1 2731 143 YOGA OFFERS CARDIOVASCULAR PROTECTION IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. CONTEXT: POSTMENOPAUSE, AN ESTROGEN DEFICIENT STATE COMES WITH INCREASED INCIDENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVDS). YOGA HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS HAVING A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), A MARKER FOR CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY WHICH CAN ASSESS CARDIOVASCULAR RISK, IN VARIOUS POPULATIONS. AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 3-MONTH LONG YOGA PRACTICE ON HRV IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF 67 WOMEN WITHIN 5 YEARS OF MENOPAUSE BETWEEN 45 AND 60 YEARS OF AGE ATTENDING MENOPAUSE CLINIC OF DEPARTMENT OF GYNAECOLOGY, SUCHETA KRIPLANI HOSPITAL FULFILLING INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA AND CONSENTING WERE ENROLLED FOR THE STUDY. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: HRV OF 37 CASES (YOGA GROUP) AND 30 CONTROLS (NON-YOGA GROUP) WAS RECORDED PRE AND 3-MONTH POSTINTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: GRAPHPAD PRISM VERSION 5 SOFTWARE WAS USED. VALUES ARE A MEAN AND STANDARD ERROR OF MEAN. STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE WAS SET UP AT P < 0.05. RESULTS: IN HRV, FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT FALL IN LOW FREQUENCY (LF) IN NORMALIZED UNITS (NU) AND LF: HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) RATIO AND SIGNIFICANT RISE IN HF IN NU IN THE YOGA GROUP (DEPICTING PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE) AGAINST A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN LF (NU) AND LF: HF RATIO AND SIGNIFICANT FALL IN HF (NU) IN NON-YOGA GROUP (INDICATING SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE). TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STANDARD DEVIATION OF NN INTERVALS IN NON-YOGA GROUP AGAINST NONSIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN YOGA GROUP INDICATING DETERIORATION IN PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IN NON-YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THREE-MONTH LONG YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVED HRV IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN SIGNIFICANTLY AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ATTENUATE THE CVD RISK IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. 2018 2 602 25 DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A YOGA MODULE FOR PARKINSON DISEASE. BACKGROUND PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD), A PROGRESSIVE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE, AFFECTS MOTOR AND NONMOTOR FUNCTIONS, LEADING TO SEVERE DEBILITY AND POOR QUALITY OF LIFE. STUDIES HAVE REPORTED THE BENEFICIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN ALLEVIATING THE SYMPTOMS OF PD; HOWEVER, A VALIDATED YOGA MODULE FOR PD IS UNAVAILABLE. THIS STUDY DEVELOPED AND VALIDATED AN INTEGRATED YOGA MODULE(IYM) FOR PD. METHODS THE IYM WAS PREPARED AFTER A THOROUGH REVIEW OF CLASSICAL YOGA TEXTS AND PREVIOUS FINDINGS. TWENTY EXPERIENCED YOGA EXPERTS, WHO FULFILLED THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, WERE SELECTED VALIDATING THE CONTENT OF THE IYM. A TOTAL OF 28 PRACTICES WERE INCLUDED IN THE IYM, AND EACH PRACTICE WAS DISCUSSED AND RATED AS (I) NOT ESSENTIAL, (II) USEFUL BUT NOT ESSENTIAL, AND (III) ESSENTIAL; THE CONTENT VALIDITY RATIO (CVR) WAS CALCULATED USING LAWSHE'S FORMULA. RESULTS DATA ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT OF THE 28 IYM PRACTICES, 21 EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANT CONTENT VALIDITY (CUT-OFF VALUE: 0.42, AS CALCULATED BY APPLYING LAWSHE'S FORMULA FOR THE CVR). CONCLUSIONS THE IYM IS VALID FOR PD, WITH GOOD CONTENT VALIDITY. HOWEVER, FUTURE STUDIES MUST DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF THE DEVELOPED MODULE. 2017 3 1139 23 EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING IN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE PATIENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF YOGA TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). METHOD: A LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED IN PUBMED, COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, CINAHL, AND WEB OF SCIENCE FOR RELEVANT STUDIES PUBLISHED BEFORE JUNE 2017. QUALITY ASSESSMENT, SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS AND HETEROGENEITY WERE PERFORMED. STATA12.0 SOFTWARE WAS USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: TEN STUDIES WERE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS ANALYSIS. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN 6MWD (P = 0.000), BORG SCALE SCORES (P = 0.018), FEV1 VALUE (P = 0. 013), PACO2 (P = 0.037), SGRQ SCORES (P = 0. 000) AND CAT SCORES (P = 0.009) IN YOGA TRAINING PATIENTS. NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE FEV1/FVC (P = 0.75), FEV1 PREDICTED VALUE (P = 0.057) AND FVC (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: THIS META-ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT YOGA TRAINING CAN BE AN ACCEPTABLE AND APPROPRIATED ADJUNCTIVE REHABILITATION PROGRAM FOR COPD PATIENTS. 