1 327 133 ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFICACY OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IN MELANCHOLIA: A RANDOMIZED COMPARISON WITH ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY (ECT) AND IMIPRAMINE. BACKGROUND: SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IS A PROCEDURE THAT INVOLVES ESSENTIALLY RHYTHMIC HYPERVENTILATION AT DIFFERENT RATES OF BREATHING. THE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFICACY OF SKY WAS DEMONSTRATED IN DYSTHYMIA IN A PROSPECTIVE, OPEN CLINICAL TRIAL. THIS STUDY COMPARED THE RELATIVE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFICACY OF SKY IN MELANCHOLIA WITH TWO OF THE CURRENT STANDARD TREATMENTS, ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY (ECT) AND IMIPRAMINE (IMN). METHODS: CONSENTING, UNTREATED MELANCHOLIC DEPRESSIVES (N=45) WERE HOSPITALIZED AND RANDOMIZED EQUALLY INTO THREE TREATMENT GROUPS. THEY WERE ASSESSED AT RECRUITMENT AND WEEKLY THEREAFTER FOR FOUR WEEKS. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN THE TOTAL SCORES ON BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) AND HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSION (HRSD) OCCURRED ON SUCCESSIVE OCCASIONS IN ALL THREE GROUPS. THE GROUPS, HOWEVER, DID NOT DIFFER. SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE GROUPS AND OCCASION OF ASSESSMENT OCCURRED. AT WEEK THREE, THE SKY GROUP HAD HIGHER SCORES THAN THE ECT GROUP BUT WAS NOT DIFFERENT FROM THE IMN GROUP. REMISSION (TOTAL HRSD SCORE OF SEVEN OR LESS) RATES AT THE END OF THE TRIAL WERE 93, 73 AND 67% IN THE ECT, IMN AND SKY GROUPS, RESPECTIVELY. NO CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT SIDE EFFECTS WERE OBSERVED. DISCUSSION: WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS OF THE DESIGN (LACK OF DOUBLE BLIND CONDITIONS), IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT, ALTHOUGH INFERIOR TO ECT, SKY CAN BE A POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE TO DRUGS IN MELANCHOLIA AS A FIRST LINE TREATMENT. 2000 2 1201 29 EXERCISE, YOGA, AND MEDITATION FOR DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ARE AMONG THE MOST COMMON CONDITIONS CITED BY THOSE SEEKING TREATMENT WITH COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES, SUCH AS EXERCISE, MEDITATION, TAI CHI, QIGONG, AND YOGA. THE USE OF THESE THERAPIES IS INCREASING. SEVERAL STUDIES OF EXERCISE AND YOGA HAVE DEMONSTRATED THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS SUPERIOR TO NO-ACTIVITY CONTROLS AND COMPARABLE WITH ESTABLISHED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY TREATMENTS (E.G., COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY, SERTRALINE, IMIPRAMINE). HIGH-ENERGY EXERCISE (I.E., WEEKLY EXPENDITURE OF AT LEAST 17.5 KCAL PER KG) AND FREQUENT AEROBIC EXERCISE (I.E., AT LEAST THREE TO FIVE TIMES PER WEEK) REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION MORE THAN LESS FREQUENT OR LOWER-ENERGY EXERCISE. MINDFUL MEDITATION AND EXERCISE HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS AS ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENTS FOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS, ALTHOUGH SOME STUDIES SHOW MULTIPLE METHODOLOGICAL WEAKNESSES. FOR ANXIETY DISORDERS, EXERCISE AND YOGA HAVE ALSO SHOWN POSITIVE EFFECTS, BUT THERE ARE FAR LESS DATA ON THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE ON ANXIETY THAN FOR EXERCISE ON DEPRESSION. TAI CHI, QIGONG, AND MEDITATION HAVE NOT SHOWN EFFECTIVENESS AS ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. 2010 3 1694 35 P300 AMPLITUDE AND ANTIDEPRESSANT RESPONSE TO SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY). BACKGROUND: THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) HAS SIGNIFICANT ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED WHETHER PRETREATMENT P300 ERP AMPLITUDE PREDICTS ANTIDEPRESSANT RESPONSE TO SKY. METHODS: CONSENTING, DRUG-FREE DEPRESSED PATIENTS (N = 30; DYSTHYMICS, 15, MELANCHOLICS, 15) WHO RECEIVED SKY AS THE SOLE TREATMENT WERE ASSESSED CLINICALLY AT PRETREATMENT, 1 MONTH AND 3 MONTHS. AUDITORY P300 WAS RECORDED BEFORE TREATMENT. RESULTS: TWENTY-TWO PATIENTS RESPONDED FAVOURABLY TO SKY. THE PRETREATMENT P300 AMPLITUDE NEITHER DISTINGUISHED RESPONDERS AND NON-RESPONDERS NOR WAS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENTIAL RATES OF RESPONSE. DISCUSSION: IT IS CONCLUDED THAT SKY THERAPY IS UNIFORMLY EFFECTIVE REGARDLESS OF THE PRETREATMENT P300 AMPLITUDE. 