1 2059 93 THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: RESULTS OF A PRELIMINARY, STRUCTURED 8-WEEK PROGRAM. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO MEASURE THE EFFECTS OF A BI-WEEKLY RAJ YOGA PROGRAM ON RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) DISEASE ACTIVITY. SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED FROM AMONG RA PATIENTS IN DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES BY EMAIL INVITATIONS OF THE RA DATABASE. DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, DISEASE ACTIVITY INDICES, HEALTH ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (HAQ), AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) BY SF-36 WERE DOCUMENTED AT ENROLLMENT AND AFTER COMPLETION OF 12 SESSIONS OF RAJ YOGA. A TOTAL OF 47 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED: 26 YOGA AND 21 CONTROLS. BASELINE DEMOGRAPHICS WERE SIMILAR IN BOTH GROUPS. PATIENTS WHO UNDERWENT YOGA HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN DAS28 AND HAQ, BUT NOT QOL. OUR PILOT STUDY OF 12 SESSIONS OF YOGA FOR RA WAS ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN RA DISEASE PARAMETERS. WE BELIEVE THAT A LONGER DURATION OF TREATMENT COULD RESULT IN MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS. 2009 2 734 26 EFFECT OF ONE WEEK OF YOGA ON FUNCTION AND SEVERITY IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVED THE HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). FINDINGS: SIXTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS WITH RA (GROUP AVERAGE AGE +/- S.D., 46.5 +/- 9.6 YEARS; 47 FEMALES) WERE ASSESSED AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF A ONE WEEK YOGA PROGRAM. THE STANFORD HEALTH ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (HAQ), HAND GRIP STRENGTH, RHEUMATOID FACTOR, AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVELS WERE ASSESSED ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY AND COMPARED USING A T-TEST FOR PAIRED DATA. ALL PARTICIPANTS SHOWED REDUCED DISABILITY SCORES OF THE HAQ AND RHEUMATOID FACTOR LEVELS, WITH AN INCREASE IN BILATERAL HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN MALE PARTICIPANTS ALONE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SINGLE GROUP STUDY INDICATED THAT A BRIEF INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM WAS BENEFICIAL IN RA, WITH DECREASED DISABILITY, BETTER FUNCTIONALITY AND CHANGES IN THE RHEUMATOID FACTOR LEVELS SUGGESTING IMPROVEMENT. 2011 3 1486 25 INTEGRATIVE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE ARTHRITIS: A PRISMA-COMPLIANT META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. THIS STUDY PERFORMS A META-ANALYSIS TO QUANTIFY THE EFFICIENCY OF YOGA EXERCISE FOR PATIENTS PAIN REDUCTION, FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY, AND GENERAL WELLBEING. METHODS: A COMPUTERIZED SEARCH OF PUBMED AND EMBASE WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RELEVANT STUDIES. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE PAIN, STIFFNESS, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION. TWO INVESTIGATORS IDENTIFIED ELIGIBLE STUDIES AND EXTRACTED DATA INDEPENDENTLY. THE QUALITY OF CITATIONS WAS MEASURED USING JADAD SCORE. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMDS) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED FOR PAIN, MUSCULOSKELETAL IMPAIRMENT, QUALITY OF LIFE, GENERAL WELLBEING, AND MENTAL WELLBEING. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 13 CLINICAL TRIALS INVOLVING 1557 PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WERE INCLUDED IN FINAL META-ANALYSIS WITH THE AVERAGE JADAD SCORE 2.8. THE SMD WAS -0.98 (95% CI -1.18, -0.78, P < .05) FOR PAIN, -1.83 (95% CI -2.09, -1.57, P < .05) FOR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, WAS 0.80 (95% CI 0.59, 1.01, P < .05) FOR SHORT FORM 36 HEALTH SURVEY (SF-36) GENERAL HEALTH, 0.49 (95% CI 0.14, 0.82, P < .05) FOR SF-36 MENTAL HEALTH, AND HAQ WAS -0.55 (95% CI -0.83, -0.26, P < .05) FOR HEALTH ASSOCIATED QUESTIONNAIRE (HAQ). ALL THE RESULTS FAVOR YOGA TRAINING GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA TRAINING IS HELPFUL IN REDUCING KNEE ARTHRITIC SYMPTOMS, PROMOTING PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND GENERAL WELLBEING IN ARTHRITIC PATIENTS. 