTHERWISE HAVE DIFFICULTY ACCESSING SERVICES, PERHAPS THROUGH ISSUES OF MOBILITY OR PROXIMITY OF ADEQUATE SERVICES. THIS ARTICLE ASSESSES THE CURRENT STATUS AND FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING TELE-YOGA FOR CHRONIC PAIN. METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ARE DISCUSSED. 2018 20 122 33 A PILOT STUDY OF YOGA AS SELF-CARE FOR ARTHRITIS IN MINORITY COMMUNITIES. BACKGROUND: WHILE ARTHRITIS IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DISABILITY, NON-HISPANIC BLACKS AND HISPANICS EXPERIENCE WORSE ARTHRITIS IMPACT DESPITE HAVING THE SAME OR LOWER PREVALENCE OF ARTHRITIS COMPARED TO NON-HISPANIC WHITES. PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS WHO EXERCISE REGULARLY HAVE LESS PAIN, MORE ENERGY, AND IMPROVED SLEEP, YET ARTHRITIS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON REASONS FOR LIMITING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS YOGA, THAT TEACH STRESS MANAGEMENT ALONG WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MAY BE WELL SUITED FOR INVESTIGATION IN BOTH OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. YOGA USERS ARE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE, FEMALE, AND COLLEGE EDUCATED. THERE ARE FEW STUDIES THAT EXAMINE YOGA IN MINORITY POPULATIONS; NONE ADDRESS ARTHRITIS. THIS PAPER PRESENTS A STUDY PROTOCOL EXAMINING THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF PROVIDING YOGA TO AN URBAN, MINORITY POPULATION WITH ARTHRITIS. METHODS/DESIGN: IN THIS ONGOING PILOT STUDY, A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 20 MINORITY ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH EITHER OSTEOARTHRITIS OR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS UNDERGO AN 8-WEEK PROGRAM OF YOGA CLASSES. IT IS BELIEVED THAT BY ATTENDING YOGA CLASSES DESIGNED FOR PATIENTS WITH ARTHRITIS, WITH RACIALLY CONCORDANT INSTRUCTORS; ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD ARTHRITIS TREATMENT AND SELF-CARE WILL BE ENHANCED. SELF-CARE IS DEFINED AS ADOPTING BEHAVIORS THAT IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING. THIS CONCEPT IS QUANTIFIED THROUGH COLLECTING PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOME MEASURES RELATED TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH, HEALTH RESPONSIBILITY, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, AND STRESS MANAGEMENT. ADDITIONAL MEASURES COLLECTED DURING THIS STUDY INCLUDE: PHYSICAL FUNCTION, ANXIETY/DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, SOCIAL ROLES, AND PAIN; AS WELL AS BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL DATA. FIELD NOTES, QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA REGARDING FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY ARE ALSO COLLECTED. ACCEPTABILITY IS DETERMINED BY RESPONSE/RETENTION RATES, POSITIVE QUALITATIVE DATA, AND CONTINUING YOGA PRACTICE AFTER THREE MONTHS. DISCUSSION: THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES IN RECRUITING AND RETAINING PARTICIPANTS FROM A COMMUNITY CLINIC SERVING MINORITY POPULATIONS. ADOPTING BEHAVIORS THAT IMPROVE WELL-BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE INCLUDE THOSE THAT INTEGRATE MENTAL HEALTH (MIND) AND PHYSICAL HEALTH (BODY). FEW STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED OFFERING INTEGRATIVE MODALITIES TO THIS POPULATION. THIS PILOT WAS UNDERTAKEN TO QUANTIFY MEASURES OF FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY THAT WILL BE USEFUL WHEN EVALUATING FUTURE PLANS FOR EXPANDING THE STUDY OF YOGA IN URBAN, MINORITY POPULATIONS WITH ARTHRITIS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT01617421. 2013