1 1385 144 IMPACT OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO YOGA IN DAILY LIFE(R) SYSTEM ON SELF-ESTEEM AFTER BREAST CANCER SURGERY. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE IMMEDIATE AND SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE((R)) SYSTEM ON THE SELF-ESTEEM OF PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. DESIGN: THIS IS A PARALLEL-GROUPS DESIGN. SETTINGS/LOCATION: BASELINE INTERVENTIONS TOOK PLACE AT THE INSTITUTE FOR ONCOLOGY OF LJUBLJANA (SLOVENIA). AT DISCHARGE, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS ISSUED WITH AUDIOCASSETTE RECORDINGS CONTAINING THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR RELAXATION TRAINING TO BE PRACTICED INDIVIDUALLY AT HOME FOR AN ADDITIONAL 3 WEEKS. SUBJECTS: THE CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 32 PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WAS RECRUITED FROM AN ACCESSIBLE POPULATION OF HOSPITALIZED WOMEN. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL (N=16) AND TO THE CONTROL GROUP (N=16). INTERVENTIONS: BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED THE SAME STANDARD PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR 1 WEEK, WHILE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ADDITIONALLY RECEIVED A GROUP RELAXATION TRAINING SESSIONS ACCORDING TO THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE((R)) SYSTEM. AT DISCHARGE, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS ISSUED WITH AUDIOCASSETTE RECORDINGS CONTAINING SIMILAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR RELAXATION TRAINING TO BE PRACTICED INDIVIDUALLY AT HOME FOR AN ADDITIONAL 3 WEEKS. OUTCOME MEASURES: OUTCOME MEASURES WERE OBTAINED BY BLINDED INVESTIGATORS (PHYSIOTHERAPISTS) USING STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES (ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE) AT BASELINE (AFTER THE SURGERY); AT 1 WEEK (1 WEEK POSTATTENDANCE; AT DISCHARGE); AND AT 4 WEEKS (4 WEEKS POSTATTENDANCE); PRIOR THE COMMENCEMENT OF RADIATION. RESULTS: ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE SHOWED THAT THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP IN ALL MEASURING SELF-ESTEEM SCORES OVER THE STUDY PERIOD (P<0.0005). AT THE SAME TIME, THE CONTROL GROUP'S SCORES REMAINED UNCHANGED OVER THE STUDY PERIOD (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE SYSTEM COULD BE A USEFUL CLINICAL PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE BREAST CANCER AND WHO ARE EXPERIENCING LOW SELF-ESTEEM. ALTHOUGH THIS KIND OF RELAXATION TRAINING CAN BE APPLIED TO CLINICAL ONCOLOGY IN SLOVENIA, MORE STUDIES NEED TO BE DONE. 2011 2 511 50 COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPY AND ADDITIONAL YOGASANAS FOR KNEE REHABILITATION AFTER TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY. BACKGROUND: AMONGST VARIOUS MODALITIES OF POST OPERATIVE REHABILITATION IN A TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT (TKR) SURGERY, THIS STUDY FOCUSES ON EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF ADDITIONAL YOGA THERAPY ON FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF TKR PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WAS DONE TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL PHYSIOTHERAPY AND ADDITIONAL YOGA ASANAS, ON 56 PATIENTS UNDERGOING TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY DUE TO OSTEOARTHRITIS. AFTER OBTAINING WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT, THE PATIENTS WERE ALTERNATELY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS: CONVENTIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL. BASELINE WOMAC SCORES FOR PAIN AND STIFFNESS WERE TAKEN ON THIRD POST OPERATIVE DAY. THE SUBJECTS IN CONVENTIONAL GROUP RECEIVED PHYSIOTHERAPY REHABILITATION PROGRAM OF SANCHETI INSTITUTE WHERE THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED ADDITIONAL MODIFIED YOGA ASANAS ONCE DAILY BY THE THERAPIST. AFTER DISCHARGE FROM THE HOSPITAL, PATIENTS WERE PROVIDED WITH WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ASANAS, TWO SETS OF WOMAC QUESTIONNAIRE WITH STAMPED AND ADDRESSED ENVELOPES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PERFORM YOGA ASANAS 3 DAYS/WEEK. SUBJECTS FILLED THE QUESTIONNAIRE AFTER 6 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS FROM THE DAY OF SURGERY AND MAILED BACK. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS WOMAC QUESTIONNAIRE WHICH CONSISTS OF 24 QUESTIONS, EACH CORRESPONDING TO A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, DESIGNED TO MEASURE PATIENT'S PERCEPTION OF PAIN, STIFFNESS AND FUNCTION. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE (P<0.05) FOR ALL THE GROUPS FOR PAIN, STIFFNESS AND FUNCTION SUBSCALES OF WOMAC SCALE. THE PAIN AND STIFFNESS WAS FOUND TO BE LESS IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVING ADDITIONAL YOGA THERAPY THAN IN CONVENTIONAL GROUP ON 3(RD) POST OPERATIVE DAY, 6 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE SURGERY. CONCLUSION: A COMBINATION OF PHYSIOTHERAPY AND YOGA ASANA PROTOCOL WORKS BETTER THAN ONLY PHYSIOTHERAPY PROTOCOL. LARGER AND BLINDED STUDY IS NEEDED. 