1 1089 133 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
2 1012  27 EFFECTS OF ONE MONTH OF COMMON YOGA PROTOCOL PRACTICE APPEAR TO BE MEDIATED BY THE ANGIOGENIC AND NEUROGENIC PATHWAY: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE MOLECULAR EFFECTS OF MINDFUL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS YOGA AND MEDITATION DESIGN: THIS WAS AN OPEN LABEL SINGLE ARM EXPLORATORY YOGA INTERVENTION STUDY. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: 64 HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE AGE OF 18-60 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FOR THIS ONE MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION STUDY. INTERVENTION: COMMON YOGA PROTOCOL (CYP) IS A STANDARDIZED YOGA PROTOCOL RELEASED BY MINISTRY OF AYUSH, INDIA FOR INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY. IT INCLUDES ALL ASPECTS OF YOGA I.E. ASANAS, PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION. IT IS DESIGNED FOR ADOPTION BY ALL AGE GROUPS FOR THE HEALTH OF COMMUNITY. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS INCLUDING FASTING SUGAR AND LIPID PROFILE. THE MOLECULAR MARKERS OF NEUROGENESIS (I.E. BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPIC FACTOR, BDNF) AND ANGIOGENESIS (I.E. VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR, VEGF AND ANGIOGENIN) ALONG WITH AMYLOID BETA (MARKER RELATED TO NEURO-DEGENERATIVE DISEASES) WERE ASSESSED. ALL THE ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE AT BASELINE AND AFTER ONE MONTH OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: AFTER ONE MONTH OF CYP PRACTICE HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL) LEVELS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.001), ALTHOUGH OTHER BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS I.E. FASTING SUGAR AND OTHER LIPID ASSESSMENTS WERE FOUND TO BE UNALTERED. ANGIOGENESIS MARKER, ANGIOGENIN WAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.002), OTHER ANGIOGENESIS MARKER VEGF DID NOT SHOW ANY CHANGE ALONG WITH BDNF, MARKER OF NEUROGENESIS. AMYLOID BETA LEVELS WERE ALSO UNALTERED. EVEN THOUGH INDIVIDUAL LEVELS OF VEGF AND AMYLOID BETA DID NOT SHOW ANY CHANGE, PROPORTION OF VEGF TO AMYLOID BETA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE (P<0.001) AFTER ONE MONTH OF CYP INTERVENTION INDICATING THAT THE CHANGE IN VEGF LEVELS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE CHANGE IN AMYLOID BETA LEVELS. CONCLUSION: CYP PRACTICE MAY INFLUENCE CELL SURVIVAL PATHWAYS MEDIATED BY ANGIOGENIC AND NEUROGENIC CROSS TALK. HENCE, CYP CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A PREVENTIVE MEASURE FOR DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED ANGIOGENIC AND NEUROGENIC MECHANISM. THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF CYP AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
3 2486  32 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
4 1824  34 PSYCHO-NEURO-ENDOCRINE-IMMUNE MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF YOGA IN TYPE II DIABETES. YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO BENEFIT ALL THE COMPONENTS OF HEALTH VIZ. PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL BEING BY INCORPORATING A WIDE VARIETY OF PRACTICES. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF TYPE II DM AND CO-MORBIDITIES IN TYPE II DM HAS BEEN CORRELATED WITH STRESS MECHANISMS. STRESS SUPPRESSES BODY'S IMMUNE SYSTEM AND NEURO-HUMORAL ACTIONS THEREBY AFF ECTING NORMAL PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE. IT WOULD NOT BE WRONG TO STATE THAT CORRELATION OF DIABETES WITH STRESS, ANXIETY AND OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS ARE BIDIRECTIONAL AND LEAD TO DIFFICULTY IN UNDERSTANDING THE INTERRELATED MECHANISMS. TYPE II DM CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD IN