2018 4 256 26 A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM DECREASES PHYSICIAN BURNOUT IN NEONATOLOGISTS AND OBSTETRICIANS AT AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER. BACKGROUND: NEARLY HALF OF U.S. PEDIATRICIANS HAVE SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT. THIS PILOT STUDY EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF A 6-WEEK YOGA-BASED PROGRAM (RISE) FOR NEONATOLOGISTS AND OBSTETRICIANS AT BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL AND STUDIED THE EFFECTS ON BURNOUT, PROFESSIONAL FULFILLMENT, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED VIA EMAIL TO PARTICIPATE EITHER IN BOTH PROGRAM AND RESEARCH STUDY, OR EXCLUSIVELY THE PROGRAM. RISE WAS DELIVERED 1 HOUR/WEEK DURING THE WORKDAY FOR 6 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS EITHER IN-PERSON OR REMOTELY; 18 PHYSICIANS PARTICIPATED, 12 COMPLETED POST-PROGRAM, AND 11 COMPLETED 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. THE QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSED BURNOUT AND MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, PROFESSIONAL FULFILLMENT, WORK EXHAUSTION, INTERPERSONAL DISENGAGEMENT/BURNOUT (PFI), MINDFULNESS (FFMQ), PERCEIVED STRESS (PSS), POSITIVE/NEGATIVE AFFECT (PANAS), RESILIENCE (RS), ANXIETY/DEPRESSION/SLEEP DISTURBANCES (PROMIS), AT BASELINE, POST-PROGRAM, AND 2 MONTHS AFTER RISE. FINDINGS: AVERAGE ATTENDANCE IN-PERSON WAS 2.8 SESSIONS AND REMOTELY 1.4 SESSIONS (4.2/6 SESSIONS). PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATING TOTAL BURNOUT REDUCED FROM 50.0% AT BASELINE TO 9.1% POST-PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATING PROFESSIONAL FULFILLMENT WERE 8.3% AT BASELINE AND 27.3% POST-PROGRAM. PAIRED SAMPLES T-TESTS REVEALED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BURNOUT, PROFESSIONAL FULFILLMENT, INTERPERSONAL DISENGAGEMENT, STRESS, RESILIENCE, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION AT POST-PROGRAM COMPARED WITH BASELINE (N = 12, ALL PS < .05). AT 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN INTERPERSONAL DISENGAGEMENT, RESILIENCE, AND MINDFULNESS (N = 11, ALL PS < .05) COMPARED WITH BASELINE WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE: RISE IS FEASIBLE WITHIN A WORKDAY AND MAY ADDRESS BURNOUT AND OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH MEASURES IN PHYSICIANS WITH EFFECTS POTENTIALLY SUSTAINABLE OVER 2 MONTHS. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS IN HEALTH CARE SHOULD CONSIDER THIS TYPE OF INTERVENTION FOR THEIR WORKERS. 2020 5 2394 27 YOGA AND BREATHING TECHNIQUE TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE AND PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION: STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CURRENT THERAPIES FOR HEART FAILURE (HF) ARE FOLLOWED BY STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND EXERCISE TOLERANCE, BESIDES REDUCING MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. SOME HF PATIENTS PRESENT CHANGES IN THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND INSPIRATORY MUSCLE WEAKNESS, WHICH MAY BE RESTORED BY INSPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING, THUS INCREASING RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE, MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO2), FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, RESPIRATORY RESPONSES TO EXERCISE, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA THERAPIES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND PEAK VO2 MOSTLY IN HF PATIENTS WITH A REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION. HOWEVER, THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES IN PATIENTS SHOWING HF WITH A PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION (HFPEF) REMAIN TO BE ASSESSED. METHODS/DESIGN: A PROBE (PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED OPEN BLINDED END-POINT) PARALLEL-GROUP TRIAL WILL BE CONDUCTED AT TWO SPECIALIZED HF CLINICS. ADULT PATIENTS PREVIOUSLY DIAGNOSED WITH HFPEF WILL BE INCLUDED. AFTER SIGNING INFORMED CONSENT AND PERFORMING A PRE-TEST INTERVENTION, PATIENTS WILL BE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS AND PROVIDED WITH EITHER (1) ACTIVE YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES; (2) PASSIVE YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES (PRANAYAMA); OR AND (3) CONTROL (STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT). FOLLOW-UP WILL LAST 8 WEEKS (16 SESSIONS). THE POST-INTERVENTION TESTS WILL BE PERFORMED AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION PERIOD FOR ANALYSIS OF OUTCOMES. INTERVENTIONS WILL OCCUR CONTINUOUSLY ACCORDING TO PATIENTS' ENROLLMENT. THE MAIN OUTCOME IS RESPIRATORY MUSCULAR RESISTANCE. A TOTAL OF 33 ENROLLED PATIENTS ARE EXPECTED. THE PRESENT PROTOCOL FOLLOWED THE SPIRIT GUIDELINES AND FULFILLED THE SPIRIT CHECKLIST. DISCUSSION: THIS TRIAL IS PROBABLY THE FIRST TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION, NAMELY YOGA AND SPECIFIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES, TO IMPROVE CARDIORESPIRATORY FUNCTION, AUTONOMIC SYSTEM, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HFPEF. TRIAL REGISTRATION: REBEC IDENTIFIER: RBR-64MBNX (AUGUST 19, 2012). CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTER: NCT03028168 . REGISTERED ON 16 JANUARY 2017). 