1 1775 72 PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY CAUSE DAMAGE OF BOTH SCIATIC NERVES: A CASE REPORT. SCIATIC NERVE TRAUMATIC DAMAGE VERY RARELY OCCURS BILATERALLY. WE DESCRIBE THE CASE OF A 67-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO REPORTED A BILATERAL TRAUMATIC LESION OF THE SCIATIC NERVE DURING PRACTICE OF YOGA. NERVE CONDUCTION STUDIES SHOWED A BILATERAL SCIATIC NERVE NEUROPATHY, MOSTLY AFFECTING THE PERONEAL COMPONENT. LUMBAR PLEXUS MRI DOCUMENTED REGULAR ANATOMICAL FEATURES OF THE MAIN PRINCIPAL NERVE ROOTS WITH BILATERAL T2 SIGNAL ALTERATION OF ROOTS L4, L5 AND S1 THAT EXTENDED INTO THE SCIATIC NERVES SHOWING BOTH INCREASE IN SIZE, PROBABLY RELATED TO CHRONIC INJURY OF NERVES, AND AN ALTERATION IN DIFFUSION SIGNAL THAT SUGGESTED A RECENT ACUTE OVERLAPPED PROCESS. 2013 2 2724 15 YOGA NEUROPATHY. A SNOOZER. SCIATIC NERVE COMPRESSION VERY RARELY OCCURS BILATERALLY. THE AUTHORS PRESENT A WOMAN WITH PROFOUND LOWER EXTREMITY WEAKNESS AND SENSORY ABNORMALITY AFTER FALLING ASLEEP IN THE HEAD-TO-KNEES YOGA POSITION (ALSO CALLED "PASCHIMOTTANASANA"). CLINICAL AND ELECTRODIAGNOSTIC FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL AND A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE IS PRESENTED. 2005 3 1089 16 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC-ACID, AND ALLOSTASIS IN EPILEPSY, DEPRESSION, AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. A THEORY IS PROPOSED TO EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICES IN DIVERSE, FREQUENTLY COMORBID MEDICAL CONDITIONS BASED ON THE CONCEPT THAT YOGA PRACTICES REDUCE ALLOSTATIC LOAD IN STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEMS SUCH THAT OPTIMAL HOMEOSTASIS IS RESTORED. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT STRESS INDUCES (1) IMBALANCE OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) WITH DECREASED PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS) AND INCREASED SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS) ACTIVITY, (2) UNDERACTIVITY OF THE GAMMA AMINO-BUTYRIC ACID (GABA) SYSTEM, THE PRIMARY INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEM, AND (3) INCREASED ALLOSTATIC LOAD. IT IS FURTHER HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA-BASED PRACTICES (4) CORRECT UNDERACTIVITY OF THE PNS AND GABA SYSTEMS IN PART THROUGH STIMULATION OF THE VAGUS NERVES, THE MAIN PERIPHERAL PATHWAY OF THE PNS, AND (5) REDUCE ALLOSTATIC LOAD. DEPRESSION, EPILEPSY, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AND CHRONIC PAIN EXEMPLIFY MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT ARE EXACERBATED BY STRESS, HAVE LOW HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND LOW GABAERGIC ACTIVITY, RESPOND TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS THAT INCREASE ACTIVITY OF THE GABA SYSTEM, AND SHOW SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS. THE OBSERVATION THAT TREATMENT RESISTANT CASES OF EPILEPSY AND DEPRESSION RESPOND TO VAGAL NERVE STIMULATION CORROBORATES THE NEED TO CORRECT PNS UNDERACTIVITY AS PART OF A SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT PLAN IN SOME CASES. ACCORDING TO THE PROPOSED THEORY, THE DECREASED PNS AND GABAERGIC ACTIVITY THAT UNDERLIES STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS CAN BE CORRECTED BY YOGA PRACTICES RESULTING IN AMELIORATION OF DISEASE SYMPTOMS. THIS HAS FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA-BASED PRACTICES IN THE TREATMENT OF A BROAD ARRAY OF DISORDERS EXACERBATED BY STRESS. 