1 207 109 A SHORT-TERM, COMPREHENSIVE, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IS EFFICACIOUS IN REDUCING ANXIETY, IMPROVING SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND PERSONALITY. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF A SHORT-TERM COMPREHENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN REDUCING ANXIETY, IMPROVING SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND PERSONALITY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY IS A PART OF AN ONGOING LARGER STUDY AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. PARTICIPANTS (N=90) INCLUDED PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES ATTENDING A 10-DAY, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES, AND HEALTHY CONTROLS (N=45) NOT ATTENDING ANY SUCH INTERVENTION. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGE IN STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY QUESTIONNAIRE (STAI-Y; 40 ITEMS), SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING INVENTORY (SUBI; 40 ITEMS), AND NEUROTICISM EXTRAVERSION OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE FIVE FACTOR PERSONALITY INVENTORY REVISED (NEO-FF PI-R; 60 ITEMS) AT THE END OF INTERVENTION. RESULTS: FOLLOWING INTERVENTION, THE STAI-Y SCORES REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.001) AT DAY 10 (66.7 +/- 13.0) VERSUS DAY 1 (72.5 +/- 14.7). ALSO, POSITIVE SUBI SCORES (F1- F6) IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.01) AT DAY 10 VERSUS DAY 1. SIMILARLY NEO-FF PI-R SCORES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.001) AT DAY 10 VERSUS DAY 1. CONTROL GROUP SHOWED AN INCREASE IN STAI-Y WHILE SUBI AND NEO-FF PI-R SCORES REMAINED COMPARABLE AT DAY 10 VERSUS DAY 1. CONCLUSIONS: THE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT A SHORT-TERM, YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION MAY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE ANXIETY AND IMPROVE SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND PERSONALITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES. 2012 2 1744 23 PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA-YOGA EXERCISE IN HEALTHY WOMEN. HATHA-YOGA HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN WESTERN COUNTRIES AS A METHOD FOR COPING WITH STRESS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. WE MEASURED HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, THE HORMONES CORTISOL, PROLACTIN AND GROWTH HORMONE AND CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A YOGA PRACTICING GROUP AND A CONTROL GROUP OF YOUNG FEMALE VOLUNTEERS READING IN A COMFORTABLE POSITION DURING THE EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD. THERE WERE NO SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS CONCERNING ENDOCRINE PARAMETERS AND BLOOD PRESSURE. THE COURSE OF HEART RATE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A DECREASE DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH GROUPS WERE FOUND IN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. IN THE PERSONALITY INVENTORY THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED MARKEDLY HIGHER SCORES IN LIFE SATISFACTION AND LOWER SCORES IN EXCITABILITY, AGGRESSIVENESS, OPENNESS, EMOTIONALITY AND SOMATIC COMPLAINTS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES COULD ALSO BE OBSERVED CONCERNING COPING WITH STRESS AND THE MOOD AT THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT. THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT HIGHER SCORES IN HIGH SPIRITS AND EXTRAVERTEDNESS. 