2012 3 2189 47 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER. DESIGN: TWENTY PATIENTS (10 WERE IN YOGA PROGRAM, 10 WERE IN EXERCISE GROUP) BETWEEN 65 AND 70 YEARS OF AGE UNDER GOING TREATMENT FOR CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATIENTS WERE RECORDED AND GENERAL PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSESSMENTS PERFORMED. EIGHT SESSIONS OF A CLASSICAL YOGA PROGRAM INCLUDING WARMING AND BREATHING EXERCISES, ASANAS, RELAXATION IN SUPINE POSITION, AND MEDITATION AND 8 SESSIONS OF CLASSICAL EXERCISE PROGRAM WERE APPLIED TO PARTICIPANTS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM, QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENTS FOR THE PATIENTS WERE CONDUCTED USING THE NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE (NHP). PATIENTS' DEPRESSION LEVELS WERE ASSESSED USING THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY. THEIR LEVEL OF PAIN, FATIGUE AND SLEEP QUALITY WAS EVALUATED USING THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS). RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT ALL PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES AFTER THE YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM WERE BETTER THAN SCORES OBTAINED BEFORE THE YOGA AND EXERCISE PROGRAM (P < 0.05). WHEN THE POST TREATMENT DATA OF THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED IN TERMS OF NHP AND SUBCATEGORIES, ER, SI, S, PA AND THE TOTAL SCORES OF NHP WERE FOUND SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN FAVOR OF GROUP I (P < 0.05). HOWEVER EL AND P SCORES OF THE NHP WERE NOT DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE GROUPS (P > 0.05). WHEN THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED IN TERMS OF DEPRESSION, PAIN, FATIGUE, AND SLEEP QUALITY, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN ALL PARAMETERS BETWEEN PRE AND POST TREATMENT VALUES FOR BOTH GROUPS (P < 0.05). WHEN THE POST-TREATMENT VALUES OF THE GROUPS WERE COMPARED, FATIGUE AND SLEEP QUALITY WERE FOUND STATISTICALLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE GROUPS IN FAVOR OF GROUP I (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING TO DIMINISH DEPRESSION, PAIN, FATIGUE AND HELPS CANCER PATIENTS TO PERFORM DAILY AND ROUTINE ACTIVITIES, AND INCREASES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2015 4 1384 104 IMPACT OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO YOGA IN DAILY LIFE(R) SYSTEM ON PERCEIVED STRESS AFTER BREAST CANCER SURGERY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE IMMEDIATE AND SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO YOGA IN DAILY LIFE((R)) (YIDL) SYSTEM ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 32 PATIENTS AT THE INSTITUTE FOR ONCOLOGY OF LJUBLJANA WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL (N=16) AND TO THE CONTROL GROUP (N=16). BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED THE SAME STANDARD PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR 1 WEEK, WHILE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ADDITIONALLY RECEIVED A GROUP RELAXATION TRAINING SESSIONS ACCORDING TO YIDL((R)) SYSTEM. AT DISCHARGE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS ISSUED WITH AUDIOCASSETTE RECORDINGS CONTAINING THE SIMILAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR RELAXATION TRAINING TO BE PRACTICED INDIVIDUALLY AT HOME (FOR FURTHER 3 WEEKS). AN EXPERIMENTAL REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN WAS USED TO INVESTIGATE THE DIFFERENCES OVER 1 MONTH PERIOD IN STRESS LEVELS, CHANGES IN MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. MEASURES WERE OBTAINED AT THREE TIME POINTS DURING THE STUDY PERIOD: BASELINE, AT 1 WEEK, AND AT 4 WEEKS, BY BLINDED INVESTIGATORS USING STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE-12 (GHQ-12), ROTTERDAM SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (RSCL) PSYCHOLOGICAL SUBSCALE, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS). PATIENTS WHO RECEIVED RELAXATION TRAINING REPORTED FEELING SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DISTRESSED DURING HOSPITALIZATION AND AFTER DISCHARGE-PERIOD THAN DID THE CONTROLS THAT DID NOT RECEIVE RELAXATION TRAINING. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO YOGA IN DAILY LIFE((R)) SYSTEM COULD BE USEFUL CLINICAL PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS EXPERIENCING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. ALTHOUGH THIS KIND OF RELAXATION TRAINING CAN BE APPLIED TO CLINICAL ONCOLOGY IN SLOVENIA, MORE STUDIES NEED TO BE DONE. 2011 5 1091 45 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CANCER PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. DESIGN: TWENTY PATIENTS BETWEEN 30 AND 50 YEARS OF AGE PRESENTLY UNDER TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATIENTS WERE RECORDED AND GENERAL PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSESSMENTS PERFORMED. EIGHT SESSIONS OF A YOGA PROGRAM INCLUDING WARMING AND BREATHING EXERCISES, ASANAS, RELAXATION IN SUPINE POSITION, AND MEDITATION WERE APPLIED TO PARTICIPANTS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRE- AND POST-YOGA QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENTS FOR THE PATIENTS WERE CONDUCTED USING THE NOTTINGHAM HEALTH PROFILE (NHP). PATIENTS' STRESS LEVELS WERE ASSESSED USING THE STAI-I AND STAI-II ANXIETY INVENTORY. THEIR SATISFACTION LEVELS ABOUT THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS EVALUATED USING THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE (VAS). RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE BETTER THAN SCORES OBTAINED BEFORE THE YOGA PROGRAM (P < 0.05). AFTER SESSIONS, THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THEIR STAI-I (MEASURING THE REACTIONS OF ANXIETY) SCORES AND STAI-II (MEASURING THE PERMANENCE OF ANXIETY) SCORES (P < 0.05). IT WAS FOUND OUT THAT THE SATISFACTION SCORE CONCERNING THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS CONSIDERABLY INCREASED AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING TO ACHIEVE RELAXATION AND DIMINISH STRESS, HELPS CANCER PATIENTS PERFORM DAILY AND ROUTINE ACTIVITIES, AND INCREASES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CANCER PATIENTS. THIS RESULT WAS POSITIVELY REFLECTED IN PATIENTS SATISFACTION WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM. 2010 6 1821 45 PROTOCOL FOR TESTING YOGA TO REDUCE POST-LUMBAR SPINE SURGERY PAIN: A METHODOLOGY ARTICLE. CURRENTLY, ACUTE POSTOPERATIVE PAIN DURING HOSPITALIZATION IS PRIMARILY MANAGED BY MEDICATIONS, AND PATIENTS MUST ADHERE TO RESTRICTIVE POSTOPERATIVE PRECAUTIONS FOR 3 MONTHS FOLLOWING LUMBAR SPINE SURGERIES. YOGA CAN BE AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO ASSIST IN ACUTE AND SUBACUTE POSTOPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT, ANXIETY, AND RETURN TO FUNCTION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT WORK WAS TO DEVELOP AND TEST THE FEASIBILITY AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM, DELIVERED IN-PERSON DURING THE HOSPITAL STAY AND ELECTRONICALLY AFTER HOSPITAL DISCHARGE, AS A POTENTIAL NEW AVENUE FOR POSTOPERATIVE CARE. THIS PILOT STUDY WILL USE A CROSSOVER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DESIGN. INDIVIDUALS AGED BETWEEN 40 AND 80 YEARS WHO ARE SCHEDULED FOR LUMBAR LAMINECTOMY AND/OR FUSION, AND WHO HAVE NOT PRACTICED REGULAR YOGA WITHIN THE PAST 6 MONTHS AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT, WILL BE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM (INTERVENTION GROUP) OR USUAL CARE (CONTROL GROUP) DURING THE HOSPITAL STAY (PHASE ONE). BEARING IN MIND POSTOPERATIVE PRECAUTIONS, ALL SUBJECTS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO PERFORM A HOME-BASED TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED ELECTRONICALLY VIA YOUTUBE LINKS FOR 8 WEEKS POST-HOSPITAL DISCHARGE (PHASE TWO). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSING FEASIBILITY ARE ADHERENCE/COMPLIANCE. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDE PAIN, ANXIETY, FUNCTION, SLEEP, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PAIN-CATASTROPHIZING BEHAVIOR. LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY AND PAIN MEDICATION USE, GAIT DISTANCE, AND OVERALL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING HOSPITALIZATION WILL ALSO BE COLLECTED. FINALLY, A QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW WILL BE OBTAINED AFTER COMPLETION OF THE HOSPITAL AND HOME-BASED PROGRAMS. THIS STUDY WILL DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM FOR ACUTE AND SUBACUTE POSTOPERATIVE LUMBAR SPINE SURGERY PAIN, ANXIETY, AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES. 2021 7 1758 44 POSITIVE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF GENERIC YOGA IN DEPRESSIVE OUT-PATIENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY. CONTEXT: THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS IN DEPRESSION OF YOGA ADOPTED FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED. THE EFFICACY OF A GENERIC MODULE OF YOGA ON DEPRESSED PATIENTS HAS NOT YET BEEN TESTED IN THE LITERATURE. AIMS: THE STUDY WAS AIMED TO COMPARE THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF A GENERIC YOGA MODULE WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS IN NON-SUICIDAL OUT-PATIENTS OF MAJOR DEPRESSION ATTENDING A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THE STUDY WAS OUTPATIENT-BASED USING AN OPEN-LABELED DESIGN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 137 OUT-PATIENTS OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS RECEIVED ONE OF THE THREE TREATMENTS AS THEY CHOSE - YOGA-ONLY, DRUGS-ONLY OR BOTH. THE YOGA WAS TAUGHT BY A TRAINED YOGA PHYSICIAN FOR OVER A MONTH IN SPACED SESSIONS TOTALING AT LEAST 12. PATIENTS WERE ASSESSED BEFORE TREATMENT, AFTER 1 AND 3 MONTHS ON DEPRESSION AND CLINICAL GLOBAL IMPRESSION SCALES. OUT OF 137, 58 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY PERIOD WITH ALL ASSESSMENTS. RESULTS: PATIENTS IN THE THREE ARMS OF TREATMENT WERE COMPARABLE ON DEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL VARIABLES. PATIENTS IN ALL THREE ARMS OF TREATMENT OBTAINED A REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SCORES AS WELL AS CLINICAL SEVERITY. HOWEVER, BOTH YOGA GROUPS (WITH OR WITHOUT DRUGS) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN THE DRUGS-ONLY GROUP. HIGHER PROPORTION OF PATIENTS REMITTED IN THE YOGA GROUPS COMPARED WITH THE DRUGS-ONLY GROUP. NO UNTOWARD EVENTS WERE SPONTANEOUSLY REPORTED IN THE YOGA-TREATED PATIENTS. CONCLUSION: WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY, IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT THE FINDINGS SUPPORT A CASE FOR PRESCRIBING YOGA AS TAUGHT IN THE STUDY IN DEPRESSIVE NON-SUICIDAL OUT-PATIENTS. 2013 8 1075 49 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHASE ANGLE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER: A RANDOMIZED, SINGLE-BLIND, CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: PHASE ANGLE (PA), A PARAMETER THAT IS OBTAINED FROM BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS, IS AN INDICATOR OF CELLULAR HEALTH STATUS. A LOWER PA IN CANCER PATIENTS CAN LEAD TO A DECREASE IN FUNCTIONAL STATUS AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND INCREASED MORTALITY. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INCREASES PA. IN THIS STUDY, WE AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON PA, BODY COMPOSITION, AND QOL IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIRTY-ONE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THE YOGA (GROUP 1, N = 15) AND THE CONTROL GROUP (GROUP 2, N = 16). HATHA YOGA WAS PRACTICED TWICE A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP. THE PA OF THE PATIENTS WAS ASSESSED USING A BODY ANALYSIS INSTRUMENT, AND QOL WAS EVALUATED WITH AN EORTC QLQ QUESTIONNAIRE BOTH BEFORE TREATMENT AND AT WEEK 10. RESULTS: GROUP 1 HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE POSTTREATMENT EORTC QLQ FUNCTIONAL AND GLOBAL SCORES (P < 0.05). IN GROUP 2, A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS OBSERVED IN THE EORTC QLQ SYMPTOM SUBSCALE (P = 0.035). PA VALUES DID NOT SHOW ANY IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH GROUPS (P > 0.05). COMPARISON OF THE 2 GROUPS REVEALED NO DIFFERENCES. CONCLUSION: YOGA MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON QOL IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER BUT DOES NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON PA. THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES TO MAKE A DEFINITIVE STATEMENT. 2021 9 1005 42 EFFECTS OF MINDFUL YOGA ON SLEEP IN PREGNANT WOMEN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXPERIMENTAL PILOT STUDY WAS TO MEASURE THE EFFECTS OF A MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP IN PREGNANT WOMEN. METHODS: FIFTEEN HEALTHY, NULLIPAROUS WOMEN IN THEIR SECOND OR THIRD TRIMESTERS WITH SINGLETON PREGNANCIES ATTENDED WEEKLY MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND PRENATAL HATHA YOGA CLASSES IN THE COMMUNITY FOR 7 WEEKS. SLEEP VARIABLES, AS ESTIMATED BY 72 HR OF CONTINUOUS WRIST ACTIGRAPHY AND THE GENERAL SLEEP DISTURBANCE SCALE (GSDS), WERE RECORDED AT BASELINE (TIME 1) AND POSTINTERVENTION (TIME 2). CONTROL DATA WERE OBTAINED BY EVALUATING SLEEP IN THE THIRD-TRIMESTER GROUP AT TIME 1. DUE TO SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, DATA WERE ANALYZED USING PARAMETRIC AND NONPARAMETRIC STATISTICS. RESULTS: WOMEN WHO BEGAN THE INTERVENTION IN THE SECOND TRIMESTER HAD SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER AWAKENINGS, LESS WAKE TIME DURING THE NIGHT, AND LESS PERCEIVED SLEEP DISTURBANCE AT TIME 2 THAN AT BASELINE. THOSE WHO BEGAN DURING THE THIRD TRIMESTER HAD POORER SLEEP OVER TIME IN SPITE OF THE INTERVENTION. WOMEN WHO BEGAN THE INTERVENTION IN THEIR SECOND TRIMESTER HAD LESS AWAKE TIME AT TIME 2 COMPARED TO THIRD-TRIMESTER CONTROLS AT TIME 1. CONCLUSIONS: MINDFUL YOGA SHOWS PROMISE FOR WOMEN IN THEIR SECOND TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY TO DIMINISH TOTAL NUMBER OF AWAKENINGS AT NIGHT AND IMPROVE SLEEP EFFICIENCY AND MERITS FURTHER EXPLORATION. RESULTS FROM THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDE THE DATA TO ESTIMATE SAMPLE SIZE AND DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT POWERED AND MORE CONTROLLED STUDIES IN THE FUTURE. 