2012 4 781 13 EFFECT OF YOGA ASANAS ON NERVE CONDUCTION IN TYPE 2 DIABETES. TWENTY TYPE 2 DIABETIC SUBJECTS BETWEEN THE AGE GROUP OF 30-60 YEARS WERE STUDIED TO SEE THE EFFECT OF 40 DAYS OF YOGA ASANAS ON THE NERVE CONDUCTION VELOCITY. THE DURATION OF DIABETES RANGED FROM 0-10 YEARS. SUBJECT SUFFERING FROM CARDIAC, RENAL AND PROLIFERATIVE RETINAL COMPLICATIONS WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE STUDY YOGA ASANAS INCLUDED SURYANAMSKAR. TADASAN, KONASAN, PADMASAN PRANAYAM, PASCHIMOTTANSAN ARDHMATSYENDRASAN, SHAVASAN, PAVANMUKTHASAN, SARPASAN AND SHAVASAN. SUBJECTS WERE CALLED TO THE CARDIO-RESPIRATORY LABORATORY IN THE MORNING TIME AND WERE GIVEN TRAINING BY THE YOGA EXPERT. THE YOGA EXERCISES WERE PERFORMED FOR 30-40 MINUTES EVERY DAY FOR 40 DAYS IN THE ABOVE SEQUENCE. THE SUBJECTS WERE PRESCRIBED CERTAIN MEDICINES AND DIET. THE BASAL BLOOD GLUCOSE, NERVE CONDUCTION VELOCITY OF THE MEDIAN NERVE WAS MEASURED AND REPEATED AFTER 40 DAYS OF YOGIC REGIME. ANOTHER GROUP OF 20 TYPE 2 DIABETES SUBJECTS OF COMPARABLE AGE AND SEVERITY, CALLED THE CONTROL GROUP, WERE KEPT ON PRESCRIBED MEDICATION AND LIGHT PHYSICAL EXERCISES LIKE WALKING. THEIR BASAL & POST 40 DAYS PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED FOR COMPARISON. RIGHT HAND AND LEFT HAND MEDIAN NERVE CONDUCTION VELOCITY INCREASED FROM 52.81 +/- 1.1 M/SEC TO 53.87 +/- 1.1 M/SEC AND 52.46 +/- 1.0 TO 54.75 +/- 1/1 M/SEC RESPECTIVELY. CONTROL GROUP NERVE FUNCTION PARAMETERS DETERIORATED OVER THE PERIOD OF STUDY, INDICATING THAT DIABETES IS A SLOWLY PROGRESSIVE DISEASE INVOLVING THE NERVES. YOGA ASANAS HAVE A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON GLYCAEMIC CONTROL AND IMPROVE NERVE FUNCTION IN MILD TO MODERATE TYPE 2 DIABETES WITH SUB-CLINICAL NEUROPATHY. 2002 5 1813 17 PROGRESSION OF GLAUCOMA ASSOCIATED WITH THE SIRSASANA (HEADSTAND) YOGA POSTURE. THIS ARTICLE REPORTS A CASE OF PROGRESSIVE GLAUCOMATOUS OPTIC NEUROPATHY AND VISUAL FIELD LOSS THAT OCCURRED IN A PATIENT WHO PRACTICED THE SIRSASANA (HEADSTAND) YOGA POSTURE ON A DAILY BASIS FOR MANY YEARS. VISUAL FIELD ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED THROUGH STANDARD AUTOMATED PERIMETRY. INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE (IOP) WAS MEASURED THROUGH PNEUMOTONOMETRY IN THE SITTING POSITION AND IN THE HEAD-DOWN POSITION. STEREO-OPTIC DISC PHOTOGRAPHS WERE OBTAINED. IOP INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE HEAD-DOWN POSITION. OPTIC DISC EVALUATION REVEALED A NEW DISC HEMORRHAGE IN THE LEFT EYE. VISUAL FIELD ANALYSIS OVER A PERIOD OF 2 Y SHOWED PROGRESSION OF A SUPERIOR ARCUATE DEFECT IN THE LEFT EYE. TRANSIENT INCREASES IN IOP ASSOCIATED WITH THE YOGA HEADSTAND POSTURE MAY LEAD TO PROGRESSIVE GLAUCOMATOUS OPTIC NERVE DAMAGE AND VISUAL FIELD LOSS. 2006 6 2887 18 YOGA: CAN IT BE INTEGRATED WITH TREATMENT OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN? BACKGROUND: NEUROPATHIC PAIN (NP) IS A DEBILITATING CONDITION THAT MAY RESULT FROM SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI). NEARLY 75% OF ALL SCI RESULTS IN NP AFFECTING 17,000 NEW INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR, AND AN ESTIMATED 7-10% OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. IT IS CAUSED BY DAMAGED OR DYSFUNCTIONAL NERVE FIBERS SENDING ABERRANT SIGNALS TO PAIN CENTERS IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING SEVERE PAIN THAT AFFECTS DAILY LIFE AND