1994 3 449 11 CHANGES IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND HORMONES DURING A COMPREHENSIVE RESIDENTIAL THREE MONTH KRIYA YOGA TRAINING AND VEGETARIAN NUTRITION. IN PARTICIPANTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE RESIDENTIAL THREE MONTH YOGA AND MEDIATION TRAINING PROGRAMME LIVING ON A LOW FAT LACTO-VEGETARIAN DIET CHANGES IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND HORMONES WERE STUDIED. SUBSTANTIAL RISK FACTOR REDUCTION WAS FOUND. BODY MASS INDEX, TOTAL SERUM AND LDL CHOLESTEROL, FIBRINOGEN, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED ESPECIALLY IN THOSE WITH ELEVATED LEVELS. URINARY EXCRETION OF ADRENALINE, NORADRENALINE, DOPAMINE, ALDOSTERONE, AS WELL AS SERUM TESTOSTERONE AND LUTEINIZING HORMONE LEVELS WERE REDUCED, WHILE CORTISOL EXCRETION INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. 1997 4 726 20 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON SALIVARY CORTISOL AND DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE AMONG HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE WHETHER LAUGHTER YOGA (LY), I.E., SIMULATED LAUGHTER, ALTERS CORTISOL AND DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE (DHEA) LEVELS AND CORTISOL/DHEA (C/D) RATIOS. METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, 120 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE ALLOCATED TO EXPERIENCING LY, WATCHING A COMEDY MOVIE (SPONTANEOUS LAUGHTER), OR READING A BOOK. SALIVARY CORTISOL AND DHEA LEVELS WERE MEASURED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE, IMMEDIATELY AFTER, AND 30MIN AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: CORTISOL LEVELS AND C/D RATIOS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED BY TIME IN THE LY AND COMEDY MOVIE GROUPS. SIGNIFICANT GROUP*TIME INTERACTIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN THESE TWO GROUPS FOR CORTISOL LEVELS AND C/D RATIOS. DHEA LEVELS DID NOT CHANGE BY TIME IN THE LY GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: LY DECREASED CORTISOL LEVELS AND C/D RATIOS BUT DID NOT AFFECT DHEA LEVELS. SIMULATED AND SPONTANEOUS LAUGHTER DIFFERENTLY AFFECTED THE DYNAMICS OF CORTISOL LEVELS AND C/D RATIOS. EFFECT OF SPONTANEOUS LAUGHTER ON THE CORTISOL DYNAMICS LASTED LONGER THAN THAT OF SIMULATED LAUGHTER. (UMIN000019409). 2018 5 887 14 EFFECT OF YOGA TYPE BREATHING ON HEART RATE AND CARDIAC AXIS OF NORMAL SUBJECTS. EFFECT OF INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY PHASES OF NORMAL QUIET BREATHING, DEEP BREATHING AND SAVITRI PRANAYAM TYPE BREATHING ON HEART RATE AND MEAN VENTRICULAR QRS AXIS WAS INVESTIGATED IN YOUNG, HEALTHY UNTRAINED SUBJECTS. PRANAYAM TYPE BREATHING PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT CARDIOACCELERATION AND INCREASE IN QRS AXIS DURING THE INSPIRATORY PHASE AS COMPARED TO EUPNEA. ON THE OTHER HAND, EXPIRATORY EFFORT DURING PRANAYAM TYPE BREATHING DID NOT PRODUCE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HEART RATE OR QRS AXIS. THE CHANGES IN HEART RATE AND QRS AXIS DURING THE INSPIRATORY AND EXPIRATORY PHASES OF PRANAYAM TYPE BREATHING WERE SIMILAR TO THE CHANGES OBSERVED DURING THE CORRESPONDING PHASES OF DEEP BREATHING. 1986 6 1855 17 RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA AND BIO-FEEDBACK IN MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION. 34 HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS WERE ASSIGNED AT RANDOM EITHER TO SIX WEEKS' TREATMENT BY YOGA RELAXATION METHODS WITH BIO-FEEDBACK OR TO PLACEBO THERAPY (GENERAL RELAXATION). BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A REDUCTION IN BLOOD-PRESSURE (FROM 168/100 TO 141/84 MM. HG IN THE TREATED GROUP AND FROM 169/101 TO 160/96 MM HG IN THE CONTROL GROUP). THE DIFFERENCE WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS THEN TRAINED IN YOGA RELAXATION, AND THEIR BLOOD-PRESSURE FELL TO THAT OF THE OTHER GROUP (NOW USED AS CONTROLS). 