2018 4 2160 33 THE EFFECTS OF WEIGHT BEARING YOGA TRAINING ON THE BONE RESORPTION MARKERS OF THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. THIS STUDY WAS A PRELIMINARY REPORT TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF THE WEIGHT BEARING YOGA TRAINING ON BOTH BONE RESORPTION MARKER AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. THE SAMPLES WERE RECRUITED BY THE PURPOSIVE SAMPLING FROM THE FEMALE CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY STAFF AGED BETWEEN 50-60 YEARS. THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, THE BONE RESORPTION MARKER (BETA-CROSSLAPS), THE BONE FORMATION MARKER (P1NP) AND QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36) DATA WERE COLLECTED. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ATTENDED THE 12-WEEK WEIGHT-BEARING YOGA TRAINING 3 DAYS A WEEK, 50 MINUTES A DAY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP LIVED THEIR NORMAL LIVES. AFTER 12TH WEEK, THE DATA COLLECTIONS WERE REPEATED IN BOTH GROUPS. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (19 SUBJECTS, THE MEAN AGE 54.320 YRS) AND THE CONTROL GROUP (14 SUBJECTS, THE MEAN AGE 54.430 YRS) WERE RECRUITED. THE MEAN ULTRASOUND BMD OF BOTH HEELS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED NO OSTEOPENIA OR OSTEOPOROSIS. AFTER THE 12-WEEK TRAINING, THE MEAN BONE RESORPTION MARKER (BETA-CROSSLAPS) OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP REDUCED FROM 0.464 TO 0.339 NG/ML (-26.939%) WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP REDUCED FROM 0.389 TO 0.386 NG/ML (-0.771%). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE (P < 0.05). THE MEAN OF THE BONE FORMATION MARKERS (PINP) IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP REDUCED FROM 55.393 TO 42.401 NG/ML (-23.454%) AND THE BONE FORMATION MARKERS (PINP) IN THE CONTROL GROUP REDUCED FROM 61.903 TO 44.832 NG/ML (-27.577%). IN THE AREA OF THE LIFE QUALITY MEASUREMENT OF BOTH GROUPS, THE DATA OBTAINED FROM THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT-FORM SURVEY (SF-36) SHOWED THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AT 0.05 LEVELS FOR THE PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING, BODILY PAIN, GENERAL HEALTH, AND VITALITY. THE VARIANCE OF PERCENTAGE CHANGE VALUE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP INCREASED TO +25.299, +16.565, +15.309, AND +21.056. THE VARIANCE OF PERCENTAGE CHANGE VALUE OF THE CONTROL GROUP INCREASED TO +12.946, -1.221, -9.303 AND +2.291. THE WEIGH-BEARING YOGA TRAINING HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON BONE BY SLOWING DOWN BONE RESORPTION WHICH WAS A VERY ESSENTIAL INDICATOR FOR HUMAN HEALTH BECAUSE IT REDUCED THE OSTEOPOROSIS RISKS IN THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA TRAINING PROMOTED BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. 2009 5 1229 32 FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK INTEGRATIVE YOGA PROGRAM IN PEOPLE WITH MODERATE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS-RELATED DISABILITY: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THIS PILOT STUDY DETERMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF A SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH MODERATE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS)-RELATED DISABILITY. WE EXPLORED THE PROGRAM'S EFFECT ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERFORMANCE. METHODS: WE USED A SINGLE-GROUP DESIGN WITH REPEATED MEASUREMENTS AT BASELINE, POSTINTERVENTION, AND 8-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. FEASIBILITY WAS EXAMINED THROUGH COST, RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, ATTENDANCE, AND SAFETY. OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS QUALITY OF LIFE INVENTORY (MSQLI), 12-ITEM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WALKING SCALE (MSWS-12), TIMED 25-FOOT WALK TEST (T25FW), 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (6MWT), NINE-HOLE PEG TEST (NHPT), FIVE-TIMES SIT-TO-STAND TEST (FTSTS), MULTIDIRECTIONAL REACH TEST (MDRT), MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE, AND PACED AUDITORY SERIAL ADDITION TEST-3'' (PASAT-3''). RESULTS: FOURTEEN PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE PROGRAM WAS FEASIBLE. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECTS ON THE 36-ITEM SHORT FORM HEALTH STATUS SURVEY MENTAL COMPONENT SUMMARY (SF-36 MCS), MODIFIED FATIGUE IMPACT SCALE (MFIS), BLADDER CONTROL SCALE (BLCS), PERCEIVED DEFICITS QUESTIONNAIRE (PDQ), MENTAL HEALTH INVENTORY (MHI), MSWS-12, T25FW, NHPT, PASAT-3'', 6MWT, FTSTS, AND MDRT-BACK. IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND ON THE SF-36 MCS, MFIS, BLCS, PDQ, MHI, AND MSWS-12 BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION. THE EFFECT ON PDQ PERSISTED AT FOLLOW-UP. IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND ON THE T25FW, NHPT, 6MWT, FTSTS, AND MDRT-BACK BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION THAT PERSISTED AT FOLLOW-UP. THE PASAT-3'' DID NOT CHANGE BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION BUT DID BETWEEN POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS SAFE AND FEASIBLE. IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN MEASURES OF QOL AND PERFORMANCE WERE SEEN AT POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. 2017 6 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 7 2561 32 YOGA FOR CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A 9-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN 12 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION. DESIGN: TWELVE-MONTH FOLLOW-UP OF THE POOLED DATA OF BOTH ARMS OF A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE AT AN ACADEMIC TEACHING HOSPITAL. SUBJECTS: FIFTY-ONE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC NECK PAIN (MEAN AGE 47.8 YEARS; 82.4% FEMALE). INTERVENTIONS: A 9-WEEK YOGA GROUP INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES: NECK PAIN INTENSITY (100-MM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE), FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (NECK DISABILITY INDEX), HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SHORT-FORM 36 QUESTIONNAIRE, SF-36), GENERIC DISABILITY (DAYS WITH RESTRICTED ACTIVITIES), AND GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT. RESULTS: FROM BASELINE TO 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, PAIN INTENSITY IMPROVED FROM 48.81 +/- 17.71 TO 32.31 +/- 20.68 (P < 0.001), NECK-RELATED DISABILITY DECREASED FROM 25.26 +/- 9.02 TO 19.49 +/- 11.52 (P = 0.001), AND BODILY PAIN IN THE SF-36 IMPROVED FROM 49.37 +/- 12.40 TO 59.26 +/- 17.57 (P = 0.005). IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN INTENSITY WERE PREDICTED BY WEEKLY MINUTES OF YOGA PRACTICE DURING THE PAST 4 WEEKS (R(2) = 0.12, P = 0.028); IMPROVED NECK-RELATED DISABILITY (R(2) = 0.24, P = 0.001) AND BODILY PAIN (R(2) = 0.26, P = 0.006) WERE PREDICTED BY REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS. GENERIC DISABILITY DID NOT DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. TWENTY-FOUR PATIENTS (68.6%) RATED THEIR HEALTH AS AT LEAST SOMEWHAT IMPROVED. CONCLUSIONS: A 9-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVED PAIN AND NECK-RELATED DISABILITY FOR AT LEAST 12 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION. SUSTAINED YOGA PRACTICE SEEMS TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT PREDICTOR OF LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS. 2013 8 2747 23 YOGA PRACTICE IN DIABETES IMPROVES PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON CLINICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN SUBJECTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). METHODS: IN A 40-DAY YOGA CAMP AT THE INSTITUTE OF YOGA AND CONSCIOUSNESS, AMBULATORY SUBJECTS WITH T2DM NOT HAVING SIGNIFICANT COMPLICATIONS (N = 35) PARTICIPATED IN A 40-DAY YOGA CAMP, WHERE YOGIC PRACTICES WERE OVERSEEN BY TRAINED YOGA TEACHERS. CLINICAL, BIOCHEMICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING WERE STUDIED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE CAMP. RESULTS: AT THE END OF THE STUDY, THERE WAS A REDUCTION OF BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) (26.514 +/- 3.355 TO 25.771 +/- 3.40; P < 0.001) AND ANXIETY (6.20 +/- 3.72 TO 4.29 +/- 4.46; P < 0.05) AND AN IMPROVEMENT IN TOTAL GENERAL WELL-BEING (48.6 +/- 11.13 TO 52.66 +/- 52.66 +/- 12.87; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION OF SUBJECTS WITH T2DM IN YOGA PRACTICE FOR 40 DAYS RESULTED IN REDUCED BMI, IMPROVED WELL-BEING, AND REDUCED ANXIETY. 