ROUTINE. THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING NP ARE NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD, MAKING TREATMENT DIFFICULT. IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC MOLECULAR PATHWAYS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN PAIN SYNDROMES AND FINDING EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS HAS BECOME A MAJOR PRIORITY IN CURRENT SCI RESEARCH. YOGA HAS THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS MAY PROVE BENEFICIAL IN TREATING SUBJECTS SUFFERING CHRONICALLY WITH SCI INDUCED NP, CHRONIC BACK AND ASSOCIATED PAINS IF NECESSARY EXPERIMENTAL DATA IS GENERATED. SUMMARY: THIS REVIEW AIMS TO DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS OF VARIOUS MECHANISTIC APPROACHES OF YOGA WHICH CAN BE TESTED BY NEW STUDY DESIGNS AROUND VARIOUS NOCICEPTIVE MOLECULES INCLUDING MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES (MMPS), CATION-DEPENDENT CHLORIDE TRANSPORTER (NKCC1) ETC IN SCI INDUCED NP PATIENTS. KEY MESSAGES: THUS, YOGIC PRACTICES COULD BE USED IN MANAGING SCI INDUCED NP PAIN BY REGULATING THE ACTION OF VARIOUS MECHANISMS AND ITS ASSOCIATED MOLECULES. MODERN PRESCRIPTIVE TREATMENT STRATEGIES COMBINED WITH ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES LIKE YOGA SHOULD BE USED IN REHABILITATION CENTERS AND CLINICS IN ORDER TO AMELIORATE CHRONIC NP. WE RECOMMEND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF CAREFUL YOGA PRACTICE AS PART OF AN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE APPROACH FOR NP ASSOCIATED WITH SCI. 2019 7 2288 11 THE YOGA MAT TECHNIQUE IN POSTLESS HIP ARTHROSCOPY. HIP ARTHROSCOPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF FEMOROACETABULAR IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME WITH ANTI-SLIDING TECHNIQUES AND WITHOUT THE USE OF A PERINEAL POST TO ACHIEVE HIP DISTRACTION HAS INCREASED GREATLY IN THE PAST 5 TO 10 YEARS. TO ACCESS THE HIP JOINT, DISTRACTION IS MANDATORY TO TREAT INTRA-ARTICULAR DISORDERS SUCH AS LABRAL TEARS, ACETABULAR CARTILAGE DEFECTS, LOOSE BODIES, LIGAMENTUM TERES TEARS, AND AVASCULAR NECROSIS OF THE HIP. IN HIP DISTRACTION, COUNTER-DISTRACTION IS NEEDED, AND THIS IS ACHIEVED WITH A BULKY AND CUSHIONED PERINEAL POST. MOST OF THE DESCRIBED TECHNIQUES IN HIP ARTHROSCOPY WORLDWIDE USE A PERINEAL POST, BUT IATROGENIC PUDENDAL NERVE, GENITAL LACERATIONS, HEMATOMAS, AND GROIN COMPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO OCCUR. IN LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, DISPOSABLE HIP PAD DEVICES ARE EXPENSIVE, AND NOT ALL THE ARTHROSCOPIC COMPANIES PROVIDE THEM. OUR YOGA MAT TECHNIQUE PROVIDES ENOUGH COUNTERTRACTION TO ACHIEVE ADEQUATE HIP DISTRACTION. LABRAL REPAIR, LABRAL RECONSTRUCTION, AND DECOMPRESSION OF FEMOROACETABULAR IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED PROPERLY, RELIABLY, AND REPRODUCIBLY, AND NO TRENDELENBURG POSITION IS NEEDED. POSTLESS HIP ARTHROSCOPY IS MADE SIMPLE, AND POSITIONING THE PATIENT IS NOT DIFFICULT. HIP SURGEONS CAN ADAPT THIS TECHNIQUE TO A FRACTURE TABLE, A HIP DISTRACTOR, AND A STANDARD OPERATING ROOM TABLE. 