1998 4 99 45 A PATIENT WITH ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY-RESISTANT MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WITH A FULL RESPONSE TO HEATED YOGA: A CASE REPORT. DEPRESSION REMAINS DIFFICULT TO TREAT AS A RESULT OF LESS THAN OPTIMAL EFFICACY AND TROUBLESOME SIDE EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS. THE AUTHORS PRESENT THE CASE OF A PATIENT WITH TREATMENT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION WITH MELANCHOLIC FEATURES WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN UNRESPONSIVE TO ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY (ECT) PLUS AN ANTIDEPRESSANT REGIMEN BUT WHOSE CONDITION FULLY REMITTED WITH THE ADDITION OF A STANDARDIZED FORM OF HEATED HATHA YOGA (HY; BIKRAM YOGA) PRACTICED IN A ROOM HEATED TO 105 DEGREES F. THE PATIENT WAS A 28-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO UNDERWENT 8 WEEKS OF HY AS PART OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF HY FOR DEPRESSION WHILE CONTINUING HER ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT. THE PATIENT WAS ASKED TO ATTEND A MINIMUM OF 2 WEEKLY, 90-MINUTE HY CLASSES. AFTER 8 WEEKS (12 CLASSES IN TOTAL), THE PATIENT NO LONGER MET THE CRITERIA FOR A MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODE WITH MELANCHOLIC FEATURES, PER MINI-INTERNATIONAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW (MINI) CRITERIA. HER DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HAD IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY, WITH INVENTORY OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY, CLINICIAN-RATED (IDS-C30), AND HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HAM-D28) SCORES DECREASING FROM 28 AT BASELINE TO 3, AND FROM 28 AT BASELINE TO 4, RESPECTIVELY, INDICATING REMISSION. THIS PATIENT'S ECT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION REMITTED WITH THE ADDITION OF HY TO HER ANTIDEPRESSANT REGIMEN. BECAUSE OF HER YOUTH AND ATHLETICISM, THIS PATIENT WAS LIKELY WELL SUITED TO THIS RIGOROUS FORM OF YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EXPLORE HY AS A POTENTIAL INTERVENTION FOR TREATMENT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION. 2021 5 326 53 ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFICACY AND HORMONAL EFFECTS OF SUDARSHANA KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IN ALCOHOL DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND: SUDARSHANA KRIYA YOGA (SKY) HAS DEMONSTRABLE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS. SKY WAS TESTED FOR THIS EFFECT IN INPATIENTS OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE. METHODS: FOLLOWING A WEEK OF DETOXIFICATION MANAGEMENT CONSENTING SUBJECTS (N=60) WERE EQUALLY RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE SKY THERAPY OR NOT (CONTROLS) FOR A TWO-WEEK STUDY. SKY THERAPY INCLUDED ALTERNATE DAY PRACTICE OF SPECIFIED BREATHING EXERCISE UNDER SUPERVISION OF A TRAINED THERAPIST. SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) BEFORE AND AFTER THE TWO WEEKS OF THIS INTERVENTION. MORNING PLASMA CORTISOL, ACTH AND PROLACTIN TOO WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AT THE END OF TWO WEEKS. RESULTS: IN BOTH GROUPS REDUCTIONS IN BDI SCORES OCCURRED BUT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SO IN SKY GROUP. LIKEWISE, IN BOTH GROUPS PLASMA CORTISOL AS WELL AS ACTH FELL AFTER TWO WEEKS BUT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SO IN SKY GROUP. REDUCTION IN BDI SCORES CORRELATED WITH THAT IN CORTISOL IN SKY BUT NOT IN CONTROL GROUP. LIMITATIONS: ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF SKY WERE DEMONSTRATED IN EARLY ABSTINENCE THAT ALSO HAD SUBSTANTIAL SPONTANEOUS IMPROVEMENT. IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THIS EFFECT CONTRIBUTES TO SUSTAINED ABSTINENCE. CONCLUSION: RESULTS EXTEND THE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF SKY IN ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE SUBJECTS. REDUCTION IN STRESS-HORMONE LEVELS (CORTISOL AND ACTH) ALONG WITH BDI REDUCTIONS POSSIBLY SUPPORT A BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM OF SKY IN PRODUCING BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. 