2009 9 479 27 CLINICAL EFFECT OF NIRGUNDI PATRA PINDA SWEDA AND ASHWAGANDHADI GUGGULU YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SANDHIGATA VATA (OSTEOARTHRITIS). SANDHIGATA VATA IS ONE AMONG THE 80 NANATMAJA VATA VYADHIES. SANDHIGATA VATA AND OSTEOARTHRITIS HAVE COMMON SYMPTOMS, AND HENCE, BOTH ARE CONSIDERED AS SIMILAR ENTITIES BY A MAJORITY OF AYURVEDIC SCHOLARS AND SAME HAS BEEN ADOPTED HERE. OSTEOARTHRITIS IS THE MOST COMMON JOINT DISEASE AMONG HUMAN BEINGS TODAY. IN THIS STUDY, A TOTAL OF 116 PATIENTS WERE REGISTERED, OUT OF THEM 101 PATIENTS HAD COMPLETED THE FULL COURSE OF TREATMENT, WHILE 15 PATIENTS LEFT AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE. THE 101 PATIENTS OF SANDHIGATA VATA WERE TREATED IN TWO GROUPS. GROUP A: IN THIS GROUP 50 PATIENTS OF SANDHIGATA VATA WERE TREATED WITH NIRGUNDI PATRA PINDA SWEDA FOR 21 DAYS AND ASHWAGANDHADI GUGGULU YOGA3 G/DAY FOR 45 DAYS WAS GIVEN ORALLY. GROUP B: IN THIS GROUP 51 PATIENTS OF SANDHIGATA VATA WERE TREATED WITH ONLY ASHWAGANDHADI GUGGULU YOGA 3 G/DAY FOR 45 DAYS. TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF THE THERAPY OBJECTIVELY, ALL THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SANDHIGATA VATA WERE GIVEN A SCORE, DEPENDING UPON THEIR SEVERITY. ALSO FUNCTIONAL TESTS LIKE WALKING TIME, CLIMBING STAIRS, AND JOINT MOVEMENT, WERE MEASURED AS A CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT. BOTH THE GROUPS SHOWED GOOD RESULTS, BUT GROUP B SHOWED BETTER RESULTS IN COMPARISON TO GROUP A. 2011 10 1277 29 FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS - YOGA VS. PHYSIOTHERAPY: A QUASI EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. OBJECTIVES: ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS RESULTS IN A MULTIDIMENSIONAL DISABILITY WHICH DEMANDS A POLYGONAL APPROACH. ALTHOUGH PHYSIOTHERAPY PROVES AN ESSENTIAL FOR A COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE RECOVERY IN ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS, EVIDENCE ALSO SUGGEST THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT, HENCE THIS STUDY INVESTIGATE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. METHODS: THIS IS A QUASI-RANDOMISED CONTROL STUDY. A PRE-DIAGNOSED SUBACUTE AND CHRONIC ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS OF SHOULDER, BETWEEN THE AGE GROUP OF 35-60 YEARS OF BOTH GENDERS OF TOTAL 40 PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO GROUP 'A' (YOGASANA) AND GROUP 'B' (PHYSIOTHERAPY). THE PARAMETERS OF PAIN, JOINT MOBILITY AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITIES WERE MEASURED AT THE BASELINE AND AFTER FOUR-WEEKS. RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF GROUP 'A' WAS 45.4 +/- 7.78 YEARS WHEREAS 50.05 +/- 5.98 YEARS WAS IN GROUP 'B'. INTRAGROUP ANALYSIS FOR BOTH THE GROUPS SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE STUDY VARIABLES. WHEREAS IN INTERGROUP ANALYSIS YOGASANA WAS FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN IMPROVING SHOULDER ABDUCTION MOBILITY, P=0.03, EFFECT SIZE R=0.35 AND ALSO IN SHOULDER FLEXION (P=0.15, R=0.23) AND SHOULDER INTERNAL ROTATION (P=0.07, R=0.3), THOUGH STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, IN VIEW OF SMALL EFFECT SIZE RESPONSE. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH TECHNIQUES IMPROVED THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS, HOWEVER ADDITIONAL EFFECTS ON JOINT MOBILITY WAS DEMONSTRATED BY YOGASANA. 2020 11 2655 21 YOGA IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE AND FALL RISK-FACTORS IN A SAMPLE OF PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND TYPE 2 DIABETES. OBJECTIVE: ASSESS PRE TO-POST OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM) RANDOMIZED TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION OR USUAL CARE. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IF THEY SELF-REPORTED: CHRONIC PAIN; T2DM; >18 YEARS OLD; NO EXERCISE RESTRICTIONS OR CONSISTENT YOGA; AND CONSENTED TO THE STUDY. RESULTS: AFTER YOGA, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN: BRIEF PAIN INVENTORY PAIN INTERFERENCE (49+/-15.00 VS. 41.25+/-19.46, P=.034); FULLERTON ADVANCED BALANCE SCALE (14.2+/-14.1 VS. 20.4+/-13.5, P=.03); UPPER EXTREMITY STRENGTH (7.7+/-6.3 VS.10.8+/-6.5, P=.02); LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH (4.1+/-3.8 VS. 6.7+/-4.8, P=.02); AND RAND 36-ITEM HEALTH SURVEY QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES (81.1+/-7.7 VS. 91.9+/-8.9, P=.04). BALANCE SCORES BECAME SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE DURING THE 8 WEEKS FOR PEOPLE RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL (27.1+/-9.9 VS. 21.7+/-13.4,=P.01). CONCLUSION: DATA FROM THIS SMALL RCT INDICATES YOGA MAY BE THERAPEUTIC AND MAY IMPROVE MULTIPLE OUTCOMES IN THIS SEEMINGLY AT-RISK POPULATION. CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER: NCT03010878. 2018 12 295 27 AGE RELATED DIFFERENCES OF SELECTED HATHA YOGA PRACTICES ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND: PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA ON VOLUNTEERS OF A PARTICULAR AGE GROUP ARE AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, REPORTS ON EFFICACY OF A SPECIFIC YOGA PACKAGE ON THE POPULACE OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND IS STILL VERY LIMITED. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO APPRAISE THE EFFECT OF A SPECIFIC HATHA YOGA PACKAGE ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, FLEXIBILITY AND MUSCULAR STRENGTH OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL TRADE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 71 PARTICIPANTS (GROUP ALL) FROM INDIAN AIR FORCE GROUND PERSONNEL VOLUNTEERED AND AGE WISE DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS - (I) GROUP I (GR. - I) (N1 = 27, 20-29 YEARS), (II) GROUP II (GR. - II) (N2 = 21, 30-39 YEARS) AND (III) GROUP III (GR. - III) (N3 = 23, 40-49 YEARS). ALL THE PARTICIPANTS UNDERGONE SELECTED HATHA YOGA TRAINING FOR 1 H DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF 12 WEEKS. PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRAINING. PRE AND POST TRAINING DIFFERENCES WERE ASSESSED BY STUDENT'S T-TEST. RESULTS: BODY WEIGHT (ALL, GR. - II AND GR. - III [ALL P < 0.05]), BODY MASS INDEX (GR. - II AND GR. - III [BOTH P < 0.01]) AND FAT% (GR. - II AND III [BOTH P < 0.05]) WERE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. NECK CIRCUMFERENCE WAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - I (P < 0.05) BUT DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - III (P < 0.05). CHEST CIRCUMFERENCE (ALL (P < 0.001), IN GR. - I AND II [BOTH P < 0.05]), GRIP STRENGTH (ALL [LEFT: P < 0.01 AND RIGHT: P < 0.05], IN GR. - I [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01], IN GR. - II [RIGHT: P < 0.05] AND IN GR. - III [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01]), BACK LEG STRENGTH (GROUP WISE P < 0.001, P < 0.05, P < 0.01 AND P < 0.05 RESPECTIVELY) AND FLEXIBILITY (ALL P < 0.001) WERE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: HATHA YOGA CAN IMPROVE ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY AMONG VOLUNTEERS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUP AND CAN ALSO BE HELPFUL IN PREVENTING AND ATTENUATING AGE RELATED DETERIORATION OF THESE PARAMETERS. 2015 13 2115 26 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH HAEMOPHILIA. THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY HAEMOPHILIA LEAD TO IMPAIRMENTS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HAEMOPHILIA. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH HAEMOPHILIA IN SHIRAZ, IRAN. THIS SEMI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH PRE- AND POST-TEST DESIGN WAS PERFORMED ON 27 BOYS BETWEEN 8 AND 16 YEARS OLD WHO SUFFERED FROM HAEMOPHILIA. THE PATIENTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. THE NUMBER OF BLEEDINGS, ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL, AND REFERRALS TO THE CLINIC WAS EVALUATED. THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH INTERVIEWS AND USING THE PATIENTS' RECORDS IN THE HAEMOPHILIA CENTER. BESIDES, THE QUALITY OF LIFE WAS ASSESSED THROUGH THE HAEMO-QOL QUESTIONNAIRE. THEN, THE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS PERFORMED FOR 14 WEEKS AND THE DATA WERE COLLECTED IN THREE STAGES. THE COLLECTED DATA WERE ENTERED INTO THE SPSS STATISTICAL SOFTWARE, VERSION 18 AND WERE ANALYZED USING NON-PARAMETRIC FRIEDMAN TEST. AFTER THE INTERVENTION, SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN THE MEAN SCORES OF QUALITY OF LIFE DIMENSIONS AND THE NUMBER OF BLEEDINGS, SCHOOL ABSENCES, AND REFERRALS TO THE HAEMOPHILIA CLINIC (P<0.001). THUS, YOGA MAY IMPROVE THE HAEMOPHILIA CHILDREN'S AND ADOLESCENTS' PERCEPTION OF QUALITY OF LIFE WITHOUT THE RISK OF INJURY. THIS INTERVENTION ALSO SEEMED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE NUMBER OF BLEEDINGS, REFERRALS TO THE HAEMOPHILIA CLINIC, AND ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL. 2015 14 1274 32 FUNCTIONAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN WOMEN WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: STRESS, BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL, HAS BEEN IMPLICATED AS HAVING A ROLE IN THE ONSET AND EXACERBATIONS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER NEUROENDOCRINE AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH RA CAN BE ALTERED THROUGH A YOGA INTERVENTION. DESIGN: EXERCISE INTERVENTION. SETTING: UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT A MEDICAL CLINIC. PARTICIPANTS: SIXTEEN INDEPENDENTLY LIVING, POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH AN RA CLASSIFICATION OF I, II, OR III ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RHEUMATOLOGY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM SERVED AS EITHER PARTICIPANTS OR CONTROLS. INTERVENTION: THE STUDY GROUP PARTICIPATED IN THREE 75-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES A WEEK OVER A 10-WEEK PERIOD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: AT BASELINE AND ON COMPLETION OF THE 10-WEEK INTERVENTION, DIURNAL CORTISOL PATTERNS AND RESTING HEART RATE WERE MEASURED. BALANCE WAS MEASURED USING THE BERG BALANCE TEST. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE HEALTH ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (HIQ), A VISUAL ANALOG PAIN SCALE, AND THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY. RESULTS: YOGA RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED HAQ DISABILITY INDEX, DECREASED PERCEPTION OF PAIN AND DEPRESSION, AND IMPROVED BALANCE. YOGA DID NOT RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN AWAKENING OR DIURNAL CORTISOL PATTERNS (P = .12). 2009 15 1360 23 IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING ON RESPONSE INHIBITION AMONG HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. BACKGROUND: THERE IS VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED BREATHING PRACTICES ON RESPONSE INHIBITION. THE CURRENT STUDY USED STOP-SIGNAL PARADIGM TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA BREATHING WITH INTERMITTENT BREATH HOLDING (YBH) ON RESPONSE INHIBITION AMONG HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY-SIX HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (17 MALES + 19 FEMALES), WITH MEAN AGE OF 20.31 +/- 3.48 YEARS FROM A UNIVERSITY, WERE RECRUITED IN A WITHIN-SUBJECT REPEATED MEASURES (RM) DESIGN. THE RECORDINGS FOR STOP SIGNAL TASK WERE PERFORMED ON THREE DIFFERENT DAYS FOR BASELINE, POST-YBH, AND POST YOGIC BREATH AWARENESS (YBA) SESSIONS. STOP-SIGNAL REACTION TIME (SSRT), MEAN REACTION TIME TO GO STIMULI (GO RT), AND THE PROBABILITY OF RESPONDING ON-STOP SIGNAL TRIALS (P [R/S]) WERE ANALYZED FOR 36 VOLUNTEERS USING RM ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. RESULTS: SSRT REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH YBH (218.33 +/- 38.38) AND YBA (213.15 +/- 37.29) GROUPS WHEN COMPARED TO BASELINE (231.98 +/- 29.54). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN GO RT AND P (R/S). FURTHER, THE CHANGES IN SSRT WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT AMONG YBH AND YBA GROUPS. CONCLUSION: BOTH YBH AND YBA GROUPS WERE FOUND TO ENHANCE RESPONSE INHIBITION IN THE STOP-SIGNAL PARADIGM. YBH COULD BE FURTHER EVALUATED IN CLINICAL SETTINGS FOR CONDITIONS WHERE RESPONSE INHIBITION IS ALTERED. 