2021 8 2886 15 YOGA: BALANCING THE EXCITATION-INHIBITION EQUILIBRIUM IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL DISTURBANCES ARE CENTRAL TO MOST PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. A DISEQUILIBRIUM WITHIN THE CORTICAL EXCITATORY AND INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEMS UNDERLIES THESE DEFICITS. GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA) AND GLUTAMATE ARE THE MOST ABUNDANT EXCITATORY AND INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN THE BRAIN THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS EQUILIBRIUM. SEVERAL CONTEMPORARY THERAPIES USED IN TREATING PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, REGULATE THIS GABA-GLUTAMATE BALANCE. YOGA HAS BEEN STUDIED AS AN ADJUVANT TREATMENT ACROSS A BROAD RANGE OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND IS SHOWN TO HAVE SHORT-TERM THERAPEUTIC GAINS. EMERGING EVIDENCE FROM RECENT CLINICAL IN VIVO EXPERIMENTS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IMPROVES GABA-MEDIATED CORTICAL-INHIBITORY TONE AND ENHANCES PERIPHERAL OXYTOCIN LEVELS. THIS IS LIKELY TO HAVE A MORE CONTROLLED DOWNSTREAM RESPONSE OF THE HYPOTHALAMO-PITUITARY-ADRENAL SYSTEM BY MEANS OF REDUCED CORTISOL RELEASE AND HENCE A BLUNTED SYMPATHETIC RESPONSE TO STRESS. ANIMAL AND EARLY FETAL DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES SUGGEST AN INTER-DEPENDENT ROLE OF OXYTOCIN AND GABA IN REGULATING SOCIAL BEHAVIORS. IN KEEPING WITH THESE OBSERVATIONS, WE PROPOSE AN INTEGRATED NEUROBIOLOGICAL MODEL TO STUDY THE MECHANISMS OF THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS WITH YOGA. APART FROM PROVIDING A NEUROSCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR APPLYING A TRADITIONAL SYSTEM OF PRACTICE IN THE CLINICAL SETTING, THIS MODEL CAN BE USED AS A FRAMEWORK FOR STUDYING YOGA MECHANISMS IN FUTURE CLINICAL TRIALS. 2019 9 2363 14 VOLUNTARILY INDUCED VOMITING - A YOGA TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN HEALTHY HUMANS. VOMITING IS A COMPLEX AUTONOMIC REFLEX ORCHESTRATED BY SEVERAL NEUROLOGICAL CENTRES IN THE BRAIN. VAGUS, THE CRANIAL NERVE PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN REGULATION OF VOMITING. KUNJAL KRIYA (VOLUNTARILY INDUCED VOMITING), IS A YOGIC CLEANSING TECHNIQUE WHICH INVOLVES VOLUNTARILY INDUCING VOMITING AFTER DRINKING SALINE WATER (5%) ON EMPTY STOMACH. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED WITH AN OBJECTIVE TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECT OF VOLUNTARY INDUCED VOMITING (VIV) ON PULMONARY FUNCTIONS IN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS AND NOVICES AND DERIVE ITS POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. EIGHTEEN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS VOLUNTEERED FOR THE STUDY OF WHICH NINE HAD PRIOR EXPERIENCE OF VIV WHILE NINE DID NOT. PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS WERE PERFORMED BEFORE AND AFTER 10 MIN OF REST FOLLOWING VIV. ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE WAS PERFORMED ADJUSTED FOR GENDER AND BASELINE VALUES. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED ACROSS GENDERS. THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT STUDY SUGGEST A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SLOW VITAL CAPACITY [F(1,13) = 5.699; P = 0.03] AND FORCED INSPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1ST SECOND [P = 0.02] AND REDUCTION IN EXPIRATORY RESERVE VOLUME [F(1,13) = 5.029; P = 0.04] AND RESPIRATORY RATE [F(1,13) = 3.244, P = 0.09]. THESE CHANGES SUGGEST THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF VIV IN ENHANCING THE ENDURANCE OF THE RESPIRATORY MUSCLES, DECREASED AIRWAY RESISTANCE, BETTER EMPTYING OF LUNGS AND VAGAL PREDOMINANCE RESPECTIVELY. WE CONCLUDE THAT VIV WHEN PRACTICED REGULARLY ENHANCES THE ENDURANCE OF THE RESPIRATORY MUSCLES AND DECREASES AIRWAY RESISTANCE. THESE FINDINGS ALSO INDICATE NEED FOR SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF VIV IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MOTION SICKNESS AND RESTRICTIVE PULMONARY DISORDERS LIKE BRONCHITIS AND BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. 