ISOLATION WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS SUCH AS STRESS, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, NEURO-ENDOCRINE AND IMMUNOLOGICAL FACTORS. THERE IS NO REVIEW WHICH TRIES TO UNDERSTAND THESE MECHANISMS EXCLUSIVELY. THE PRESENT LITERATURE REVIEW AIMS TO UNDERSTAND INTERRELATED PSYCHO-NEURO-ENDOCRINE AND IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF YOGA IN TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS. PUBLISHED LITERATURE CONCERNING MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF YOGA IN TYPE II DM EMPHASIZING PSYCHO-NEURO-ENDOCRINE OR IMMUNOLOGICAL RELATIONS WAS RETRIEVED FROM PUBMED USING KEY WORDS YOGA, TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS, PSYCHOLOGICAL, NEURAL, ENDOCRINE, IMMUNE AND MECHANISM OF ACTION. THOSE STUDIES WHICH EXPLAINED THE PSYCHO-NEUROENDOCRINE AND IMMUNE MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF YOGA WERE INCLUDED AND REST WERE EXCLUDED. ALTHOUGH PRIMARY AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXPLAIN THESE MECHANISMS IN TYPE II DM, SOME STUDIES IN NON-DIABETIC POPULATION WHICH HAD A SIMILAR PATHWAY OF STRESS MECHANISM WAS INCLUDED BECAUSE MANY INSIGHTFUL STUDIES WERE AVAILABLE IN THAT AREA. SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED USING TERMS YOGA OR YOGIC AND DIABETES OR DIABETIC IN TITLE OR ABSTRACT FOR ENGLISH ARTICLES. OF THE 89 ARTICLES, WE EXCLUDED NON-ENGLISH ARTICLES (22), EDITORIALS (20) AND LETTERS TO EDITOR (10). 37 STUDIES WERE CONSIDERED FOR THIS REVIEW. THE POSTULATED MECHANISM OF ACTION OF YOGA IS THROUGH PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVATION AND THE ASSOCIATED ANTI STRESS MECHANISM. IT REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS AND HPA AXIS ACTIVATION THEREBY IMPROVING OVERALL METABOLIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILES, INCREASING INSULIN SENSITIVITY, AND IMPROVING GLUCOSE TOLERANCE AND LIPID METABOLISM. YOGA HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON IMMUNE SYSTEM OF DIABETICS.- OVERALL, TYPE II DM IS INFLUENCED BY PSYCHO-NEURO-ENDOCRINE AND IMMUNE MECHANISMS WHERE YOGA HAS IMPORTANT POSITIVE ROLE IN COMBATING STRESSORS AND IMPROVING THESE SYSTEMS TO REGAIN HEALTH.	2015	

5  988  30 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE, SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE, AND CORTISOL FUNCTION AMONG NORMOTENSIVE AND PREHYPERTENSIVE YOUTH. OBJECTIVE: EVIDENCE IS ACCUMULATING, PREDOMINANTLY AMONG CLINICAL TRIALS IN ADULTS, THAT YOGA IMPROVES BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) CONTROL, WITH DOWNREGULATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS AND THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS) PROJECTED AS UNDERLYING MECHANISMS. THIS PILOT STUDY ASSESSED WHETHER HATHA YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE BP AMONG YOUTH AND WHETHER DAMPENING OF THE SNS AND/OR HPA ACTIVITY IS A LIKELY PATHWAY OF CHANGE. DESIGN: THIRTY-ONE SEVENTH GRADERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A HATHA YOGA PROGRAM (HYP) OR ATTENTION CONTROL (AC) MUSIC OR ART CLASS. BASELINE AND 3-MONTH EVALUATIONS INCLUDED RESTING BP; OVERNIGHT URINE SAMPLES; AND SALIVA COLLECTED AT BEDTIME, UPON AWAKENING, AND AT 30 AND 60 MINUTES AFTER AWAKENING FOR ALPHA-AMYLASE AND CORTISOL ASSAYS. RESULTS: TWENTY-EIGHT (14 IN THE HYP GROUP AND 14 IN THE AC GROUP) STUDENTS WERE ASSESSED BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. BP CHANGES FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION WERE -3.0/-2.0 MMHG FOR THE HYP GROUP AND -0.07/-0.79 MMHG FOR THE AC GROUP (P=0.30 AND 0.57, RESPECTIVELY). CHANGES IN SYSTOLIC BP (SBP)/DIASTOLIC BP (DBP) FOR THE PREHYPERTENSIVE (75TH-94TH PERCENTILES FOR SBP) SUBGROUP ANALYSES WERE -10.75/-8.25 MMHG FOR THE HYP GROUP (N=4) VERSUS 1.8/1.0 MMHG FOR THE