1 2596 182 YOGA FOR MILITARY VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS PREVALENT, ESPECIALLY AMONG MILITARY VETERANS. MANY CLBP TREATMENT OPTIONS HAVE LIMITED BENEFITS AND ARE ACCOMPANIED BY SIDE EFFECTS. MAJOR EFFORTS TO REDUCE OPIOID USE AND EMBRACE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL PAIN TREATMENTS HAVE RESULTED. RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITY CLBP PATIENTS INDICATES THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND HAS FEW SIDE EFFECTS. THE BENEFITS OF YOGA AMONG MILITARY VETERANS WERE EXAMINED. DESIGN: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR DELAYED YOGA TREATMENT IN 2013-2015. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS, 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS. INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSES OCCURRED IN 2016. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP WERE RECRUITED FROM A MAJOR VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER IN CALIFORNIA. INTERVENTION: YOGA CLASSES (WITH HOME PRACTICE) WERE LED BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR TWICE WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS, AND CONSISTED PRIMARILY OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, MOVEMENT, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AFTER 12 WEEKS. PAIN INTENSITY WAS IDENTIFIED AS AN IMPORTANT SECONDARY OUTCOME. RESULTS: PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS WERE MEAN AGE 53 YEARS, 26% WERE FEMALE, 35% WERE UNEMPLOYED OR DISABLED, AND MEAN BACK PAIN DURATION WAS 15 YEARS. IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS, BUT YOGA PARTICIPANTS HAD GREATER REDUCTIONS IN ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES THAN DELAYED TREATMENT PARTICIPANTS AT 6 MONTHS -2.48 (95% CI= -4.08, -0.87). YOGA PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED MORE ON PAIN INTENSITY AT 12 WEEKS AND AT 6 MONTHS. OPIOID MEDICATION USE DECLINED AMONG ALL PARTICIPANTS, BUT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE NOT FOUND. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG VETERANS DESPITE EVIDENCE THEY HAD FEWER RESOURCES, WORSE HEALTH, AND MORE CHALLENGES ATTENDING YOGA SESSIONS THAN COMMUNITY SAMPLES STUDIED PREVIOUSLY. THE MAGNITUDE OF PAIN INTENSITY DECLINE WAS SMALL, BUT OCCURRED IN THE CONTEXT OF REDUCED OPIOID USE. THE FINDINGS SUPPORT WIDER IMPLEMENTATION OF YOGA PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THIS STUDY IS REGISTERED AT WWW.CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02524158. 2017 2 1787 54 PREFERENCE AND EXPECTATION FOR TREATMENT ASSIGNMENT IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF ONCE- VS TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. BACKGROUND: IN STUDIES INVOLVING NONPHARMACOLOGICAL COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE INTERVENTIONS, PARTICIPANT BLINDING IS VERY DIFFICULT. PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS MAY AFFECT PERCEIVED BENEFIT OF THERAPY. IN STUDIES OF YOGA AS TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PATIENT EXPECTATIONS AND PREFERENCES ON OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY BASELINE PREDICTORS OF PREFERENCE AND TO DETERMINE IF EXPECTATIONS AND PREFERENCES FOR DIFFERENT DOSES OF YOGA AFFECT BACK-RELATED FUNCTION AND LOW BACK PAIN INTENSITY. METHODS: THIS WAS A SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS OF A 12-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING ONCE-WEEKLY VS TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA FOR TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN 93 ADULTS FROM A PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME MINORITY POPULATION. AT BASELINE, PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED ABOUT BACK FUNCTION, BACK PAIN, TREATMENT EXPECTATIONS, AND TREATMENT PREFERENCES. WE CREATED A VARIABLE "CONCORDANCE" TO DESCRIBE THE MATCHING OF PARTICIPANT PREFERENCE TO RANDOMIZED TREATMENT. OUR OUTCOME VARIABLES WERE CHANGE IN BACK FUNCTION AND PAIN INTENSITY AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YOGA INSTRUCTION. WE PERFORMED LOGISTIC REGRESSION TO IDENTIFY PREDICTORS OF PREFERENCE FOR ONCE- OR TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA INSTRUCTION. WE CREATED LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS TO IDENTIFY INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN EXPECTATIONS, PREFERENCE, CONCORDANCE, AND OUTCOMES. RESULTS: WORSE BACK FUNCTION AT BASELINE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH 20% HIGHER ODDS OF PREFERRING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA (OR 1.2, CI 1.1, 1.3). INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGHER EXPECTATION SCORES FOR TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA HAD 90% HIGHER ODDS OF PREFERRING TWICE-WEEKLY VS ONCE-WEEKLY YOGA (OR 1.9, CI 1.3, 2.7). INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGHER EXPECTATION SCORES FOR ONCE-WEEKLY YOGA HAD 40% LESS ODDS OF PREFERRING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA (OR 0.6, CI 0.5, 0.9). AFTER CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS, WE FOUND NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TREATMENT OUTCOMES, PREFERENCE, EXPECTATION SCORES, OR CONCORDANCE. CONCLUSION: IN A POPULATION OF PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME MINORITY PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, WORSE BACK FUNCTION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PREFERENCE FOR MORE FREQUENT YOGA CLASSES. THOSE WHO PREFERRED MORE YOGA CLASSES HAD HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FOR THOSE CLASSES. TWELVE-WEEK CHANGE IN BACK PAIN INTENSITY AND BACK FUNCTION WERE NOT AFFECTED BY DOSING PREFERENCE, EXPECTATION SCORE, OR CONCORDANCE. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO BETTER MEASURE AND QUANTIFY PREFERENCE, EXPECTATIONS, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO OUTCOMES IN YOGA RESEARCH. 2015 3 1724 43 PERCEPTIONS OF MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASM PATIENTS PARTICIPATING IN AN ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION: A QUALITATIVE STUDY. MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASMS (MPNS) ARE RARE HEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES WITH A SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOM BURDEN OFTEN LEFT UNRESOLVED DESPITE RECENT ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY. YOGA IS A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL STRATEGY THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE SYMPTOMS IN OTHER CANCERS AND MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING SYMPTOMS IN MPN PATIENTS. ONLINE YOGA HELPS ADDRESS MANY OF THE COMMONLY REPORTED BARRIERS OF CANCER PATIENTS TO IN-PERSON INTERVENTIONS AND MAY MAKE YOGA MORE ACCESSIBLE TO MPNS. AN EXPLORATION OF MPN PATIENT PERCEPTIONS OF PARTICIPATION IN ONLINE YOGA IS NEEDED TO TAILOR INTERVENTIONS TO PATIENT NEEDS AND INFORM FUTURE STUDIES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE PERCEPTIONS OF MPN PATIENTS PARTICIPATING IN A 12-WEEK ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION. THIS ARTICLE REPRESENTS THE COMBINED QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW DATA FROM TWO STUDIES. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE 60 MIN/WK OF ONLINE, HOME-BASED YOGA AND WERE ASKED TO PARTICIPATE IN A 15- TO 20-MINUTE PHONE INTERVIEW POSTINTERVENTION. THE QUALITATIVE DATA WAS CODED IN NVIVO 11 FOR CONTENT ANALYSIS. THE TOTAL SAMPLE INCLUDED 39 MPN PATIENTS. ONLINE YOGA WAS WELL ACCEPTED AND LIKED AMONG THESE PATIENTS. THEY REPORTED PHYSICAL (EG, IMPROVED SLEEP, REDUCED FATIGUE) AND MENTAL (EG, REDUCED STRESS) HEALTH BENEFITS AND LIKED THE CONVENIENCE OF BEING ABLE TO DO YOGA AT HOME. ONLINE YOGA PROVIDES A FEASIBLE AND ATTRACTIVE FORMAT THROUGH WHICH TO DELIVER A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION AMONG MPN PATIENTS. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE YOGA ON MPN PATIENT SYMPTOMS. THE QUALITATIVE FINDINGS PRESENTED HERE HELP INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE FUTURE TRIALS. 2018 4 188 52 A RANDOMIZED PREFERENCE TRIAL OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND YOGA FOR THE TREATMENT OF WORRY IN ANXIOUS OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND: WORRY IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG OLDER ADULTS. COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY IS THE MOST STUDIED NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION AND IT HAS DEMONSTRATED EFFICACY IN REDUCING LATE-LIFE WORRY AND ANXIETY. ALTHOUGH THE EVIDENCE-BASE IS SMALLER, YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE ANXIETY AND STRESS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE TWO NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS. FURTHER, THE IMPACT OF PATIENT PREFERENCE ON OUTCOMES IS UNKNOWN.PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE TO THIS STUDY IS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) WITH YOGA FOR IMPROVING LATE-LIFE WORRY, ANXIETY, AND SLEEP. WE WILL ALSO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF PREFERENCE AND SELECTION ON OUTCOMES, ADHERENCE, AND ATTRITION. METHODS: WE ARE CONDUCTING A TWO-STAGE RANDOMIZED PREFERENCE TRIAL COMPARING CBT AND YOGA FOR THE REDUCTION OF WORRY IN A SAMPLE OF ANXIOUS OLDER ADULTS. FIVE HUNDRED PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER THE PREFERENCE TRIAL (PARTICIPANTS CHOOSE THE INTERVENTION; N=250) OR TO THE RANDOMIZED TRIAL (PARTICIPANTS ARE RANDOMIZED TO ONE OF THE TWO INTERVENTIONS; N=250) WITH EQUAL PROBABILITY. CBT CONSISTS OF 10 TELEPHONE-BASED SESSIONS WITH AN ACCOMPANYING WORKBOOK. YOGA CONSISTS OF 10 WEEKS OF GROUP YOGA CLASSES (TWICE A WEEK) THAT IS MODIFIED FOR USE WITH OLDER ADULTS. CONCLUSIONS: THE STUDY DESIGN IS BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM ANXIOUS OLDER ADULTS WHO WANTED MORE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS FOR INTERVENTION AS WELL AS MORE INPUT INTO THE INTERVENTION THEY RECEIVE. IT IS THE FIRST HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON OF CBT AND YOGA FOR REDUCING LATE-LIFE WORRY AND ANXIETY. IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW INTERVENTION PREFERENCE AFFECTS OUTCOMES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02968238. 2018 5 1291 39 GROUP ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY WITH YOGA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC NECK, LOW BACK, AND OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN IN SAFETY NET SETTING FOR AN UNDERSERVED POPULATION: DESIGN AND RATIONALE FOR A FEASIBILITY PILOT. CHRONIC PAIN IS PREVALENT IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH IMPACT ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING AS WELL AS LOST WORK PRODUCTIVITY. MINORITY AND LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC POPULATIONS HAVE INCREASED PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC PAIN WITH LESS ACCESS TO PAIN CARE, POORER OUTCOMES, AND HIGHER RISK OF FATAL OPIOID OVERDOSE. ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY IS EFFECTIVE IN TREATING CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS INCLUDING CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, NECK PAIN, SHOULDER PAIN, AND KNEE PAIN FROM OSTEOARTHRITIS. ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY, INCLUDING GROUP ACUPUNCTURE, IS FEASIBLE AND EFFECTIVE, AND SPECIFICALLY SO FOR UNDERSERVED AND DIVERSE POPULATIONS AT RISK FOR HEALTH OUTCOME DISPARITIES. ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY ALSO ENCOURAGES PATIENT ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVATION. AS CHRONIC PAIN IMPROVES, THERE IS A NATURAL PROGRESSION TO WANT AND NEED TO INCREASE ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT RECOVERY. DIVERSE MOVEMENT APPROACHES ARE IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING RANGE OF MOTION, MAINTAINING GAINS, STRENGTHENING, AND PROMOTING PATIENT ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVATION. YOGA THERAPY IS AN ACTIVE THERAPY WITH PROVEN BENEFIT IN MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN DISORDERS AND PAIN ASSOCIATED DISABILITY. THE AIM OF THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PILOT FEASIBILITY TRIAL IS TO TEST THE BUNDLING OF THESE 2 EFFECTIVE CARE OPTIONS FOR CHRONIC PAIN, TO INFORM BOTH THE DESIGN FOR A LARGER RANDOMIZED PRAGMATIC EFFECTIVENESS TRIAL AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES ACROSS UNDERSERVED SETTINGS. 2020 6 388 62 BENEFITS OF THE RESTORATIVE EXERCISE AND STRENGTH TRAINING FOR OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE AND EXCELLENCE YOGA PROGRAM FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN SERVICE MEMBERS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA PROGRAM. DESIGN: PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: MILITARY MEDICAL CENTER. PARTICIPANTS: PATIENTS (N=68) WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTIONS: RESTORATIVE EXERCISE AND STRENGTH TRAINING FOR OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE AND EXCELLENCE (RESTORE) PROGRAM (9-12 INDIVIDUAL YOGA SESSIONS) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (CONTROL) FOR AN 8-WEEK PERIOD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PAST 24-HOUR PAIN (DEFENSE & VETERANS PAIN RATING SCALE 2.0). SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DISABILITY (ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE) AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND SYMPTOM BURDEN (PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM-29 SUBSCALES). ASSESSMENT OCCURRED AT BASELINE, WEEK 4, WEEK 8, 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, AND 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. EXPLORATORY OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE PROPORTION OF PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP REPORTING CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL CHANGES AT 3- AND 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UPS. RESULTS: GENERALIZED LINEAR MIXED MODELS WITH SEQUENTIAL BONFERRONI-ADJUSTED PAIRWISE SIGNIFICANCE TESTS AND CHI-SQUARE ANALYSES EXAMINED LONGITUDINAL OUTCOMES. SECONDARY OUTCOME SIGNIFICANCE TESTS WERE BONFERRONI ADJUSTED FOR MULTIPLE OUTCOMES. THE RESTORE GROUP REPORTED IMPROVED PAIN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. SECONDARY OUTCOMES DID NOT RETAIN SIGNIFICANCE AFTER BONFERRONI ADJUSTMENTS FOR MULTIPLE OUTCOMES, ALTHOUGH A HIGHER PROPORTION OF RESTORE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED CLINICALLY MEANINGFULLY CHANGES IN ALL OUTCOMES AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP AND IN SYMPTOM BURDEN AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORE MAY BE A VIABLE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT FOR LOW BACK PAIN WITH MINIMAL SIDE EFFECTS, AND RESEARCH EFFORTS ARE NEEDED TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RESTORE DELIVERY FORMATS (EG, GROUP VS INDIVIDUAL) WITH THAT OF OTHER TREATMENT MODALITIES. 2018 7 2172 42 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION AND MOTOR FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE: A REVIEW OF CONTROLLED STUDIES. BACKGROUND: PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD) IS A NEURODEGENERATIVE/NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDER CHARACTERIZED BY BOTH MOTOR AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMOLOGY. THE REPORTED PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH PD IS DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN DUE TO OVERLAPPING SOMATIC SYMPTOMS AND FAILURE TO SELF-REPORT SYMPTOMS. ALTHOUGH ANTIDEPRESSANTS REMAIN A FIRST-LINE TREATMENT, THEY CAN HAVE ADVERSE EFFECTS. RECENTLY, LITERATURE HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT DUE TO ITS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES, YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE NONPHARMACOLOGIC THERAPY FOR DEPRESSION. METHODS: A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) PUBLISHED FROM JANUARY 2000 TO JANUARY 2019 THAT ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION AND MOTOR FUNCTIONING IN PD. RESULTS: THREE STUDIES MET THE CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION. IN ONE RCT, BIWEEKLY YOGA RESULTED IN A DECREASE IN DEPRESSION SCORE (P = .056). IN ANOTHER RCT, WEEKLY YOGA RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN DEPRESSION AND DEMONSTRATED THAT ITS THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS ARE LONG-LASTING. FINALLY, IN A THIRD RCT, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS IN DEPRESSION AFTER BIWEEKLY YOGA. HOWEVER, YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE PROTECTIVE AGAINST WORSENING OF DEPRESSION. CONCLUSIONS: OUR REVIEW SUGGESTS THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY BE A USEFUL NONPHARMACOLOGIC ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH PD. HOWEVER, MORE CONTROLLED RCTS ARE NEEDED TO VALIDATE OUR CONCLUSIONS. 