2018 10 1639 12 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 11 889 8 EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED AND FORCED UNINOSTRIL BREATHING ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. SOME REPORTS HAVE DESCRIBED THE EFFECTS OF FORCED UNINOSTRIL BREATHING ON AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY AS SEX-SPECIFIC, WHILE OTHER REPORTS DESCRIBED SELECTIVE EFFECTS OF BREATHING THROUGH A SPECIFIC NOSTRIL ON THE TWO DIVISIONS OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, IRRESPECTIVE OF SEX. THERE ARE ALSO YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES WHICH INVOLVE VOLUNTARY UNINOSTRIL BREATHING. THESE TECHNIQUES ALSO INFLUENCED THE AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY BASED ON THE PATENT NOSTRIL RATHER THAN SEX. THESE DESCRIPTIONS WERE IN LINE WITH EXPERIENTIAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE ANCIENT SAGES DESCRIBED IN CLASSICAL YOGA TEXTS. THIS PAPER SUMMARIZES THESE PERSPECTIVES ON UNINOSTRIL BREATHING. 2003 12 1734 12 PERSPECTIVES ON YOGA INPUTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN. CHRONIC PAIN IS MULTI-DIMENSIONAL. AT THE PHYSICAL LEVEL ITSELF, BEYOND THE NOCICEPTIVE PATHWAY, THERE IS HYPER AROUSAL STATE OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, WHICH NEGATIVELY INFLUENCES TENSION COMPONENT OF THE MUSCLES, PATTERNS OF BREATHING, ENERGY LEVELS AND MINDSET, ALL OF WHICH EXACERBATE THE DISTRESS AND AFFECT THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY. BEGINNING WITH THE PHYSICAL BODY, YOGA EVENTUALLY INFLUENCES ALL ASPECTS OF THE PERSON: VITAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL. IT OFFERS VARIOUS LEVELS AND APPROACHES TO RELAX, ENERGIZE, REMODEL AND STRENGTHEN BODY AND PSYCHE. THE ASANAS AND PRANAYAMA HARMONIZE THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEM AND INITIATE A "RELAXATION RESPONSE" IN THE NEURO ENDOCRINAL SYSTEM. THIS CONSISTS OF DECREASED METABOLISM, QUIETER BREATHING, STABLE BLOOD PRESSURE, REDUCED MUSCLE TENSION, LOWER HEART RATE AND SLOW BRAIN WAVE PATTERN. AS THE NEURAL DISCHARGE PATTERN GETS MODULATED, HYPER AROUSAL OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE STATIC LOAD ON POSTURAL MUSCLE COME DOWN. THE FUNCTION OF VISCERA IMPROVES WITH THE SENSE OF RELAXATION AND SLEEP GETS DEEPER AND SUSTAINED; FATIGUE DIMINISHES. SEVERAL SUBTLE LEVEL NOTIONAL CORRECTIONS CAN HAPPEN IN CASE THE SUBJECT MEDITATES AND THAT CHANGES THE CONTEXT OF THE DISEASE, PAIN AND THE MEANING OF LIFE. MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA, ALONG WITH RELAXING ASANAS, CAN HELP INDIVIDUALS DEAL WITH THE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF CHRONIC PAIN, REDUCE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION EFFECTIVELY AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE PERCEIVED. 