AC GROUP (N=5) (P FOR SBP=0.02; P FOR DBP=0.09). ALTHOUGH NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED WITH CHANGES IN SNS OR HPA AWAKENING CURVES (AREA UNDER CURVE FOR ALPHA-AMYLASE AND CORTISOL, RESPECTIVELY), A SMALL TO MODERATE EFFECT SIZE WAS SEEN FAVORING A REDUCTION OF ALPHA-AMYLASE ACTIVATION FOR THE HYP GROUP (COHEN D=0.34; PREHYPERTENSIVE D=0.20). CONCLUSIONS: A SCHOOL-BASED HATHA YOGA PROGRAM DEMONSTRATED POTENTIAL TO DECREASE RESTING BP, PARTICULARLY AMONG PREHYPERTENSIVE YOUTH. REDUCED SNS DRIVE MAY BE AN UNDERLYING NEUROHORMONAL PATHWAY BENEFICIALLY AFFECTED BY THE PROGRAM. A LARGE-SCALE EFFICACY/EFFECTIVENESS RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL IS WARRANTED.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
6 1334  24 HOW DOES EXERCISE IMPROVE IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY: PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTION COMBINED WITH AEROBIC JOGGING AND MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA. PURPOSE: THE PRIMARY AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF 8-WEEK MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTION COMBINING AEROBIC JOGGING AND MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA ON IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY. THE SECONDARY AIM IS TO EXPLORE THE SPECIFIC POTENTIAL PATHWAYS BY WHICH THE MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTION FOSTERS IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION. THIS MAY HELP US TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE KEY COMPONENTS OF EXERCISE INTERVENTION CONTRIBUTE TO EMOTIONAL BENEFITS. METHODS: SIXTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO ONE OF TWO PARALLEL GROUPS: (1) THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 29) AND (2) THE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 31). PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO FILL OUT SCALES MEASURING MINDFULNESS AND INSTRUCTED TO COMPLETE AN EMOTION REGULATION TASK TO ASSESS IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY AS WELL AS THE PWC 170 TEST TO EVALUATE AEROBIC FITNESS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THE RESULTS OF THE TWO-WAY REPEATED ANOVA REVEALED THAT 8 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION IMPROVED IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION, MINDFULNESS, AND AEROBIC FITNESS LEVELS. PATH ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT ONLY IMPROVED AEROBIC FITNESS MEDIATED THE INTERVENTION EFFECT ON IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY, CONTROLLING FOR CHANGE IN NEGATIVE AFFECT. NOTABLY, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EFFECTS ON IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY AND AEROBIC FITNESS WAS MODERATED BY IMPROVED MINDFULNESS. CONCLUSION: EIGHT WEEKS OF MIND-BODY EXERCISE INTERVENTION IMPROVES IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY. THE AEROBIC FITNESS MAY BE AN ESSENTIAL PATHWAY WHICH MEDIATES THE EFFICACY ON IMPLICIT EMOTION REGULATION ABILITY. FURTHERMORE, DIFFERENT COMPONENTS, SUCH AS AEROBIC FITNESS AND MINDFULNESS, MAY INTERACTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO SUCH EMOTIONAL BENEFITS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