2020 8 576 33 DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS: BENEFITS OF EXERCISE, YOGA, AND MEDITATION. MANY PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY TURN TO NONPHARMACOLOGIC AND NONCONVENTIONAL INTERVENTIONS, INCLUDING EXERCISE, YOGA, MEDITATION, TAI CHI, OR QI GONG. META-ANALYSES AND SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS HAVE SHOWN THAT THESE INTERVENTIONS CAN IMPROVE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT, EXERCISE SEEMS MOST HELPFUL FOR TREATMENT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION, UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION, AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. YOGA AS MONOTHERAPY OR ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY SHOWS POSITIVE EFFECTS, PARTICULARLY FOR DEPRESSION. AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY, IT FACILITATES TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS, PARTICULARLY PANIC DISORDER. TAI CHI AND QI GONG MAY BE HELPFUL AS ADJUNCTIVE THERAPIES FOR DEPRESSION, BUT EFFECTS ARE INCONSISTENT. AS MONOTHERAPY OR AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY, MINDFULNESS-BASED MEDITATION HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION, AND ITS EFFECTS CAN LAST FOR SIX MONTHS OR MORE. ALTHOUGH POSITIVE FINDINGS ARE LESS COMMON IN PEOPLE WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS, THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS ADJUNCTIVE USE. THERE ARE NO APPARENT NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTIONS, AND THEIR GENERAL HEALTH BENEFITS JUSTIFY THEIR USE AS ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. 2019 9 2078 40 THE EFFECT OF CHAIR YOGA ON BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES IN ENGLISH- AND SPANISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH LOWER-EXTREMITY OSTEOARTHRITIS. CHAIR YOGA (CY), A MIND-BODY THERAPY, IS A SAFE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR MANAGING OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) IN OLDER ADULTS WHO CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN STANDING EXERCISE. HOWEVER, THERE IS NO LINGUISTICALLY TAILORED CY PROGRAM FOR THOSE WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP). THIS 2-ARM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARED THE EFFECTS OF A LINGUISTICALLY TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM (ENGLISH AND SPANISH VERSIONS) ON THE OUTCOMES OF PAIN, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS COMPARED TO THE EFFECTS OF A LINGUISTICALLY TAILORED HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM (HEP; ENGLISH AND SPANISH VERSIONS). PARTICIPANTS WITH LOWER-EXTREMITY OA, RECRUITED FROM 2 COMMUNITY SITES, COMPLETED THE SPANISH (N = 40) OR ENGLISH (N = 60) VERSION OF TWICE-WEEKLY 45-MIN CY OR HEP SESSIONS FOR 8 WEEKS. DATA WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE, 4 WEEKS, 8 WEEKS, AND 1- AND 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UPS. ENGLISH AND SPANISH CY GROUPS (BUT NEITHER HEP LANGUAGE GROUP) SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN PAIN INTERFERENCE. MEASURES OF OA SYMPTOMS, BALANCE, DEPRESSION, AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN ENGLISH AND SPANISH VERSIONS OF CY AND ENGLISH AND SPANISH VERSIONS OF HEP. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE SPANISH AND ENGLISH VERSIONS OF CY AND HEP WERE EQUIVALENT. LINGUISTICALLY TAILORED CY COULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN AGING-SERVING COMMUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH LEP. 2016 10 1953 97 SECONDARY OUTCOMES FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN. CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS A PREVALENT CONDITION, AND RATES ARE HIGHER AMONG MILITARY VETERANS. CLBP IS A PERSISTENT CONDITION, AND TREATMENT OPTIONS HAVE EITHER MODEST EFFECTS OR A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF SIDE-EFFECTS, WHICH HAS LED TO RECENT EFFORTS TO EXPLORE MIND-BODY INTERVENTION OPTIONS AND REDUCE OPIOID MEDICATION USE. PRIOR STUDIES OF YOGA FOR CLBP IN COMMUNITY SAMPLES, AND THE MAIN RESULTS OF A RECENT TRIAL WITH MILITARY VETERANS, INDICATE THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE BACK-RELATED DISABILITY AND PAIN INTENSITY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES FROM THE TRIAL OF YOGA WITH MILITARY VETERANS ARE PRESENTED HERE. IN THE STUDY, 150 MILITARY VETERANS (VETERANS ADMINISTRATION PATIENTS) WITH CLBP WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A DELAYED-TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVING USUAL CARE BETWEEN 2013 AND 2015. ASSESSMENTS OCCURRED AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS, 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED. YOGA CLASSES LASTING 60 MINUTES EACH WERE OFFERED TWICE WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS. YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, MOVEMENT, FOCUSED ATTENTION, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES. HOME PRACTICE GUIDED BY A MANUAL WAS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AFTER 12 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED PAIN INTENSITY, PAIN INTERFERENCE, DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE, SELF-EFFICACY, AND MEDICATION USAGE. YOGA PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED MORE THAN DELAYED-TREATMENT PARTICIPANTS ON PAIN INTERFERENCE, FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SELF-EFFICACY AT 12 WEEKS AND/OR 6 MONTHS. YOGA PARTICIPANTS HAD GREATER IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT SECONDARY HEALTH OUTCOMES COMPARED TO CONTROLS. BENEFITS EMERGED DESPITE SOME VETERANS FACING CHALLENGES WITH ATTENDING YOGA SESSIONS IN PERSON. THE FINDINGS SUPPORT WIDER IMPLEMENTATION OF YOGA PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS, WITH ATTENTION TO INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY OF YOGA PROGRAMS IN THIS POPULATION. 