1 2514 141 YOGA CAN IMPROVE ASSISTED REPRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OUTCOMES IN COUPLES WITH INFERTILITY. CONTEXT: DEPENDING ON THE CAUSE OF THE INFERTILITY, NONSURGICAL OR SURGICAL TREATMENTS MAY BE USED TO TREAT MEN AND WOMEN WITH INFERTILITY. DESPITE IMPROVED OUTCOMES DUE TO MEDICAL ADVANCES, ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART) FOR COUPLES WITH INFERTILITY IS SOMETIMES UNSUCCESSFUL. SUCCESS MAY BE AFFECTED BY THE PATIENT'S SOCIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND PHYSICAL STATUS. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-INCLUDING ASANAS (YOGA POSES), PRANAYAMA (PROPER BREATHING), SHAVASANA, AND MEDITATION-ON MALE AND FEMALE FERTILITY AND ART OUTCOMES. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH TEAM PERFORMED A LITERATURE REVIEW, ELECTRONICALLY SEARCHING FOR ARTICLES PUBLISHED BETWEEN JANUARY 1978 AND JANUARY 2016 IN THE PUBMED, SCOPUS, SCIENCEDIRECT, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR DATABASES. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE AT THE REPRODUCTIVE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER AT THE AVICENNA RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT THE ACADEMIC CENTER FOR EDUCATION, CULTURE, AND RESEARCH (TEHRAN, IRAN). PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE COUPLES WITH INFERTILITY TAKING PART IN 87 REVIEWED STUDIES. INTERVENTION: YOGA WAS THE INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE OUTCOME MEASURES COMPRISED FERTILITY FACTORS IN MALES AND FEMALES, FERTILITY RATE, AND ART SUCCESS RATE. RESULTS: THE REVIEWED STUDIES SHOWED THAT YOGA CAN PROVIDE STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH INFERTILITY, WITH BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON FERTILITY, HELPING COUPLES GIVE BIRTH. THEY FOUND THAT YOGA ALSO COULD REDUCE PAIN; DECREASE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS; REDUCE THE RATE OF ASSISTED VAGINAL DELIVERY; AND IMPROVE FETAL OUTCOMES. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA CAN HELP COUPLES OVERCOME INFERTILITY AND INCREASE THE ART SUCCESS RATE BY IMPROVING THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES OF BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. 2018 2 2884 20 YOGA: AN ADJUNCT TO INFERTILITY TREATMENT. YOGA AND MEDITATION CAN HELP WOMEN EXPERIENCING THE CHALLENGES OF INFERTILITY. THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION AND RELAXATION CAN HELP INCREASE THE CLARITY OF THE MIND, MAINTAIN HEALTHY BODY CHEMISTRY, AND GIVE PATIENTS THE PATIENCE TO UNDERGO THE RIGORS OF INFERTILITY TREATMENTS. WHEN ONE UNDERSTANDS AND CAN ATTAIN PHYSICAL RELAXATION, ONE TENDS TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE BODY ITSELF, AND BEGINS TO TREAT THE BODY WITH MORE RESPECT. THIS UNDERSTANDING CAN LEAD TO HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE HABITS AS WELL AS INCREASED SENSITIVITY REGARDING SYMPTOMS AND BODY PROCESSES. THIS IS BENEFICIAL TO BOTH DOCTOR AND PATIENT AS THE PATIENT CAN REPORT WITH MORE CLARITY AND SENSE CYCLES AND PHYSICAL ISSUES MORE READILY. 2003 3 1569 26 MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND YOGA. NOW-A-DAYS REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROBLEMS ALONG WITH INFERTILITY IN MALE IS VERY OFTEN OBSERVED. VARIOUS ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT COMMON PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD THE COST OF SUCH PROCEDURES. VARIOUS AYURVEDIC AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES, ALONG WITH REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE ARE PROVEN TO BE NOT ONLY EFFECTIVE TO ENHANCE THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN MEN TO PRODUCE A SUCCESSFUL PREGNANCY, BUT ALSO TO REGULATE SEXUAL DESIRE IN MEN WHO PRACTICE CELIBACY. YOGA IS REPORTED TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY, IMPROVE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS BY TRIGGERING NEUROHORMONAL MECHANISMS BY THE SUPPRESSION OF SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY, AND EVEN, TODAY, SEVERAL REPORTS SUGGESTED REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE FROM CHILDHOOD IS BENEFICIAL FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. IN THIS REGARD THE PRESENT REVIEW IS AIMED TO PROVIDE ALL THE NECESSARY INFORMATION REGARDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA PRACTICE TO HAVE A BETTER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND TO PREVENT INFERTILITY. 