7  196  22 A RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR STRESS AND SUBSTANCE USE AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN REENTRY. BACKGROUND: PEOPLE IN REENTRY FROM PRISON OR JAIL (RETURNING CITIZENS) LIVING WITH HIV AND SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS OFTEN EXPERIENCE NUMEROUS STRESSORS AND ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR RESUMED SUBSTANCE USE. INTERVENTIONS ARE NEEDED TO MANAGE STRESS AS A PATHWAY TO REDUCED SUBSTANCE USE. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF A HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION AS COMPARED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL ON STRESS AND SUBSTANCE USE AMONG RETURNING CITIZENS LIVING WITH HIV AND SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A 12-SESSION, 90-MINUTE WEEKLY YOGA INTERVENTION OR TREATMENT AS USUAL. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE CLIENTS OF A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR RETURNING CITIZENS THAT OFFERED CASE MANAGEMENT, HEALTH CARE, AND EDUCATIONAL CLASSES. OUTCOMES INCLUDED STRESS AS MEASURED BY THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE AT THE COMPLETION OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION (THREE-MONTHS) AND SUBSTANCE USE AS MEASURED BY THE TIMELINE FOLLOWBACK AT ONE-MONTH, TWO-MONTHS, AND THREE-MONTHS. RESULTS: SEVENTY-FIVE PEOPLE WERE ENROLLED, TWO OF WHOM WERE WITHDRAWN FROM THE STUDY BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE HIV. OF THE 73 REMAINING PARTICIPANTS, 85% PARTICIPATED IN THE THREE-MONTH ASSESSMENT. AT THREE-MONTHS, YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS STRESS THAN PARTICIPANTS IN TREATMENT AS USUAL [F (1,59)=9.24, P<.05]. YOGA PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS SUBSTANCE USE THAN PARTICIPANTS IN TREATMENT AS USUAL AT ONE-MONTH, TWO-MONTHS, AND THREE-MONTHS [X(2) (1)=11.13, P<.001]. CONCLUSION: YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR RETURNING CITIZENS LIVING WITH HIV AND SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS MAY REDUCE STRESS AND SUBSTANCE USE. THIS FINDING IS TENTATIVE BECAUSE THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT RECEIVE AN INTERVENTION OF EQUAL TIME AND INTENSITY.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
8 2002  25 STRESS, SUBSTANCE USE, AND YOGA IN THE CONTEXT OF COMMUNITY REENTRY FOLLOWING INCARCERATION. THIS FIELD REPORT PROVIDES A RATIONALE FOR THE POTENTIAL OF YOGA TO SUPPORT REDUCTIONS IN STRESS AND SUBSTANCE USE AMONG PEOPLE RETURNING TO THE COMMUNITY FROM JAIL OR PRISON AND DESCRIBES AN AGENCY-BASED EXAMPLE OF YOGA CLASSES OFFERED IN THIS CONTEXT. PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED INCARCERATION FACE A MULTITUDE OF STRESSORS, WHICH CAN HEIGHTEN THE RISK OF SUBSTANCE USE AND SUPPORT THE NEED TO ADDRESS STRESS REDUCTION AS A PATHWAY TO REDUCED SUBSTANCE USE. ONE PROMISING INTERVENTION IS YOGA, WHICH HAS DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT STRESS-REDUCTION EFFECTS AMONG SEVERAL POPULATIONS. FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS IN THIS FIELD REPORT'S PRACTICE EXAMPLE REINFORCES THE POTENTIAL FOR YOGA TO DECREASE STRESS AND COMPLEMENT SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT IN SUPPORTING HEALTH DURING THE TRANSITION FROM INCARCERATION TO COMMUNITY RETURN. FURTHER SCHOLARSHIP IS NEEDED TO EXPLORE THE BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF YOGA IN THIS CONTEXT.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
9 2847  32 YOGA, MEDITATION AND MIND-BODY HEALTH: INCREASED BDNF, CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE, AND ALTERED INFLAMMATORY MARKER EXPRESSION AFTER A 3-MONTH YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT. THIRTY-EIGHT INDIVIDUALS (MEAN AGE: 34.8 YEARS OLD) PARTICIPATING IN A 3-MONTH YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION FOR PSYCHOMETRIC MEASURES, BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF), CIRCADIAN SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS, AND PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES. PARTICIPATION IN THE RETREAT WAS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN SELF-REPORTED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AS WELL AS INCREASES IN MINDFULNESS. AS HYPOTHESIZED, INCREASES IN THE PLASMA LEVELS OF BDNF AND INCREASES