2006 6 325 59 ANTI-ANXIETY EFFICACY OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA IN GENERAL ANXIETY DISORDER: A MULTICOMPONENT, YOGA BASED, BREATH INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER WITH OR WITHOUT COMORBIDITIES. BACKGROUND: SURDASHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) IS A PROCEDURE THAT IN VARIOUS STUDIES, HAS SHOWN EVIDENCES OF EFFICACY IN ALLEVIATING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS, BUT IN EUROPE AND USA IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED YET ON A CAUCASIAN POPULATION AS AN ADJUNCT THERAPY FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. METHODS: THE STUDY INVOLVED A SAMPLE OF CONSENTING WOMEN AND MEN (N = 69) WHO RECEIVED SKY THERAPY FOR A SIX-MONTH TIME PERIOD. THEY WERE ASSESSED AT RECRUITMENT, AFTER TWO WEEKS, AFTER THREE MONTHS AND AFTER SIX MONTHS USING HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR ANXIETY (HRSA), HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSION (HRSD), ZUNG SELF-RATING ANXIETY SCALE (ZSAS), ZUNG SELF-RATING DEPRESSION SCALE (ZSDS) AND SYMPTOM CHECKLIST-90 (SCL-90). RESULTS: ALL THE ANALYSES HAVE SHOWN THAT SKY THERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES THE SCORES OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. THIS IS PLAIN, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE INITIAL SKY TREATMENT, WHICH IS FOLLOWED BY A LONG PLATEAU PHASE THAT SEEMS TO VERGE ON NO ANXIETY/DEPRESSION SCORES. IT WAS FOUND THAT SKY EFFECTS LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT CONVERGENCE BETWEEN THE SELF-ASSESSMENT (ZUNG SELF-RATING SCALE) AND HETERO-ASSESSMENT (HAMILTON RATING SCALE). LIMITATIONS: THE STUDY SHOULD BE REPLICATED ON A LARGER CLINICAL SAMPLE IN A CONTROLLED TRIAL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SKY PROTOCOL. CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN SKY ADJUNCT THERAPY TEN DAYS INTENSE WORKSHOP AND FOLLOW-UPS, COUPLED WITH DAILY INDIVIDUAL AND INDEPENDENT PRACTICE OF A SIMPLIFIED PROTOCOL OF BREATHING TECHNIQUES (30 MIN), CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN LEVELS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. 2015 7 892 19 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED OCULAR EXERCISES IN LOWERING OF INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE IN GLAUCOMA PATIENTS: AN AFFIRMATIVE PROPOSITION. GLAUCOMA IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF IRREVERSIBLE BLINDNESS WORLDWIDE, WITH >65 MILLION SUFFERERS. IT IS INCURABLE AND THE ONLY THERAPEUTIC APPROACH ACCEPTED TILL NOW IS THE LOWERING OF INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE (IOP) MEDICALLY AND/OR SURGICALLY. THESE KNOWN INTERVENTIONS MIGHT HAVE MANY SIDE EFFECTS AND COMPLICATIONS. YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ARE NOW WELL ACCEPTED AS ALTERNATIVE THERAPY IN MANY CHRONIC DISEASES. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN GLAUCOMA, HOWEVER, HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED ADEQUATELY. ACCOMMODATION (THE PROCESS OF ADJUSTMENT OF OPTICAL POWER TO MAINTAIN CLEAR VISION) OF EYES LEADS TO INSTANT LOWERING OF IOP. THEREFORE, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT ONE OF THE YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS, TRATAK KRIYA, WHICH INCLUDES OCULAR EXERCISES MIGHT LEAD TO LOWERING OF IOP IN GLAUCOMA PATIENTS. THE PROPOSED TRATAK KRIYA LEADS TO CONTRACTION AND RELAXATION OF CILIARY MUSCLES WHICH MIGHT INCREASE OUTFLOW OF AQUEOUS HUMOR. IN ADDITION, THIS YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MIGHT DECREASE STRESS AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN GLAUCOMA PATIENTS. 2018 8 1536 26 KETAMINE, TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION, AND DEPRESSION SPECIFIC YOGA AND MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY IN MANAGEMENT OF TREATMENT RESISTANT DEPRESSION: REVIEW AND SOME DATA ON EFFICACY. DEPRESSION AFFECTS ABOUT 121 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AND PREVALENCE OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) IN US ADULTS IS 6.4%. TREATMENT RESISTANT DEPRESSION (TRD) ACCOUNTS FOR APPROXIMATELY 12-20% OF ALL DEPRESSION PATIENTS AND COSTS $29-$48 BILLION ANNUALLY. KETAMINE AND REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION (RTMS) HAVE USEFUL ROLES IN TRD, BUT THEIR UTILITY IN LONG TERM IS UNKNOWN. AS PER THE LATEST LITERATURE, THE INTERVENTIONS USING YOGA AND MEDITATION INCLUDING THE MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) HAVE BEEN USEFUL IN TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION AND RELAPSE PREVENTION. WE PRESENT A REVIEW OF RTMS, KETAMINE, AND MBCT AND ALSO REPORT EFFICACY OF A DEPRESSION SPECIFIC, INNOVATIVE, AND TRANSLATIONAL MODEL OF YOGA AND MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (DEPS Y-MBCT), DEVELOPED BY THE FIRST AUTHOR. DEPS Y-MBCT AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT SUCCESSFULLY AMELIORATED TRD SYMPTOMS IN 27/32 PATIENTS IN AN OPEN LABEL PILOT TRIAL IN TRD PATIENTS. CONSIDERING THE LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING TREATMENT OPTIONS, INCLUDING THOSE OF KETAMINE AND RTMS WHEN USED AS THE SOLE MODALITY OF TREATMENT, WE SUGGEST A "TIERED APPROACH FOR TRD" BY COMBINING KETAMINE AND RTMS (ALONE OR ALONG WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS) FOR RAPID REMISSION OF ACUTE DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND TO USE DEPS Y-MBCT FOR MAINTAINING REMISSION AND PREVENTING RELAPSE. 