2018 6 173 39 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY ON ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH STATUS, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY IN COAL MINERS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE FOLLOWING YOGA TRAINING. CONTEXT: PSYCHOLOGICAL COMORBIDITIES ARE PREVALENT IN COAL MINERS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE DISEASE REDUCING THEIR HEALTH STATUS. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES BUT IN COPD NOT BEEN FULLY INVESTIGATED. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE ROLE OF YOGA ON HEALTH STATUS, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY IN COAL MINERS WITH COPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED TRIAL WITH TWO STUDY ARMS (YOGA AND CONTROL), WHICH ENROLLED 81 COAL MINERS, RANGING FROM 36 TO 60 YEARS WITH STAGE II AND III STABLE COPD. BOTH GROUPS WERE EITHER ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT OR COMBINATION OF CONVENTIONAL CARE WITH YOGA PROGRAM FOR 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES; COPD ASSESSMENT TEST, BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY AND STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) IMPROVEMENTS ON ALL SCALES WITHIN THE GROUP, ALL SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT (P < 0.001) FROM CHANGES OBSERVED IN THE CONTROLS. NO SIGNIFICANT PREPOST CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA PROGRAM LED TO GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH STATUS THAN DID CONVENTIONAL CARE. YOGA SEEMS TO BE A SAFE, FEASIBLE, AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH COPD. THERE IS A NEED TO CONDUCT MORE COMPREHENSIVE, HIGH-QUALITY, EVIDENCE-BASED STUDIES TO SHED LIGHT ON THE CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THESE CHRONIC CONDITIONS AND IDENTIFY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. 2016 7 792 28 EFFECT OF YOGA IN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. YOGA IS ADJUNCTIVELY UTILIZED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN THE TREATMENT OF A VARIETY OF DISEASES, INCLUDING CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), BUT THERE ARE NO STUDIES ASSESSING ITS ADJUNCTIVE EFFICACY IN THE UNITED STATES. WE PROSPECTIVELY EVALUATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND THE PARAMETERS OF LUNG FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH COPD. THIRTY-THREE PATIENTS WITH DOCUMENTED COPD, PER GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE CRITERIA, WERE RECRUITED. ALL PATIENTS RECEIVED STANDARD COPD CARE. THE QOL WAS ASSESSED BY THE ST. GEORGE RESPIRATORY QUESTIONNAIRE. STANDARD SPIROMETRY AND MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY (MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE) AND EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (MAXIMAL EXPIRATORY PRESSURE) WERE MEASURED. PATIENTS WERE TAUGHT SELECTED YOGA EXERCISES INCLUDING BREATHING EXERCISES, MEDITATION, AND YOGA POSTURES FOR 1 HOUR, THRICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS BY A CERTIFIED YOGA THERAPIST. THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND LUNG FUNCTION WERE AGAIN ASSESSED AT THE END OF 6 WEEKS. TWENTY-TWO PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. DIFFERENCES IN PREYOGA VERSUS POSTYOGA SCORES WERE EVALUATED USING PAIRED T-TESTS. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P < 0.05) WERE OBSERVED FOR THE ST. GEORGE RESPIRATORY QUESTIONNAIRE [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) 43.13-58.47], VITAL CAPACITY (95% CI 2.53-7.65), MAXIMAL INSPIRATORY PRESSURE (95% CI 6.62-23.64), AND MAXIMAL EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (95% CI 1.63-13.81). YOGA WHEN PRACTICED BY PATIENTS WITH COPD RESULTS IN IMPROVEMENT IN THE QOL AND LUNG FUNCTION ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL AND IN THE LONGER TERM. 2012 8 786 34 EFFECT OF YOGA BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) ON EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: PULMONARY REHABILITATION IMPROVES EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). HOWEVER, MANY PATIENTS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO PULMONARY REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT AN ALTERNATIVE TO PULMONARY REHABILITATION TO IMPROVE EXERCISE TOLERANCE IS THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMA, OR YOGA BREATHING, WHICH COULD BE DONE INDEPENDENTLY AT HOME. WE ALSO SOUGHT TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA NONPROFESSIONALS COULD ADEQUATELY TEACH PRANAYAMA TO PATIENTS. DESIGN: PROOF-OF-CONCEPT, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. SETTINGS/LOCATION: TWO ACADEMIC PULMONARY PRACTICES. SUBJECTS: FORTY-THREE PATIENTS WITH SYMPTOMATIC, MODERATE-TO-SEVERE COPD. INTERVENTIONS: TWELVE WEEKS OF PRANAYAMA PLUS EDUCATION VERSUS EDUCATION ALONE. TWO YOGA PROFESSIONALS TRAINED THE RESEARCH COORDINATORS TO CONDUCT ALL PRANAYAMA TEACHING AND MONITORED THE QUALITY OF THE TEACHING AND THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMA BY STUDY PARTICIPANTS. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A CHANGE IN THE 6-MIN WALK DISTANCE (6MWD). SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN LUNG FUNCTION, MARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION, AND MEASURES OF DYSPNEA AND QUALITY OF LIFE. RESULTS: THE 6MWD INCREASED IN THE PRANAYAMA GROUP (LEAST SQUARE MEAN [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL] = 28 M [-5 TO 61]) AND DECREASED IN THE CONTROL GROUP (-15 M [-47 TO 16]), WITH A NEARLY SIGNIFICANT TREATMENT EFFECT (P = 0.06) IN FAVOR OF PRANAYAMA. PRANAYAMA ALSO RESULTED IN SMALL IMPROVEMENTS IN INSPIRATORY CAPACITY AND AIR TRAPPING. BOTH GROUPS HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN VARIOUS MEASURES OF SYMPTOMS, BUT NO OVERALL DIFFERENCES IN RESPIRATORY SYSTEM IMPEDANCE OR MARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS OR SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED THAT PRANAYAMA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH COPD. LAY PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO ADEQUATELY TEACH PATIENTS TO PRACTICE PRANAYAMA. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT PRANAYAMA MAY HAVE SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL BENEFITS FOR SYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS WITH COPD, A CONCEPT THAT NEEDS TO BE CONFIRMED IN FUTURE, LARGER CLINICAL TRIALS. 2017 9 2271 24 THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON DISEASE SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND FUNCTION IN PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, AND CENTRAL (COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS) WERE SEARCHED THROUGH 6 JUNE 2019. REVIEW METHODS: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE, DYSPNEA, EXERCISE CAPACITY, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION (FEV1) IN PATIENTS WITH COPD WERE INCLUDED. SAFETY WAS DEFINED AS SECONDARY OUTCOME. MEAN DIFFERENCES (MD) AND STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE COMPUTED. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: ELEVEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A TOTAL OF 586 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. META-ANALYSIS REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT ON QUALITY OF LIFE ON THE COPD ASSESSMENT TEST (MD = 3.81; 95% CI = 0.97 TO 6.65; P = 0.009, I(2) = 70%), EXERCISE CAPACITY ASSESSED BY THE 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (MD = 25.53 M; 95% CI = 12.16 M TO 38.90 M; P = 0.001, I(2) = 0%), AND PULMONARY FUNCTION ASSESSED BY FEV1 PREDICTED (MD = 3.95%; 95% CI = 2.74% TO 5.17%; P < 0.001, I(2) = 0%). ONLY THE EFFECTS ON EXERCISE CAPACITY AND PULMONARY FUNCTION WERE ROBUST AGAINST METHODOLOGICAL BIAS. EFFECTS WERE ONLY PRESENT IN BREATHING-FOCUSED YOGA INTERVENTIONS BUT NOT IN INTERVENTIONS INCLUDING YOGA POSTURES. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED INFREQUENTLY. CONCLUSION: THIS META-ANALYSIS FOUND ROBUST EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE CAPACITY AND PULMONARY FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH COPD. YOGA, SPECIFICALLY YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES, CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCT INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH COPD. YOGA'S SAFETY NEEDS TO BE ASSESSED IN MORE DEPTH IN FUTURE STUDIES. 2019 10 1101 29 EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. INTRODUCTION: CURRENTLY, SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), BUT THESE STUDIES INVOLVED A WIDE VARIATION OF SAMPLE AND CONVEY INCONCLUSIVE RESULTS. HENCE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS PERFORMED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING IN COPD PATIENTS. METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, AND CLINICALTRIALS.GOV DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR RELEVANT STUDIES. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND (FEV1), FEV1% PREDICTED (% PRED). SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED 6-MIN WALKING DISTANCE (6 MWD), ARTERIAL OXYGEN TENSION (PAO2), AND ARTERIAL CARBON DIOXIDE TENSION (PACO2). WEIGHTED MEAN DIFFERENCES (WMDS) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED, AND HETEROGENEITY WAS ASSESSED WITH THE I(2) TEST. RESULTS: FIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) INVOLVING 233 PATIENTS FULFILLED THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. YOGA TRAINING SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FEV1 (WMD: 123.57 ML, 95% CI: 4.12-243, P=0.04), FEV1% PRED (WMD: 3.90%, 95% CI: 2.27-5.54, P<0.00001), AND 6 MWD (WMD: 38.84 M, 95% CI: 15.52-62.16, P=0.001). HOWEVER, YOGA TRAINING HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON PAO2 (WMD: 1.29 MMHG, 95% CI: -1.21-3.78, P=0.31) AND PACO2 (WMD: -0.76 MMHG, 95% CI: -2.06-0.53, P=0.25). CONCLUSIONS: THE CURRENT LIMITED EVIDENCE SUGGESTED THAT YOGA TRAINING HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON IMPROVING LUNG FUNCTION AND EXERCISE CAPACITY AND COULD BE USED AS AN ADJUNCT PULMONARY REHABILITATION PROGRAM IN COPD PATIENTS. HOWEVER, FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO SUBSTANTIATE OUR PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND TO INVESTIGATE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING. 2014 11 777 43 EFFECT OF YOGA AND PHYSIOTHERAPY ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN CHILDREN WITH DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY - A COMPARATIVE STUDY. CONTEXT: ABNORMAL RESPIRATORY FUNCTION IS KNOWN TO BE DETECTABLE ALMOST AS SOON AS IT CAN BE MEASURED RELIABLY. STUDIES HAVE IDENTIFIED THE EFFECT OF RESPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING AS WELL AS BREATHING EXERCISES IN IMPROVING PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN CHILDREN WITH DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY (DMD). AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMS TO IDENTIFY THE ADD-ON EFFECT OF YOGA OVER PHYSIOTHERAPY ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN CHILDREN WITH DMD. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR PATIENTS WITH DMD WERE RANDOMIZED TO TWO GROUPS. GROUP I RECEIVED HOME-BASED PHYSIOTHERAPY AND GROUP II RECEIVED PHYSIOTHERAPY ALONG WITH YOGA INTERVENTION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST (PFT) WAS ASSESSED BEFORE THE INTERVENTION (BASELINE DATA) AND AT REGULAR INTERVALS OF 3 MONTHS FOR A PERIOD OF 1 YEAR. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: NORMALITY WAS ASSESSED USING SHAPIRO-WILK NORMALITY TEST. THE BASELINE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING MANN-WHITNEY U-TEST TO IDENTIFY THE HOMOGENEITY. REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS USED TO ASSESS SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN STUDY PARAMETERS DURING THE ASSESSMENT OF EVERY 3 MONTHS, BOTH WITHIN AND BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS OF PATIENTS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 88 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ALL THE 5 ASSESSMENTS, WITH A MEAN AGE OF 7.9 +/- 1.5 YEARS. PFT PARAMETERS SUCH AS FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION (MVV), AND TIDAL VOLUME DURING MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION (MVT) DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN GROUP I. IN GROUP II, FVC AND MVT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FROM BASELINE UP TO 1 YEAR, WHEREAS MVV IMPROVED FROM BASELINE UP TO 9 MONTHS. TIDAL VOLUME DID NOT SHOW ANY CHANGES IN BOTH THE GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT INTRODUCTION OF YOGA WITH PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION AT AN EARLY AGE CAN BE CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES IN IMPROVING PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH DMD. 2021 12 2446 20 YOGA AND TAI CHI: A MIND-BODY APPROACH IN MANAGING RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS IN OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASES. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) IS CHARACTERIZED BY AIRFLOW LIMITATION BECAUSE OF AIRWAY AND/OR ALVEOLAR ABNORMALITIES. SYMPTOMS INCLUDE DYSPNEA, COUGH, CHRONIC SPUTUM PRODUCTION. AS THE THIRD-RANKED CAUSE OF DEATH AS WELL AS DISABILITY-ADJUSTED LIFE YEARS (DALYS), IT POSES A SIGNIFICANT BURDEN ON PATIENTS, FAMILIES, HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND SOCIETY. REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS LINKED TO DECREASE IN MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH COPD, BUT IMPLEMENTATION REMAINS CHALLENGING. THERE IS A NEED FOR COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTIONS THAT PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. YOGA AND TAI CHI ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE BENEFICIAL IN PATIENTS WITH COPD AS WELL AS MANY OF THE CO-MORBID CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH COPD. RECENT FINDINGS: YOGA AND TAI CHI HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN USUAL CARE IN COPD WITH CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN 6-MIN WALK DISTANCE (6MWD), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 S (FEV1), AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN FOUND TO BE COMPARABLE TO PULMONARY REHABILITATION INTERVENTIONS. SUMMARY: YOGA AND TAI CHI PROVIDE COMMUNITY-BASED OPTIONS FOR PATIENTS WITH COPD TO IMPROVE THEIR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION. 2020 13 214 28 A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. THE ROLE OF YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES, AS AN ADJUNCT TREATMENT FOR BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IS WELL RECOGNIZED. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PATIENTS OF ASTHMA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS I.E GROUP A (YOGA TRAINING GROUP) AND GROUP B (CONTROL GROUP). EACH GROUP INCLUDED SIXTY PATIENTS. PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON ALL THE PATIENTS AT BASELINE, AFTER 4 WEEKS AND THEN AFTER 8 WEEKS. MAJORITY OF THE SUBJECTS IN THE TWO GROUPS HAD MILD DISEASE (34 PATIENTS IN GROUP A AND 32 IN GROUP B). GROUP A SUBJECTS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASING TREND (P < 0.01) IN % PREDICTED PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR), FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN THE FIRST SECOND (FEV1), FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (FVC), FORCED MID EXPIRATORY FLOW IN 0.25-0.75 SECONDS (FEF25-75) AND FEV1/FVC% RATIO AT 4 WEEKS AND 8 WEEKS AS COMPARED TO GROUP B. THUS, YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES USED ADJUNCTIVELY WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2009 14 1912 24 ROLE OF BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGA/PRANAYAMA IN CHILDHOOD ASTHMA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: VARIOUS COMPLEMENTARY OR ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES (INCLUDING BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGA/PRANAYAMA) HAVE BEEN TRIED AS AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION TO PHARMACOTHERAPY IN CHILDHOOD ASTHMA. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE ROLE OF BREATHING EXERCISE AND YOGA/PRANAYAMA AS ADD ON THERAPY TO THE "PHARMACOLOGICALLY RECOMMENDED TREATMENT" OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA. METHODS: WE SEARCHED THE PUBLISHED LITERATURE IN THE MAJOR DATABASES: MEDLINE VIA OVID, PUBMED, CENTRAL, EMBASE, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR TILL JUNE 2018. RANDOMIZED TRIALS COMPARING BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGA/ PRANAYAMA VERSUS CONTROL OR AS PART OF A COMPOSITE INTERVENTION VERSUS CONTROL WERE INCLUDED. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE QUALITY OF LIFE AND CHANGE IN ASTHMA SYMPTOMS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE: DECREASE IN MEDICATION USE, NUMBER OF EXACERBATIONS, CHANGE IN LUNG FUNCTION AND IMMUNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS, SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM AND ADVERSE EVENTS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 10 TRIALS (466 CHILDREN, 6-14 YEARS AGE) WERE INCLUDED. THE SEVERITY OF ASTHMA VARIED AMONG THE TRIALS. THE DATA FOR PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES COULD NOT BE POOLED, THERE WERE MIXED RESULTS FOR BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES. NO SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT WAS OBTAINED IN ACUTE ASTHMA AND THE LUNG FUNCTION TESTS [EXCEPT PEFR % AT 4-6 WEEKS, PEF ABSOLUTE AT 3 MONTHS, AND FVC ABSOLUTE AT 3 MONTHS] IN CHRONIC ASTHMA. ONE TRIAL COMPARED BREATHING EXERCISE VERSUS YOGA AND FOUND NO DIFFERENCE. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSIONS: BREATHING EXERCISE AND YOGA/ PRANAYAMA MAY HAVE SOME ADDITIVE ROLE IN THE TREATMENT OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA. HOWEVER, AT PRESENT, IT CANNOT BE RECOMMENDED AS A STANDARD OF CARE DUE TO INSUFFICIENT DATA. 2019 15 1477 40 INTEGRATED YOGA PRACTICE IN CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD) IS A DETRIMENTAL NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASE, WHICH IS INCREASING DUE TO SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND URBANIZATION IN THE YOUNG POPULATION. IT IS FURTHER ELEVATED WITH RISK FACTORS SUCH AS STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AN INCREASE IN TRIGLYCERIDES, DYSLIPIDEMIA, HYPERGLYCEMIA, HYPERTENSION, AND SO ON, WHICH MANIFESTS AS ATHEROSCLEROTIC DISEASE. YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IS A NONINVASIVE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT METHOD TO CONTROL AND PREVENT CARDIAC RISK FACTORS IN CAD PATIENTS. YOGA HAS BEEN USED IN INDIA AS A THERAPEUTIC METHOD TO MANAGE HYPERTENSION AND OTHER CHRONIC DISORDERS AND IS FAST GAINING POPULARITY AS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR THE ALLEVIATION OF STRESS, IMPROVEMENT OF FITNESS, AND ENHANCEMENT OF WELL-BEING. THIS STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING THE INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) IN A CARDIAC REHABILITATION CENTER IN INDIA AND UNDERSTAND ITS USEFULNESS IN IMPROVING THE CARDIAC FUNCTION AND MANAGING THE CARDIAC RISK FACTORS IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION PATIENTS WITH LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION. METHODS AND DESIGN: CARDIAC PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA-PRACTICING GROUP (N = 33) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N = 33). THE YOGA-PRACTICING GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED TO ATTEND THREE SUPERVISED IAYT CLASSES 3 DAYS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS AT THE HOSPITAL YOGA CENTER. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD CARE THAT INCLUDED PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT AND THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE CARDIOLOGIST. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE (T1 = 0) AND COMPLETION (T2 = 3 MONTHS). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF). RESULTS: THERE WAS NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN LVEF (U = 420.500, P VALUE = 0.218) BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. HOWEVER, THE YOGA-PRACTICING GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION (CARDIAC DEPRESSION SCALE [CDS], U = 71, P VALUE = 0.0), ANXIETY (HAMILTON ANXIETY RATING SCALE [HAM-A], U = 128, P VALUE = 0.0), AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) SCORES (DUKE ACTIVITY STATUS INDEX [DASI], U = 146, P VALUE = 0.0; AND METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS), U = 136, P VALUE = 0.0) AT 3 MONTHS COMPARED TO CONTROL. OVERALL, THE CAD PATIENTS PRACTICING YOGA SHOWED A FAVORABLE PROFILE COMPARED TO CONTROL INDIVIDUALS ON CDS, HAM-A, DASI, AND MET OUTCOMES. CONTROL AND YOGA PRACTICING GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LIPID LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY INDICATED THAT THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA PRACTICE IN A CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM IS FEASIBLE AND HAS NO ADDED BENEFIT IN IMPROVING THE CARDIAC FUNCTION. HOWEVER, THE ADDITION OF YOGA TO CARDIAC REHABILITATION MAY BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AND IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS. 2020 16 940 34 EFFECTS OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM ON RENAL FUNCTIONS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 6 MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY-FOUR PATIENTS WITH CKD WERE STUDIED AND DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS (YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP) TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN CKD. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT MODALITIES, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP WERE TRAINED TO PERFORM SPECIFIC YOGIC ASANAS FOR AT LEAST 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 40-60 MIN A DAY. REGULAR MONITORING OF BLOOD PRESSURE, RENAL FUNCTION, REQUIREMENT OF A NUMBER OF DIALYSIS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) INDICATORS WERE DONE. FIFTY PATIENTS (YOGA - 25; CONTROL-25) COMPLETED 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: IN YOGA GROUP, A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD UREA AND SERUM CREATININE LEVELS, AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMAIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QOL (AS ASSESSED BY BREF QOL SCORES) WERE SEEN AFTER 6 MONTHS. IN CONTROL GROUP, RISE OF BLOOD PRESSURE, DETERIORATION OF RENAL FUNCTION, AND QOL WERE OBSERVED. POSTSTUDY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF BLOOD PRESSURE, NONSIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD UREA AND SERUM CREATININE, AND SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMAIN OF QOL IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. FOR SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP, THE NEED FOR DIALYSIS WAS LESS WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP ALTHOUGH THIS DIFFERENCE WAS STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT. EXCEPT FOR INABILITY OF SOME PATIENTS TO PERFORM CERTAIN YOGIC ASANAS NO ADVERSE EFFECT WAS FOUND IN THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: SIX MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN IMPROVING RENAL FUNCTIONS AND QOL OF CKD PATIENTS. 2017 17 2330 24 TWELVE WEEKS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN: A META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: TO INVESTIGATE THE OVERALL EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN. METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, WEB OF SCIENCE, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM INCEPTION TO FEBRUARY 9, 2019, AND SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE SELECTED FOR THIS META-ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE POOLED FIXED-EFFECT SIZE OF SIX TRIALS SHOWED THAT 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PROGRAMS COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN BY 0.41 WITHIN THE TRIALS (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: -0.58 TO -0.23; P < .0001). SUBGROUP ANALYSES ALSO SHOWED THAT SIGNIFICANT PAIN REDUCTION WAS RELATED TO TYPE OF YOGA, LENGTH OF SESSION, STUDY QUALITY, AND TIMING OF PAIN ASSESSMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS REVEAL THAT 12 WEEKS OF YOGA CAN HELP ALLEVIATE PAIN, AND YOGA PROGRAMS SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SUBGROUP FACTORS TO INCREASE INDIVIDUALS' RELIEF FROM CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN. 2020 18 584 31 DESIGNING, VALIDATION, AND FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA MODULE FOR PATIENTS WITH ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS. BACKGROUND: ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS (AS) IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE THAT CAUSES SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY AND REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ON YOGA HAVE REVEALED ITS VARIOUS HEALTH BENEFITS IN CHRONIC CONDITIONS, INCLUDING AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. HOWEVER, WHETHER YOGA IS FEASIBLE FOR AS PATIENTS OR NOT IS NOT STUDIED. FURTHER, NO VALIDATED YOGA MODULE IS AVAILABLE FOR AS PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE(S): THIS STUDY INTENDED TO DEVELOP A YOGA MODULE FOR AS PATIENTS AND INVESTIGATED ITS FEASIBILITY OF USE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY WAS COMPLETED IN THREE STAGES. IN STAGE I, SIX YOGA EXPERTS PREPARED A LIST OF 64 YOGA PRACTICES BASED ON THE CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY YOGIC LITERATURE REVIEW. OF THESE PRACTICES, 41 WERE INCLUDED IN THE DESIGNED YOGA MODULE. IN STAGE II, 41 EXPERTS WITH A MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN YOGA THERAPY WERE INVITED FOR YOGA MODULE VALIDATION. THE USEFULNESS OF THE PRACTICES WAS RATED BY EXPERTS ON A 3-POINT SCALE (1: NOT AT ALL USEFUL, 2: MODERATELY USEFUL, AND 3: VERY MUCH USEFUL). THE LAWSHE CONTENT VALIDITY RATIO (CVR) METHOD WAS USED FOR THE CONTENT VALIDITY OF THE YOGA MODULE. PRACTICES WITH A CVR SCORE OF > 0.3 WERE RETAINED IN THE FINAL YOGA MODULE. IN STAGE III, A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR ADMINISTERED THE VALIDATED YOGA MODULE TO 19 AS PATIENTS (AVERAGE AGE: 35.5 +/- 10.7 YEARS) THRICE WEEKLY FOR A MONTH. FEASIBILITY WAS ASSESSED ON THE BASIS OF THE ATTRITION RATE, RETENTION RATE, ATTENDANCE OF THE PARTICIPANTS, AND THE SUBJECTIVE RESPONSE ON PRACTICAL SESSIONS USING A STRUCTURED CHECKLIST. RESULTS: OF THE 41 PRACTICES IN THE MODULE, 31 HAD A CVR SCORE OF > 0.3 AND WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL YOGA MODULE. OF THE 25 PARTICIPANTS, 19 (76%) COMPLETED THE STUDY WHILE SIX DROPPED OUT (24%). NINETEEN PATIENTS REPORTED GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN AND FLEXIBILITY. THEY FOUND YOGA RELAXING AND EASY TO PRACTICE. MOST PARTICIPANTS (65%) WERE ABLE TO PRACTICE A MINIMUM OF 30 MIN/DAY. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY OFFERS A VALIDATED YOGA MODULE CONSISTING OF 31 PRACTICES FOR AS PATIENTS. THE RESULTS OF THE PILOT SUGGESTED THAT THE MODULE IS FEASIBLE, ACCEPTABLE, AND EASY TO PRACTICE FOR AS PATIENTS. WE RECOMMEND THAT AS PATIENTS SHOULD PRACTICE THIS YOGA MODULE FOR A MINIMUM OF 30 MIN EVERY DAY UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A YOGA EXPERT. 2022 19 871 43 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS AN IMMUNE-MEDIATED INFLAMMATORY DISEASE. ANTIRHEUMATOID TREATMENT REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND INFLAMMATION, BUT NOT ALL PATIENTS RESPOND TO TREATMENT. AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS COMMON IN RA LEADING TO FREQUENT CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS. YOGA THERAPY MAY BE USEFUL IN THESE PATIENTS, BUT THERE ARE LITTLE DATA ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF 12-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HRV IN PATIENTS WITH RA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED ON NEWLY DIAGNOSED RA PATIENTS ATTENDING OUTPATIENT SERVICES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, JIPMER. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: THE CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 83) AND YOGA GROUP (YG) (N = 83). YOGA THERAPY WAS ADMINISTERED TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE YG FOR 12 WEEKS, ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE CG RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE 28, INTERLEUKIN-1ALPHA (IL-1ALPHA), IL-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), CORTISOL, AND HRV PARAMETERS. ALL PARAMETERS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: DISEASE ACTIVITY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IT WAS REDUCED MORE IN YG, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). IN BOTH YG AND CG, IL-1ALPHA, IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND CORTISOL DECREASED AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IL-1ALPHA AND CORTISOL DECREASED MORE SIGNIFICANTLY IN YG THAN IN CG. LOW-FREQUENCY COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (LFNU) AND THE LOW-FREQUENCY/HIGH-FREQUENCY (LF-HF) RATIO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND TOTAL POWER AND HF COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (HFNU) INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YG COMPARED WITH CG. CONCLUSION: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA THERAPY, IF GIVEN ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND IMPROVES SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IN RA PATIENTS. 2020 20 389 34 BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: THE NUMBER OF AFRICAN AMERICAN (AA) PATIENTS LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE (HF) HAS BEEN INCREASING, ESPECIALLY AMONG THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. YOGA THERAPY HAS BEEN FOUND TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AMONG HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, BUT ITS EFFECT IN PATIENTS WITH HF REMAINS UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY ON CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE (VO2PEAK), FLEXIBILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS ON MEDICALLY STABLE HF PATIENTS. METHODS: FORTY PATIENTS (38 AA, 1 ASIAN, AND 1 CAUCASIAN) WITH SYSTOLIC OR DIASTOLIC HF WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA GROUP (YG, N = 21) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (CG, N = 19). ALL PATIENTS WERE ASKED TO FOLLOW A HOME WALK PROGRAM. PREMEASUREMENT AND POSTMEASUREMENT INCLUDED A TREADMILL STRESS TEST TO PEAK EXERTION, FLEXIBILITY, INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP), AND EXTRACELLULAR SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (EC-SOD). QOL WAS ASSESSED BY THE MINNESOTA LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE QUESTIONNAIRE (MLWHFQ). RESULTS: THE STATISTICAL ANALYSES (ASSESSED BY ANOVA AND T-TESTS) WERE SIGNIFICANT FOR FAVORABLE CHANGES IN THE YG, COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE CG, FOR FLEXIBILITY (P = 0.012), TREADMILL TIME (P = 0.002), VO2PEAK (P = 0.003), AND THE BIOMARKERS (IL-6, P = 0.004; CRP, P = 0.016; AND EC-SOD, P = 0.012). WITHIN THE YG, PRETEST TO POSTTEST SCORES FOR THE TOTAL (P = 0.02) AND PHYSICAL SUBSCALES (P < 0.001) OF THE MLWHFQ WERE IMPROVED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA THERAPY OFFERED ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO THE STANDARD MEDICAL CARE OF PREDOMINANTLY AA HF PATIENTS BY IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE, QOL, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND FLEXIBILITY. 2010