IN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE (CAR) WERE ALSO OBSERVED. THE NORMALIZED CHANGE IN BDNF LEVELS WAS INVERSELY CORRELATED WITH BSI-18 ANXIETY SCORES AT BOTH THE PRE-RETREAT (R = 0.40, P < 0.05) AND POST-RETREAT (R = 0.52, P < 0.005) SUCH THAT THOSE WITH GREATER ANXIETY SCORES TENDED TO EXHIBIT SMALLER PRE- TO POST-RETREAT INCREASES IN PLASMA BDNF LEVELS. IN LINE WITH A HYPOTHESIZED DECREASE IN INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES RESULTING FROM THE YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICES, WE FOUND THAT THE PLASMA LEVEL OF THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-10 WAS INCREASED AND THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-12 WAS REDUCED AFTER THE RETREAT. CONTRARY TO OUR INITIAL HYPOTHESES, PLASMA LEVELS OF OTHER PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, INCLUDING INTERFERON GAMMA (IFN-GAMMA), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF-ALPHA), INTERLEUKIN-1BETA (IL-1BETA), INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), AND INTERLEUKIN-8 (IL-8) WERE INCREASED AFTER THE RETREAT. GIVEN EVIDENCE FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES OF THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF MEDITATIVE PRACTICES ON MENTAL FITNESS, AUTONOMIC HOMEOSTASIS AND INFLAMMATORY STATUS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THESE FINDINGS ARE RELATED TO THE MEDITATIVE PRACTICES THROUGHOUT THE RETREAT; HOWEVER, SOME OF THE OBSERVED CHANGES MAY ALSO BE RELATED TO OTHER ASPECTS OF THE RETREAT SUCH AS PHYSICAL EXERCISE-RELATED COMPONENTS OF THE YOGA PRACTICE AND DIET. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE PATTERNS OF CHANGE OBSERVED HERE REFLECT MIND-BODY INTEGRATION AND WELL-BEING. THE INCREASED BDNF LEVELS OBSERVED IS A POTENTIAL MEDIATOR BETWEEN MEDITATIVE PRACTICES AND BRAIN HEALTH, THE INCREASED CAR IS LIKELY A REFLECTION OF INCREASED DYNAMIC PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL, AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DUAL ENHANCEMENT OF PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE CHANGES TO HEALTHY IMMUNOLOGIC FUNCTIONING IS DISCUSSED.	2017	
                                                                
10 1639  27 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  805  29 EFFECT OF YOGA ON ANTIRETROVIRAL ADHERENCE POSTINCARCERATION IN HIV+ INDIVIDUALS. THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF STRESS ON ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART) ADHERENCE AND THE MANY STRESSORS FACED BY PEOPLE RETURNING FROM INCARCERATION SUPPORT THE NEED FOR STRESS REDUCTION INTERVENTIONS FOR THIS POPULATION. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT 37 RETURNING CITIZENS LIVING WITH HIV AND SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS RANDOMIZED TO A 12-SESSION WEEKLY YOGA INTERVENTION WOULD EXPERIENCE IMPROVED ART ADHERENCE, LOWER VIRAL LOADS, AND LOWER HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE AS COMPARED TO 36 PEOPLE RANDOMIZED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU). WE FOUND THAT ART ADHERENCE INCREASED FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND DECREASED FOR TAU PARTICIPANTS. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR VIRAL LOAD, HEART RATE, OR BLOOD PRESSURE. THE LACK OF STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS MAY BE DUE TO A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND ENROLLMENT OF PEOPLE LARGELY IN HIV TREATMENT. STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZES AND PARTICIPANTS EXHIBITING LOW ART ADHERENCE ARE WARRANTED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOGA'S IMPACT.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