2015 9 299 22 ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN ATRIAL FIBRILLATION TREATMENT-YOGA, ACUPUNCTURE, BIOFEEDBACK AND MORE. THE LAST DECADE HAS SEEN A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AF) WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEWER MEDICATIONS AND IMPROVEMENT IN CATHETER ABLATION TECHNIQUES. RECURRENCE OF AF REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THESE PATIENTS AND MEDICATIONS OFFER LIMITED SUPPORTIVE ROLE. COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT STRATEGIES THEREFORE REMAIN A VIABLE OPTION FOR THESE AF PATIENTS. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN IMPROVEMENT IN AF SYMPTOMS WITH YOGA THERAPY, ACUPUNCTURE AND BIOFEEDBACK. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL HERBAL MEDICINE AND SUPPLEMENTS SUCH AS OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS, ANTIOXIDANT VITAMINS, BARBERRY, MOTHERWORT, CINCHONA, SHENSONGYANGXIN, HAWTHORN, KELLA AND WENXIN KELI THAT HAVE BEEN EVALUATED AS POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS IN AF. THESE STUDIES ARE HOWEVER LIMITED BY SMALL SAMPLE SIZES WITH MIXED RESULTS. BESIDES THE PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTION, METABOLISM, INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER MEDICATIONS AND THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF THE HERBAL MEDICATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTS REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD. IN SPITE OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS, COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES REMAIN A PROMISING OPTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AF AND FURTHER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO VALIDATE THEIR SAFETY AND EFFICACY. 2015 10 32 37 5-HTTLPR AND MTHFR 677C>T POLYMORPHISMS AND RESPONSE TO YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: A RANDOMIZED ACTIVE-CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THAT BOTH GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS MODULATE TREATMENT OUTCOME IN, A HIGHLY HETEROGENEOUS, MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD). 5-HTTLPR VARIANT OF THE SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER GENE (SLC6A4) AND MTHFR 677C>T POLYMORPHISMS HAVE BEEN LINKED TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF MDD, AND ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT RESPONSE. THE EVIDENCE IS LACKING ON THE CLINICAL UTILITY OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH MDD WHO HAVE 5-HTTLPR AND MTHFR 677C>T POLYMORPHISMS AND LESS LIKELY TO RESPOND TO MEDICATIONS (SSRIS). AIMS: WE AIMED TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF YBLI IN THOSE WHO HAVE SUSCEPTIBLE 5-HTTLPR AND MTHFR 677C>T POLYMORPHISMS AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO DRUG THERAPY WITH SSRIS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: IN A 12 WEEK RANDOMIZED ACTIVE-CONTROLLED TRIAL, MDD PATIENTS (N = 178) WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE YBLI OR DRUG THERAPY. METHODS: GENOTYPING WAS CONDUCTED USING PCR-BASED METHODS. THE CLINICAL REMISSION WAS DEFINED AS BDI-II SCORE T GENOTYPES SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ODDS OF REMISSION IN YOGA ARM VS. DRUG ARM. NEITHER 5-HTTLPR NOR MTHFR 677C>T GENOTYPE SHOWED ANY INFLUENCE ON REMISSION TO YBLI (P = 0.73 AND P = 0.64, RESPECTIVELY). FURTHER ANALYSIS SHOWED CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY INTERACT WITH 5-HTTLPR AND MTHFR 677C>T POLYMORPHISMS TO DECREASE TREATMENT RESPONSE IN DRUG TREATMENT ARM, BUT NOT IN YOGA ARM. CONCLUSIONS: YBLI PROVIDES MDD REMISSION IN THOSE WHO HAVE SUSCEPTIBLE 5-HTTLPR AND MTHFR 677C>T POLYMORPHISMS AND ARE RESISTANT TO SSRIS TREATMENT. YBLI MAY BE THERAPEUTIC FOR MDD INDEPENDENT OF HETEROGENEITY IN ITS ETIOPATHOGENESIS. 2018 11 722 35 EFFECT OF KARAMARDADI YOGA VERSUS DICLOFENAC SODIUM IN POST-OPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT: A RANDOMIZED COMPARATIVE CLINICAL TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: POST-OPERATIVE PAIN IS NOCICEPTIVE I.E., ANTICIPATED UNAVOIDABLE PHYSIOLOGICAL PAIN WHICH IS CAUSED DUE TO TISSUE TRAUMA. DRUGS SUCH AS NSAIDS (NON STEROIDAL ANTI INFLAMMATORY DRUGS) AND OPIOIDS ARE USED FOR POST-OPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT BUT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR OWN DRAWBACKS. KARAMARDADI YOGA HAS BEEN IN USE IN AYURVEDIC PRACTICE FOR ANALGESIA. IT IS KNOWN TO RELIEVE PAIN AND CAN BE USED TO SUPPLEMENT ANAESTHESIA AND ALSO GET RID OF ADVERSE EFFECT OF MODERN ANALGESIC DRUGS. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE COMPARATIVE EFFECT OF KARAMARDADI YOGA AND DICLOFENAC SODIUM IN POST-OPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL WITH GROUP A (CONTROL GROUP: TAB DICLOFENAC SODIUM 50 MG AS A SINGLE DOSE) AND GROUP B (TRIAL GROUP: CAP KARAMARDADI YOGA 500 MG AS A SINGLE DOSE). THOSE WHO HAD UNDERGONE HAEMORRHOIDECTOMY OPERATION UNDER LOCAL ANAESTHESIA WERE SELECTED AS PER INCLUSION CRITERIA. VITALS, DESIRABLE EFFECT AND UNDESIRABLE EFFECT, TOTAL SURGICAL TIME, REQUIREMENT OF 1(ST) DOSE OF ANALGESIC, REQUIREMENT OF RESCUE ANALGESIC AND PAIN DETERMINED BY VAS (VISUAL ANALOG SCALE) WERE THE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND WERE OBSERVED AND RECORDED. RESULTS: KARAMARDADI YOGA DOES NOT SHOW ANY UNDESIRABLE OR SERIOUS ILL EFFECTS AND ALTERED VALUES OF VITALS AS PER STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. AS PER VAS SCALE, PAIN FELT BY TRIAL GROUP WAS EARLIER THAN CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: KARAMARDADI YOGA HAS ANALGESIC PROPERTY BUT ITS ANALGESIC PROPERTY AND PAIN THRESHOLD CAPACITY IS LESSER THAN THOSE OF DICLOFENAC SODIUM. 2016 12 1761 40 POSITIVE THERAPEUTIC AND NEUROTROPIC EFFECTS OF YOGA IN DEPRESSION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY. CONTEXT: THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF YOGA IN DEPRESSION IS RECOGNIZED. NEUROPLASTIC EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPIES ARE INFERRED BY ELEVATIONS IN BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF). ROLE OF YOGA IN BOTH THESE EFFECTS HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NON-SUICIDAL, CONSECUTIVE OUT-PATIENTS OF DEPRESSION WERE OFFERED YOGA EITHER ALONE OR WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS. THE DEPRESSION SEVERITY WAS RATED ON HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) BEFORE AND AT 3 MONTHS. SERUM BDNF LEVELS WERE MEASURED AT THE SAME TIME POINTS. REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS PERFORMED TO LOOK AT CHANGE ACROSS GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO HDRS SCORES AND BDNF LEVELS OVER 3 MONTHS OF FOLLOW-UP. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHANGE IN SERUM BDNF LEVELS AND CHANGE IN HDRS SCORES WAS ASSESSED USING THE PEARSON'S CORRELATION COEFFICIENT. RESULTS: BOTH YOGA GROUPS WERE BETTER THAN DRUGS-ONLY GROUP WITH RESPECT TO REDUCTION IN HDRS SCORES. SERUM BDNF ROSE IN THE TOTAL SAMPLE IN THE 3-MONTH PERIOD. THIS WAS NOT, HOWEVER, DIFFERENT ACROSS TREATMENT GROUPS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN FALL IN HDRS AND RISE IN SERUM BDNF LEVELS IN YOGA-ONLY GROUP (R=0.702; P=0.001), BUT NOT IN THOSE RECEIVING YOGA AND ANTIDEPRESSANTS OR ANTIDEPRESSANTS-ALONE. CONCLUSIONS: NEUROPLASTIC MECHANISMS MAY BE RELATED TO THE THERAPEUTIC MECHANISMS OF YOGA IN DEPRESSION. 2013 13 704 21 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA AND NATUROPATHY ON POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME: A CASE STUDY. OWING TO STRESS, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND CHANGES IN DIET PATTERN, THERE IS AN INCREASE IN THE SURGE OF LIFESTYLE AND METABOLIC DISORDERS. POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS) AFFECTS 8-13% OF REPRODUCTIVE-AGED WOMEN. PCOS IS CHARACTERISED BY MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITY, HYPERANDROGENISM AND POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN MORPHOLOGY (PCOM). THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS A THERAPY TO TACKLE THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT CAUSE OF AILMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PCOS IS TO BE DOCUMENTED. THIS IS THE CASE STUDY OF A FEMALE PATIENT AGE 25 YEARS, A DIAGNOSED CASE OF PCOS WAS REGISTERED AT THE AYURVEDA, YOGA, UNANI,SIDDHA,HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH), YOGA OPD, WITH COMPLAINTS OF IRREGULAR MENSTRUATION, TREATED SUCCESSFULLY BY YOGA AND NATUROPATHY (Y AND N), I.E., YOGA, DIET AND LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION. THIS IS EVIDENT FROM THE REDUCTION IN WEIGHT, REGULARISATION OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE ALONG WITH MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE OVARY AFTER A FOLLOW-UP OF 6 MONTHS. 