2010 10 91 46 A MULTICOMPONENT YOGA-BASED, BREATH INTERVENTION PROGRAM AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER WITH OR WITHOUT COMORBIDITIES. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA (SKY) COURSE IN GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) OUTPATIENTS, WHO AFTER EIGHT WEEKS OF AN APPROPRIATE DOSE OF TRADITIONAL THERAPY HAD NOT YET ACHIEVED REMISSION. SUBJECTS: THE ADULT PARTICIPANTS (18-65 YEARS) WERE OUTPATIENTS WITH A PRIMARY DIAGNOSIS OF GAD WITH OR WITHOUT COMORBIDITIES ON THE MINI-INTERNATIONAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW (MINI). PARTICIPANTS HAD A MINIMUM OF EIGHT WEEKS STANDARD TREATMENT WITH AN APPROPRIATE DOSE OF A STANDARD PRESCRIPTION ANXIOLYTIC, A CLINICIAN GLOBAL IMPRESSION-SEVERITY (CGI-S) SCORE OF 5-7, A HAMILTON ANXIETY SCALE (HAM-A) TOTAL SCORE >/=20 INCLUDING A SCORE OF >2 ON THE ANXIOUS MOOD AND TENSION ITEMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FORTY-ONE PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED IN AN OPEN-LABEL TRIAL OF THE SKY COURSE AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD TREATMENT OF GAD AT THE START CLINIC FOR MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS, A TERTIARY CARE MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDER CLINIC IN TORONTO. THE SKY COURSE WAS ADMINISTERED OVER FIVE DAYS (22 H TOTAL). SUBJECTS WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE THE YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES AT HOME FOR 20 MIN PER DAY AFTER THE COURSE AND WERE OFFERED GROUP PRACTICE SESSIONS FOR 2 H ONCE A WEEK LED BY CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTORS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE MEAN CHANGE FROM PRE-TREATMENT ON THE HAM-A SCALE. PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES WERE OBTAINED AT BASELINE AND FOUR WEEKS AFTER COMPLETING THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THIRTY-ONE PATIENTS COMPLETED THE PROGRAM (MEAN AGE 42.6 +/- 13.3 YEARS). AMONG COMPLETERS, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS OCCURRED IN THE PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION MEAN HAM-A TOTAL SCORE (T=4.59; P<0.01) AND PSYCHIC SUBSCALE (T=5.00; P/= 1 WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED THEM TO INTERVENTION (N = 63) AND CONTROL (N = 62) GROUPS, REQUESTING ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONNAIRES: INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION, THE NORDIC MUSCULOSKELETAL QUESTIONNAIRE AND A NUMERIC SCALE, THE PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, AND THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WENT THROUGH A 12-WEEK PROGRAM WITH EDUCATIONAL MEASURES AND HATHA YOGA. AT THE END OF THE STUDY PERIOD, BOTH GROUPS ANSWERED TO THE QUESTIONNAIRES ONCE AGAIN. WE COMPARED DATA BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION AND BETWEEN GROUPS. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS PRESENTED IMPROVEMENTS AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEAN RESULTS OBTAINED IN THE FIRST AND SECOND DATA COLLECTIONS REVEALED THAT THE LEVELS OF PAIN, DISABILITY, AND STRESS DECREASED MORE STRONGLY IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONSIDERING THAT THE INTERVENTION GROUP BEGAN THE PROGRAM IN WORSE CLINICAL CONDITIONS, THE PROGRAM LED TO A REDUCTION IN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS, BUT THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP TO REACH BETTER RESULTS THAN THE CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: THE INTERVENTION PROMOTED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE INTENSITY OF PAIN, DISABILITY, AND STRESS AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE INTERVENTION GROUP. SIMILAR PROGRAMS COULD BE EXPLORED IN THE PROMOTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH. 2020 13 2235 36 THE IMPACT OF YOGA UPON FEMALE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHYROIDISM. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. DESIGN: THE WHO QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE(22) WAS USED TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF 20 FEMALE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS. SUBJECTS ATTENDED ONE HOUR YOGA SESSIONS DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF ONE MONTH. A PRETEST-POST-TEST RESEARCH DESIGN WAS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS. RESULTS: PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES FOLLOWING THE YOGA PROGRAM WERE GREATER THAN SCORES OBTAINED PRIOR TO UNDERTAKING YOGA (P < 0.01). PATIENTS ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND OF THEIR HEALTH POST YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT YOGA IS VALUABLE IN HELPING THE HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS TO MANAGE THEIR DISEASE-RELATED SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY BE CONSIDERED AS SUPPORTIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY IN CONJUNCTION WITH MEDICAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYPOTHYROID DISORDER. 