1 779 154 EFFECT OF YOGA AS ADD-ON THERAPY IN MIGRAINE (CONTAIN): A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT TO CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL MANAGEMENT ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. METHODS: CONTAIN WAS A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, OPEN-LABEL SUPERIORITY TRIAL WITH BLINDED ENDPOINT ASSESSMENT CARRIED OUT AT A SINGLE TERTIARY CARE ACADEMIC HOSPITAL IN NEW DELHI, INDIA. PATIENTS ENROLLED WERE AGED 18-50 YEARS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF EPISODIC MIGRAINE AND WERE RANDOMIZED INTO MEDICAL AND YOGA GROUPS (1:1). RANDOMIZATION WAS COMPUTER-GENERATED WITH A VARIABLE BLOCK SIZE AND CONCEALED. A PREDESIGNED YOGA INTERVENTION WAS GIVEN FOR 3 MONTHS. OUTCOMES WERE RECORDED BY A BLINDED ASSESSOR. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS A DECREASE IN HEADACHE FREQUENCY, HEADACHE INTENSITY, AND HEADACHE IMPACT TEST (HIT)-6 SCORE. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGE IN MIGRAINE DISABILITY ASSESSMENT (MIDAS) SCORE, PILL COUNT, AND PROPORTION OF HEADACHE FREE PATIENTS. RESULTS: BETWEEN APRIL 2017 AND AUGUST 2018, 160 PATIENTS WITH EPISODIC MIGRAINE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO MEDICAL AND YOGA GROUPS. A TOTAL OF 114 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE TRIAL. BASELINE MEASURES WERE COMPARABLE EXCEPT FOR A HIGHER MEAN HEADACHE FREQUENCY IN THE YOGA GROUP. COMPARED TO MEDICAL THERAPY, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT MEAN DELTA VALUE REDUCTION IN HEADACHE FREQUENCY (DELTA DIFFERENCE 3.53 [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 2.52-4.54]; P < 0.0001), HEADACHE INTENSITY (1.31 [0.60-2.01]; P = 0.0004), HIT SCORE (8.0 [4.78-11.22]; P < 0.0001), MIDAS SCORE (7.85 [4.98-10.97]; P < 0.0001), AND PILL COUNT (2.28 [1.06-3.51]; P < 0.0003). CONCLUSION: YOGA AS AN ADD-ON THERAPY IN MIGRAINE IS SUPERIOR TO MEDICAL THERAPY ALONE. IT MAY BE USEFUL TO INTEGRATE A COST-EFFECTIVE AND SAFE INTERVENTION LIKE YOGA INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF MIGRAINE. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: CTRI/2017/03/008041. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: THIS STUDY PROVIDES CLASS III EVIDENCE THAT FOR PATIENTS WITH EPISODIC MIGRAINE, YOGA AS ADJUVANT TO MEDICAL THERAPY IMPROVES HEADACHE FREQUENCY, INTENSITY, IMPACT, AND DISABILITY. 2020 2 932 32 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES. INTRODUCTION: THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. WE CONDUCT THIS META-ANALYSIS TO EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA THERAPY ON THE TREATMENT EFFICACY OF MIGRAINE. METHODS: WE HAVE SEARCHED PUBMED, EMBASE, WEB OF SCIENCE, EBSCO AND COCHRANE LIBRARY DATABASES THROUGH FEBRUARY 2021, AND INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE ATTACK. RESULTS: FIVE RCTS INVOLVING 356 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS. OVERALL, COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP FOR MIGRAINE, YOGA THERAPY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED HEADACHE FREQUENCY HEADACHE FREQUENCY (SMD = -1.43; 95% CI = -2.23 TO -0.64; P = 0.0004) AND HIT-6 SCORE (SMD = -2.19; 95% CI = -4.09 TO -0.28; P = 0.02), BUT REVEALED NO OBVIOUS INFLUENCE ON PAIN INTENSITY (SMD = -1.37; 95% CI = -2.76 TO 0.01; P = 0.05) OR MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE (SMD = -2.09; 95% CI = -6.39 TO 2.22; P = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA THERAPY MAY BENEFIT TO REDUCE THE HEADACHE FREQUENCY OF MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2022 3 453 39 CHANGES IN MIDAS, PERCEIVED STRESS, FRONTALIS MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS USAGE IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE WITHOUT AURA FOLLOWING AYURVEDA AND YOGA COMPARED TO CONTROLS: AN OPEN LABELED NON-RANDOMIZED STUDY. BACKGROUND: THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE TO PROVIDE LONG-TERM HEALING SOLUTIONS IN MIGRAINE HEADACHE PATIENTS. KNOWING THE LIMITATIONS OF CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL APPROACH, THE PRESENT STUDY EVALUATED THE INFLUENCE OF TWO INDIAN TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE ON MIGRAINE-RELATED DISABILITY, AUTONOMIC VARIABLES, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND MUSCLE ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE WITHOUT AURA. METHODS: THIRTY SUBJECTS RECRUITED TO THE AYURVEDA AND YOGA (AY) GROUP UNDERWENT TRADITIONAL PANCHAKARMA (BIO-PURIFICATION) USING THERAPEUTIC PURGATION FOLLOWED BY YOGA THERAPY, WHILE 30 SUBJECTS OF CONTROL (CT) GROUP CONTINUED ON SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT (NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS [NSAID'S]) FOR 90 DAYS. MIGRAINE DISABILITY ASSESSMENT SCORE, PERCEIVED STRESS, HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), AND SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) OF FRONTALIS MUSCLE WERE MEASURED ON DAY 1, DAY 30, AND DAY 90 IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN MIGRAINE DISABILITY AND PERCEIVED STRESS SCORES WERE OBSERVED IN THE AY GROUP. THE LOW-FREQUENCY COMPONENT OF THE HRV DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, THE HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT INCREASED AND THEIR RATIO SHOWED IMPROVED SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE. THE EMG SHOWED DECREASED ACTIVITY OF THE FRONTALIS MUSCLE IN THE AY GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE INTEGRATIVE APPROACH COMBINING AYURVEDA AND YOGA THERAPY REDUCES MIGRAINE-RELATED DISABILITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, SYMPATHETIC AROUSAL, AND MUSCLE TENSION. 2018 4 496 32 COMBINATION OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA THERAPY REDUCES PAIN INTENSITY AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHE. OBJECTIVES: TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFICACY OF AYURVEDA AND YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MIGRAINE HEADACHE. METHODS: 30 SUBJECTS RECRUITED TO AYURVEDA AND YOGA (AY) GROUP UNDERWENT TRADITIONAL PANCHAKARMA (BIO-PURIFICATORY PROCESS) USING THERAPEUTIC PURGATION FOLLOWED BY YOGA THERAPY, WHILE 30 SUBJECTS OF CONTROL (CT) GROUP CONTINUED ON SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT (NSAID'S) FOR 90 DAYS. BODY CONSTITUTION QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO BOTH GROUPS. THE OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED SYMPTOM CHECK LIST, COMPREHENSIVE HEADACHE RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE AND VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE. RESULTS: FORTY-SIX (76.6%) OUT OF 60 SUBJECTS BELONGING TO BOTH GROUPS HAD PITTA BASED BODY CONSTITUTION. FOLLOWING 90 DAYS OF INTERVENTION THE AY GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN MIGRAINE SYMPTOMS INCLUDING PAIN INTENSITY (P<.001) AND IMPROVEMENT IN HEADACHE RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (P<.001). THE CT GROUP SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE (P>.05). CONCLUSION: TRADITIONAL AYURVEDA ALONG WITH YOGA THERAPY REDUCES SYMPTOMS, INTENSITY OF PAIN AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2018 5 933 46 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE WITHOUT AURA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE EXPLORED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN THE TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE BUT THERE IS NO DOCUMENTED INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE MANAGEMENT. OBJECTIVES: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOLISTIC APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE TREATMENT COMPARED TO SELF-CARE. DESIGN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. METHODS: SEVENTY-TWO PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE WITHOUT AURA WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA THERAPY OR SELF-CARE GROUP FOR 3 MONTHS. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE HEADACHE FREQUENCY (HEADACHE DIARY), SEVERITY OF MIGRAINE (0-10 NUMERICAL SCALE) AND PAIN COMPONENT (MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION (HOSPITAL ANXIETY DEPRESSION SCALE), MEDICATION SCORE. RESULTS: AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR BASELINE VALUES, THE SUBJECTS' COMPLAINTS RELATED TO HEADACHE INTENSITY (P < .001), FREQUENCY (P < .001), PAIN RATING INDEX (P < .001), AFFECTIVE PAIN RATING INDEX (P < .001), TOTAL PAIN RATING INDEX (P < .001), ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES (P < .001), SYMPTOMATIC MEDICATION USE (P < .001) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE SELF-CARE GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN MIGRAINE HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND ASSOCIATED CLINICAL FEATURES, IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH YOGA OVER A PERIOD OF 3 MONTHS. FURTHER STUDY OF THIS THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION APPEARS TO BE WARRANTED. 2007 6 2633 42 YOGA FOR TREATING HEADACHES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: HEADACHE DISORDERS ARE CURRENTLY THE SIXTH LEADING CAUSE OF DISABILITY ACROSS THE GLOBE AND THEREFORE CARRY A SIGNIFICANT DISEASE BURDEN. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEADACHE DISORDERS. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, AND PSYCINFO WERE SCREENED THROUGH MAY 2019. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE INCLUDED WHEN THEY ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF CHRONIC OR EPISODIC HEADACHE (TENSION-TYPE HEADACHE AND/OR MIGRAINE). USUAL CARE (NO SPECIFIC TREATMENT) OR ANY ACTIVE TREATMENTS WERE ACCEPTABLE AS CONTROL INTERVENTIONS. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE HEADACHE FREQUENCY, HEADACHE DURATION, AND PAIN INTENSITY. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: META-ANALYSIS REVEALED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT OVERALL EFFECT IN FAVOR OF YOGA FOR HEADACHE FREQUENCY (5 RCTS; STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = - 1.97; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) - 2.75 TO - 1.20; I(2) = 63.0%, TAU(2) = 0.25, P = 0.03), HEADACHE DURATION (4 RCTS; SMD = - 1.45; 95% CI - 2.54 TO - 0.37; I(2) = 69.0%, TAU(2) = 0.33, P = 0.02), AND PAIN INTENSITY (5 RCTS; SMD = - 3.43; 95% CI - 6.08 TO - 0.70, I(2) = 95.0%, TAU(2) = 4.25, P < 0.01). THE SIGNIFICANT OVERALL EFFECT WAS MAINLY DUE TO PATIENTS WITH TENSION-TYPE HEADACHES. FOR PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE, NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS OBSERVED. DISCUSSION: DESPITE DISCUSSED LIMITATIONS, THIS REVIEW FOUND PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF SHORT-TERM EFFICACY OF YOGA IN IMPROVING HEADACHE FREQUENCY, HEADACHE DURATION, AND PAIN INTENSITY IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM TENSION-TYPE HEADACHES. FURTHER STUDIES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO DRAW DEEPER CONCLUSIONS FROM THE AVAILABLE RESULTS. 2020 7 831 53 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MIGRAINE: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY USING CLINICAL PROFILE AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. CONTEXT AND AIMS: MIGRAINE IS AN EPISODIC DISABLING HEADACHE REQUIRING LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT. MIGRAINE MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA THERAPY WOULD REDUCE THE MEDICATION COST WITH POSITIVE HEALTH BENEFITS. YOGA HAS SHOWN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE, REDUCE THE EPISODE OF HEADACHE AND MEDICATION. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS BY ASSESSING CLINICAL OUTCOME AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS TESTS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: MIGRAINE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY GIVEN EITHER CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30) OR YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30). YOGA GROUP RECEIVED YOGA PRACTICE SESSION FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE. CLINICAL ASSESSMENT (FREQUENCY, INTENSITY OF HEADACHE AND HEADACHE IMPACT) AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TEST WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE AND CONVENTION CARE GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CLINICAL VARIABLES, BUT IT WAS BETTER WITH YOGA THERAPY. IMPROVEMENT IN THE VAGAL TONE ALONG WITH REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE RECEIVING YOGA AS ADJUVANT THERAPY. CONCLUSIONS: INTERVENTION SHOWED SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH GROUPS. HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY WERE REDUCED MORE IN YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE THAN THE CONVENTIONAL CARE GROUP ALONE. FURTHERMORE, YOGA THERAPY ENHANCED THE VAGAL TONE AND DECREASED THE SYMPATHETIC DRIVE, HENCE IMPROVING THE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC BALANCE. THUS, YOGA THERAPY CAN BE EFFECTIVELY INCORPORATED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2014 8 2003 57 STUDY OF ADDITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPIES TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT IN MIGRAINE. OBJECTIVE WE AIMED TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PHYSICAL AND YOGA THERAPIES AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. MATERIALS AND METHODS A TOTAL OF 61 CONSENTING PATIENTS DIAGNOSED TO HAVE MIGRAINE WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS TO RECEIVE EITHER STANDARD TREATMENT ALONE, PHYSICAL THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD TREATMENT, OR YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD TREATMENT. THE RESPECTIVE ADJUVANT INTERVENTION WAS TAUGHT TO THE RESPECTIVE GROUP OF PATIENTS AND THEY WERE ADVISED TO PERFORM IT DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS WITH WEEKLY TELEPHONIC REMINDERS AND REVIEW OF THEIR ACTIVITY LOGS. OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSED WERE HEADACHE FREQUENCY, SHORT-FORM MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE (SF-MPQ), AND HEADACHE IMPACT TEST-6 (HIT-6) AT RECRUITMENT AND ONCE EVERY MONTH FOR 3 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY WAS DONE BY USING STATA 14.1 SOFTWARE. ALL THE DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, PAIRED T -TEST WAS USED TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRE AND POSTINTERVENTION VALUES OF HEADACHE FREQUENCY, SF-MPQ, AND HIT-6 SCORE WITHIN ALL THE THREE GROUPS. ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE TEST AND POST HOC TEST WERE USED TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALL GROUPS FOR OUTCOME MEASURES ( P < 0.05). RESULTS HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE BEFORE INTERVENTION COMPARED DURING EACH MONTH INTERVALS FOR 3 MONTHS IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS ( P < 0.005). YOGA OR PHYSICAL THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT TO STANDARD TREATMENT LEADS TO A HIGHER REDUCTION IN HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY. SENSORY AND AFFECTIVE PAIN RATINGS OF SF-MPQ AND HIT-6 ALSO SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AT 1 TO 3 MONTHS OF TREATMENT COMPARED WITH BASELINE IN ALL THE THREE GROUPS. CONCLUSION EITHER PHYSICAL OR YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUVANT TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT MAY FURTHER IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCE HEADACHE FREQUENCY IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. 2021 9 2702 40 YOGA INTERVENTION ON BLOOD NO IN FEMALE MIGRAINEURS. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT SURVEY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS YOGA TRAINING ON HEADACHE FREQUENCY, SEVERITY, DURATION AND BLOOD NITRIC OXIDE LEVELS AS WELL AS HEADACHE IMPACTS ON FEMALE MIGRAINEURS' LIVES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY-TWO FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE TOOK PART AND WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 14) RECEIVED MEDICATION AND THE YOGA GROUP (N = 18) PARTICIPATED IN 12 WEEKS YOGA TRAINING IN ADDITION TO RECEIVING THE SAME MEDICATION AS THAT OF THE CONTROL GROUP. FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF HEADACHE WERE ASSESSED BY A QUESTIONNAIRE. VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE WAS USED TO MEASURE THE SEVERITY OF HEADACHE, AND THE METABOLITE OF NO ALSO WAS MEASURED BY GRIESS REACTION. HEADACHE IMPACT TEST (HIT-6) WAS ALSO USED TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF HEADACHE ON PATIENTS' LIVES. DATA WERE ANALYZED BY T-TEST MEAN VARIANCE. RESULTS: AFTER 3 MONTHS INTERVENTION, IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE IMPACT OF HEADACHE ON PATIENTS' LIVES, HEADACHE FREQUENCY, AND SEVERITY AND A NON-SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN HEADACHE DURATION IN THE YOGA GROUP. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE PLASMA LEVELS OF NO BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: BASED ON THE RESULTS, YOGA COULD BE RECOMMENDED AS A COMPLEMENTARY METHOD TO MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2015 10 1922 31 ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MIGRAINE HEADACHE-CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE INDICATIONS. MIGRAINE HEADACHE IS A PAINFUL, DISABLING CONDITION AFFLICTING 7% OF THE POPULATION. THE LONG-TERM EFFORT OF COPING WITH A CHRONIC HEADACHE DISORDER PREDISPOSES THE INDIVIDUAL TO OTHER PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESSES, ISCHEMIC CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE AS WELL AS MEDICINE OVERUSE HEADACHE. THE USE OF NONPHARMACOLOGICAL METHODS TO REDUCE THE STRESS AND PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH HEADACHE CAN IMPROVE THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCE THE BURDEN OF THE DISEASE. TO EXAMINE THE UTILITY OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE HEADACHE. THE REVIEW ARTICLE IS BASED ON THE SECONDARY LITERATURE COLLECTED THROUGH THE GOOGLE SCHOLAR DATABASE BETWEEN THE YEARS 2010 AND 2020. SEVERAL THEMES WERE IDENTIFIED REGARDING THE BURDEN OF MIGRAINE/HEADACHE AND THE NEED FOR THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA INTO THE EXISTING HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. DESPITE THE LIMITATIONS AND THE NEED FOR GREATER SCIENTIFIC RIGOR, THERE HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT REPORTS OF THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN THE REDUCTION OF STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND AN ENHANCED QUALITY OF LIFE, AS WELL AS BETTER PAIN MANAGEMENT IN CHRONIC DISEASES. STUDIES ON THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF MIGRAINE HAVE BEEN FEW IN NUMBER. THEY HAVE CONSISTENTLY SHOWN THAT YOGA CAN BE A VALUABLE ADJUNCT TO THE EXISTING PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MIGRAINE HEADACHE. IN RECENT YEARS, THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT HAS MADE ENORMOUS STRIDES IN ESTABLISHING YOGA OUTREACH PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. THE NEED OF THE HOUR IS TO INTEGRATE EVIDENCE-BASED YOGA WITH THE WELLNESS CENTERS AND NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES TREATMENT PLAN. IT CAN HELP TO REDUCE THE BURDEN ON THE EXISTING HEALTH CARE RESOURCES. 