2013 4 1989 25 SPERM METHYLOME ALTERATIONS FOLLOWING YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS OF PRIMARY MALE INFERTILITY: A PILOT STUDY. A MAJORITY OF THE CASES OF PRIMARY MALE INFERTILITY ARE IDIOPATHIC WITH THE UNDERLYING MOLECULAR MECHANISMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AS YET UNKNOWN. EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT CAN ALTER THE SPERM EPIGENOME THEREBY IMPACTING MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTANDING HEALTH AND DISEASE, AND METHYLOME ALTERATIONS ARE NOW KNOWN TO HAVE FAR-REACHING CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS. HERE, WE REPORT THE RESULTS FROM OUR PILOT STUDY, A FIRST OF ITS KIND ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA ON HUMAN SPERM QUALITY. WE FIND MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN SPERM CHARACTERISTICS IN PATIENTS OF IDIOPATHIC MALE INFERTILITY FOLLOWING A SUPERVISED 21-DAY YOGA REGIMEN. FURTHERMORE, NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING-BASED METHYLOME ANALYSIS REVEALS ALTERATIONS IN THE SPERM EPIGENOME OF THESE PATIENTS. WE FIND THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH DNA METHYLATION CHANGES AT NEARLY 400 GENES, 147 OF WHICH WERE HYPERMETHYLATED WHILE 229 WERE HYPOMETHYLATED. THESE INCLUDED PROMOTERS OF SEVERAL GENES LINKED TO MAINTENANCE OF FERTILITY AND GENOMIC INTEGRITY. THIS NOVEL PIECE OF WORK DRAWS A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN POSITIVE LIFESTYLE PRACTICES AND MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. 2020 5 842 45 EFFECT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG WOMEN RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR INFERTILITY. BACKGROUND: INFERTILITY AMONG WOMEN HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. YOGA THERAPY HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE USEFUL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. AIM: TO REVIEW STUDIES ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN REDUCING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND IMPROVING CLINICAL OUTCOMES AMONG WOMEN RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR INFERTILITY. METHODOLOGY: PUBMED, SCIENCEDIRECT, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR STUDIES USING THE FOLLOWING INCLUSION CRITERIA: STUDIES PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH, THOSE PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2000 AND 2018, PUBLISHED IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS, AND THOSE WITH YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION. REVIEW ARTICLES, STUDIES WITHOUT ANY YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR INFERTILITY, AND MALE INFERTILITY WERE EXCLUDED. THE KEYWORDS INCLUDED FOR THE LITERATURE SEARCH WERE: YOGA, MINDFULNESS, RELAXATION TECHNIQUE, STRESS, DISTRESS, ANXIETY, INFERTILITY, IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF), AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART). RESULTS: THREE STUDIES SATISFIED THE SELECTION CRITERIA. TWO STUDIES INVOLVED HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION AND ONE STUDY USED STRUCTURED YOGA PROGRAM. THE VARIABLES ASSESSED IN THESE STUDIES WERE: (1) ANXIETY, (2) DEPRESSION, (3) EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, AND (4) FERTILITY-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. ALL THE STUDIES REPORTED AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE ANXIETY SCORES AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY MAY BE POTENTIALLY USEFUL IN IMPROVING ANXIETY SCORES AMONG WOMEN SUFFERING FROM INFERTILITY. MORE STUDIES ARE NEEDED IN THIS AREA TO ESTABLISH ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT DURING THE TREATMENT OF INFERTILITY. 