12 1882  32 REDUCING ALLOSTATIC LOAD IN DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE AS ADD-ON THERAPIES. THE ALLOSTATIC LOAD (AL) INDEX CONSTITUTES A USEFUL TOOL TO OBJECTIVELY ASSESS THE BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. AL INDEX HAS BEEN POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CUMULATIVE CHRONIC STRESS (PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS) AND WITH A HIGH RISK TO DEVELOP PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS (E.G., METABOLIC SYNDROME, CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY, INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS) AND THE SO-CALLED STRESS-RELATED PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, INCLUDING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. CHRONIC STRESS HAS NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON BRAIN NEUROPLASTICITY, ESPECIALLY ON HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROGENESIS AND THESE EFFECTS MAY BE REVERSED BY ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENTS. SEVERAL EVIDENCES INDICATE THAT NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS BASED ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE MAY ADD SYNERGIZING BENEFITS TO CLASSICAL TREATMENTS (ANTIDEPRESSANT AND BENZODIAZEPINES) FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, REDUCING THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO PROVIDE A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON AL AND CHRONIC STRESS IN RELATION TO DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
13 2608  19 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
14 1343  24 HOW YOGA IMPACTS THE SUBSTANCE USE OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV WHO ARE IN REENTRY FROM PRISON OR JAIL: A QUALITATIVE STUDY. OBJECTIVES: NASCENT RESEARCH REFLECTS THE PROMISE OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR SUBSTANCE USE. WHILE PUTATIVE MECHANISMS BEHIND YOGA'S IMPACT ON SUBSTANCE USE HAVE BEEN PROPOSED, THE RESEARCH IS LIMITED. THIS MANUSCRIPT AIMS TO DETERMINE HOW A HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION IMPACTS THE SUBSTANCE USE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN REENTRY FROM PRISON OR JAIL (RETURNING CITIZENS), AND LIVING WITH HIV AND SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS. DESIGN: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH 28 RETURNING CITIZENS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA INTERVENTION. GUIDED BY A QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE METHODOLOGY, THEMATIC ANALYSIS WAS USED TO IDENTIFY THEMES THAT ANSWERED HOW YOGA IMPACTED PARTICIPANT SUBSTANCE USE. SETTING: A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IN PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE TO HEALTH SERVICES, PROVIDES EDUCATION AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, AND ADVOCATES FOR PEOPLE WITH CRIMINAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT. INTERVENTION: A 90-MINUTE HATHA YOGA CLASS OFFERED ONCE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: FOURTEEN PARTICIPANTS REPORTED THAT YOGA EITHER REDUCED SUBSTANCE USE OR MAINTAINED NON-USE, VIA THE MECHANISMS OF PURPOSEFUL DISTRACTION, STRESS COPING (BY CULTIVATING MINDFULNESS AND REDUCING PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT), SOCIAL SUPPORT AND CONFIDENCE. ELEVEN PARTICIPANTS REPORTED THAT YOGA DID NOT IMPACT THEIR SUBSTANCE USE. THREE PARTICIPANTS DID NOT DISCUSS IT. CONCLUSIONS: BY PROVIDING PURPOSEFUL DISTRACTION, INCREASED STRESS COPING, SOCIAL SUPPORT AND CONFIDENCE; YOGA MAY REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE AND MAINTAIN ENGAGEMENT IN RECOVERY. THESE MECHANISTIC ACTIONS PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR THEMES TO HIGHLIGHT IN YOGA CLASSES THAT AIM TO IMPACT SUBSTANCE USE AMONG RETURNING CITIZENS LIVING WITH HIV.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
