1 541 143 COMPONENTS AND REPORTING OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVES: TO IDENTIFY THE CONTENT AND REPORTING DETAILS OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. DESIGN: TWENTY ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE FULL-TEXT, PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES, OF RCTS WITH YOGA AS A PRIMARY INTERVENTION, ON A POPULATION AGED 18 YEARS AND OVER, WITH A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF A MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITION. DATA RELATING TO STUDY CHARACTERISTICS, YOGA STYLES, YOGA PRACTICES, HOME PRACTICE, AND REPORTING WERE EXTRACTED AND SUMMARISED. RESULTS: SEVENTEEN ARTICLES MET INCLUSION CRITERIA, REPRESENTING FIVE MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS: LOW BACK PAIN, OSTEOARTHRITIS, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, KYPHOSIS, AND FIBROMYALGIA. 15 STUDIES WERE NON-RESIDENTIAL, AND TWO WERE RESIDENTIAL. STUDY DURATION RANGED FROM 1 TO 24 WEEKS; WEEKLY DOSAGE OF YOGA RANGED FROM 1 TO 56H. FIVE STYLES OF POSTURE-BASED HATHA YOGA WERE SPECIFIED. INTERVENTION CONTENT INCLUDED SEVEN YOGA PRACTISES: POSTURES, BREATHING, RELAXATION, MEDITATION, PHILOSOPHY, CHANTING, AND CLEANSING PRACTISES. TEN STUDIES EITHER ENCOURAGED OR REQUESTED HOME PRACTICE. REPORTING DETAILS INCLUDED CLASS PLANS, POSTURE LISTS, AND DIAGRAMS. DUE TO INSUFFICIENT DETAIL REGARDING DELIVERY OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION ONLY EIGHT OF THE 17 INTERVENTIONS WERE CONSIDERED REPLICABLE AS REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: EVALUATION OF STUDY CHARACTERISTICS AND YOGA COMPONENTS INDICATED SEVERAL AREAS OF HOMOGENEITY ACROSS STUDIES, SUGGESTING AN EXISTING DEGREE OF STANDARDISATION. HOWEVER, HETEROGENEITY RELATED TO INTERVENTION CONTENT AND REPORTING IMPEDED DETERMINATION OF INTERVENTION CONTENT AND DELIVERY. STANDARDISATION OF CONTENT, NOMENCLATURE, AND REPORTING DETAILS IS RECOMMENDED TO ENHANCE PROTOCOL TRANSPARENCY, REPLICATION, AND COMPARISON OF INTERVENTION EFFECTIVENESS. 2014 2 2569 39 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION: THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE. BACKGROUND: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS MAY PROVE TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR THIS INDICATION. METHODS: SEARCHES OF THE MAJOR BIOMEDICAL DATABASES INCLUDING MEDLINE, EMBASE, CLNAHL, PSYCINFO AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE CONDUCTED. SPECIALIST COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AND THE INDMED DATABASES WERE ALSO SEARCHED AND EFFORTS MADE TO IDENTIFY UNPUBLISHED AND ONGOING RESEARCH. SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE 2004. RELEVANT RESEARCH WAS CATEGORISED BY STUDY TYPE AND APPRAISED. CLINICAL COMMENTARIES WERE OBTAINED FOR STUDIES REPORTING CLINICAL OUTCOMES. RESULTS: FIVE RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE LOCATED, EACH OF WHICH UTILISED DIFFERENT FORMS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS AND IN WHICH THE SEVERITY OF THE CONDITION RANGED FROM MILD TO SEVERE. ALL TRIALS REPORTED POSITIVE FINDINGS BUT METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS SUCH AS METHOD OF RANDOMISATION, COMPLIANCE AND ATTRITION RATES WERE MISSING. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FATIGUE AND BREATHLESSNESS IN PARTICIPANTS IN ONE STUDY. LIMITATIONS: NO LANGUAGE RESTRICTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON THE SEARCHES CONDUCTED BUT NO SEARCHES OF DATABASES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH WERE INCLUDED. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, THE INITIAL INDICATIONS ARE OF POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. VARIATION IN INTERVENTIONS, SEVERITY AND REPORTING OF TRIAL METHODOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT THE FINDINGS MUST BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. SEVERAL OF THE INTERVENTIONS MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE IN THOSE WITH REDUCED OR IMPAIRED MOBILITY. NEVERTHELESS, FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IS WARRANTED. 