1975 7 1706 16 PATTERN OF BREATHING AND VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO CO2 IN SUBJECTS PRACTICING HATHA-YOGA. WE STUDIED EIGHT BELGIAN SUBJECTS WELL ADVANCED IN THE PRACTICE OF HATHA-YOGA AND COMPARED THEM WITH EIGHT SEX-, AGE-, AND HEIGHT-MATCHED CONTROL SUBJECTS. PRACTICE OF YOGA (RANGE 4-12 YR) INVOLVES CONTROL OF POSTURE AND MANIPULATION OF BREATHING, INCLUDING SLOW NEAR-VITAL CAPACITY MANEUVERS ACCOMPANIED BY APNEA AT END INSPIRATION AND END EXPIRATION. AVERAGE VALUES FOR THE YOGA AND THE CONTROL GROUP (IN PARENTHESES) ARE AS FOLLOWS: VENTILATION (VE) 5.53 1 X MIN-1 (7.07); TIDAL VOLUME (VT), 1.03 LITERS (0.56); RATE OF BREATHING, 5.5 MIN-1 (13.4); END-TIDAL PCO2, 39.0 TORR (35.3). ALL DIFFERENCES ARE SIGNIFICANT (P LESS THAN 0.05). VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO CO2 (REBREATHING TECHNIQUE) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP (P LESS THAN 0.01). THE REGRESSION RELATING VE TO VT DURING REBREATHING OF CO2 WAS VE = 8.1 (VT - 0.23) FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND VE = 15.8 (VT - 0.16) FOR THE CONTROL GROUP (P LESS THAN 0.005). WE ATTRIBUTE THESE CHANGES TO CHRONIC MANIPULATION OF RESPIRATION. 1981 8 808 33 EFFECT OF YOGA ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS WITH INCREASED PULSE PRESSURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: WE AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON ARTERIAL FUNCTION IN ELDERLY WITH INCREASED PULSE PRESSURE (PP). DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WITH TWO PARALLEL GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS: ELDERLY SUBJECTS WITH PP>/=60 MMHG (N=60). INTERVENTIONS: YOGA GROUP (N=30) WAS ASSIGNED FOR YOGA TRAINING AND BRISK-WALKING (BW) GROUP (N=30) FOR BRISK-WALK WITH STRETCHING EXERCISE FOR 1H IN THE MORNING FOR 6 DAYS IN A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ARTERIAL STIFFNESS MEASURES: BRACHIAL-ANKLE PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (BAPWV), CAROTID-FEMORAL PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (C-F PWV), AORTIC AUGMENTATION INDEX (AIX@75), ARTERIAL STIFFNESS INDEX AT BRACHIAL (BASI) AND TIBIAL ARTERIES (AASI). TOTAL SERUM NITRIC OXIDE CONCENTRATION (NOX) AS AN INDEX OF ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) MEASURES: LOW FREQUENCY AND HIGH FREQUENCY IN NORMALIZED UNITS (LFNU, HFNU) AND LF/HF RATIO. RESULTS: THE MEAN BETWEEN-GROUP CHANGE (WITH 95% CI) IN ARTERIAL STIFFNESS: C-F PWV(M/S) [1.25(0.59-1.89); P<0.001], BAPWV(M/S) [1.96(0.76-3.16), P<0.01], AIX@75 [3.07(0.24-5.89), P=0.066], AASI [8.3(4.06-12.53), P<0.001]; ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION INDEX: NO(MUMOL/L) [-9.03(-14.57 TO -3.47), P<0.001]; SBP(MMHG) [14.23(12.03-16.44), P<0.001], DBP(MMHG) [0.1(-1.95-2.15), P=0.38], PP(MMHG) [14.07(11.2-16.92), P<0.001], MAP(MMHG) [4.7(3.08-6.32), P<0.001]; AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION: LF(NU) [4.81(1.54-8.08), P<0.01], HF(NU) [-4.13(-7.57 TO -0.69), P<0.01], LF/HF RATIO [0.84(0.3-1.37), P<0.001], INDICATE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN EFFECTS OF TWO INTERVENTION ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS, ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION, BP AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WITHIN-YOGA GROUP IN VASCULAR FUNCTION, BP AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, WHILE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WITHIN-BW GROUP WAS OBSERVED. CONCLUSION: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PROGRAM OFFERED WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN BRISK-WALK IN REDUCING ARTERIAL STIFFNESS ALONG WITH BP IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS WITH INCREASED PP. YOGA CAN ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND IMPROVE ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION WITH ENHANCEMENT IN BIOAVAILABILITY OF NO. 2015 9 1323 31 HEMODYNAMIC OBSERVATIONS OF TUMO YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN A HIMALAYAN ENVIRONMENT. BACKGROUND: FEW ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO EVALUATE THE PHYSIOLOGY OF TRADITIONAL EASTERN HEALTH PRACTICES. THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE HEMODYNAMIC EFFECTS OF THE MYSTERIOUS BUDDHIST PRACTICE OF TUMO. TUMO IS A MEDITATIVE PRACTICE THAT PRODUCES INNER HEAT THROUGH THE ALLEGED CULTIVATION OF BODY ENERGY-CHANNELS. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS PERFORMED BY MEMBERS OF AN INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITION TO THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS IN THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA. THE STUDY WAS PERFORMED IN AN UNPOPULATED OUTDOOR MOUNTAINOUS AREA AT AN ALTITUDE OF 16,400 FT WITH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN -10 AND -15( DEGREES )C. TWO (2) COHORTS OF SUBJECTS WERE STUDIED: HEALTHY NON-YOGI VOLUNTEERS AND TUMO PRACTITIONERS. ALL OF THE SUBJECTS WERE STRIPPED DOWN TO THEIR UNDERCLOTHES AND EXPOSED TO THE SUBZERO ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES FOR 5 MINUTES. THE VOLUNTEERS WERE THEN PASSIVELY REWARMED WHILE THE TUMO PRACTITIONERS PERFORMED TUMO FOR UP TO 10 MINUTES. BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, AND STROKE VOLUME INDEX (SVI) AND CARDIAC INDEX WERE MEASURED NONINVASIVELY USING A NICOM HEMODYNAMIC MONITOR, WHILE CAROTID BLOOD FLOW AND BIVENTRICULAR PERFORMANCE WERE DETERMINED ECHOCARDIOGRAPHICALLY AT EACH STAGE OF THE EXPERIMENT. THE TOTAL PERIPHERAL RESISTANCE INDEX (TPRI), LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF), AND TRICUSPID ANNULAR PLANE SYSTOLIC EXCURSION (TAPSE) WERE DETERMINED USING STANDARD FORMULA. RESULTS: FOURTEEN (14) SUBJECTS (SIX VOLUNTEERS AND EIGHT TUMO PRACTITIONERS) COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WAS ONE FEMALE SUBJECT IN EACH GROUP. WITH COLD EXPOSURE, THE SVI AND CAROTID BLOOD FLOW DECREASED WHILE THE TPRI INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH GROUPS. IN THE VOLUNTEER GROUP, THESE CHANGES RETUNED TO BASELINE WITH REWARMING. FOLLOWING TUMO, THE CARDIAC INDEX (4.8+/-0.6 VERSUS 4.0+/-0.5 L/M(2); P<0.01), CAROTID BLOOD FLOW (445+/-127 VERSUS 325+/-100 ML/MIN/M(2), P<0.01), LVEF (68+/-5 VERSUS 64+/-7%; P<0.05) AND TAPSE (2.9+/-0.4 VERSUS 2.4+/-0.5 CM; P<0.01) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER WHEN COMPARED WITH BASELINE, WHILE THE TPRI WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER (1786+/-189 VERSUS 2173+/-281; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: TUMO WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A HYPERDYNAMIC VASODILATED STATE WITH INCREASED BIVENTRICULAR PERFORMANCE. WE POSTULATE THAT TUMO RESULTS IN A MASSIVE INCREASE IN SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY WITH ACTIVATION OF BROWN ADIPOSE TISSUE AND MARKED HEAT PRODUCTION. THE INCREASED HEAT PRODUCTION MAY EXPLAIN THE PARADOXICAL VASODILATATION IN TUMO PRACTITIONERS EXPOSED TO SUBZERO TEMPERATURES. 2014 10 717 29 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY ON PAIN, MORNING STIFFNESS AND ANXIETY IN OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE JOINT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON PAIN, MORNING STIFFNESS AND ANXIETY IN OSTEOARTHRITIS OF KNEES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY PARTICIPANTS WITH OA KNEES (35-80 YEARS) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. BOTH GROUPS HAD TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND ULTRASOUND TREATMENT FOLLOWED BY INTERVENTION (40 MIN) FOR TWO WEEKS WITH FOLLOW UP FOR THREE MONTHS. THE INTEGRATED YOGA CONSISTED OF YOGIC LOOSENING AND STRENGTHENING PRACTICES, ASANAS, RELAXATION, PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION. THE CONTROL GROUP HAD PHYSIOTHERAPY EXERCISES. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE ON 15(TH) (POST 1) AND 90(TH) DAY (POST 2). RESULTS: RESTING PAIN (NUMERICAL RATING SCALE) REDUCED BETTER (P<0.001, MANN-WHITNEY U TEST) IN YOGA GROUP (POST 1=33.6% AND POST 2=71.8%) THAN CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=13.4% AND POST 2=37.5%). MORNING STIFFNESS DECREASED MORE (P<0.001) IN YOGA (POST 1=68.6% AND POST 2=98.1%) THAN CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=38.6% AND POST 2=71.6%). STATE ANXIETY (STAI-1) REDUCED (P<0.001) BY 35.5% (POST 1) AND 58.4% (POST 2) IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 15.6% (POST 1) AND 38.8% (POST 2) IN THE CONTROL GROUP; TRAIT ANXIETY (STAI 2) REDUCED (P<0.001) BETTER (POST 1=34.6% AND POST 2=57.10%) IN YOGA THAN CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=14.12% AND POST 2=34.73%). SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCED (P<0.001) BETTER IN YOGA GROUP (POST 1=-7.93% AND POST 2=-15.7%) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=-1.8% AND POST 2=-3.8%). DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCED (P<0.001) BETTER IN YOGA GROUP (POST 1=-7.6% AND POST 2=-16.4%) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=-2.1% AND POST 2=-5.0%). PULSE RATE REDUCED (P<0.001) BETTER IN YOGA GROUP (POST 1=-8.41% AND POST 2=-12.4%) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (POST 1=-5.1% AND POST 2=-7.1%). CONCLUSION: INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY IS BETTER THAN PHYSIOTHERAPY EXERCISES AS AN ADJUNCT TO TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND ULTRASOUND TREATMENT IN REDUCING PAIN, MORNING STIFFNESS, STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY, BLOOD PRESSURE AND PULSE RATE IN PATIENTS WITH OA KNEES. 2012 11 804 10 EFFECT OF YOGA ON AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC POWER OF MUSCLES. AEROBIC POWER (VO2 MAX) AND ANAEROBIC POWER WERE ESTIMATED IN MEDICAL STUDENTS BEFORE AND AFTER SIX WEEKS OF YOGIC TRAINING. A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN AEROBIC POWER AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANAEROBIC POWER WAS OBSERVED. THIS MAY BE DUE TO CONVERSION OF SOME OF THE FAST TWITCH (F.T.) MUSCLE FIBRES INTO SLOW TWITCH FIBRES (S.T.) DURING YOGIC TRAINING. 1991 12 954 27 EFFECTS OF A HOLISTIC YOGA PROGRAM ON ENDOCRINE PARAMETERS IN ADOLESCENTS WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS TRIAL WERE TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF A HOLISTIC YOGA PROGRAM WITH THE CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE PROGRAM IN ADOLESCENT POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS). DESIGN: THIS WAS A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, ACTIVE CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: NINETY (90) ADOLESCENT (15-18 YEARS) GIRLS FROM A RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE IN ANDHRA PRADESH WHO SATISFIED THE ROTTERDAM CRITERIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS. INTERVENTION: THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED A HOLISTIC YOGA MODULE, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTICED A MATCHING SET OF PHYSICAL EXERCISES (1 HOUR/DAY, FOR 12 WEEKS). OUTCOME MEASURES: ANTI-MULLERIAN HORMONE (AMH-PRIMARY OUTCOME), LUTEINIZING HORMONE (LH), FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE (FSH), TESTOSTERONE, PROLACTIN, BODY-MASS INDEX (BMI), HIRSUTISM, AND MENSTRUAL FREQUENCY WERE MEASURED AT INCLUSION AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: MANN-WHITNEY TEST ON DIFFERENCE SCORE SHOWS THAT CHANGES IN AMH (Y=-2.51, C=-0.49, P=0.006), LH, AND LH/FSH RATIO (LH: Y=-4.09, C=3.00, P=0.005; LH/FSH: Y=-1.17, C=0.49, P=0.015) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE TWO INTERVENTION GROUPS. ALSO, CHANGES IN TESTOSTERONE (Y=-6.01, C=2.61, P=0.014) AND MODIFIED FERRIMAN AND GALLWAY (MFG) SCORE (Y=-1.14, C=+0.06, P=0.002) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. ON THE OTHER HAND, CHANGES IN FSH AND PROLACTIN POSTINTERVENTION WERE NONSIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. ALSO, BODY WEIGHT AND