2022 11 1809 43 PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF A THREE-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE. BACKGROUND: MIGRAINE IS A NEUROVASCULAR DISORDER AND ANY INTERVENTIONS IMPROVING ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION MAY CONTRIBUTE TO ITS TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF VASCULAR COMPLICATIONS LIKE ISCHEMIC STROKE. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE SEVERAL BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, NO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES TO DATE HAVE INVESTIGATED ITS EFFECTS ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION OF MIGRAINEURS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 42 WOMEN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE WERE ENROLLED AND RANDOMIZED INTO EITHER A YOGA EXERCISE GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ONLY MEDICATION FOR 12 WEEKS AND THE YOGA GROUP WAS PLACED IN YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO THE SAME MEDICAL TREATMENT. BLOOD TEST WAS GIVEN FROM ALL PATIENTS IN ORDER TO MEASURE PLASMA LEVELS INTERCELLULAR ADHESION MOLECULE (ICAM) AND VASCULAR CELL ADHESION MOLECULE (VCAM) AFTER YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM. RESULTS: TOTALLY 32 PATIENTS WERE PARTICIPATED IN THE FINAL ANALYSES (YOGA: N = 18, CONTROL: N = 14). BY ANALYZING DATA BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS AFTER THE TREATMENT PERIOD, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASED IN PLASMA LEVEL OF VCAM IN YOGA GROUP COMPARE WITH THE CONTROL GROUP (15.29 +/- 2.1 NG/ML VS. 21.70 +/- 3.0 NG/ML, P < 0.05), WHEREAS THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN ICAM LEVEL BETWEEN GROUPS (19.1 +/- 1.8 NG/ML VS. 20.97 +/- 1.9 NG/ML P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT SEEMS THAT YOGA EXERCISES, AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT BESIDE PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS, CAN BE POTENTIALLY AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF IMPROVING VASCULAR FUNCTIONS IN MIGRAINEURS. 2014 12 740 36 EFFECT OF RAJYOGA MEDITATION ON CHRONIC TENSION HEADACHE. CHRONIC TENSION-TYPE HEADACHE (CTTH) IS THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF HEADACHE WITH NO TRULY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO CORRELATE THE ADDITIVE EFFECT OF MEDITATION ON CTTH PATIENTS RECEIVING MEDICAL TREATMENT. 50 PATIENTS (AGED 18-58 YEARS) PRESENTING WITH A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF CCTH, WERE DIVIDED IN 2 GROUPS. GROUP 1 (N=30) RECEIVED 8 LESSONS AND PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION OF BRAHMAKUMARIS SPIRITUAL BASED MEDITATION KNOWN AS RAJYOGA MEDITATION FOR RELAXATION THERAPY, IN ADDITION TO ROUTINE MEDICAL TREATMENT (ANALGESICS AND MUSCLE RELAXANTS). GROUP 2 (N=20) PATIENTS RECEIVED ANALGESICS AND MUSCLE RELAXANTS TWICE A DAY BUT NO RELAXATION THERAPY IN THE FORM OF MEDITATION. BOTH GROUPS WERE FOLLOWED UP FOR 8 WEEKS PERIOD. THE PARAMETERS STUDIED WERE SEVERITY, FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF CCTH, AND THEIR HEADACHE INDEX CALCULATED. PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN HEADACHE VARIABLES (P<0.001) AFTER 8 WEEKS. BUT THE PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS SHOWING HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT RELIEF IN SEVERITY OF HEADACHE, DURATION & FREQUENCY IN GROUP 1 WAS 94%, 91% AND 97% RESPECTIVELY WHEREAS IN GROUP 2 IT WAS 36%, 36% AND 49% RESPECTIVELY. HEADACHE RELIEF AS CALCULATED BY HEADACHE INDEX WAS 99% IN GROUP 1 AS COMPARED TO 51% IN GROUP 2. EVEN SHORT TERM SPIRITUAL BASED RELAXATION THERAPY (RAJYOGA MEDITATION) WAS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN CAUSING EARLIER RELIEF IN CHRONIC TENSION HEADACHE AS MEASURED BY HEADACHE PARAMETER. 