2005 3 2422 32 YOGA AND MINDFULNESS AS THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS FOR STROKE REHABILITATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. AIM. THIS PAPER REPORTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BEHAVIORAL THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA AND MINDFULNESS PRACTICES FOR STROKE REHABILITATION. BACKGROUND. THE EXPERIENCE OF STROKE CAN HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND ON QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA AND RELEVANT PRACTICES ARE PROMISING THERAPIES THAT HAVE BEEN USED WITH PATIENTS WITH A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS. IN ORDER TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS ON EFFECTIVENESS FOR STROKE PATIENTS, THE EVIDENCE REQUIRES SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT. METHODS. A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH OF MAJOR BIOMEDICAL AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED. RELEVANT RESEARCH WAS CATEGORIZED BY STUDY TYPE AND APPRAISED ACCORDING TO STUDY DESIGN. RESULTS. FIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS AND FOUR SINGLE CASE STUDIES WERE FOUND. ADDITIONALLY, ONE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY WAS IDENTIFIED. STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE RESULTS, INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITION, MOOD, AND BALANCE AND REDUCTIONS IN STRESS. MODIFICATIONS TO DIFFERENT YOGA PRACTICES MAKE COMPARISON BETWEEN STUDIES DIFFICULT, AND A LACK OF CONTROLLED STUDIES PRECLUDES ANY FIRM CONCLUSIONS ON EFFICACY. CONCLUSION. YOGA AND MINDFULNESS COULD BE CLINICALLY VALUABLE SELF-ADMINISTERED INTERVENTION OPTIONS FOR STROKE REHABILITATION. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EVALUATE THESE SPECIFIC PRACTICES AND THEIR SUITABILITY IN STROKE REHABILITATION. 2013 4 2451 40 YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY APPROACH TO HEALING FOR ADULT VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE. PURPOSE: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY ACCEPTED TO IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLNESS AND IS CONSIDERED A MEANINGFUL ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AILMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE (IV). THIS REVIEW PROVIDES BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE USE OF YOGA AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH IV HISTORIES AND AIMS TO INFORM RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS ABOUT THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE ON YOGA'S APPLICATION AND EFFECTIVENESS. METHODS: USING SIX DATABASES, WE SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWED EMPIRICAL LITERATURE EXAMINING YOGA AMONG IV SURVIVORS. CRITERIA FOR STUDY INCLUSION: YOGA INCLUDED A PHYSICAL COMPONENT AND WAS THE PRIMARY INTERVENTION; PARTICIPANTS HAD AN IV HISTORY; PEER-REVIEWED; AND PARTICIPANTS WERE 17 YEARS AND OLDER. AFTER REVIEW, 10 ARTICLES REPORTING FINDINGS FROM SEVEN INDEPENDENT SAMPLES WERE INCLUDED. FINDINGS: YOGA DEMONSTRATED PRELIMINARY, POSITIVE IMPLICATIONS AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AN IV HISTORY. SYNTHESIZING ACROSS ARTICLES FOUR THEMES EMERGED: (1) ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY, (2) ENHANCEMENT OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, (3) PROMOTION OF PERSONAL GROWTH, AND (4) FACILITATORS AND BARRIERS TO PRACTICE. CONCLUSIONS: THE NASCENT LITERATURE INDICATES POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING YOGA INTO INTERVENTIONS FOR IV SURVIVORS TO ENHANCE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING. THE PRIMARY BARRIERS TO INTERVENTION WERE RESOURCES (E.G., ACCESS) AND INCOMPATIBILITY WITH SPIRITUAL BELIEFS FOR SELECT CLIENTS. DESPITE CONSISTENT BARRIERS, PRELIMINARY FINDINGS INDICATE YOGA HAS MANY POSITIVE IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AN IV HISTORY. GIVEN THE SMALL EVIDENCE BASE AND INSUFFICIENT METHODOLOGY, ADDITIONAL EMPIRICAL RESEARCH WITH DIVERSE SAMPLES AND SITES, AND ROBUST DESIGNS, COULD IMPROVE THE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE AND STRENGTHEN THE EFFICACY OF THIS PROMISING PRACTICE. 2021 5 2684 32 YOGA IN THE PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY POPULATION: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO EVALUATE THE CURRENT BODY OF LITERATURE ON YOGA IN THE PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY POPULATION. CONSIDERING THE INCREASING NUMBER OF STUDIES ON YOGA INDICATING IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL) AMONG THE ADULT ONCOLOGY POPULATION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXPLORE WHETHER SIMILAR BENEFITS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY PATIENTS. METHODS: CINAHL, OVID MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, PUBMED, AND SCOPUS WERE SEARCHED FROM THE YEARS 2010 THROUGH 2020 FOR STUDIES ASSESSING THE USE OF YOGA IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFFECTED BY CANCER. CONSIDERING THE BENEFITS OF YOGA ON HRQL IN THE ADULT ONCOLOGY POPULATION, THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO EVALUATE THE CURRENT