2010 13 43 14 A CASE REPORT OF PATIENT PRACTISING YOGA LEADING TO DENTAL EROSION. THE ARTICLE PRESENTS THE CASE OF A PATIENT WHO WAS PRACTISING YOGA (KUNJAL KRIYA) WHICH LED TO DENTAL EROSION. DENTAL EROSION CAN BE DUE TO EXTRINSIC OR INTRINSIC CAUSES. THE INTRINSIC CAUSES INCLUDE VOMITING DUE TO ANOREXIA NERVOSA, REGURGITATION DUE TO ABNORMALITY IN GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT OR RUMINATION. A 38-YEAR-OLD MALE PATIENT PRESENTED WITH A RARE AETIOLOGY OF DENTAL EROSION. HE HAD PRACTICED KUNJAL KRIYA ONE OF THE YOGIC EXERCISES DESCRIBED IN ANCIENT INDIA. IN KUNJAL KRIYA THE PATIENT VOMITS ON AN EMPTY STOMACH IN ORDER TO CLEAN HIS OR HER GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT. THE PATIENT HAD PRACTICED THIS FORM OF EXERCISE FOR OVER 12 YEARS WHICH HAD LED TO SEVERE DENTAL EROSION. A PROPER CASE HISTORY SHOULD BE EVALUATED FOR EVERY PATIENT SO THAT THEY CAN BE COUNSELLED FOR ANY FACTORS THAT COULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO DENTAL HEALTH. EARLY DIAGNOSIS IS PARAMOUNT IN RECOGNISING THE AETIOLOGY OF DENTAL EROSION SO THAT DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS ON THE DENTITION CAN BE PREVENTED. 2007 14 82 15 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 15 2608 9 YOGA FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS: FROM FAD TO EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION? THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE FOR YOGA'S NEUROBIOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN PEOPLE WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. POSTULATED MECHANISMS OF ACTION INCLUDE: (A) MODULATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS; (B) ENHANCEMENT OF GABAERGIC NEUROTRANSMISSION; (C) AUTONOMIC MODULATION; AND (D) NEUROENDOCRINOLOGICAL EFFECTS. YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS APPEARS PROMISING AND MERITS FURTHER ATTENTION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE AND RESEARCH. 2020 16 2804 17 YOGA THERAPY IN JAPAN. THIS PERSPECTIVE PIECE GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT SITUATION OF YOGA THERAPY IN JAPAN TODAY. TRADITIONAL YOGA IN JAPAN SUFFERED A SERIOUS SETBACK IN 1995 WITH A NERVE GAS TERRORIST ATTACK ON THE TOKYO SUBWAY, WHICH WAS CARRIED OUT BY A CULT THAT RECRUITED MEMBERS THROUGH YOGA CLASSES. BUT WITH THE INCREASE IN POPULARITY WITH MODERN FORMS OF YOGA SUCH AS IYENGAR YOGA, ASHTANGA YOGA AND HOT YOGA IN THE WEST, THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN JAPAN TODAY IS FORGETTING ITS AVERSION TO YOGA AND CONSIDERS IT TO BE SOMETHING THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO GOOD HEALTH. IN 2012, THE JAPAN YOGA THERAPY SOCIETY (JYTS) CONDUCTED A STUDY ON ADVERSE EVENTS IN YOGA CLASSES THROUGHOUT JAPAN WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF KYUSHU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, LABOUR AND WELFARE. THIS STUDY INDICATED THAT MORE THAN HALF OF PEOPLE ATTENDING YOGA CLASSES HAVE SOME FORM OF CHRONIC ILLNESS, WITH 42.3% RECEIVING OUTPATIENT CARE. THIS SURVEY WAS THE BEGINNING OF GROWING INTEREST FROM BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND UNIVERSITIES IN YOGA THERAPY. JYTS IS BEGINNING TO MAKE INROADS INTO BRINGING YOGA THERAPY INTO CANCER AND PALLIATIVE CARE, SENIOR CITIZEN HOMES, ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION REHABILITATION, CARDIOVASCULAR REHABILITATION, AND RESEARCH ON TRAUMA AND SCHIZOPHRENIA. WHILE THERE ARE STILL LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOGA THERAPISTS TO WORK IN MAINSTREAM HEALTHCARE SERVICES, THERE IS GROWING INTEREST AMONG MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IN BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. JYTS IS BEGINNING TO MAKE INROADS INTO BRINGING YOGA THERAPY INTO CANCER