2018 16 2164 26 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND SELF-ESTEEM ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: PREVIOUS RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT YOGA CAN ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE AND EASE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE STUDY EXAMINED WHETHER SELF-ESTEEM MEDIATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE, FATIGUE AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, UTILIZING VALIDATED OUTCOME MEASURES. STUDY DESIGN: THIS IS A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH THOSE OF USUAL CARE IN 40 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO SUFFERED FROM MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ALL 3 ASSESSMENTS (WEEK 0, WEEK 12, AND WEEK 24) AND PROVIDED FULL DATA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED USING SELF-RATING INSTRUMENTS. MEDIATION ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED USING SPSS. RESULTS: SELF-ESTEEM MEDIATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-2.11, 95% BCI [-5.40 TO -0.37]), PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.94, 95% BCI [-2.30 TO -0.01]), AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.66, 95% BCI [-1.65 TO -0.15]), QUALITY OF LIFE (B=8.04, 95% BCI [3.15-17.03]), SOCIAL WELL-BEING (B=1.80, 95% BCI [0.54-4.21]), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (B=1.62, 95% BCI [0.70-3.34]), FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING (B=1.84, 95% BCI [0.59-4.13]), AND FATIGUE (B=4.34, 95% BCI [1.28-9.55]). SELF-ESTEEM HAD NO EFFECT ON SOMATOVEGETATIVE MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (B=-0.50, 95% BCI N.S.) OR ON PHYSICAL WELL-BEING (B=0.79, 95% BCI N.S.). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS SUPPORT THE ASSUMPTION THAT SELF-ESTEEM PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA AND THAT YOGA CAN HAVE LONG-TERM BENEFITS FOR WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER AND UNDERGOING MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION. 2017 17 718 23 EFFECT OF INTEGRATIVE NATUROPATHY AND YOGA IN A PATIENT WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ASSOCIATED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION. A 54-YEAR OLD MARRIED WOMAN WAS DIAGNOSED WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IN 2002, ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION IN 2008, TYPE-2 DIABETES IN 2011 AND GANGRENE OVER 2(ND) TOE OF RIGHT FOOT. SHE UNDERWENT CONVENTIONAL MANAGEMENT IN PRIVATE HOSPITALS. HER SYMPTOMS, BEGAN WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH SWELLING, STIFFNESS (MORE IN THE MORNING) IN MULTIPLE JOINTS ESPECIALLY OVER SMALL JOINTS. IN JULY-2014 SHE VISITED OUR COLLEGE HOSPITAL WITH THE COMPLAINTS OF PAIN, MILD SWELLING AND STIFFNESS OVER MULTIPLE JOINTS ASSOCIATED WITH POOR QUALITY OF SLEEP (QOS) AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). SUBJECT RECEIVED INTEGRATIVE NATUROPATHY AND YOGA THERAPIES (INYT) WITH CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE DAILY FOR 10-DAYS. AFTER 10-DAYS, IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN, BLOOD SUGAR, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS, QOS, QOL, BLOOD ANALYSIS WITH NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) WAS OBSERVED. THIS SUGGESTS THAT INYT COULD BE CONSIDERED AS AN ADJUVANT TO CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE IN RA ASSOCIATED WITH TYPE-2 DIABETES AND ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION. 2017 18 808 25 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 19 1947 31 SAUNA YOGA SUPERIORLY IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND BALANCE: A TWO-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS. BESIDES STRENGTH AND BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY IS AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF HEALTH-RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS. THUS, THE AIM OF THIS