2020 6 2111 34 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS LEVEL IN INFERTILE WOMEN. PURPOSE: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF PLANNED YOGA PRACTICES ON STRESS LEVELS IN INFERTILE WOMEN. DESIGN AND METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY INCLUDED 128 VOLUNTEER WOMEN WHO WERE REGISTERED AT A PRIVATE IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) CLINIC AND RECEIVED INFERTILITY TREATMENT. THE PATIENTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP TOOK PART IN THE YOGA PROGRAM TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. A PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM AND THE COPENHAGEN MULTI-CENTER PSYCHOSOCIAL INFERTILITY (COMPI) FERTILITY PROBLEM STRESS SCALE WERE USED TO COLLECT DATA. FINDINGS: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MEAN SCORES OF THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS ON THE COMPI FERTILITY PROBLEM STRESS SCALE AT PRE- AND POSTTESTS WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: BECAUSE YOGA PRACTICES MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STRESS IN INFERTILE WOMEN, THESE APPLICATIONS CAN BE PERFORMED BEFORE TREATMENT. IT MAY REDUCE PATIENTS' STRESS AND INCREASE THE SUCCESS OF THE TREATMENT. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA COULD REDUCE STRESS LEVELS IN INFERTILE WOMEN. 2019 7 840 42 EFFECT OF YOGA ON POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS) IS NOT A DISEASE BUT A MERE SYNDROME. MANY RESEARCHERS HAVE STUDIED POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME AND FOUND THAT THERE IS NO PROPER CAUSE OF THAT, IT MAY OCCUR DUE TO HORMONAL IMBALANCE OR STRESS, OR DUE TO A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE. THE RATE OF POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME IN INDIAN WOMEN HAS BEEN INCREASING RAPIDLY. THE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE ACNE, WEIGHT GAIN, HIRSUTISM, DIFFICULTIES IN FERTILITY, IRREGULAR OR INFREQUENT PERIODS, IMMATURE OVARIAN EGGS THAT DO NOT OVULATE, MULTIPLE CYSTS IN THE OVARY. IF LEFT UNTREATED, IT MAY BECOME THE CAUSE FOR HEART DISEASES, DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, INFERTILITY, AND EVEN CANCER. THERE ARE VARIETIES OF MEDICAL TREATMENTS AVAILABLE TO TREAT POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME BUT THEY HAVE A TEMPORARY EFFECT AND IF TAKEN FOR A LONG TIME THEN IT MAY LEAD TO SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS. YOGA HAS PROVEN EFFECTS IN REDUCING AND MANAGING THE SYMPTOMS OF POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME MORE EFFECTIVELY ALONG WITH MEDICINE. THIS REVIEW WORK HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO CONSIDER THE AVAILABLE LITERATURE CONCERNING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME. IT INCLUDES SOME RESEARCH PAPERS PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2012 AND 2019. BY PROVIDING YOGIC TREATMENT EFFECT ON SEVERAL PARAMETERS (SUCH AS BLOOD LIPID LEVEL, GLUCOSE METABOLISM, ENDOCRINE PARAMETERS, QUALITY OF LIFE, RESTING CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS, LEVEL OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION) ON THE WOMAN WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME WERE MEASURED. AFTER THOROUGHLY STUDYING ABOUT 74 RESEARCH PAPERS, 16 ARE FOUND MOST RELEVANT TO BE REVIEWED. THE STUDIES OF THESE PAPERS CONCLUDED THE SUCCESSFUL USE OF DIFFERENT YOGIC LIMBS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME WITH OR WITHOUT MEDICATIONS. 2021 8 1152 31 ENHANCING PROBLEM- AND EMOTION-FOCUSED COPING IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN THROUGH YOGA. IN VARYING DEGREES, ALL WOMEN EXPERIENCE MENOPAUSE, THE CONDITION OF INFERTILITY DUE TO ALTERED REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES. THE MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION INCLUDES THREE PHASES-PERIMENOPAUSE, MENOPAUSE, AND POSTMENOPAUSE-EACH ASSOCIATED WITH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS THAT CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT WOMEN'S SUCCESSFUL FUNCTIONING IN EVERYDAY LIFE. IN ADDITION TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPIES INTENDED TO DECREASE THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF SYMPTOMS, MENOPAUSAL WOMEN ARE IN NEED OF COPING MECHANISMS TO ASSIST IN MANAGING SYMPTOMS