BODY OF LITERATURE ON YOGA IN THE PEDIATRIC CANCER POPULATION. RESULTS: EIGHT STUDIES, ALL NONRANDOMIZED WITH SINGLE-ARM DESIGNS, WERE REVIEWED. FIVE OF THE STUDIES WERE DESIGNED AS FEASIBILITY STUDIES AND WHILE RECRUITMENT RATES RANGED FROM 34% TO 55%, RETENTION RATES WERE APPROXIMATELY 70%. QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS WAS VERY POSITIVE AND THEMES RELATED TO BOTH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. CERTAIN MEASURES OF HRQL (I.E., ANXIETY, PAIN, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING) WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION. DISCUSSION: ALTHOUGH NO RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED TO DATE ON THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC, THE STUDIES REVIEWED SHOWED THAT DELIVERING YOGA TO THIS POPULATION IS FEASIBLE AND SAFE. ADDITIONALLY, PRELIMINARY FINDINGS ON THE IMPACT OF YOGA FOR SOME OF THE COMMON SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS EXPERIENCED BY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFFECTED BY CANCER ARE PROMISING. 2021 6 2742 45 YOGA PRACTICE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS IN ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES WAS ASSESSED IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW THROUGH SEARCHING RELATED ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND THE GREY LITERATURE TO THE END OF MAY 2007 USING OVID. ALL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE WITH OTHER TYPE OF INTERVENTION OR WITH REGULAR PRACTICE OR BOTH, WERE INCLUDED REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE OR TYPE OF PUBLICATION. EACH STUDY WAS ASSESSED FOR QUALITY BY TWO INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS. MEAN DIFFERENCE WAS USED FOR SUMMARIZING THE EFFECT OF EACH STUDY OUTCOMES WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. POOLING OF THE STUDIES DID NOT TAKE PLACE DUE TO THE WIDE CLINICAL VARIATION BETWEEN THE STUDIES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS ASSESSED BY STATISTICAL METHODS. FIVE TRIALS WITH 363 PARTICIPANTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WITH MEDIUM TO HIGH RISK OF BIAS AND DIFFERENT INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS. THE STUDIES' RESULTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOMES AMONG PATIENTS WITH DIABETES TYPE II. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WERE MAINLY AMONG SHORT TERM OR IMMEDIATE DIABETES OUTCOMES AND NOT ALL WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE RESULTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE AND NOT SIGNIFICANT FOR THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. SHORT-TERM BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MAY BE ACHIEVED FROM PRACTICING YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED IN THIS AREA. FACTORS LIKE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS AND OTHER METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES SHOULD BE IMPROVED BY LARGE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS WITH ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON DIABETES TYPE II. A DEFINITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR PHYSICIANS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR PATIENTS TO PRACTICE YOGA CANNOT BE REACHED AT PRESENT. 2010 7 1518 36 IS YOGA CONSIDERED EXERCISE WITHIN SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS? A SCOPING REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: YOGA IS AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR CHOICE OF EXERCISE FOR THE WESTERN POPULATION, WITH PEOPLE ENGAGING IN YOGA FOR A RANGE OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING REASONS. THE AIM OF THIS SCOPING REVIEW IS TO EXAMINE WHETHER YOGA IS CONSIDERED AN EXERCISE MODALITY WITHIN RELEVANT LEADING JOURNALS, AS EVIDENCED BY ITS CONSIDERATION IN SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS (SRS) OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES. METHODS: DESIGN: SCOPING REVIEW. DATA SOURCES: THREE LEADING SOURCES (SPORTS MEDICINE, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE AND COCHRANE COLLABORATION) WERE SEARCHED. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: THE TEN MOST RECENTLY PUBLISHED SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES FROM EACH JOURNAL WERE INCLUDED (N = 30) THAT MET THESE CRITERIA: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW STUDYING HUMANS PARTICIPATING IN GENERAL EXERCISE AND MEASURING A HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOME. EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS WITH ANY SPECIFIC QUALIFYING TERMS (E.G. AQUATIC, STRENGTH, AEROBIC) WERE EXCLUDED. RESULTS: THE ARTICLES RETRIEVED WERE PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2007 AND 2019, AND COLLECTIVELY INCLUDED 991 INTERVENTIONS. SEVEN REVIEWS EXPLICITLY STATED THAT YOGA WAS TO BE INCLUDED/EXCLUDED WHILE TWENTY-THREE STUDIES MADE NO MENTION OF HOW YOGA WAS BEING CONSIDERED IN THE METHODOLOGY. FIVE STUDIES INCLUDED YOGA IN THE SEARCH STRATEGY, IMPLYING ITS INCLUSION. POST-HOC ANALYSES FOUND THAT THE DEFINITIONS OF EXERCISE IN GENERAL WERE ALSO VARIABLE. EXERCISE DEFINITION SPECIFICITY WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH WHETHER OR NOT YOGA WAS ASSESSED FOR INCLUSION. CONCLUSIONS: SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS FOR HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES DO NOT CONSISTENTLY MAKE CLEAR WHETHER OR NOT THEY INCLUDE OR EXCLUDE YOGA AS A FORM OF EXERCISE. 2021 8 1516 34 IS YOGA AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED-CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) COMPARED WITH OTHER CARE MODALITIES. METHODS: A SEARCH STRATEGY WAS FORMULATED WITH KEY CONCEPTS IDENTIFIED USING THE PICO PROCESS. FOUR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED IN JUNE 2012. APPROPRIATE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WERE SET AND IMPLEMENTED. RESULTS: FOUR RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. ALL FOUR PAPERS FOUND THAT YOGA LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK FUNCTION, AND THREE DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BACK PAIN WHEN COMPARED WITH CERTAIN CARE MODALITIES. ALL PAPERS HAD SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED, HOWEVER. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE STUDIES, THE CONCLUSIONS DRAWN MUST BE CONSIDERED CONSERVATIVELY. ALTHOUGH EARLY RESULTS APPEAR PROMISING, BUT FURTHER WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE WARRANTED, WITH MULTIPLE, SPECIFIED COMPARATOR CARE MODALITIES BEFORE FIRM CONCLUSIONS CAN BE GAINED. 2013 9 1031 34 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISES FOR HEADACHES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. [PURPOSE] TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA EXERCISES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHES. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED OF SIX ELECTRONIC DATABASES TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) REPORTING THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION ON HEADACHES PUBLISHED IN ANY LANGUAGE BEFORE JANUARY 2015. QUALITY ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. [RESULTS] ONE POTENTIAL TRIAL WAS IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. THE QUALITY CRITICAL APPRAISAL INDICATED A MODERATE RISK OF BIAS. THE AVAILABLE DATA COULD ONLY BE INCLUDED AS A NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION. HEADACHE INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES, AND SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATION USE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. [CONCLUSION] THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM ONE RCT THAT YOGA EXERCISES MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR HEADACHES. HOWEVER, THE FINDINGS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF RCTS. THEREFORE, FURTHER RIGOROUS METHODOLOGICAL AND HIGH QUALITY RCTS ARE REQUIRED TO INVESTIGATE THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES ALLEVIATE HEADACHES, AND TO CONFIRM AND FURTHER COMPREHEND THE EFFECTS OF STANDARDIZED YOGA PROGRAMS ON HEADACHES. 2015 10 2426 32 YOGA AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH: INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF INTERVENTION STUDIES. BACKGROUND: EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED IN SEVERAL FIELDS. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE AND ANALYZE RESULTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN THE WORKPLACE REPORTED ALONG 10 YEARS AFTER THE FORMULATION OF THE NATIONAL POLICY OF INTEGRATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICES. METHOD: WE LOCATED 10 STUDIES PUBLISHED FROM 2006 TO 2015 WHICH MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, INCLUDED IN DATABASES CUMULATIVE INDEX OF NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH LITERATURE (CINAHL), MEDICAL LITERATURE ANALYSES AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM ONLINE (MEDLINE), WEB OF SCIENCE, SCOPUS, COCHRANE AND SCIENTIFIC ELECTRONIC LIBRARY ONLINE (SCIELO). ANALYZED VARIABLES WERE: PUBLICATION YEAR, AUTHORSHIP, TITLE, AIMS, RESULTS, AND CONCLUSIONS. INTERVENTIONS WERE CHARACTERIZED BASED ON YOGA STYLE, PRACTICES