AND PALLIATIVE CARE, SENIOR CITIZEN HOMES, ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION REHABILITATION, CARDIOVASCULAR REHABILITATION, AND RESEARCH ON TRAUMA AND SCHIZOPHRENIA. WHILE THERE ARE STILL LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOGA THERAPISTS TO WORK IN MAINSTREAM HEALTHCARE SERVICES, THERE IS GROWING INTEREST AMONG MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IN BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. THIS PERSPECTIVE PIECE INTRODUCES SOME OF THE DEVELOPMENTS IN YOGA THERAPY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN JAPAN. 2017 17 197 12 A RARE CASE OF QUADRATUS FEMORIS MUSCLE RUPTURE AFTER YOGA EXERCISES. WE PRESENT A CASE OF A FEMALE PATIENT WITH LEFT GROIN PAIN AFTER INTENSE YOGA EXERCISES. THE PATIENT PRESENTED ABNORMAL PATTERN OF GAIT WITH NO SWELLING OVER THE GROIN, THIGH, OR BUTTOCK. MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING DEMONSTRATED A TEAR OF THE QUADRATUS FEMORIS MUSCLE WITH AN ASSOCIATED EXTENSIVE HEMATOMA FORMATION. PATIENT WAS TREATED WITH A REHABILITATION PROGRAM CONSISTING OF NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS AND PHYSIOTHERAPY. AT THE FOLLOW-UP CONTROL, THE PATIENT HAD IMPROVED HER PAIN AND FLEXIBILITY OF THE HIP, AND GRADUALLY SHE RETURNED TO DAILY ACTIVITIES AND YOGA EXERCISES. SUCH AN ENTITY IS A RARE CAUSE OF HIP PAIN AFTER EXERCISE AND SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND BY THE ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, IN CASES OF GLUTEAL PAIN AFTER INTENSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. MOREOVER, SUCH A CONDITION SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE DIAGNOSTIC ALGORITHM OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN HIP PAIN. 2016 18 846 15 EFFECT OF YOGA ON PULSE RATE VARIABILITY MEASURED FROM A VENOUS PRESSURE WAVEFORM. THE BENEFITS OF YOGA HAVE BEEN STUDIED IN DIFFERENT FIELDS, FROM CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS TO MENTAL DISORDERS, SHOWING THAT IT CAN HELP TO IMPROVE THE OVERALL HEALTH. IN PARTICULAR, IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT YOGA ALSO IMPROVES THE AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AT REST IS COMMONLY USED AS A NON-INVASIVE MEASURE OF AUTONOMIC REGULATION OF HEART RATE. ALTERNATIVELY, PULSE RATE VARIABILITY (PRV) HAS BEEN PROPOSED AS A SURROGATE OF HRV. VOLUMETRIX HAS DEVELOPED A NOVEL TECHNOLOGY THAT CAPTURES VENOUS WAVEFORMS VIA SENSORS ON THE VOLAR ASPECT OF THE WRIST, CALLED NIVABAND. THIS STUDY AIMS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM BY ANALYZING THE PRV OBTAINED FROM THE NIVA SIGNAL. TEMPORAL (STATISTICS OF THE NORMAL-TO-NORMAL INTERVALS), SPECTRAL (POWER IN LOW AND HIGH FREQUENCY BANDS) AND NONLINEAR (LAGGED POINCARE PLOT ANALYSIS) PARAMETERS ARE ANALYZED BEFORE AND AFTER A YOGA SESSION IN 20 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. THE PRV ANALYSIS SHOWS AN INCREASE IN PARAMETERS RELATED TO PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND OVERALL VARIABILITY, AND A DECREASE IN PARAMETERS RELATED TO SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND MEAN HEART RATE. THESE RESULTS SUPPORT THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA IN AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, INCREASING THE PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY. 2019 19 2486 16 YOGA AS AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH FOR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ORAL