2020 11 2638 71 YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: DESIGN AND METHODS OF A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) AFFLICTS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, WITH PARTICULARLY HIGH PREVALENCE IN MILITARY VETERANS. MANY TREATMENT OPTIONS EXIST FOR CLBP, BUT MOST HAVE LIMITED EFFECTIVENESS AND SOME HAVE SIGNIFICANT SIDE EFFECTS. IN GENERAL POPULATIONS WITH CLBP, YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES WITH FEW SIDE EFFECTS. HOWEVER, YOGA HAS NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY STUDIED IN MILITARY VETERAN POPULATIONS. IN THE CURRENT PAPER WE WILL DESCRIBE THE DESIGN AND METHODS OF A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL AIMED AT EXAMINING WHETHER YOGA CAN EFFECTIVELY REDUCE DISABILITY AND PAIN IN US MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP. A TOTAL OF 144 US MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A DELAYED TREATMENT COMPARISON GROUP. THE YOGA INTERVENTION WILL CONSIST OF 2X WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES FOR 12WEEKS, COMPLEMENTED BY REGULAR HOME PRACTICE GUIDED BY A MANUAL. THE DELAYED TREATMENT GROUP WILL RECEIVE THE SAME INTERVENTION AFTER SIX MONTHS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME IS THE CHANGE IN BACK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY MEASURED WITH THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE AT BASELINE AND 12-WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE PAIN INTENSITY, PAIN INTERFERENCE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, FATIGUE/ENERGY, QUALITY OF LIFE, SELF-EFFICACY, SLEEP QUALITY, AND MEDICATION USAGE. ADDITIONAL PROCESS AND/OR MEDIATIONAL FACTORS WILL BE MEASURED TO EXAMINE DOSE RESPONSE AND EFFECT MECHANISMS. ASSESSMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED AT BASELINE, 6-WEEKS, 12-WEEKS, AND 6-MONTHS. ALL RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. STUDY RESULTS WILL PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED EVIDENCE ON THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC MODALITY FOR THE TREATMENT OF CLBP IN US MILITARY VETERANS. 2016 12 107 53 A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE EFFECTS OF CHAIR YOGA ON PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS WITH LOWER EXTREMITY OSTEOARTHRITIS. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE EFFECTS OF SIT 'N' FIT CHAIR YOGA, COMPARED TO A HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM (HEP), ON PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS WITH LOWER EXTREMITY OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) WHO COULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN STANDING EXERCISE. DESIGN: TWO-ARM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: ONE HUD SENIOR HOUSING FACILITY AND ONE DAY SENIOR CENTER IN SOUTH FLORIDA. PARTICIPANTS: COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (N = 131) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO CHAIR YOGA (N = 66) OR HEP (N = 65). THIRTEEN DROPPED AFTER ASSIGNMENT BUT PRIOR TO THE INTERVENTION; SIX DROPPED DURING THE INTERVENTION; 106 OF 112 COMPLETED AT LEAST 12 OF 16 SESSIONS (95% RETENTION RATE). INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED EITHER CHAIR YOGA OR HEP. BOTH INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF TWICE-WEEKLY 45-MINUTE SESSIONS FOR 8 WEEKS. MEASUREMENTS: PRIMARY: PAIN, PAIN INTERFERENCE; SECONDARY: BALANCE, GAIT SPEED, FATIGUE, FUNCTIONAL ABILITY MEASURED AT BASELINE, AFTER 4 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION, AT THE END OF THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION, AND POST-INTERVENTION (1 AND 3 MONTHS). RESULTS: THE CHAIR YOGA GROUP SHOWED GREATER REDUCTION IN PAIN INTERFERENCE DURING THE INTERVENTION (P = .01), SUSTAINED THROUGH 3 MONTHS (P = .022). WOMAC PAIN (P = .048), GAIT SPEED (P = .024), AND FATIGUE (P = .037) WERE IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP DURING THE INTERVENTION (P = .048) BUT IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOT SUSTAINED POST INTERVENTION. CHAIR YOGA HAD NO EFFECT ON BALANCE. CONCLUSION: AN 8-WEEK CHAIR YOGA PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCTION IN PAIN, PAIN INTERFERENCE, AND FATIGUE, AND IMPROVEMENT IN GAIT SPEED, BUT ONLY THE EFFECTS ON PAIN INTERFERENCE WERE SUSTAINED 3 MONTHS POST INTERVENTION. CHAIR YOGA SHOULD BE FURTHER EXPLORED AS A NONPHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTION FOR OLDER PEOPLE WITH OA IN THE LOWER EXTREMITIES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT02113410. 