2011 14 667 53 EFFECT OF A 12-WEEK YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM ON MENTAL HEALTH STATUS IN ELDERLY WOMEN INMATES OF A HOSPICE. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON THE MENTAL HEALTH STATUS OF ELDERLY WOMEN INMATES RESIDING IN A HOSPICE IN PUDUCHERRY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FORTY ELDERLY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO YOGA AND WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP. A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM OF 60 MIN WAS GIVEN TWICE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. THIS PROTOCOL WAS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR SENIOR CITIZENS, KEEPING IN MIND THEIR HEALTH STATUS AND PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS THAT INCLUDED SIMPLE WARM-UP AND BREATH-BODY MOVEMENT COORDINATION PRACTICES (JATHIS AND KRIYAS), STATIC STRETCHING POSTURES (ASANAS), BREATHING TECHNIQUES (PRANAYAMAS), AND RELAXATION. HAMILTON ANXIETY SCALE FOR MEASURING ANXIETY, HAMILTON RATING SCALE FOR DEPRESSION, AND ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE TO MEASURE SELF-ESTEEM WERE ADMINISTERED TO BOTH GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE 12-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. DATA WERE ASSESSED FOR NORMALITY, AND APPROPRIATE PARAMETRIC AND NONPARAMETRIC STATISTICAL METHODS WERE APPLIED FOR INTRA- AND INTER-GROUP COMPARISONS. RESULTS: OVERALL, INTRA- AND INTER-GROUP COMPARISON OF PREPOST DATA SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) DIFFERENCES FOR ALL THREE PARAMETERS. THERE WAS AN OVERALL IMPROVEMENT IN THE SCORES INDICATING DECREASED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY COUPLED WITH AN INCREASE IN THE LEVEL OF SELF-ESTEEM AFTER THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM. DISCUSSION: THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA IN THE REDUCTION OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SCORES AND IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-ESTEEM SCORES IN ELDERLY WOMEN SUBJECTS IS EVIDENT FROM THIS STUDY. AS REPORTED IN EARLIER STUDIES, THIS MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO CHANGES IN CENTRAL NEUROTRANSMITTERS SUCH AS GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC-ACID COUPLED WITH INCREASED PARASYMPATHETIC TONE AND DECREASED SYMPATHO-ADRENAL ACTIVITY. CONCLUSION: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOGA SHOULD BE A PART OF HEALTH-CARE FACILITIES FOR ELDERLY AS IT CAN ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY IMPROVING THEIR OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH STATUS. IT COULD PROVIDE A HEALTHY AND POSITIVE ALTERNATIVE FROM DEPRESSING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, AND GIVE THEM A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND HOPE. 2017 15 1771 39 POTENTIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. BACKGROUND: ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS (AS) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY WITH UNCLEAR PATHOGENESIS. THE INFLAMMATORY PAIN IN AS LEADS TO RESTRICTED SPINAL MOBILITY AND SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY. YOGA IS A NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION THAT HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON VARIOUS MUSCULOSKELETAL-RELATED PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, ITS ROLE IN AS IS UNKNOWN. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFICACY OF A TWO-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA INTERVENTION ON SPINAL FLEXIBILITY AMONG AS PATIENTS. METHODS: THE RECORDS FOR 24 MALE AS PATIENTS WITHIN THE AGE RANGE 30 TO 50 YEARS (AVERAGE AGE 38.3 +/- 10.5 YEARS) WHO UNDERWENT A TWO-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA RETREAT BETWEEN 2015 AND 2020 WERE OBTAINED FROM A YOGA CENTER LOCATED IN SOUTH INDIA. YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING PRACTICES, MEDITATION, A HEALTHY DIET, AND DEVOTIONAL SESSIONS. PRE AND POST DATA OF THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, AND SYMPTOM SCORE WERE ANALYZED USING STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS). RESULTS: COMPARED TO THE BASELINE, THE POST SCORES OF THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY (P < .05) LOWER. THE SYMPTOM SCORE AND ANALGESIC MEDICATION SCORE ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AFTER TWO-WEEKS COMPARED TO THE BASELINE. CONCLUSION: THIS RETROSPECTIVE STUDY INDICATES THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF ON AND ANALGESIC USE AMONG AS PATIENTS. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL STUDIES USING ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGNS ARE WARRANTED. 