CANCER. DESPITE TREMENDOUS ADVANCEMENTS IN MEDICINE, THE NUMBER OF ORAL CANCER CASES CONTINUES TO INCREASE, AND THE NEED FOR INTEGRATING ALTERNATE MEDICINE OR ADOPTING AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH HAS BECOME A COMPELLING COST-EFFECTIVE REQUIREMENT FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES. CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT OF ORAL CANCER INVOLVES SURGERY FOLLOWED BY RADIOTHERAPY WITH OR WITHOUT CHEMOTHERAPY WHICH CAUSES SEVERAL COMPLICATIONS INCLUDING POOR QUALITY OF LIFE AND HIGH CHANCES OF RECURRENCE OF CANCER. ORAL CANCER IS OFTEN LINKED WITH OBESITY WHICH IS MAJOR RISK FACTORS IN OTHER CANCERS. APART FROM OBESITY, ORAL CANCER IS THOUGHT TO HAVE AN INVERSE RELATION WITH NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS PRESUMABLY BECAUSE CELL DEATH DECREASES IN THE FORMER CASE AND INCREASES IN THE LATTER. ANCIENT MIND-BODY TECHNIQUES SUCH AS YOGA HAVE NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY TESTED AS A TOOL TO SYNERGIZE THE CELLULAR EQUILIBRIUM PERTAINING TO THE TREATMENT OF ORAL CANCER. NERVE GROWTH FACTOR (NGF), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), AND INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) ARE AMONG THE EARLY EXPERIMENTAL CELLULAR BIOMARKERS THAT MAY BE USED TO PROBE THE MODULATION OF ORAL CANCER, OBESITY, AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS. YOGA HAS BEEN REPORTED TO INFLUENCE THESE MOLECULES IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS BUT WHETHER THEIR EXPRESSION CAN BE ALTERED IN PATIENTS OF ORAL CANCER BY YOGA INTERVENTION IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS RESEARCH BEING DISCUSSED IN THIS REVIEW ARTICLE. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT ARTICLE NOT ONLY REVIEWS THE CURRENT STATUS OF RESEARCH STUDIES IN ORAL CANCER, OBESITY, AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS BUT ALSO HOW THESE ARE LINKED TO EACH OTHER AND WHY THE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE PUTATIVE NGF PATHWAY, INVOLVING TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6, COULD PROVIDE USEFUL CLUES TO UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR EFFECTS BROUGHT ABOUT BY YOGA INTERVENTION IN SUCH PATIENTS. 2018 20 1396 11 IMPACT OF YOGA IN A CASE OF VOCAL CORD DYSFUNCTION WITH DYSAUTONOMIA. A 23-YEAR-OLD FEMALE WITH A PAST MEDICAL HISTORY OF GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE PRESENTED WITH SHORTNESS OF BREATH INDUCED BY EXERCISE AND CERTAIN ODORS. SHE REPORTED THE SYMPTOMS OF AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION INCLUDING FATIGUE, CHEST PAIN, LIGHTHEADEDNESS, HEADACHES, NUMBNESS/TINGLING IN THE ARMS AND LEGS, AND EXERCISE INTOLERANCE. VITAL SIGNS WERE SIGNIFICANT FOR ORTHOSTATIC INTOLERANCE. VOLUME FLOW LOOP IN THE PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS SHOWED A FLATTENING OF THE INSPIRATORY PORTION CHARACTERISTIC OF VOCAL CORD DYSFUNCTION. LARYNGOSCOPY SHOWED DYSKINESIA OF THE LEFT VOCAL CORD, ESPECIALLY AFTER EXERCISE. MULTIFACTORIAL APPROACH WAS USED INCLUDING INCREASED FLUID INTAKE AND BREATHING EXERCISES. AFTER 6 WEEKS OF BREATHING AND ISOMETRIC EXERCISES, THE PATIENT REPORTED IMPROVEMENT IN DYSPNEA AFTER EXERCISE. THIS CASE REPORT DEMONSTRATES THE THERAPEUTIC ROLE OF BREATHING AND ISOMETRIC EXERCISES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VOCAL CORD AND AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION. 2017