2017 13 17 41 "THE PAIN LEFT, I WAS OFF AND RUNNING": A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF GROUP ACUPUNCTURE AND YOGA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC PAIN IN A LOW-INCOME AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POPULATION. INTRODUCTION: CHRONIC PAIN AND THE CURRENT OPIOID EPIDEMIC ARE PRESSING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY IN LOW-INCOME AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. NONPHARMACOLOGIC THERAPIES THAT ARE SAFE, EFFECTIVE, AND ACCEPTABLE FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS MAY PROVIDE A SOLUTION FOR ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. THIS QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS EXPLORES THE EXPERIENCE OF STUDY PARTICIPANTS WHO RECEIVED COMBINED ACUPUNCTURE AND YOGA THERAPY (YT) TO TREAT CHRONIC PAIN DELIVERED IN A PRIMARY CARE SETTING. METHODS: THE GROUP ACUPUNCTURE WITH YOGA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC NECK, LOW BACK, AND OSTEOARTHRITIC PAIN TRIAL (GAPYOGA) ASSESSED THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF GROUP ACUPUNCTURE (GA) COMBINED WITH YT IN A LOW-INCOME, RACIAL, AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POPULATION. INDIVIDUAL IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH A SUBSET OF PATIENTS IN THE TRIAL. NINETEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE INTERVIEWED FOR QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THEIR EXPERIENCE. USING THE IMMERSION AND CRYSTALLIZATION METHOD, TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEWS WERE ANALYZED FOR THEMES MEANINGFULLY REPRESENTING PARTICIPANT EXPERIENCE. RESULTS: THE COMBINED GA AND YT RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT PAIN RELIEF AND TRANSFORMATIVE HEALING EXPERIENCES. THREE THEMES EMERGED FROM PARTICIPANT NARRATIVES: (1) TRANSFORMATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH SELF IN THE HEALING PROCESS THROUGH PAIN RELIEF, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, AND SELF-EFFICACY; (2) THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH ACUPUNCTURE AND YOGA PROVIDERS; AND (3) FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS WITH FELLOW PARTICIPANTS IN THE GROUP. DISCUSSION: IN THIS STUDY OF A LOW-INCOME AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POPULATION, THE COMBINATION OF ACUPUNCTURE AND YT WAS FOUND TO ALLEVIATE PAIN, IMPROVE FUNCTION, PROMOTE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, AND ENGAGE PARTICIPANTS IN SELF-CARE PRACTICES IN A TRANSFORMATIVE HEALING PROCESS-RESULTING IN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. 2022 14 1413 36 IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY LOW BACK PAIN IN AN OUTPATIENT CLINIC SETTING. PURPOSE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS WITH OPPORTUNITY FOR QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK. METHOD: EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT WAS ASSESSED USING A PRETEST/POSTTEST DESIGN OF PATIENTS WHO VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN YOGA CLASSES AS PART OF THEIR BACK PAIN MANAGEMENT. MEASUREMENTS INCLUDED LOW BACK PAIN RATING, PERCEPTION OF BACK PAIN INTERFERENCE WITH DAILY ACTIVITIES, AND SELF-EFFICACY IN DEALING WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. FINDINGS: ALTHOUGH NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS WERE FOUND DUE TO THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, MOST PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVED INDIVIDUAL SCORES ON ALL MEASUREMENT SURVEYS INCLUDING QUALITATIVE COMMENTS. CONCLUSION: BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF THIS PILOT STUDY, FURTHER STUDIES ON IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ARE ENCOURAGED. 2019 15 1175 46 EVALUATION OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM IN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAMS ON MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD) HAVE NOT BEEN WELL EXPLORED. TO EXPLORE THE ACCEPTABILITY, IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INTEGRATED EIGHT-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM PLUS AROMATHERAPY MASSAGE IN PATIENTS WITH IBD. METHODS: NINE PARTICIPANTS WITH DOCUMENTED IBD WERE RECRUITED FROM A GASTROENTEROLOGY CLINIC IN CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA TO PARTICIPATE IN AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WEEKLY FOR EIGHT WEEKS WITH OUTCOMES ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND WEEK 8. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR AS A GUIDING THEORY TO IDENTIFY SALIENT BELIEFS FROM QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF A SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW, SURVEY ITEMS MEASURING THE STRENGTH OF BELIEFS AND A DAILY LOG WAS USED TO CAPTURE ADHERENCE AND ADVERSE EVENTS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE COLLECTED USING VALIDATED SURVEY TOOLS EXAMINING ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS, SLEEP QUALITY, AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. RESULTS: ATTITUDE, SUBJECTIVE NORM AND PERCEIVED BEHAVIORAL CONTROL BELIEFS PERTINENT TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION AND DAILY PRACTICE WERE IDENTIFIED. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED FEELING THE INTERVENTION WAS VERY HELPFUL; HOWEVER, FELT GUILT ABOUT NOT COMPLETING DAILY PRACTICES WHICH DECREASED CONFIDENCE AND INTENTION TO CONTINUE WITH THE PRACTICE. AN AVERAGE OF 55.6% OF IN-PERSON SESSIONS WERE ATTENDED AND DECREASED OVER TIME. PARTICIPANTS PRACTICED ON AVERAGE OF 5.4 DAYS PER WEEK. DEPRESSION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCORES IMPROVED AT WEEK 8 FROM BASELINE. CONCLUSIONS: WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY KEY SALIENT BELIEFS OF IBD PATIENTS IN REGARD TO AN INTEGRATED YOGA PLUS AROMATHERAPY MASSAGE INTERVENTION. THIS INTERVENTION APPEARS TO BE ACCEPTABLE AND FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD EXPLORE ITS POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES INCLUDING IBD SYMPTOMS. 