IMPLEMENTED, FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF SESSIONS, DURATION OF INTERVENTION, MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS, AND ADDITIONAL INTERVENTIONS. RESULTS: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON WORKERS FROM DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES. HOWEVER, WE DID NOT FIND BENEFITS FOR SOME CONDITIONS, AND YOGA PRACTICE DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME POSITIVE EFFECTS ON ALL PRACTITIONERS. WORKERS' ADHERENCE TO PROGRAMS INFLUENCES THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH. MANY STUDIES DID NOT CLEARLY DESCRIBE THE IMPLEMENTED PROGRAMS. CONCLUSION: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERVENTIONS SHOW SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES AMONG PROGRAMS, WHICH ENABLE A SYNTHESIS, BUT NOT COMPARISONS. 2018 11 349 39 ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: A REVIEW AND SYNTHESIS. OBJECTIVES: POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) IS A DEBILITATING CONDITION THAT AFFECTS MANY WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA. IN ADDITION TO SKILLS-FOCUSED TREATMENTS, EXPOSURE-BASED TREATMENTS, COGNITIVE THERAPY, COMBINATION TREATMENTS, AND EMDR, A NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR PTSD HAVE EMERGED IN RECENT YEARS. THE SEARCH FOR ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS IS JUSTIFIED BASED ON THE EMPIRICAL OBSERVATION THAT A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF INDIVIDUALS FAIL TO BENEFIT OPTIMALLY FROM EXISTING TREATMENTS (E.G., BETWEEN 30 AND 60). MOREOVER, CURRENT STUDIES OFTEN UTILIZE STRINGENT INCLUSION CRITERIA (E.G., ABSENCE OF COMORBID DISORDERS), RAISING THE LIKELIHOOD THAT RESULTS WILL NOT GENERALIZE TO MANY INDIVIDUALS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING PTSD. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE CURRENT PAPER WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF ONE TYPE OF ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT: YOGA. DESIGN: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE WAS CONDUCTED TARGETING RESEARCH EXAMINING YOGA POSTURES AND PTSD. SEVEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE IDENTIFIED AND REVIEWED, AND EFFECT SIZES WERE COMPUTED FOR THE POST-TEST ASSESSMENTS. RESULTS: COHEN'S D FOR EACH STUDY RANGED (IN ABSOLUTE VALUE) FROM A LOW OF -0.06 TO A HIGH OF 1.42 (AVERAGE WEIGHTED D ACROSS STUDIES WAS 0.48; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.69). CONCLUSIONS: PUTATIVE MECHANISMS OF ACTION FOR THE POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PTSD-RELATED SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2017 12 2589 43 YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON LOW BACK PAIN AND FUNCTION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR LOW BACK PAIN. SEVEN DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO MARCH 2011. RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS WERE CONSIDERED IF THEY INVESTIGATED YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN AND IF THEY ASSESSED PAIN AS AN OUTCOME MEASURE. THE SELECTION OF STUDIES, DATA EXTRACTION AND VALIDATION WERE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY BY TWO REVIEWERS. SEVEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THEIR METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED BETWEEN 2 AND 4 ON THE JADAD SCALE. FIVE RCTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN LOW BACK PAIN THAN USUAL CARE, EDUCATION OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. TWO RCTS SHOWED NO BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ALLEVIATE LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, ANY DEFINITIVE CLAIMS SHOULD BE TREATED WITH CAUTION. 2011 13 309 43 AN EVIDENCE-BASED REVIEW OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT AN EVIDENCE-BASED REVIEW OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PAPER REVIEWED THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG CANCER PATIENTS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN MAY 2007 AND APRIL 2008. DATA FROM EACH IDENTIFIED STUDY WERE EXTRACTED BY TWO INDEPENDENT RATERS; STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY ASSESSED PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING AND FOCUSED ON YOGA AS A MAIN INTERVENTION. USING A QUALITY RATING SCALE (RANGE = 9-45), THE RATERS ASSESSED THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE STUDIES, AND CONSORT GUIDELINES WERE USED TO ASSESS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS). EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED WHEN POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION, EACH STUDY WAS NARRATIVELY REVIEWED WITH ATTENTION TO OUTCOME VARIABLES, THE TYPE OF YOGA INTERVENTION EMPLOYED, AND METHODOLOGICAL STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS. RESULTS: TEN STUDIES WERE INCLUDED, INCLUDING SIX RCTS. ACROSS STUDIES, THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE WOMEN, AND BREAST CANCER WAS THE MOST COMMON DIAGNOSIS. METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED GREATLY ACROSS STUDIES (RANGE = 15.5-42), WITH THE AVERAGE RATING (M = 33.55) INDICATING ADEQUATE QUALITY. STUDIES ALSO VARIED IN TERMS OF CANCER POPULATIONS AND YOGA INTERVENTIONS SAMPLED. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDED A SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF THE YOGA AND CANCER LITERATURE. ALTHOUGH SOME POSITIVE RESULTS WERE NOTED, VARIABILITY ACROSS STUDIES AND METHODOLOGICAL DRAWBACKS LIMIT THE EXTENT TO WHICH YOGA CAN BE DEEMED EFFECTIVE FOR MANAGING CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, FURTHER RESEARCH IN THIS AREA IS CERTAINLY WARRANTED. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD EXAMINE WHAT COMPONENTS OF YOGA ARE MOST BENEFICIAL, AND WHAT TYPES OF PATIENTS RECEIVE THE GREATEST BENEFIT FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS. 2009 14 2689 33 YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: HEALTH PROMOTION IN THE WORKPLACE IS INTENDED TO ENHANCE EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. YOGA PROGRAMMES ARE EASY TO IMPLEMENT AND HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VARIOUS HEALTH CONDITIONS. AIMS: TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE REGARDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA PROGRAMMES AT WORK. METHODS: A SEARCH OF ELECTRONIC DATABASES OF PUBLISHED STUDIES UP UNTIL THE 1ST OF APRIL 2017. INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WERE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF ADULT EMPLOYEES AND YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE. QUALITY APPRAISAL WAS CARRIED OUT USING THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION'S TOOL FOR ASSESSING RISK OF BIAS IN RANDOMIZED TRIALS. RESULTS: OF 1343 PAPERS IDENTIFIED, 13 STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. NINE OUT OF 13 TRIALS WERE CLASSIFIED AS HAVING AN UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS. THE OVERALL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES WERE BENEFICIAL, MAINLY ON STRESS. MOST OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR ENDPOINTS SHOWED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROLS. OTHER OUTCOMES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA OR NO CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE, PARTICULARLY IN REDUCING STRESS, AND NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. FURTHER LARGER STUDIES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THIS. 2019 15 1158 46 ESTABLISHING KEY COMPONENTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS: A DELPHI SURVEY. BACKGROUND: EVIDENCE SUGGESTS YOGA IS A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, HETEROGENEITY IN THE COMPONENTS AND REPORTING OF CLINICAL YOGA TRIALS IMPEDES BOTH THE GENERALIZATION OF STUDY RESULTS AND THE REPLICATION OF STUDY PROTOCOLS. THE AIM OF THIS DELPHI SURVEY WAS TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES OF HETEROGENEITY, BY DEVELOPING A LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS OF KEY COMPONENTS FOR THE DESIGN AND REPORTING OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. METHODS: RECOGNISED EXPERTS INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN, CONDUCT, AND TEACHING OF YOGA FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS WERE IDENTIFIED FROM A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, AND INVITED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DELPHI SURVEY. FORTY-ONE OF THE 58 EXPERTS CONTACTED, REPRESENTING SIX COUNTRIES, AGREED TO PARTICIPATE. A THREE-ROUND DELPHI WAS CONDUCTED VIA ELECTRONIC SURVEYS. ROUND 1 PRESENTED AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION, ALLOWING PANELLISTS TO INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFY COMPONENTS THEY CONSIDERED KEY TO THE DESIGN AND REPORTING OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF ROUND 1 IDENTIFIED ITEMS FOR QUANTITATIVE RATING IN ROUND 2; ITEMS NOT REACHING CONSENSUS WERE FORWARDED TO ROUND 3 FOR RE-RATING. RESULTS: THIRTY-SIX PANELLISTS (36/41; 88%) COMPLETED THE THREE ROUNDS OF THE DELPHI SURVEY. PANELLISTS PROVIDED 348 COMMENTS TO THE ROUND 1 QUESTION. THESE COMMENTS WERE REDUCED TO 49 ITEMS, GROUPED UNDER FIVE THEMES, FOR RATING IN SUBSEQUENT