TWO-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL WAS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER SAUNA YOGA AT A MODERATE TEMPERATURE (50 DEGREES C) BENEFICIALLY AFFECTS FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, BALANCE, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN HEALTHY ELDERLY COMMUNITY DWELLERS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN INTERVENTION GROUP (INT, N = 11, AGE: 68.7 +/- 5.9) OR CONTROL GROUP (CON, N = 12, AGE: 69.3 +/- 4.9), USING THE MINIMIZATION METHOD. AGE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, GENDER, AND THE PRIMARY OUTCOME FLEXIBILITY WERE USED AS STRATA FOR GROUP ALLOCATION. BOTH GROUPS COMPLETED SIMILAR EXERCISES IN THE SAUNA OVER EIGHT WEEKS. ONLY THE INT GROUP WAS EXPOSED TO MODERATE TEMPERATURES OF 50 DEGREES C. LARGE AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FAVOR OF THE SAUNA GROUP (INT) WAS OBSERVED FOR THE CHAIR SIT-AND-REACH TEST (INT: +83%, CON +3%, P = 0.028, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.24). THE SHOULDER AND LATERAL SPINE FLEXIBILITY WERE NOT RELEVANTLY AFFECTED. STRENGTH IN THE LOWER EXTREMITIES MERELY SHOWED A TENDENCY TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES (INT: 16%, CON: 3%, P = 0.061, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.181). ADDITIONALLY, BALANCE ABILITIES, WITH EYES CLOSED, IMPROVED (INT: 187%, CON +58%, P = 0.056, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.189) IN FAVOR OF THE INT GROUP. QOL ONLY IMPROVED IN FAVOR OF THE INT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION (INT: +7%, CON: 0%, P = 0.034, NSMALL ER, CYRILLIC(2) = 0.227). THESE FIRST BUT PRELIMINARY FINDINGS INDICATE THAT SAUNA YOGA MAY SERVE AS A PROMISING AND FEASIBLE MEANS TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY IN ELDERLY PEOPLE. STRENGTH AND BALANCE DO NOT MEANINGFULLY BENEFIT FROM A SAUNA ENVIRONMENT, ALTHOUGH STRENGTH IMPROVED TO A SLIGHTLY HIGHER EXTENT IN THE SAUNA GROUP. FUTURE LARGE-SCALE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO ELUCIDATE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS AND CORROBORATE THESE FINDINGS. 2019 20 789 28 EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISE ON PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS AMONG FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN TAIWAN. YOGA CLASSES DESIGNED FOR WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME ARE AVAILABLE, BUT THEIR EFFICACY IS UNCLEAR. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS' YOGA EXERCISE (YOGA INTERVENTION) ON PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS IN MENSTRUATING FEMALES IN TAIWAN. SIXTY-FOUR SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE YOGA INTERVENTION, AND BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION FILLED OUT A STRUCTURED SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS, PERSONAL LIFESTYLE, MENSTRUAL STATUS, BASELINE MENSTRUAL PAIN SCORES, PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. OF 64 SUBJECTS, 90.6% REPORTED EXPERIENCING MENSTRUAL PAIN DURING MENSTRUATION. AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION, SUBJECTS REPORTED DECREASED USE OF ANALGESICS DURING MENSTRUATION (P = 0.0290) AND DECREASED MODERATE OR SEVERE EFFECTS OF MENSTRUAL PAIN ON WORK (P = 0.0011). THE YOGA EXERCISE INTERVENTION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SCALE OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION (P = 0.0340) AND BODILY PAIN (P = 0.0087) OF THE SF-36, AND SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED ABDOMINAL SWELLING (P = 0.0011), BREAST TENDERNESS (P = 0.0348), ABDOMINAL CRAMPS (P = 0.0016), AND COLD SWEATS (P = 0.0143). MENSTRUAL PAIN MITIGATION AFTER YOGA EXERCISE CORRELATED WITH IMPROVEMENT IN SIX SCALES OF THE SF-36 (PHYSICAL FUNCTION, BODILY PAIN, GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTION, VITALITY/ENERGY, SOCIAL FUNCTION, MENTAL HEALTH). EMPLOYERS CAN EDUCATE FEMALE EMPLOYEES ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF REGULAR EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA, WHICH MAY DECREASE PREMENSTRUAL DISTRESS AND IMPROVE FEMALE EMPLOYEE HEALTH. 2016