15 2516  26 YOGA CLINICAL RESEARCH REVIEW. IN THIS PAPER RECENT RESEARCH IS REVIEWED ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA POSES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, ON PAIN SYNDROMES, CARDIOVASCULAR, AUTOIMMUNE AND IMMUNE CONDITIONS AND ON PREGNANCY. FURTHER, THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA INCLUDING DECREASED HEARTRATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE AND THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS INCLUDING WEIGHT LOSS AND INCREASED MUSCLE STRENGTH ARE REVIEWED. FINALLY, POTENTIAL UNDERLYING MECHANISMS ARE PROPOSED INCLUDING THE STIMULATION OF PRESSURE RECEPTORS LEADING TO ENHANCED VAGAL ACTIVITY AND REDUCED CORTISOL. THE REDUCTION IN CORTISOL, IN TURN, MAY CONTRIBUTE TO POSITIVE EFFECTS SUCH AS ENHANCED IMMUNE FUNCTION AND A LOWER PREMATURITY RATE.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
16 1734  31 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
17 1675  28 OBESITY-RELATED INFLAMMATION & CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: EFFICACY OF A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. OBESITY IS A GLOBAL HEALTH BURDEN AND ITS PREVALENCE IS INCREASING SUBSTANTIALLY DUE TO CHANGING LIFESTYLE. CHRONIC ADIPOSITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH METABOLIC IMBALANCE LEADING TO DYSLIPIDAEMIA, DIABETES, HYPERTENSION AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD). ADIPOSE TISSUE ACTS AS AN ENDOCRINE ORGAN RELEASING SEVERAL ADIPOCYTOKINES, AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED LEVELS OF TISSUE AND CIRCULATING INFLAMMATORY BIOMOLECULES CAUSING VASCULAR INFLAMMATION AND ATHEROGENESIS. FURTHER, INFLAMMATION IS ALSO ASSOCIATED INDEPENDENTLY WITH OBESITY AS WELL AS CVD. KEEPING THIS IN VIEW, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A REDUCTION IN WEIGHT MAY LEAD TO A DECREASE IN INFLAMMATION, RESULTING IN CVD RISK REDUCTION, AND BETTER MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CVD. LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION HAS BEEN ENDORSED BY SEVERAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES. A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION APPEARS TO BE A PROMISING OPTION IN REDUCING THE RISK FOR CVD AS WELL AS MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CVD AS IT IS SIMPLE TO FOLLOW AND COST-EFFECTIVE WITH HIGH COMPLIANCE. THE EFFICACY OF SUCH LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES IS MULTIFACETED, AND IS ACHIEVED VIA REDUCTION IN WEIGHT, OBESITY-RELATED INFLAMMATION AND STRESS, THEREBY CULMINATING INTO RISK REDUCTION TOWARDS SEVERAL CHRONIC DISEASES INCLUDING CVD. IN THIS REVIEW, THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OBESITY-RELATED INFLAMMATION AND CVD, AND THE ROLE OF YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CVD ARE DISCUSSED.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
18  226  36 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIALS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MEASURES AND MOOD. STRESS RELATED DISORDERS SUCH AS DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY ARE LEADING SOURCES OF DISABILITY WORLDWIDE, AND CURRENT TREATMENT METHODS SUCH AS CONVENTIONAL ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS ARE NOT BENEFICIAL FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT YOGA HAS MOOD-ENHANCING PROPERTIES POSSIBLY RELATED TO ITS INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS AND INFLAMMATION, WHICH ARE FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH AFFECTIVE DISORDERS. HOWEVER THE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS VIA WHICH YOGA EXERTS ITS THERAPEUTIC MOOD-MODULATING EFFECTS ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS REGULATION MEASURES. IT FOCUSES ON STUDIES COLLECTING PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS SUCH AS BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, CORTISOL, PERIPHERAL CYTOKINE EXPRESSION AND/OR STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL BRAIN MEASURES IN REGIONS INVOLVED IN STRESS AND MOOD REGULATION. OVERALL THE 25 RANDOMISED CONTROL STUDIES DISCUSSED PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE LEADS TO BETTER REGULATION OF THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL SYSTEM, AS WELL AS A DECREASE IN DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIOUS SYMPTOMS IN A RANGE OF POPULATIONS. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO CONFIRM THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND FACILITATE IMPLEMENTATION IN CLINICAL SETTINGS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
19 2418  28 YOGA AND MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION. WITH INCREASED LIFE EXPECTANCY, TODAY, WOMEN SPEND ONE-THIRD OF THEIR LIFE AFTER MENOPAUSE. THUS MORE ATTENTION IS NEEDED TOWARDS PERI- AND POST-MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. ESTROGEN REPLACEMENT THERAPY IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE TREATMENT, HOWEVER, IT HAS ITS OWN LIMITATIONS. THE PRESENT NEED IS TO EXPLORE NEW OPTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. YOGIC LIFE STYLE IS A WAY OF LIVING WHICH AIMS TO IMPROVE THE BODY, MIND AND DAY TO DAY LIFE OF INDIVIDUALS. THE MOST COMMONLY PERFORMED YOGA PRACTICES ARE POSTURES (ASANA), CONTROLLED BREATHING (PRANAYAMA), AND MEDITATION (DHYANA). YOGA HAS BEEN UTILIZED AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL TO ACHIEVE POSITIVE HEALTH AND CONTROL AND CURE DISEASES. THE EXACT MECHANISM AS TO HOW YOGA HELPS IN VARIOUS DISEASE STATES IS NOT KNOWN. THERE COULD BE NEURO-HORMONAL PATHWAYS WITH A SELECTIVE EFFECT IN EACH PATHOLOGICAL SITUATION. THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE STUDIES THAT HAVE COMBINED THE MANY ASPECTS OF YOGA INTO A GENERAL YOGA SESSION IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE ITS EFFECTS ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY CAN IMPROVE HOT FLUSHES AND NIGHT SWEATS. THERE IS INCREASING EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THAT EVEN THE SHORT-TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN DECREASE BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD). STUDIES CONCLUDE THAT OUR AGE OLD THERAPY, YOGA, IS FAIRLY EFFECTIVE IN MANAGING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
20 2668  33 YOGA IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL UTILITY. MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) IS A MIND-BODY DISORDER. CELLULAR AGING HAS BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF MDD WITH THE ALTERED MIND-BODY COMMUNICATION MARKERS LIKE STRESS RESPONSE, IMMUNE RESPONSE, NUTRITION SENSING, AND A RANGE OF OTHER REGULATORY FEEDBACK SYSTEMS. IN THIS AGE OF SUPER SPECIALIZATIONS, ONE SPECIFIC TARGET AND INTERVENTIONS (PREFERABLY A DRUG) ON IT ARE BEING RIGOROUSLY SOUGHT BY THE HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY AND INDUSTRY, BUT HAVE FAILED IN IT IN THE LAST FIFTY YEARS IN SPITE OF ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY. SINCE, DEPRESSION IS A COMPLEX DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INCIDENCE OF OTHER COMPLEX DISORDERS, IT MUST BE TREATED BY AN INTEGRATED HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT CAN ADDRESS THE COMPLEXITY OF MDD. INTERVENTIONS TARGETING ACCELERATED BIOLOGICAL AGING TO INCREASE CELLULAR HEALTH IN WHOLE BODY HAVE POTENTIAL TO MANAGE COMPLEX CONDITIONS LIKE MDD AND ITS OVERLAPPING SYMPTOMS AND COMORBIDITIES. YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE THE NEXUS BETWEEN, CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF MDD AND OTHER LIFESTYLE DISEASES.	2021