ROUNDS. A PRIORI GROUP CONSENSUS OF >/=80% WAS REACHED ON 28 ITEMS RELATED TO FIVE THEMES CONCERNING DEFINING THE YOGA INTERVENTION, TYPES OF YOGA PRACTICES TO INCLUDE IN AN INTERVENTION, DELIVERY OF THE YOGA PROTOCOL, DOMAINS OF OUTCOME MEASURES, AND REPORTING OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. ADDITIONALLY, A PRIORI CONSENSUS OF >/=50% WAS REACHED ON FIVE ITEMS RELATING TO MINIMUM VALUES FOR INTERVENTION PARAMETERS. CONCLUSIONS: EXPERT CONSENSUS HAS PROVIDED A NON-PRESCRIPTIVE REFERENCE LIST FOR THE DESIGN AND REPORTING OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. IT IS ANTICIPATED FUTURE RESEARCH INCORPORATING THE DELPHI GUIDELINES WILL FACILITATE HIGH QUALITY INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD, INCREASE HOMOGENEITY OF INTERVENTION COMPONENTS AND PARAMETERS, AND ENHANCE THE COMPARISON AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF RESEARCH INTO THE USE OF YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. 2014 16 1519 45 IS YOGA EFFECTIVE FOR PAIN? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT OPTION FOR ANY TYPE OF PAIN. METHOD: SEVEN DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO FEBRUARY 2011. RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS WERE CONSIDERED IF THEY INVESTIGATED YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH ANY TYPE OF PAIN AND IF THEY ASSESSED PAIN AS A PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE. THE 5-POINT JADAD SCALE WAS USED TO ASSESS METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF STUDIES. THE SELECTION OF STUDIES, DATA EXTRACTION AND QUALITY ASSESSMENT WERE PERFORMED INDEPENDENTLY BY TWO REVIEWERS. RESULTS: TEN RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THEIR METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RANGED BETWEEN 1 AND 4 ON THE JADAD SCALE. NINE RCTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN PAIN THAN VARIOUS CONTROL INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS STANDARD CARE, SELF CARE, THERAPEUTIC EXERCISES, RELAXING YOGA, TOUCH AND MANIPULATION, OR NO INTERVENTION. ONE RCT FAILED TO PROVIDE BETWEEN GROUP DIFFERENCES IN PAIN SCORES. CONCLUSIONS: IT IS CONCLUDED THAT YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR ALLEVIATING PAIN. HOWEVER, DEFINITIVE JUDGMENTS ARE NOT POSSIBLE. 2011 17 1294 27 GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR RANDOMIZED TRIALS. LITTLE GUIDANCE IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST RESEARCHERS IN DEVELOPING TREATMENT PROTOCOLS FOR RESEARCH ON YOGA FOR HEALTH CONCERNS. BECAUSE YOGA IS A COMPLEX MULTIFACTORIAL MIND-BODY DISCIPLINE HISTORICALLY DEVELOPED FOR NONMEDICAL PURPOSES, NUMEROUS DECISIONS MUST BE MADE IN ORDER TO THOUGHTFULLY DEVELOP SUCH PROTOCOLS. IN THIS PAPER, A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH IS PROPOSED TO ASSIST RESEARCHERS IN SELECTING AN INTERVENTION THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE CONDITION UNDER CONSIDERATION AND EXPLICITLY DEVELOPED. RESEARCHERS NEED TO CONSIDER THE TYPE OR "STYLE" OF YOGA, THE COMPONENTS TO INCLUDE (E.G., BREATHING EXERCISES, POSTURES) AS WELL AS THE SPECIFIC PROTOCOL FOR EACH COMPONENT, THE DOSE TO BE DELIVERED (FREQUENCY, DURATION OF PRACTICE, AND THE TOTAL DURATION OF PRACTICE), AND ISSUES RELATED TO SELECTION OF INSTRUCTORS AND MONITORING THE FIDELITY TO THE INTERVENTION. EACH OF THESE DOMAINS AND THE KEY ISSUES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS IS DISCUSSED. FINALLY, SOME AREAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH RELATED TO PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT ARE RECOMMENDED. 2012 18 1856 42 RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW. PURPOSE: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY TO MANAGE DISEASE AND TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER AND HAS RESULTED IN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDIES EXPLORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EXAMINES WHETHER YOGA INTERVENTIONS PROVIDE ANY MEASURABLE BENEFIT, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY, FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. THE RESULTS WILL INFORM FUTURE RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD AND ADVANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOGA PROGRAMMES. METHODS: WE PERFORMED ELECTRONIC SEARCHES OF MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, WEB OF SCIENCE AND SCOPUS FOR ARTICLES PUBLISHED UP TO JUNE 2012. ONLY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE INCLUDED AND METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RATING SCORES WERE DETERMINED USING THE PEDRO (PHYSIOTHERAPY