AS THEY OCCUR. USING A DEDUCTIVE APPROACH, A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF 12 INDIVIDUALS' QUALITATIVE JOURNAL ENTRIES AND SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS OBTAINED FROM A MIXED-METHODS EMBEDDED RESEARCH STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER DATA EXIST TO SUPPORT YOGA AS A MEANS FOR COPING AS PRESENTED BY LAZARUS AND FOLKMAN'S TRANSACTIONAL THEORY OF STRESS AND COPING AND BY IWASAKI AND MANNELL'S LEISURE STRESS COPING CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK. RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR SERVING AS A COPING MECHANISM FOR WOMEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 40 AND 65 WHO ARE EXPERIENCING MENOPAUSE AND WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH AND/OR ENHANCE THEIR ABILITY TO MANAGE LIFE'S STRESSORS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, FINDINGS DISCUSSED IN THIS ARTICLE ADVOCATE YOGA AS BEING A LEISURE ACTIVITY IN WHICH PROBLEM- AND EMOTION-FOCUSED COPING STRATEGIES CAN DEVELOP, INCLUDING MECHANISMS NECESSARY FOR PALLIATIVE COPING, MOOD ENHANCEMENT, AND SOCIAL COMPANIONSHIP. TO THE AUTHORS' KNOWLEDGE, DATA REPORTED IN THIS MANUSCRIPT ARE THE FIRST TO SUPPORT THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF CROWE, VAN PUYMBROECK, AND SCHMID, AIMED AT EXPLAINING YOGA AS A VIABLE LEISURE COPING STRATEGY. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH FOCUSED ON THE PSYCHOSOCIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA, INCLUDING YOGA AS COPING, IS RECOMMENDED. 2019 9 141 33 A PROSPECTIVE STUDY USING HATHA YOGA FOR STRESS REDUCTION AMONG WOMEN WAITING FOR IVF TREATMENT. YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE IN TREATING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, REDUCING STRESS AND IMPROVING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. MINIMAL RESEARCH IS AVAILABLE ON THE EFFECT OF STRESS-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES WITH IVF PATIENTS. OWING TO THE DIVERSITY OF CONDITIONS TREATED, THE POOR QUALITY OF MOST STUDIES, AND THE DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT TOOLS USED TO EVALUATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE, IT IS DIFFICULT TO DRAW DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE USED DIFFERENT MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS AND GENERAL MEASURES OF STRESS WITHOUT EVALUATION OF SPECIFIC STRESSES KNOWN TO RESULT FROM INFERTILITY AND ITS TREATMENT USING STANDARDIZED MEASURES. IN THIS SINGLE-CENTRE STUDY, 49 INFERTILE WOMEN WERE RECRUITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A 6-WEEK YOGA CLASS DURING 2013 WHILE AWAITING THEIR IVF TREATMENT. STUDY PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING FERTILITY-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (FERTIQOL), MARITAL HARMONY (DYADIC ADJUSTMENT SCALE [DAS]), STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY (STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY [STAI]) AND DEPRESSION (BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY [BDI]) BEFORE COMMENCING AND AFTER COMPLETING THE YOGA WORKSHOPS. ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND FERTILITY-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE SHOWED IMPROVEMENT OVER TIME IN ASSOCIATION WITH PARTICIPATION IN A 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAMME IN WOMEN AWAITING THEIR TREATMENT WITH IVF. 2015 10 1311 24 HEALTH IMPACTS OF YOGA AND PRANAYAMA: A STATE-OF-THE-ART REVIEW. THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO YOGA ORIGINATED IN INDIA, AND IN PRESENT DAY AND AGE, AN ALARMING AWARENESS WAS OBSERVED IN HEALTH AND NATURAL REMEDIES AMONG PEOPLE BY YOGA AND PRANAYAMA WHICH HAS BEEN PROVEN AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR IMPROVING HEALTH IN ADDITION TO PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF DISEASES. WITH INCREASING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN YOGA, ITS THERAPEUTIC ASPECTS ARE ALSO BEING EXPLORED. YOGA IS REPORTED TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY, IMPROVES AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS BY TRIGGERING NEUROHORMONAL MECHANISMS BY THE SUPPRESSION OF SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY, AND EVEN, NOW-A-DAYS, SEVERAL REPORTS SUGGESTED YOGA IS BENEFICIAL FOR PHYSICAL HEALTH OF CANCER PATIENTS. SUCH GLOBAL RECOGNITION OF YOGA ALSO TESTIFIES TO INDIA'S GROWING CULTURAL INFLUENCE. 