2022 14 2010 40 SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA IMPROVES CARDIAC AUTONOMIC CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY-DEPRESSION DISORDERS. BACKGROUND: SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT ADJUVANT THERAPIES AS EXERCISE AND BREATHING TRAINING ARE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING CARDIAC AUTONOMIC CONTROL (CAC) IN PATIENTS WITH AFFECTIVE SPECTRUM DISORDERS. HOWEVER, THE EFFECTS OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN THIS POPULATION IS UNKNOWN. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT SKY TRAINING IMPROVES CAC AND CARDIORESPIRATORY COUPLING IN PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION DISORDERS. METHODS: FORTY-SIX PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION DISORDERS (DSM-IV) WERE CONSECUTIVELY ENROLLED AND DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS: 1) CONVENTIONAL THERAPY (CONTROL) AND 2) CONVENTIONAL THERAPY ASSOCIATED WITH SKY (TREATMENT) FOR 15 DAYS. ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION LEVELS WERE DETERMINED USING QUANTITATIVE QUESTIONNAIRES. FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CAC AND CARDIORESPIRATORY COUPLING, CARDIORESPIRATORY TRACES WERE ANALYZED USING MONOVARIATE AND BIVARIATE AUTOREGRESSIVE SPECTRAL ANALYSIS, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: AFTER 15-DAYS, WE OBSERVED A REDUCTION OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION LEVELS ONLY IN TREATMENT GROUP. MOREOVER, SYMPATHETIC MODULATION AND CAC WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER WHILE PARASYMPATHETIC MODULATION AND CARDIORESPIRATORY COUPLING WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE TREATMENT COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: INTENSIVE BREATHING TRAINING USING SKY APPROACH IMPROVES ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AS WELL AS CAC AND CARDIORESPIRATORY COUPLING. THESE FINDING SUGGEST THAT THE SKY TRAINING MAY BE A USEFUL NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE SYMPTOMS AND REDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY/DEPRESSION DISORDERS. 2017 15 418 45 BREATHING-FOCUSED YOGA AS AUGMENTATION FOR UNIPOLAR AND BIPOLAR DEPRESSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL: LE YOGA AXE SUR LA RESPIRATION COMME TRAITEMENT D'APPOINT POUR LA DEPRESSION UNIPOLAIRE ET BIPOLAIRE: UN ESSAI RANDOMISE CONTROLE. OBJECTIVE: PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS EVEN WITH OPTIMAL INTERVENTIONS. THESE PATIENTS OFTEN USE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS, INCLUDING YOGA, AS A PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE OR ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT. THERE IS EVIDENCE FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION, BUT THIS HAS NOT BEEN RIGOROUSLY EVALUATED, PARTICULARLY IN BIPOLAR DEPRESSION. WE AIMED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFIT OF MANUALIZED BREATHING-FOCUSED YOGA IN COMPARISON TO PSYCHOEDUCATION AS AUGMENTATION TO PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR IMPROVING RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN UNIPOLAR AND BIPOLAR PATIENTS. METHODS: USING A RANDOMIZED SINGLE-BLIND CROSSOVER DESIGN, 72 OUTPATIENTS WITH UNIPOLAR OR BIPOLAR DEPRESSION WERE AUGMENTED WITH THE TWO 8-WEEK INTERVENTIONS AT SEPARATE TIMES, AS ADD-ONS TO CURRENT FIRST-LINE ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND MOOD STABILIZERS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE MONTGOMERY-ASBERG DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (MADRS). DUE TO THE HIGH DROPOUT OF PARTICIPANTS AFTER CROSSOVER AT WEEK 8, ANALYSIS FOCUSED ON BETWEEN-GROUP COMPARISONS OF YOGA AND PSYCHOEDUCATION DURING THE INITIAL 8 WEEKS OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AS MEASURED BY THE MADRS, FOLLOWING 8 WEEKS OF YOGA. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN MADRS RATINGS BETWEEN INTERVENTION GROUPS. SIMILAR IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-RATED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND WELL-BEING WERE ALSO OBSERVED ACROSS TIME. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH YOGA AND PSYCHOEDUCATION MAY IMPROVE RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS OF UNIPOLAR AND BIPOLAR DEPRESSION AS ADD-ON TO MEDICATIONS. IN-CLASS GROUP SESSIONS AND LONG STUDY DURATIONS MAY REDUCE FEASIBILITY FOR THIS POPULATION. LARGER TRIALS WITH PARALLEL GROUP DESIGN AND SHORTER DURATION MAY BE MORE FEASIBLE. 