2014 13 816 49 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (LIVE-YOGA). OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY AIMS TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD THERAPY VERSUS STANDARD THERAPY ALONE ON THE SYMPTOMATIC BURDEN IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (VVS). BACKGROUND: THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. EXISTING MANAGEMENT THERAPIES HAVE BEEN LARGELY INEFFECTIVE. RECENT TRIALS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN DISEASES WITH AUTONOMIC IMBALANCE, SUGGESTING ITS POSSIBLE UTILITY IN VVS. METHODS: PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE EITHER A SPECIALIZED YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO CURRENT GUIDELINE-BASED THERAPY (INTERVENTION ARM, GROUP 1) OR CURRENT GUIDELINE-BASED THERAPY ALONE (CONTROL ARM, GROUP 2). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A COMPOSITE OF THE NUMBER OF EPISODES OF SYNCOPE AND PRESYNCOPE AT 12 MONTHS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED QOL ASSESSMENT BY WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE BRIEF FIELD QUESTIONNAIRE (WHOQOL-BREF) SCORES AND SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AT 12 MONTHS, HEAD UP TILT TEST, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY AT 6 WEEKS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 55 PATIENTS UNDERWENT RANDOMIZATION. THE MEAN NUMBER OF SYNCOPAL OR PRESYNCOPAL EVENTS AT 12 MONTHS WAS 0.7 +/- 0.7 IN THE INTERVENTION ARM COMPARED TO 2.52 +/- 1.93 IN THE CONTROL ARM (P < 0.01). IN THE INTERVENTION ARM, 13 (43.3%) PATIENTS REMAINED FREE OF EVENTS VERSUS 4 (16.0%) PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL ARM (P = 0.02). QOL AT 12 MONTHS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF ALL SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AND 2 DOMAINS OF WHOQOL-BREF SCORES (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AS ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY IS SUPERIOR TO STANDARD THERAPY ALONE IN REDUCING THE SYMPTOMATIC BURDEN AND IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. 2022 14 871 49 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 15 873 35 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN HEART FAILURE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT A HALL MARK OF HEART FAILURE IS ADVERSE CHANGES IN AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE IS A POWERFUL PREDICTOR OF CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) OUTCOMES. IN THIS STUDY, WE PLANNED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A 12 WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, HEART RATE VARIABILITY, AND RATE PRESSURE PRODUCT (RPP). METHODS: OUT OF 130 HEART FAILURE PATIENTS RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY, 65 PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED TO RECEIVE 12 WEEK YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (YOGA GROUP). OTHER PATIENTS (N=65) RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (CONTROL GROUP). HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION (BY SHORT-TERM HEART-RATE VARIABILITY ANALYSIS) AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (BY RPP) WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, 44 PATIENTS AND IN THE CONTROL GROUP, 48 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND RPP IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. ALSO, LFNU AND LF-HF RATIO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AND HFNU INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA THERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND DECREASED THE SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS (NYHA I&II). 2014 16 2471 47 YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: YOGA THERAPY IS BEING USED FOR VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (VVS). HOWEVER, THERE IS NO SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE. WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO THE STANDARD THERAPY ON PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. METHODS: ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SYSTEMATICALLY SEARCHED TO COLLECT STUDIES ASSESSING THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ALONG WITH GUIDELINE-DIRECTED TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. THE OUTCOMES WERE THE NUMBER OF VVS ATTACKS AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) ASSESSMENT BY SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE (SFSQ) SCORES AT 12 MONTHS. WE USED THE MANTEL- HAENSZEL RANDOM-EFFECTS MODEL TO CALCULATE THE MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI). WE USED THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION RISK OF BIAS TOOL AND NEWCASTLE-OTTAWA SCALE FOR RISK OF BIAS ASSESSMENT. RESULTS: FOUR STUDIES WERE INCLUDED, TWO RCTS AND TWO OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES. THE TOTAL OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 309, WITH A MEAN