2012 11 61 43 A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF YOGA RESEARCH IN 2020. OBJECTIVES: ACCUMULATED EVIDENCE GARNERED IN THE LAST FEW DECADES HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE ROLE OF YOGA IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. THE OVERWHELMING MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY MEDIATED BY NONCOMMUNICABLE EPIDEMICS SUCH AS HEART DISEASE AND CANCER HAVE FOSTERED A SEARCH FOR MECHANISMS TO ATTENUATE THEM. DESPITE OVERWHELMING SUCCESS IN ACUTE CARE, THE EFFICACY OF MODERN MEDICINES HAS BEEN LIMITED ON THIS FRONT. YOGA IS ONE OF THE INTEGRATIVE THERAPIES THAT HAS COME TO LIGHT AS HAVING A SUBSTANTIAL ROLE IN PREVENTING AND MITIGATING SUCH DISORDERS. IT THUS SEEMS TRITE TO ANALYZE AND DISCUSS THE RESEARCH ADVANCEMENTS IN YOGA FOR 2020. THE PRESENT REVIEW ATTEMPTS TO DISTILL RECENT RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM VOLUMINOUS LITERATURE GENERATED IN 2020. METHODS: THIS REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED ON THE ARTICLES PUBLISHED OR ASSIGNED TO AN ISSUE IN 2020. THE AUTHORS SEARCHED THE PUBMED DATABASE FOR CLINICAL STUDIES PUBLISHED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, USING YOGA (INCLUDING MEDITATION) AS THE INTERVENTION, AND HAVING AN ADEQUATE DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERVENTION. THEN, THEY EXTRACTED DATA FROM EACH STUDY INTO A STANDARDIZED GOOGLE SHEET. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 1149 CITATIONS WERE RETRIEVED IN THE INITIAL SEARCH. OF THESE, 46 STUDIES MET ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND WERE FINALLY INCLUDED. THE STUDIES WERE PREDOMINANTLY ON MENTAL HEALTH AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, ADDRESSING VARIOUS ISSUES SUCH AS ANXIETY, POSTURAL BALANCE, MIGRAINE, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, AND CHILDHOOD NEGLECT. ANXIETY, STRESS, AND DEPRESSION WERE OTHER COMMON DENOMINATORS. EIGHT STUDIES WERE ON CARDIORESPIRATORY SYSTEMS, INCLUDING EXERCISE CAPACITY, CARDIAC REHABILITATION, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, AND HYPERTENSION. THREE STUDIES WERE ON DIABETES, EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA. FIVE STUDIES FOCUSED ON COGNITION, HEALTH STATUS, AND AUTONOMIC REGULATION AND FEW OTHERS INCLUDED CANCERS, INFERTILITY, ULCERATIVE COLITIS, URINARY INCONTINENCE, RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, CHRONIC PAIN, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. FINALLY, MOST STUDIES WERE ON NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES WITH ONE EXCEPTION, HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS; TWO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE DEDICATED TO IT. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA HAS BEEN STUDIED UNDER A WIDE VARIETY OF CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN THE YEAR 2020. THIS LANDSCAPE REVIEW INTENDS TO PROVIDE AN IDEA OF THE ROLE OF YOGA IN VARIOUS CLINICAL CONDITIONS AND ITS FUTURE THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS. 2022 12 1639 22 MODULATION OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN STRESS BY YOGA. STRESS IS A CONSTANT FACTOR IN TODAY'S FASTPACED LIFE THAT CAN JEOPARDIZE OUR HEALTH IF LEFT UNCHECKED. IT IS ONLY IN THE LAST HALF CENTURY THAT THE ROLE OF STRESS IN EVERY AILMENT FROM THE COMMON COLD TO AIDS HAS BEEN EMPHASIZED, AND THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS HAVE BEEN STUDIED. STRESS INFLUENCES THE IMMUNE RESPONSE PRESUMABLY THROUGH THE ACTIVATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS, HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY-GONADAL AXIS, AND THE SYMPATHETIC-ADRENAL-MEDULLARY SYSTEM. VARIOUS NEUROTRANSMITTERS, NEUROPEPTIDES, HORMONES, AND CYTOKINES MEDIATE THESE COMPLEX BIDIRECTIONAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSES RESULT IN ALTERATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF IMMUNE CELLS AND CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION. VARIOUS STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES SUCH AS MEDITATION, YOGA, HYPNOSIS, AND MUSCLE RELAXATION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF STRESS IN CANCERS AND HIV INFECTION. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO DISCUSS THE EFFECT OF STRESS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND EXAMINE HOW RELAXATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS YOGA AND MEDITATION COULD REGULATE THE CYTOKINE LEVELS AND HENCE, THE IMMUNE RESPONSES DURING STRESS. 2008 13 1308 25 HATHA-YOGA AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUVANT FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING IVF: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF HATHA-YOGA (HY) PRACTICE ON DISTRESS OF WOMEN BEFORE STARTING THEIR FIRST IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) CYCLE. STUDY DESIGN: WE OFFERED 143 CONSECUTIVE WOMEN WITH COUPLE INFERTILITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND A FREE HY COURSE LASTING 3 MONTHS AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT BEFORE STARTING THEIR FIRST IVF CYCLE. ALL WOMEN WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE THE STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY-Y1 (STAY-Y1), EDINBURGH DEPRESSION SCALE (EDS) AND GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE-12 (GHQ-12) AT BASELINE (T1) AND AFTER 3 MONTHS (T2), TO EVALUATE SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND DISTRESS, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: OF THE 143 WOMEN, 120 COMPLETED ALL THREE QUESTIONNAIRES. OF THESE, 45 ATTENDED THE HY COURSE AND 75 DID NOT. AT T1, EDS AND GHQ-12 SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE HY GROUP THAN IN THE NON-HY GROUP. THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES IN STAI-Y1 SCORES. AT T2 THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES. WHEN, IN EACH GROUP, THE SCORE OF EACH QUESTIONNAIRE AT T1 WAS COMPARED TO THE SCORE AT T2, A SIGNIFICANT T1 TO T2 REDUCTION WAS OBSERVED IN THE HY GROUP (P<0.0001 FOR STAY-Y1 AND GHQ-12, P<0.001 FOR EDS). CONCLUSIONS: OUR DATA SUGGEST THAT WOMEN WHO ARE MORE DISTRESSED ARE MORE LIKELY TO ACCEPT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT BEFORE STARTING AN IVF CYCLE AND THAT IN THESE WOMEN HY PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH DISTRESS REDUCTION. 2014 14 2420 22 YOGA AND MENTAL HEALTH: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN ANCIENT WISDOM AND MODERN PSYCHOLOGY. BACKGROUND: MANY YOGA TEXTS MAKE REFERENCE TO THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND THE USE OF SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES IN THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDERS. DIFFERENT CONCEPTS UTILIZED IN MODERN PSYCHOLOGY MAY NOT COME WITH CONTEMPORARY IDEAS, INSTEAD, THEY SEEM TO SHARE A COMMON ROOT WITH ANCIENT WISDOM. AIMS: THE GOAL OF THIS PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE IS TO CORRELATE MODERN TECHNIQUES USED IN PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY WITH YOGIC PRACTICES, IN THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE CURRENT ARTICLE PRESENTED A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE YOGIC APPROACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISORDER AND CONCEPTS USED IN MODERN PSYCHOLOGY, SUCH AS META-COGNITION, DISIDENTIFICATION, DECONDITIONING AND INTEROCEPTIVE EXPOSURE. CONCLUSIONS: CONTEMPLATIVE RESEARCH FOUND OUT THAT MODERN INTERVENTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGY MIGHT NOT COME FROM MODERN CONCEPTS AFTER ALL, BUT SHARE GREAT SIMILARITY WITH ANCIENT YOGIC KNOWLEDGE, GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTEGRATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WISDOM OF BOTH EAST AND WEST. 2016 15 2261 26 THE PRECEDENCE AND VIABILITY OF YOGA IN THE LIVES OF D3-DENTAL STUDENTS, DENTAL PRACTITIONERS, AND DENTAL PATIENTS. DENTISTRY AS A PROFESSION IS QUITE DEMANDING AND CHALLENGING AND IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS LIKE MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AND STRESS-RELATED