2021 16 2222 64 THE IMPACT OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE A POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A 6-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (M = 4; F = 17), BETWEEN THE AGES OF 30 AND 65, WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN IMMEDIATE YOGA BASED INTERVENTION, OR TO A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO TREATMENT DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD BUT RECEIVED LATER YOGA TRAINING. METHODS: A SPECIFIC CLBP YOGA PROTOCOL DESIGNED AND MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WAS ADMINISTERED FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE FORWARD REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) TESTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) QUESTIONNAIRES. GUIDING QUESTIONS WERE USED FOR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN HOW YOGA PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED THE INSTRUCTOR, GROUP DYNAMICS, AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THEIR LIFE. ANALYSIS: TO ACCOUNT FOR DROP OUTS, THE DATA WERE DIVIDED INTO BETTER OR NOT CATEGORIES, AND ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH FREQUENCY OF POSITIVE RESPONSES. RESULTS: POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT TRENDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT SCORES SHOWED IMPROVED BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY AND DECREASED DISABILITY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE YOGA GROUP BUT THIS PILOT WAS NOT POWERED TO REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS INCLUDED A HIGH DROPOUT RATE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND LARGE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY MEASURES. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES (1) GROUP INTERVENTION MOTIVATED THE PARTICIPANTS AND (2) YOGA FOSTERED RELAXATION AND NEW AWARENESS/LEARNING. CONCLUSION: A MODIFIED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MAY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH CLB, BUT A LARGER STUDY IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. ALSO, THE IMPACT ON DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY COULD BE CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR FURTHER STUDY. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES SHOULD BE EXPLORED. THIS PILOT STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA FOR THIS POPULATION. 2004 17 1041 49 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN ELDERLY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. CONTEXT: YOGA AS A LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. THE ROLE OF YOGA IN THE ELDERLY FOR SUCH BENEFITS MERITS INVESTIGATION. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) AND SLEEP QUALITY IN THE ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: SINGLE BLIND CONTROLLED STUDY WITH BLOCK RANDOMIZATION OF ELDERLY HOMES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 120 SUBJECTS FROM NINE ELDERLY HOMES WERE RANDOMIZED IN TO YOGA GROUP (N=62) AND WAITLIST GROUP (N=58). SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE GIVEN YOGA INTERVENTION DAILY FOR 1 MONTH AND WEEKLY UNTIL 3 MONTHS AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE YOGA WITHOUT SUPERVISION UNTIL FOR 6 MONTHS. SUBJECTS IN WAITLIST GROUP RECEIVED NO INTERVENTION DURING THIS PERIOD. SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL)-BREF FOR MEASURING QOL AND PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN THE BASELINE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: INDEPENDENT T-TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE RESPECTIVELY WAS USED TO MEASURE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOME MEASURES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE STUDY PERIOD. RESULTS: SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF YEARS OF FORMAL EDUCATION. SUBJECTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE DOMAINS OF QOL AND TOTAL SLEEP QUALITY AFTER CONTROLLING FOR THE EFFECT OF BASELINE DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. CONCLUSION: YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO IMPROVE THE QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY OF ELDERLY LIVING IN OLD AGE HOMES. THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER STUDIES OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS STUDY TO CONFIRM THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR ELDERLY IN QOL AND SLEEP QUALITY. 