AGE OF 36.4 +/- 13.5 YEARS. THE MALE PARTICIPANTS REPRESENTED 141 (45.6%) BEING MALES. THE BASELINE SYNCOPE BURDEN WAS 3.5 +/- 2.38 EPISODES OVER 15.6 +/- 12.8 MONTHS. YOGA THERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF EPISODES OF SYNCOPE AND PRESYNCOPE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (MD -1.86; 95% CI -3.30, -0.43; P = 0.01). NEVERTHELESS, YOGA THERAPY DID NOT SHOW SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE QOL ASSESSED BY SFSQ SCORES (MD -30.69; 95% CI -62.22,0.83; P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY IS A USEFUL LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION THAT CAN REDUCE THE FREQUENCY OF SYNCOPE AND PRESYNCOPE AMONG PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. HOWEVER, HIGHER-QUALITY RCTS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM OUR RESULTS. 2022 17 1039 36 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH PAROXYSMAL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION - A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION OFTEN HAVE AN IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). PRACTISING YOGA MAY DECREASE STRESS AND HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER YOGA CAN IMPROVE QOL AND DECREASE BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE IN PATIENTS WITH PAROXYSMAL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (PAF). METHODS: IN THIS PILOT STUDY, 80 PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH PAF WERE RANDOMIZED TO STANDARD TREATMENT (CONTROL GROUP, N=40) OR STANDARD TREATMENT IN COMBINATION WITH YOGA (YOGA GROUP, N=40) DURING A 12-WEEK PERIOD. QOL, BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE STUDY (12 (+2) WEEKS). EUROQOL-5D (EQ-5D) VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) AND THE TWO DIMENSIONS IN SHORT-FORM HEALTH SURVEY (SF-36) WERE USED TO EVALUATE QOL. RESULTS: AT BASELINE THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN QOL BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN EQ-5D VAS- SCALE ( P=0.02) AND SF-36 MENTAL HEALTH SCORE ( P<0.001) IN WHICH THE CONTROL GROUP HAD HIGHER SCORES. AT THE END OF THE STUDY, THE YOGA GROUP AVERAGED HIGHER SF-36 MENTAL HEALTH SCORES. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS ( P=0.016), BUT NO DIFFERENCES IN EQ-5D VAS- SCALE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL HEALTH SCORE WAS SEEN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. AT THE END OF THE STUDY, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER HEART RATE ( P=0.024) AND SYSTOLIC ( P=0.033) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE ( P<0.001) COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WITH LIGHT MOVEMENTS AND DEEP BREATHING MAY LEAD TO IMPROVED QOL, LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE AND LOWER HEART RATE IN PATIENTS WITH PAF COMPARED TO A CONTROL GROUP. YOGA COULD BE A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT METHOD TO STANDARD THERAPY. 2017 18 1066 35 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON INFLAMMATION AND EXERCISE CAPACITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE. BACKGROUND: DESPITE RECENT ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGIC AND DEVICE THERAPY, MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FROM HEART FAILURE (HF) REMAIN HIGH. YOGA COMBINES PHYSICAL AND BREATHING EXERCISES THAT MAY BENEFIT PATIENTS WITH HF. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT AN 8-WEEK REGIMEN OF YOGA IN ADDITION TO STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY WOULD IMPROVE EXERCISE CAPACITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN PATIENTS WITH HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: NEW YORK HEART ASSOCIATION CLASS I-III HF PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA TREATMENT (YT) OR STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (MT). MEASUREMENTS INCLUDED A GRADED EXERCISE TEST (GXT) TO V O(2PEAK) AND THE FOLLOWING SERUM BIOMARKERS: INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), HIGH-SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HSCRP), AND EXTRACELLULAR SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (EC-SOD). THE MINNESOTA LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE QUESTIONNAIRE (MLHFQ) WAS ADMINISTERED TO ASSESS CHANGES IN QOL. A TOTAL OF 19 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED AFTER THE INITIAL SCREENING. OF THE 19 PATIENTS, 9 WERE RANDOMIZED TO YT AND 10 TO MT. PATIENTS HAD A MEAN EF OF 25%. GXT TIME AND V O(2PEAK) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN THE YT VERSUS MT GROUPS (+18% IN THE YT AND -7.5% IN MT; P = .03 VS. CONTROL AND +17 IN YT AND -7.1 IN MT; P = .02, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN SERUM LEVELS OF IL-6 AND HSCRP AND AN INCREASE IN EC-SOD IN THE YT GROUP (ALL P < .005 VS. MT). MLHFQ SCORES IMPROVED BY 25.7% IN THE YT GROUP AND BY 2.9% IN THE MT GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IMPROVED EXERCISE TOLERANCE AND POSITIVELY AFFECTED LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH HF, AND THERE WAS ALSO A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN QOL. 2008 19 875 40 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON PLASMA OXYTOCIN AND FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS IN PATIENTS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. CONTEXT: YOGA THERAPY HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO BE USEFUL IN TREATMENT OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVING THE SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. OXYTOCIN HAS BEEN RECENTLY IMPLICATED IN SOCIAL COGNITION DEFICITS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON SYMPTOMS, SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING, FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC STABILIZED SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY ON 43 CONSENTING, MEDICATION STABILIZED PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A TERTIARY PSYCHIATRIC CENTER USING YOGA INTERVENTION AND WAITLISTED GROUPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 43 SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA GROUP (N=15) OR WAITLIST GROUP (N=28). PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED TRAINING IN A SPECIFIC YOGA THERAPY MODULE FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA. PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS WERE CONTINUED ON STABLE ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED SCALE FOR ASSESSMENT OF POSITIVE SYMPTOMS, SCALE FOR ASSESSMENT OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING SCALE AND TOOL FOR RECOGNITION OF EMOTIONS IN NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS (TRENDS) AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS; PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 1 MONTH. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 15 PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 12 IN WAITLIST GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE YOGA THERAPY GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING, PERFORMANCE ON TRENDS (P<0.001) AND PLASMA INCREASE IN OXYTOCIN LEVELS (P=0.01) AS COMPARED WITH THE WAITLIST GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY SUPPORTED THE ROLE OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY IN MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND DEMONSTRATED AN IMPROVEMENT IN ENDOGENOUS PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS RECEIVING YOGA THERAPY. 2013 20 1318 49 HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR STANDARD CARE. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC PAIN CAN ALTER THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE WITH INCREASED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY REFLECTED IN ALTERED HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT YOGA CAN BE USEFUL TO CORRECT THE AUTONOMIC IMBALANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN WHO HAVE REDUCED HRV. METHODS AND DESIGNS: IN THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL 62 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS (AGED BETWEEN 20 AND 45 YEARS, 32 MALES) WERE RANDOMIZED TO 2 GROUPS. ONE GROUP RECEIVED YOGA FOR 3 MONTHS WHILE THE OTHER GROUP CARRIED OUT STANDARD MEDICAL CARE BASED ON THE PHYSICIAN'S ADVICE. THE DURATION WAS THE SAME, I.E., 3 MONTHS. THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND RATE OF RESPIRATION WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE BASELINE (PRE) VALUES BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.008) FOR RESPIRATION RATE WHICH WAS HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE CHANGES REPORTED BELOW ARE PRE-POST COMPARISONS WITHIN EACH GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05; REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST-HOC ANALYSES) DECREASE IN THE LF POWER OF HRV, RATE OF RESPIRATION AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE HF POWER OF HRV AND IN THE PNN50. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE CAN SHIFT THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE TOWARDS VAGAL DOMINANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED ALIGNMENT OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE STUDY IS REGISTERED WITH THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA ( CTRI/2012/11/003094 ) AND CAN BE ACCESSED AT. 2016