2021 16 483 32 CLINICAL EFFICACY OF VAMANA KARMA WITH IKSHWAAKU BEEJA YOGA FOLLOWED BY SHATAPUSHPADI GHANAVATI IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ARTAVA KSHAYA W. S. R TO POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME. BACKGROUND: DUE TO SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND STRESS, THE INCIDENCE OF METABOLIC DISORDERS ARE INCREASING DAY BY DAY. AMONG THESE POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS) IS AN INTRICATE DISORDER AFFECTING 4%-8% WOMEN IN THEIR REPRODUCTIVE AGE AND RELATED TO OVARIAN DYSFUNCTION CHARACTERIZED BY OBESITY, OLIGOMENORRHEA, ANOVULATION AND HYPERANDROGENISM. IN MODERN SYSTEM OF MEDICINE, THE AVAILABLE ALLOPATHIC REGIMEN HAS ITS OWN LIMITATIONS, SO IT IS NEED OF TIME TO FIND A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR SUCH TYPE OF CONDITION. THE MOST COMMON SYMPTOM IN 85%-90% OF PCOS PATIENTS IS OLIGOMENORRHEA WHICH CAN BE CORRELATED TO ARTAVA KSHAYA (LOSS OF MENSTRUAL FLUID) IN AYURVEDA. HENCE, IN THE PRESENT CLINICAL STUDY, VAMANA KARMA (THERAPEUTIC VOMITING) WITH IKSHWAAKU SEED FORMULATION FOLLOWED BY SHATAPUSHPADI GHANAVATI WAS PLANNED. AIMS: TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF VAMANA KARMA (THERAPEUTIC VOMITING) FOLLOWED BY SHATAPUSHPADI GHANAVATI IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AARTAVA KSHAYA (LOSS OF MENSTRUAL FLUID) W. S. R TO PCOS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 15 PATIENTS OF PCOS WERE CLINICALLY DIAGNOSED AND TREATED BY VAMANA KARMA (THERAPEUTIC VOMITING) PROCEDURE WITH IKSHWAAKU SEED FORMULATION. AFTER COMPLETION OF VAMANA KARMA (THERAPEUTIC VOMITING) AND SAMSARJANA KRAMA, (POST THERAPY DIETARY REGIMEN FOR REVIVAL) SHATAPUSHPADI GHANAVATI 2 VATI (EACH 500 MG) TWICE IN A DAY WITH LUKEWARM WATER WAS GIVEN FOR 45 DAYS. AFTER COMPLETION OF 2-MONTH TRIAL, ASSESSMENT OF THERAPY WAS ESTIMATED BY SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE PARAMETERS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.0001) RESULTS WERE FOUND IN MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES, OBESITY, AND BODY MASS INDEX. THE SIGNIFICANT RESULT IN REDUCTION OF NONDOMINANT FOLLICLES (P = 0.01 AND 0.03 FOR RIGHT AND LEFT OVARY, RESPECTIVELY), LOWERING THE FASTING BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL (P = 0.02) AND HIRSUTISM (P = 0.03) WAS FOUND. CONCLUSION: VAMANA KARMA (THERAPEUTIC VOMITING) FOLLOWED BY SHATAPUSHPADI GHANAVATI IS VERY EFFECTIVE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF OBESE PCOS PATIENTS AND INCREASING CHANCES OF CONCEPTION. 2017 17 512 37 COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF SAPTAMRITA LAUHA AND YOGA THERAPY IN MYOPIA. BACKGROUND: MYOPIA IS VERY COMMON OPHTHALMIC DISEASE ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENCE. IN AYURVEDIC TEXTS, ONLY BY THE MAIN FEATURE IMPAIRMENT OF DISTANT VISION MYOPIA CAN BE CORRELATED WITH DRISHTIGATA ROGAS (2(ND) PATALGATA TIMIRA). AIM: TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF SAPTAMRUTA LAUHA AND YOGA THERAPY IN MYOPIA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN PRESENT STUDY, A TOTAL 60 PATIENTS WITH AGE GROUP BETWEEN 8 TO 30 YEARS WERE SELECTED RANDOMLY FROM THE OUT-PATIENT DEPARTMENT OF SWASTHAVRITTA AND SHALAKYATANTRA DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT AYURVEDA COLLEGE, TRIVANDRUM, AND WERE DIVIDED IN TWO GROUPS. IN GROUP A, SAPTAMRITA LAUHA 250 MG TWICE DAILY WITH UNEQUAL QUANTITY OF HONEY AND GHRITA WAS ADMINISTERED WHILE IN GROUP B, PATIENTS SUBJECTED TO YOGA THERAPY (JALA NETI, NADI SHODHANA, SHITALI PRANAYAMA AND POINT TRATAK) FOR 3 MONTHS DURATION WITH 1 MONTH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: THE RESULT OBTAINED FROM THE STUDY REVEALS THAT THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE VISUAL ACUITY AND CLINICAL REFRACTION, BUT ASSOCIATED CHANGES WERE OBSERVED AS REDUCED IN GROUP B WHEN COMPARED TO GROUP A. HOWEVER, RELIEF FROM HEADACHE WAS FOUND TO BE EQUALLY EFFECTIVE IN BOTH THE GROUPS. 2014 18 426 22 CAN YOGA BE USED TO TREAT GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE? YOGA METHODS INCLUDING PRANAYAMA ARE THE BEST WAYS TO PREVENT MANY DISEASES AND THEIR PROGRESSION. EVEN THOUGH, YOGA IS WIDELY PRACTICED, ITS EFFECTS ON CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED OR REPORTED. GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE (GERD) IS ONE OF THEM. GERD IS EXTREMELY COMMON CONDITION REQUIRING FREQUENT CONSUMPTION OF OVER-THE-COUNTER OR PRESCRIBED PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS (PPI). IN SEVERE SYMPTOMS OF GERD AND IN THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE ETIOLOGIES, PPIS ARE INSUFFICIENT TO RELIEVE THE SYMPTOMS OF GASTRIC REFLUX. REGULAR AND PROPER USE OF THE YOGA ALONG WITH PPI CAN CONTROL THE SEVERE SYMPTOMS OF GERD AND CAN AVOID OR DELAY THE NECESSITY OF INVASIVE PROCEDURES. THIS EVIDENCE-BASED CASE REPORT FOCUSES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON GERD. OUR CASE REPORT SHOWED THAT REGULAR PRACTICE OF KAPALBHATI AND AGNISAR KRIYA ALONG WITH PPI, PATIENTS WITH HIATAL HERNIA HAD IMPROVEMENT IN SEVERE SYMPTOMS OF GERD, WHICH WERE INITIALLY REFRACTORY TO PPI ALONE. 