BMI SHOWED NONSIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT CHANGES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS, WHILE CHANGES IN MENSTRUAL FREQUENCY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS (Y=0.89, C=0.49, P=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: A HOLISTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR 12 WEEKS IS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN PHYSICAL EXERCISE IN REDUCING AMH, LH, AND TESTOSTERONE, MFG SCORE FOR HIRSUTISM, AND IMPROVING MENSTRUAL FREQUENCY WITH NONSIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN BODY WEIGHT, FSH, AND PROLACTIN IN ADOLESCENT PCOS. 2013 13 1029 21 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON SALIVARY BETA-DEFENSIN 2. PURPOSE: YOGA STRETCHING CAN BE DONE COMFORTABLY AND EASILY BY BEGINNERS AND OLDER ADULTS TO COMPENSATE FOR LACK OF EXERCISE OR POOR HEALTH MAINTENANCE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA STRETCHING ON MUCOSAL IMMUNE FUNCTIONS, PRIMARILY HUMAN BETA-DEFENSIN 2 (HBD-2) IN SALIVA. METHODS: FIFTEEN HEALTHY ADULTS (AGE, 60.4 +/- 8.0 YEARS) PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. PARTICIPANTS RESTED FOR 90 MIN ON THE FIRST DAY AND PERFORMED YOGA FOR 90 MIN ON THE SECOND DAY. MEASUREMENTS WERE CARRIED OUT BEFORE AND AFTER REST OR YOGA. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED BY CHEWING A STERILE COTTON AT A FREQUENCY OF 60 CYCLES PER MIN. SALIVARY HBD-2 CONCENTRATION WAS MEASURED USING AN ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY. RESULTS: HBD-2 CONCENTRATION AFTER YOGA STRETCHING (165.4 +/- 127.1 PG/ML) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT BEFORE YOGA STRETCHING (84.1 +/- 63.4 PG/ML; P < 0.01). HBD-2 EXPRESSION RATE AFTER YOGA STRETCHING (232.8 +/- 192.9 PG/MIN) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT BEFORE YOGA STRETCHING (110.7 +/- 96.8 PG/MIN; P < 0.01). HBD-2 CONCENTRATION (P < 0.05) AND HBD-2 EXPRESSION RATE (P < 0.01) AT POST ON THE SECOND DAY (YOGA) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT ON THE FIRST DAY (REST). POMS SCORE OF ANGER-HOSTILITY WAS LOWER AFTER YOGA THAN BEFORE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA STRETCHING FOR 90 MIN CAN INCREASE SALIVARY HBD-2 EXPRESSION IN OLDER ADULTS. THEREFORE, YOGA STRETCHING MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR OLDER ADULTS AND ATHLETES TO MAINTAIN THEIR HEALTH. 2013 14 2176 14 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HYPERTENSIVE PERSONS IN THAILAND. TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND STRESS, A GROUP OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN THAILAND WERE STUDIED, WITH THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP SHOWING SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED MEAN STRESS SCORES AND BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, AND BODY MASS INDEX LEVELS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. FURTHER STUDIES ARE SUGGESTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HYPERTENSION IN THAILAND. 2005 15 57 19 A COMPARISON OF BLOOD VISCOSITY AND HEMATOCRIT LEVELS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND SEDENTARY ADULTS. ELEVATIONS IN WHOLE BLOOD VISCOSITY (WBV) AND HEMATOCRIT (HCT), HAVE BEEN LINKED WITH INCREASED RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD). ENDURANCE TRAINING HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO LOWER WBV AND HCT; HOWEVER, EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA ON THESE MEASURES IS SPARSE. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED EXAMINING WBV AND HCT LEVELS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH A MINIMUM OF 3 YEARS OF CONSISTENT PRACTICE AND SEDENTARY, HEALTHY ADULTS. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FROM A TOTAL OF 42 PARTICIPANTS: 23 SEDENTARY ADULTS AND 19 REGULAR YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BRACHIAL ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) WAS MEASURED AND THE AVERAGES OF 3 MEASURES WERE REPORTED. THE YOGA PRACTITIONER GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER WBV AT 45 S(-1) (P < 0.01), 90 S(-1) (P < 0.01), 220 S(-1) (P < 0.05), AND 450 S(-1) (P < 0.05) THAN SEDENTARY PARTICIPANTS. NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES IN HCT (P =0.38) WERE FOUND. A TENDENCY TOWARD LOWER SYSTOLIC BP (P=0.06) WAS OBSERVED IN THE YOGA PRACTITIONER GROUP; HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES IN BP WERE EXHIBITED. A CONSISTENT YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER WBV, A HEALTH INDICATOR RELATED TO CVD RISK. THESE FINDINGS SUPPORT A REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE AS A VALID FORM OF EXERCISE FOR IMPROVING RHEOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH. 2019 16 2301 15 THERMIC RESPONSES TO VEGETARIAN MEALS AND YOGA EXERCISE. THE THERMIC EFFECT (TEF) OF VEGETARIAN MEALS WAS MEASURED FOR BREAKFAST AND LUNCH IN 6 LEAN HEALTHY MEN (18-25 YEARS) DURING NORMAL FEEDING (NF) AND WITH 20% OVERFEEDING (OF) ON 28 SUCCESSIVE DAYS. THE ENERGY CONTENTS OF BREAKFAST WERE 223 +/- 10 AND 330 +/- 48 KCAL, AND THOSE OF LUNCH WERE 1,033 +/- 220 AND 1,247 +/- 222 KCAL IN NF AND OF, RESPECTIVELY. IN NF, THE TEF PER 180 MIN WAS 32.7 +/- 8.6 AND 54.8 +/- 6.3 KCAL FOR BREAKFAST AND LUNCH, RESPECTIVELY. IN OF, THE TEF WAS 38.3 +/- 8.3 KCAL FOR BREAKFAST AND 57.2 +/- 5.4 KCAL FOR LUNCH. THE INCREASE IN TOTAL TEF DUE TO OF WAS NONSIGNIFICANT (P GREATER THAN 0.2). IN RESPONSE TO 20% OF, ADAPTIVE THERMOGENESIS WAS MANIFESTED MAINLY THROUGH AN INCREASE IN THE RESTING METABOLIC RATE OF 4.9% (P LESS THAN 0.001). IN BOTH FEEDING, REGIMES, THE PERCENT TEF WAS HIGHER FOR BREAKFAST THAN FOR LUNCH (P LESS THAN 0.05). REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF TEF VERSUS CALORIE LOAD INDICATED A STABLE COMPONENT OF 42 KCAL WITH A 2% RATE OF INCREASE. YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED FROM 16.00 TO 17.00 DAILY. THE THERMIC EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISES OBSERVED FROM 17.10 TO 18.30 WAS 21 KCAL AND PERSISTED BEYOND 90 MIN, INDICATING THE ROLE OF YOGA IN ENERGY METABOLISM. 1992 17 31 14 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP OF YOGA AND BIO-FEEDBACK IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION. TWENTY HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS TREATED BY PSYCHOPHYSICAL RELAXATION EXERCISES WERE FOLLOWED UP MONTHLY FOR 12 MONTHS. AGE AND SEX MATCHED HYPERTENSIVE CONTROLS WERE SIMILARLY FOLLOWED UP FOR 9 MONTHS. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN BLOOD-PRESSURE (BP) AND ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUG REQUIREMENTS WERE SATISFACTORILY MAINTAINED IN THE TREATMENT GROUP. MERE REPETITION OF B.P. MEASUREMENTS AND INCREASED MEDICAL ATTENTION DID NOT IN THEMSELVES REDUCE B.P. SIGNIFICANTLY IN CONTROL PATIENTS. 1975 18 1264 21 FLEXIBILITY, FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN ELDERLY YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE LEVELS OF FLEXIBILITY, FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY AND QOL IN ELDERLY YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO A YOGA GROUP (YG; N = 52; AGE = 66.79 +/- 3.30 YEARS; BMI = 24.77 +/- 3.18) AND CONTROL GROUP (CG; N = 31; AGE = 69.33 +/- 4.84 YEARS; BMI = 24.32 +/- 3.71) AND SUBMITTED TO FLEXIBILITY TESTS THROUGH GONIOMETRY, THE LADEG AUTONOMY PROTOCOL AND QOL, USING THE WHOQOL-OLD QUESTIONNAIRE. REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED INCREASES IN ARTICULAR RANGE OF MOTION IN SHOULDER ABDUCTION (DELTA%SA = 14.11%; P = 0.0001), HORIZONTAL SHOULDER EXTENSION (DELTA%HSE = 33.90%; P = 0.0001), LUMBAR SPINE FLEXION (DELTA%LSF = 50.74%; P = 0.0001), HIP FLEXION (DELTA%HF = 35.75%; P = 0.0001), HIP EXTENSION (DELTA%HE = 10.93%; P = 0.021) AND KNEE FLEXION (DELTA%KF = 3.90%; P = 0.001) AND IN THE GDLAM AUTONOMY INDEX (DELTA%AI = -13.67%; P = 0.0001) IN THE YG COMPARED TO THE CG. THE MANN-WHITNEY TEST REVEALED INCREASES IN QOL SCORES IN FACET 1 (DELTA%FAC1 = 9.04%; P=0.043), FACET 5 (DELTA%FAC5 = 51.06%; P = 0.0001) AND IN OVERALL QOL (DELTA%OQOL = 8.13%; P = 0.046) IN THE YG COMPARED TO THE CG. THE REMAINING VARIABLES SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT INTERGROUP MODIFICATIONS. THUS, THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT THE REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY LEAD TO IMPROVED RANGE OF MOTION IN THE PERFORMANCE OF ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN ELDERLY WOMEN. 2011 19 744 20 EFFECT OF ROSARY PRAYER AND YOGA MANTRAS ON AUTONOMIC CARDIOVASCULAR RHYTHMS: COMPARATIVE STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO TEST WHETHER RHYTHMIC FORMULAS SUCH AS THE ROSARY AND YOGA MANTRAS CAN SYNCHRONISE AND REINFORCE INHERENT CARDIOVASCULAR RHYTHMS AND MODIFY BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY. DESIGN: COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF RECITATION OF THE AVE MARIA (IN LATIN) OR OF A MANTRA, DURING SPONTANEOUS AND METRONOME CONTROLLED BREATHING, ON BREATHING RATE AND ON SPONTANEOUS OSCILLATIONS IN RR INTERVAL, AND ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND CEREBRAL CIRCULATION. SETTING: FLORENCE AND PAVIA, ITALY. PARTICIPANTS: 23 HEALTHY ADULTS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BREATHING RATE, REGULARITY OF BREATHING, BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY, FREQUENCY OF CARDIOVASCULAR OSCILLATIONS. RESULTS: BOTH PRAYER AND MANTRA CAUSED STRIKING, POWERFUL, AND SYNCHRONOUS INCREASES IN EXISTING CARDIOVASCULAR RHYTHMS WHEN RECITED SIX TIMES A MINUTE. BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY ALSO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, FROM 9.5 (SD 4.6) TO 11.5 (4.9) MS/MM HG, P<0.05. CONCLUSION: RHYTHM FORMULAS THAT INVOLVE BREATHING AT SIX BREATHS PER MINUTE INDUCE FAVOURABLE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND POSSIBLY PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS. 2001 20 814 24 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM IN SUBJECTS ABOVE 40 YEARS. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION IN SUBJECTS ABOVE 40 YRS OF AGE. PULSE RATE, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND VALSALVA RATIO WERE STUDIED IN 50 CONTROL SUBJECTS (NOT DOING ANY TYPE OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE) AND 50 STUDY SUBJECTS WHO HAD BEEN PRACTICING YOGA FOR 5 YEARS. FROM THE STUDY IT WAS OBSERVED THAT SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE PULSE RATE OCCURS IN SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA (P<0.001). THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN VALUES OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE BETWEEN STUDY GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP WAS ALSO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01 AND P<0.001 RESPECTIVELY). THE SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION WITH AGE IN THE STUDY GROUP (R1 SYSTOLIC= 0.631 AND R1 DIASTOLIC = 0.610) AS WELL AS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (R2 SYSTOLIC = 0.981 AND R2 DIASTOLIC = 0.864). THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORRELATION COEFFICIENT OF BOTH THE GROUPS WAS ALSO TESTED WITH THE USE OF Z TRANSFORMATION AND THE DIFFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANT (Z SYSTOLIC= 4.041 AND Z DIASTOLIC= 2.901). VALSALVA RATIO WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS THAN IN CONTROLS (P<0.001). OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA REDUCES THE AGE RELATED DETERIORATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. 2003