2022 16 2824 53 YOGA VERSUS EDUCATION FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS THE MOST FREQUENT PAIN CONDITION IN VETERANS AND CAUSES SUBSTANTIAL SUFFERING, DECREASED FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY, AND LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE. SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS, DEPRESSION, AND MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY ARE HIGHLY PREVALENT IN VETERANS WITH BACK PAIN. YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR CIVILIANS IN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNKNOWN IF RESULTS FROM PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED TRIALS GENERALIZE TO MILITARY POPULATIONS. METHODS/DESIGN: THIS STUDY IS A PARALLEL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA TO EDUCATION FOR 120 VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS ARE VETERANS >/=18 YEARS OLD WITH LOW BACK PAIN PRESENT ON AT LEAST HALF THE DAYS IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS AND A SELF-REPORTED AVERAGE PAIN INTENSITY IN THE PREVIOUS WEEK OF >/=4 ON A 0-10 SCALE. THE 24-WEEK STUDY HAS AN INITIAL 12-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD, WHERE PARTICIPANTS ARE RANDOMIZED EQUALLY INTO (1) A STANDARDIZED WEEKLY GROUP YOGA CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE OR (2) EDUCATION DELIVERED WITH A SELF-CARE BOOK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES ARE CHANGE AT 12 WEEKS IN LOW BACK PAIN INTENSITY MEASURED BY THE DEFENSE AND VETERANS PAIN RATING SCALE (0-10) AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION USING THE 23-POINT ROLAND MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE. IN THE SUBSEQUENT 12-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, YOGA PARTICIPANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE HOME YOGA PRACTICE AND EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS CONTINUE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE BOOK. QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS WITH VETERANS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND THEIR PARTNERS EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN AND YOGA ON FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS. WE ALSO ASSESS COST-EFFECTIVENESS FROM THREE PERSPECTIVES: THE VETERAN, THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, AND SOCIETY USING ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS, SELF-REPORTED COST DATA, AND STUDY RECORDS. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL HELP DETERMINE IF YOGA CAN BECOME AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COMORBIDITIES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT02224183. 2016 17 180 28 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR PREGNANT WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. BACKGROUND: YOGA MAY BE WELL SUITED FOR DEPRESSED AND ANXIOUS PREGNANT WOMEN, GIVEN REPORTED BENEFITS OF MEDITATION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PREGNANT WOMEN'S PREFERENCE FOR NONPHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS. METHODS: WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 46 PREGNANT WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION OR TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (TAU) IN ORDER TO EXAMINE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY OUTCOMES. RESULTS: YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH LEVELS OF CREDIBILITY AND SATISFACTION AS AN INTERVENTION FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DURING PREGNANCY. PARTICIPANTS IN BOTH CONDITIONS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OVER TIME; AND YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN NEGATIVE AFFECT AS COMPARED TO TAU (BETA = -0.53, SE = 0.20, P = .011). CONCLUSION: PRENATAL YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTION AND WAS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCTIONS IN SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION; HOWEVER, PRENATAL YOGA ONLY SIGNIFICANTLY OUTPERFORMED TAU ON REDUCTION OF NEGATIVE AFFECT. 2015 18 6 37 "I JUST START CRYING FOR NO REASON": THE EXPERIENCE OF STRESS AND DEPRESSION IN PREGNANT, URBAN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS AND THEIR PERCEPTION OF YOGA AS A MANAGEMENT STRATEGY. PURPOSE: PERINATAL HEALTH DISPARITIES ARE OF PARTICULAR CONCERN WITH PREGNANT, URBAN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN (AA) ADOLESCENTS, WHO HAVE HIGH RATES OF STRESS AND DEPRESSION DURING PREGNANCY, HIGHER RATES OF ADVERSE PREGNANCY AND NEONATAL OUTCOMES, AND MANY BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE TREATMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE PREGNANT, URBAN, AA TEENAGERS' EXPERIENCE OF STRESS AND DEPRESSION AND EXAMINE THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF ADJUNCTIVE NONPHARMACOLOGIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, SUCH AS YOGA. METHODS: THIS COMMUNITY-BASED, QUALITATIVE STUDY USED NONTHERAPEUTIC FOCUS GROUPS TO ALLOW FOR EXPLORATION OF ATTITUDES, CONCERNS, BELIEFS, AND VALUES REGARDING STRESS AND DEPRESSION IN PREGNANCY AND NONPHARMACOLOGIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES, SUCH AS MIND-BODY THERAPIES AND OTHER PRENATAL ACTIVITIES. FINDINGS: THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF PREGNANT, AA, LOW-INCOME ADOLESCENTS (N=17) WHO RESIDED IN A LARGE URBAN AREA IN THE UNITED STATES. THE THEMES THAT AROSE IN THE FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS WERE THAT 1) STRESS AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS ARE PERVASIVE IN DAILY LIFE, 2) PARTICIPANTS FELT A GENERALIZED SENSE OF ISOLATION, 3) STRESS/DEPRESSION MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES SHOULD BE GROUP BASED, INTERACTIVE, AND FOCUSED ON THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF TEENAGERS, AND 4) YOGA IS AN APPEALING STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE TO THIS POPULATION. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT PREGNANT, URBAN, ADOLESCENTS ARE HIGHLY STRESSED; THEY INTERPRET DEPRESSION-LIKE SYMPTOMS TO BE SIGNS OF STRESS; THEY DESIRE GROUP-BASED, INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES; AND THEY ARE INTERESTED IN YOGA CLASSES FOR STRESS/DEPRESSION MANAGEMENT AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND RESEARCHERS FOCUS ON THESE NEEDS, PARTICULARLY WHEN DESIGNING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES. 2015 19 793 46 EFFECT OF YOGA IN THE THERAPY OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND & AIMS: THIS REVIEW AIMS TO SYSTEMATICALLY SURVEY THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS), PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE, MOOD, STRESS, AND SAFETY IN PATIENTS WITH IBS. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, CAM-QUEST, CAMBASE, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH NOVEMBER 2015. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA WITH USUAL CARE, NONPHARMACOLOGIC, OR PHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS WERE ANALYZED FOR PATIENTS WITH IBS. PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PAIN. ANXIETY, MOOD, AND SAFETY WERE DEFINED AS SECONDARY OUTCOMES. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION RECOMMENDATIONS. RESULTS: SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A TOTAL OF 273 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS. THERE WAS EVIDENCE FOR A BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF A YOGIC INTERVENTION OVER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT IN IBS, WITH SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED BOWEL SYMPTOMS, IBS SEVERITY, AND ANXIETY. FURTHERMORE, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AFTER YOGA COMPARED WITH NO TREATMENT. TWO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS REPORTED SAFETY DATA STATING THAT NO ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. OVERALL, RISK OF BIAS OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES WAS UNCLEAR. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW SUGGEST THAT YOGA MIGHT BE A FEASIBLE AND SAFE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH IBS. NEVERTHELESS, NO RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE REGARDING YOGA AS A ROUTINE INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH IBS BECAUSE OF MAJOR FLAWS IN STUDY METHODS. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED WITH RESPECT TO A HIGH-QUALITY STUDY DESIGN AND CONSENSUS IN CLINICAL OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS IN IBS. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NUMBER, NCT02721836. 2016 20 1903 44 RESULTS FROM A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM FOR VETERANS: YOGA VIA TELEHEALTH PROVIDES COMPARABLE SATISFACTION AND HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS TO IN-PERSON YOGA. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY POPULAR, THOUGH LITTLE DATA REGARDING ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS IS AVAILABLE. SIMILARLY, TELEHEALTH IS BEING UTILIZED MORE FREQUENTLY TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE; HOWEVER WE KNOW OF NO RESEARCH ON THE ACCEPTABILITY OR EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA DELIVERED THROUGH TELEHEALTH. THEREFORE, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PATIENT-REPORTED EFFECTIVENESS OF A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM AT A VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER AND ASSESSED WHETHER THESE OUTCOMES DIFFERED BETWEEN THOSE PARTICIPATING IN-PERSON AND THOSE PARTICIPATING VIA TELEHEALTH. METHODS: VETERANS WHO ATTENDED A YOGA CLASS AT THE VA PALO ALTO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WERE INVITED TO COMPLETE AN ANONYMOUS PROGRAM EVALUATION SURVEY. RESULTS: 64 VETERANS COMPLETED THE SURVEY. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED HIGH SATISFACTION WITH THE CLASSES AND THE INSTRUCTORS. MORE THAN 80% OF PARTICIPANTS WHO ENDORSED A PROBLEM WITH PAIN, ENERGY LEVEL, DEPRESSION, OR ANXIETY REPORTED IMPROVEMENT IN THESE SYMPTOMS. THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED VIA TELEHEALTH DID NOT DIFFER FROM THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN-PERSON IN ANY MEASURE OF SATISFACTION, OVERALL IMPROVEMENT (P = .40), OR IMPROVEMENT IN ANY OF 16 SPECIFIC HEALTH PROBLEMS. CONCLUSIONS: DELIVERING YOGA TO A WIDE RANGE OF PATIENTS WITHIN A HEALTHCARE SETTING APPEARS TO BE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE, BOTH WHEN DELIVERED IN-PERSON AND VIA TELEHEALTH. PATIENTS IN THIS CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM REPORTED HIGH LEVELS OF SATISFACTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN MULTIPLE PROBLEM AREAS. THIS PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM COMPLEMENTS PRIOR EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AND SUPPORTS THE USE OF YOGA IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS. 2017