2013 19 45 38 A CLINICAL STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF TRATAKA YOGA KRIYA AND EYE EXERCISES (NON-PHARMOCOLOGICAL METHODS) IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TIMIRA (AMMETROPIA AND PRESBYOPIA). TIMIRA IS A DISEASE THAT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO WIDE RANGE OF CLINICAL CONDITIONS STARTING FROM MILD BLURRING OF VISION AND HAVING POTENTIAL RISK OF PERMANENT VISION LOSS. ACCORDING TO THE INVOLVEMENT OF DHATUS (BODY ELEMENTS) THE CONDITION CAN BE GROUPED INTO TWO STAGES. THE INITIAL STAGE OR UTTANA, WHERE THE INVOLVEMENT OF DHATUS IS LIMITED TO RASA, RAKTA (BLOOD), AND MAMSA DHATU (MUSCLE TISSUE). WHEN THE DOSHAS ARE LOCALIZED IN THE FIRST AND SECOND PATALA REFRACTIVE ERROR DO HAPPEN AND IN PRESBYOPIA MORE EMPHASIS IS GIVEN TO MAMSA DHATU. IN THIS STUDY ONLY UTTANA STAGE OF TIMIRA WAS CONSIDERED. THE CLINICAL STUDY WAS DONE ON 66 PATIENTS OF TIMIRA IN TWO GROUPS OF FOUR SUB GROUPS EACH OF MYOPIA, HYPERMETROPIA, ASTIGMATISM, AND PRESBYOPIA. GROUP A WAS SUBJECTED TO EYE EXERCISES (BATES METHOD) AND GROUP B WAS SUBJECTED TO TRATAKA YOGA KRIYA. AFTER THE ENROLMENT OF PATIENTS FOR THIS STUDY, SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS WERE ASSESSED BOTH SUBJECTIVELY AND OBJECTIVELY BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER TREATMENT. THE STUDY INDICATES THAT SUBJECTIVELY THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT RESULTS IN BOTH THE GROUPS BUT OBJECTIVELY THERE IS NOT MUCH IMPROVEMENT. 2012 20 2041 42 THALAMIC GAMMA AMINOBUTYRIC ACID LEVEL CHANGES IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AFTER A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE IF A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (YI) WAS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED GAMMA AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA) LEVELS AND DECREASED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN PARTICIPANTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD). METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A HIGH-DOSE GROUP (HDG) OF THREE YIS A WEEK AND A LOW-DOSE GROUP (LDG) OF TWO YIS A WEEK. THALAMIC GABA LEVELS WERE OBTAINED USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY AT SCAN-1 BEFORE RANDOMIZATION. AFTER THE ASSIGNED 12-WEEK INTERVENTION, SCAN-2 WAS OBTAINED, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A YI AND SCAN-3. BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY II (BDI-II) SCORES WERE OBTAINED BEFORE SCAN-1 AND SCAN-3. SETTINGS/LOCATION: SCREENINGS AND INTERVENTIONS OCCURRED AT THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. IMAGING OCCURRED AT MCLEAN HOSPITAL. SUBJECTS: SUBJECTS MET CRITERIA FOR MDD. INTERVENTION: NINETY MINUTES OF IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING AT FIVE BREATHS PER MINUTE PLUS HOMEWORK. OUTCOME MEASURES: GABA LEVELS AND THE BDI-II. RESULTS: BDI-II SCORES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH GROUPS. GABA LEVELS FROM SCAN-1 TO SCAN-3 AND FROM SCAN-2 TO SCAN-3 WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE LDG (N = 15) AND SHOWED A TREND IN THE TOTAL COHORT. POST HOC, PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS BASED ON HAVING AN INCREASE IN GABA LEVELS AT SCAN-2. INCREASES IN SCAN-2 GABA LEVELS WERE OBSERVED IN PARTICIPANTS WHOSE MEAN TIME BETWEEN THEIR LAST YI AND SCAN-2 WAS 3.93 +/- 2.92 STANDARD DEVIATION (SD) DAYS, BUT NOT IN THOSE WHOSE MEAN TIME BETWEEN THEIR LAST YI AND SCAN-2 WAS 7.83 +/- 6.88 SD. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY TENTATIVELY SUPPORTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ONE OF THE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH YOGA IMPROVES MOOD IS BY INCREASING THE ACTIVITY OF THE GABA SYSTEM. THE OBSERVED INCREASE IN GABA LEVELS FOLLOWING A YI THAT WAS NO LONGER OBSERVED 8 DAYS AFTER A YI SUGGESTS THAT THE ASSOCIATED INCREASE IN GABA AFTER A YI IS TIME LIMITED SUCH THAT AT LEAST ONE YI A WEEK MAY BE NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN THE ELEVATED GABA LEVELS. 2020