PROBLEMS. THE PRACTICE OF YOGA HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE EFFICACIOUS IN MANAGEMENT OF QUITE A LOT OF STRESS AND LIFESTYLE DISORDERS. IT STRENGTHENS ONE PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, AND EMOTIONALLY. MOREOVER, YOGA CAN ALSO BE USED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DENTAL PATIENTS FOR STRESS-RELATED ORAL CONDITIONS LIKE LICHEN PLANUS, BURNING MOUTH SYNDROME, APHTHOUS ULCERS, ETC., YOGA HAS ALSO BEEN FOUND TO HAVE ANTIINFLAMMATORY, ANTIANXIETY EFFECT, AND ALSO A LOT OF OTHER BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. THIS REVIEW EMPHASIZES ON THE RELEVANCE OF YOGA IN THE DENTAL PROFESSION, FROM THE PRACTITIONERS, STUDENTS, AND PATIENTS VIEWPOINT. DATA PERTAINING TO THE SUBJECT WAS OBTAINED AFTER A THOROUGH SEARCH OF THE PUBMED LITERATURE AND GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE. 2019 16 1506 20 IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: YOGA AS REMEDIAL THERAPY. IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) IS A GROUP OF SYMPTOMS MANIFESTING AS A FUNCTIONAL GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) DISORDER IN WHICH PATIENTS EXPERIENCE ABDOMINAL PAIN, DISCOMFORT, AND BLOATING THAT IS OFTEN RELIEVED WITH DEFECATION. IBS IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH A HOST OF SECONDARY COMORBIDITIES SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, HEADACHES, AND FATIGUE. IN THIS REVIEW, WE EXAMINED THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PANCHA KOSHA (FIVE SHEATHS OF HUMAN EXISTENCE) CONCEPT FROM AN INDIAN SCRIPTURE TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD AND THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF A DISEASE FROM THE YOGA APPROACH, YOGA VASISTHA'S ADHI (ORIGINATED FROM MIND) AND VYADHI (AILMENT/DISEASE) CONCEPT. AN ANALOGY BETWEEN THE AGE OLD, THE MOST PROFOUND CONCEPT OF ADHI-VYADHI, AND MODERN SCIENTIFIC STRESS-INDUCED DYSREGULATION OF BRAIN-GUT AXIS, AS IT RELATES TO IBS THAT COULD PAVE WAY FOR IMPACTING IBS, IS EMPHASIZED. BASED ON THESE PERSPECTIVES, A PLAUSIBLE YOGA MODULE AS A REMEDIAL THERAPY IS PROVIDED TO BETTER MANAGE THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SYMPTOMS OF IBS. 2015 17 82 29 A MECHANISTIC MODEL FOR YOGA AS A PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC MODALITY. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT INDIAN TECHNIQUE OF HEALTHY LIVING. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE CORROBORATED YOGA'S BENEFICIAL EFFECTS, INCLUDING A FAVORABLE INFLUENCE ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTION AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH IN THE LAST FEW DECADES HAS REVEALED THE CRITICAL ROLE THAT YOGA CAN PLAY IN ERADICATING STRESS. THIS HAS LAID TO THE FOUNDATION FOR A SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES ATTRIBUTED TO STRESS, PARTICULARLY AT THE MOLECULAR AND GENETIC LEVELS. THIS PRIMARILY HAS HELPED UNDERSTAND THE EPIGENETIC AND GENETIC MECHANISM AT PLAY TO INDUCE AND ALLEVIATE STRESS, PARTICULARLY THOSE RELATED TO EMOTIONAL ABERRATIONS. AS RESEARCH HAS INDICATED, NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ARE TRANSLATED INTO VASCULAR INFLAMMATION APPROPRIATELY ACCENTUATED BY A SYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANT AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. THIS CASCADE IS BOLSTERED BY MULTIPLE FACTORS, INCLUDING ACTIVATION OF "STRESSOR" GENES AND ELABORATING HORMONES, INCLUDING STEROIDS WITH SOMETIMES NOCUOUS CONSEQUENCES, PARTICULARLY WHEN CHRONIC. YOGA HAS BEEN CATEGORICALLY FOUND TO HAVE INHIBITED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE BANEFUL EFFECTS OF STRESS. IN FACT, IT ALSO CHANGES THE NEURONAL CIRCUITS THAT POTENTIATE SUCH A PLETHORA OF PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES. THIS, IN TURN, HAS ACCENTUATED YOGA'S RELEVANCE AS A POWERFUL PREVENTIVE INTERVENTION IN NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCD). NCDS, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND RHEUMATOLOGICAL DISORDERS, ARE ESSENTIALLY INFLAMMATORY DISEASES THAT PERPETUATE INFLAMMATION IN DIFFERENT BEDS LIKE VASCULAR OR JOINT SPACES. THE PRECISE MECHANISM BY WHICH YOGA INDUCES SUCH BENEFICIAL CHANGES IS YET TO BE DELINEATED. HOWEVER, A CORNUCOPIA OF POINTERS INDICATES THAT NEURAL, ENDOCRINE, IMMUNOLOGICAL, CELLULAR, GENETIC, AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE AT PLAY. THIS ARTICLE ATTEMPTS TO COBBLE TOGETHER NEWFANGLED RESEARCH TO DELINEATE A MEDICAL MODEL FOR THIS 5000-YEAR-OLD PRACTICE FROM INDIA. THIS IS IMPERATIVE, AS A MECHANISTIC MODEL OF THIS ANCIENT-BUT-COMPLEX SYSTEM WOULD ENABLE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF ITS MECHANISM AND REVEAL ITS YET-UNDISCOVERED POSITIVE HEALTH EFFECTS. 