2013 18 2322 37 TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN: STUDY PROTOCOL OF A COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDY ON YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. BACKGROUND: WE AIM TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 3 ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS, I.E., YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISE, ON CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OVER 16 WEEKS (8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION, 8 WEEKS OF FOLLOW-UP), DATA OF INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN WILL BE ANALYZED. INTERVENTIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED AS GROUP SESSIONS (75 MIN) ONCE PER WEEK. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE A MANUAL FOR HOME-BASED PRACTICE AND ARE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AT THE END OF THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD, AND AT THE END OF AN 8-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES ARE: THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY SCORE, VISUAL ANALOG SCALES MEASURING INTENSITY OF PAIN, THE BRIEF MULTIDIMENSIONAL LIFE SATISFACTION SCALE, THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, THE INNER CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE PRACTICES QUESTIONNAIRE, THE FREIBURG MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE, THE GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY SCALE, A SELF-REGULATION QUESTIONNAIRE, THE INTERNAL COHERENCE SCALE, A PAIN DIARY (REGISTERING THE NEED OF ANALGESIC MEDICATION), AND A QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE PATIENTS' EXPECTATION THAT THE INTERVENTIONS WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN AND HOW STRONG THIS REDUCTION MIGHT BE (2 SINGLE ITEMS), ETC. DISCUSSION: THIS LARGE MULTICENTER STUDY WILL PROVIDE EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 3 CONTRASTING MOVEMENT-ORIENTATED TREATMENTS THAT SHARE SOME SIMILARITIES BUT DIFFER IN ESSENTIAL DETAILS: YOGA, EURYTHMY THERAPY, AND PHYSIOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISES. IT WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT DATA ON NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS TO TREAT LOWER BACK PAIN IN A LARGE GROUP OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS. 2018 19 2150 38 THE EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA, HATHA AND RAJA YOGA ON PHYSICAL PAIN AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. IN A CLINICAL TRIAL CARRIED OUT ON 60 WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, THE RESEARCHERS OBTAINED DATA USING SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES. IN ADDITION TO DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS QUALITY OF LIFE-54 (MSQOL-54) INSTRUMENT WAS USED TO DETERMINE HOW MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS INFLUENCES THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE STUDIED WOMEN. WITHIN THE FRAME OF THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO EQUALLY SIZED GROUPS (THE CASE AND THE CONTROL GROUP) IN WHICH THE LEVEL OF PAIN AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE WERE EVALUATED. THE CASE GROUP EXERCISED PAIN-MANAGING YOGA METHODS FOR THREE MONTHS, KEEPING THE PACE OF EIGHT 90-MINUTE SESSIONS PER MONTH. THE CONTROL PARTICIPANTS WERE SUBJECTED TO NO INTERVENTION. ONE MONTH AFTER THE YOGA THERAPY, THE LEVEL OF PAIN AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE WERE EVALUATED IN BOTH GROUPS AND COMPARED TO THE BASELINE DATA. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS SOFTWARE AND PAIRED T-TESTS. AFTER THE YOGA THERAPY, THE CASE GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSICAL PAIN MANAGEMENT (P=0.007) AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.001) AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA TECHNIQUES CAN ALLEVIATE PHYSICAL PAIN AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS. 2012 20 2000 39 STRESS MANAGEMENT: A RANDOMIZED STUDY OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY AND YOGA. IN THIS STUDY, A STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM BASED ON COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY PRINCIPLES WAS COMPARED WITH A KUNDALINIYOGA PROGRAM. A STUDY SAMPLE OF 26 WOMEN AND 7 MEN FROM A LARGE SWEDISH COMPANY WERE DIVIDED RANDOMLY INTO 2 GROUPS FOR EACH OF THE DIFFERENT FORMS OF INTERVENTION; A TOTAL OF 4 GROUPS. THE GROUPS WERE INSTRUCTED BY TRAINED GROUP LEADERS AND 10 SESSIONS WERE HELD WITH EACH OF GROUPS, OVER A PERIOD OF 4 MONTHS. PSYCHOLOGICAL (SELF-RATED STRESS AND STRESS BEHAVIOUR, ANGER, EXHAUSTION, QUALITY OF LIFE) AND PHYSIOLOGICAL (BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, URINARY CATECHOLAMINES, SALIVARY CORTISOL) MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS ON MOST OF THE VARIABLES IN BOTH GROUPS AS WELL AS MEDIUM-TO-HIGH EFFECT SIZES. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE 2 PROGRAMS. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT BOTH COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY AND YOGA ARE PROMISING STRESS MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES. 2006