EVIDENCE DATABASE) SCALE. RESULTS: ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF EIGHT ELECTRONIC DATABASES. ONLY PUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS THAT EMPLOYED A RCT DESIGN WERE INCLUDED (N = 18). THE SAMPLE SIZES FOR THESE STUDIES VARIED WIDELY FROM 18 TO 164 PARTICIPANTS AND THE ASSOCIATED PEDRO SCORES RANGED FROM 1 (POOR) TO 8 (GOOD). ALL 18 STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS FOR TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS IN FAVOUR OF THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS, WITH THE GREATEST IMPACT ON GLOBAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) SCORES AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. CONCLUSION: RESULTS FROM THE FEW RCTS SUGGEST THERE IS MODERATE TO GOOD EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY BE A USEFUL PRACTICE FOR WOMEN RECOVERING FROM BREAST CANCER TREATMENTS. LARGE-SCALE RCTS USING OBJECTIVE MEASURES AND PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES WITH LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP ARE NEEDED TO SUBSTANTIATE WHETHER THE BENEFITS ARE TRUE AND SUSTAINABLE. 2012 19 2020 37 SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. PURPOSE: YOGA MAY BE A BENEFICIAL TREATMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD). HOWEVER, NO STUDIES HAVE CRITICALLY REVIEWED AND META-ANALYZED THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR YOGA'S BENEFITS REGARDING MOTOR AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO CONDUCT A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A REHABILITATION STRATEGY FOR PD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FOLLOWING THE PREFERRED REPORTING ITEMS FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES GUIDELINES, A LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED USING MEDLINE/PUBMED, PEDRO, SPORTDISCUS, AND SCOPUS. STUDIES ADDRESSING ANY CONCEPTS ON THE IMPACT OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN PEOPLE WITH PD WERE INCLUDED. RESULTS: FOURTEEN RCTS WERE SELECTED, WITH HETEROGENEOUS PROTOCOLS AND OUTCOMES MEASURES. YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE SAFE AND WELL-ACCEPTED FOR PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE PD. THE DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT ITS PRACTICE MIGHT PROVIDE BOTH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SHOWED THAT YOGA HAS COMPARABLE OR SUPERIOR EFFICACY TO EXERCISE. A SUBSEQUENT META-ANALYSIS ON FIVE RCTS DETECTED THAT YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN PASSIVE CONTROL IN AMELIORATING MOTOR SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA APPEARS TO BE A PROMISING REHABILITATIVE THERAPY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH PD. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PROPOSED FOR FUTURE STUDIES.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONYOGA IS A SAFE AND FEASIBLE THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH MILD TO MODERATE PD.YOGA PRACTICE POSITIVELY IMPACTS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THIS POPULATION.WHEN COMPARED TO EXERCISE, YOGA SHOWED TO HAVE SIMILAR OR EVEN GREATER EFFECTS. 2021 20 522 37 COMPARISON GROUPS IN YOGA RESEARCH: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE LITERATURE. OBJECTIVES: COMPARISON GROUPS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ACCURATE TESTING AND INTERPRETATION OF YOGA INTERVENTION TRIALS. HOWEVER, SELECTING PROPER COMPARISON GROUPS IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE YOGA COMPRISES A VERY HETEROGENEOUS SET OF PRACTICES AND ITS MECHANISMS OF EFFECT HAVE NOT BEEN CONCLUSIVELY ESTABLISHED. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE CONTROL AND COMPARISON GROUPS USED IN PUBLISHED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA. RESULTS: WE LOCATED 128 RCTS THAT MET OUR INCLUSION CRITERIA; OF THESE, 65 INCLUDED ONLY A PASSIVE CONTROL AND 63 INCLUDED AT LEAST ONE ACTIVE COMPARISON GROUP. PRIMARY COMPARISON GROUPS WERE PHYSICAL EXERCISE (43%), RELAXATION/MEDITATION (20%), AND EDUCATION (16%). STUDIES RARELY PROVIDED A STRONG RATIONALE FOR CHOICE OF COMPARISON. CONSIDERING YEAR OF PUBLICATION, THE USE OF ACTIVE CONTROLS IN YOGA RESEARCH APPEARS TO BE SLOWLY INCREASING OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THAT YOGA HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS A POTENTIALLY POWERFUL INTERVENTION, FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD USE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. FURTHER, CARE IS NEEDED TO SELECT COMPARISON CONDITIONS THAT HELP TO ISOLATE THE SPECIFIC MECHANISMS OF YOGA'S EFFECTS. 2014