2021 18 296 25 ALIGNING YOGA WITH ITS EVOLVING ROLE IN HEALTH CARE: COMMENTS ON YOGA PRACTICE, POLICY, RESEARCH. EVIDENCE IS ACCUMULATING THAT SUGGESTS THAT YOGA HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS IN MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF CERTAIN DISEASES. AS A RESULT, EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO MEDICALIZE YOGA AND USE IT WITHIN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE AS A THERAPY. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL SHORTCOMINGS IN THE PRACTICE, POLICY, AND RESEARCH OF YOGA THAT UNDERMINE ITS OPTIMAL USE. YOGA AS A MODALITY FUNCTIONS WITHIN A CONTEXT. THEREFORE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO OCCASIONALLY STEP BACK AND EXAMINE THE ENTIRETY OF THE CONTEXT FROM A HIGH VANTAGE TO ASSESS WHETHER THE TACTICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC ENDEAVORS ARE ALIGNED WITH THE STRATEGIC INTENDED PURPOSE. THIS COMMENTARY DISCUSSES A FEW POLICY ISSUES RELEVANT TO SOME KEY STAKEHOLDERS. IT SUGGESTS THAT YOGA THERAPISTS NEED TO CALIBRATE THEIR MODEL OF YOGA BY REDUCING EMPHASIS ON POSTURES AND INCREASING IT ON MEDITATION AND BREATHING EXERCISES WHILE CATERING TO CLIENTS WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS. IT RECOMMENDS THAT YOGA RESEARCH SHOULD BE MORE CRITICAL IN EVALUATING YOGA'S FUNDAMENTAL TENETS AND USE REDUCTIONIST APPROACH TO DO SO. IT PROPOSES THAT AUTONOMOUS REGULATORS SHOULD EXTRICATE INJURY PRONE POSTURES FROM THE BODY OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR REGULATORY PURPOSES, RATHER THAN REGULATE YOGA SUMMARILY. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT PAYERS SHOULD PAY FOR YOGA. HOWEVER, THEY SHOULD USE PAYMENT MODEL AS IT IS USED FOR VACCINATION, INSTEAD OF PAYING AS IT IS DONE FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY. IT CONCLUDES THAT YOGA CAN HELP, BUT BEFORE IT CAN HELP IT NEEDS HELP ITSELF, AND THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS NEED TO REFLECT ON THE BIG PICTURE SO THAT THEY CAN COLLABORATE ON THESE IMPROVEMENTS. 2017 19 2895 5 [DISCUSSION AROUND THE USE OF YOGA IN PSYCHIATRY]. MANY MIND-BODY PRACTICES HAVE RECENTLY BEEN INTRODUCED INTO PSYCHIATRIC CARE INCLUDING YOGA. AN EXPERIMENT IN THE FIELD ADDRESSES THE ISSUE OF THE ORGANISATION AND APPLICATIONS OF THIS DISCIPLINE, AND ENVISAGES THE POSSIBILITY OF EXTENDING THE SCOPE OF INDICATIONS. 2016 20 1704 19 PARTNER YOGA FOR ESTABLISHING BOUNDARIES IN RELATIONSHIP: A TRANSPERSONAL SOMATIC APPROACH. THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN FOR YOGA THERAPISTS AND PSYCHOTHERAPISTS WHO WORK WITH COUPLES WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY SETTING BOUNDARIES AND MAINTAINING INDIVIDUALITY IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS. PARTNER YOGA, TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY, AND SOMATIC-BASED PSYCHOLOGY ARE APPROACHES THAT CAN PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH A HOLISTIC SYSTEM OF THERAPY TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHY BOUNDARIES AND EMOTIONAL CONNECTION. THE PROCESS OF PARTNER YOGA IS DESCRIBED FROM A TRANSPERSONAL, SOMATICALLY ORIENTED APPROACH. EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC ASANAS, OR YOGA POSES, ARE DISCUSSED ALONGSIDE THE SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS THAT A THERAPIST MUST CONSIDER WHEN EXPLORING BOUNDARIES AND COMMUNICATION THROUGH PARTNER YOGA. INSIGHTS FROM INDIVIDUAL CASE SESSIONS WITH COUPLES ARE INCLUDED TO ILLUSTRATE THE PROCESS OF DIFFERENTIATION AND THE POSSIBILITY OF EXPERIENCING A TRANSPERSONAL UNION THROUGH PARTNER YOGA. 2011