1 911 139 EFFECTIVENESS OF INTEGRATIVE RESTORATION (IREST) YOGA NIDRA ON MINDFULNESS, SLEEP, AND PAIN IN HEALTH CARE WORKERS. THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTEGRATIVE RESTORATION (IREST) YOGA NIDRA MEDITATION ON MINDFULNESS, SLEEP, AND PAIN IN HEALTH CARE WORKERS. AS HEALTH CARE WORKERS PROVIDE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT TO PATIENTS, IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR WORKERS TO EXPERIENCE BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXHAUSTION. ONE HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SUPPORT EMPLOYEES IS MINDFULNESS TRAINING. IREST YOGA NIDRA IS A COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH THERAPY THAT INCREASES MINDFULNESS. A PRE-/POSTINTERVENITON DESCRIPTIVE SURVEY DESIGN WAS USED. BEFORE AND AFTER EXPERIENCING IREST MEDITATION, PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A 51-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE CONSISTING OF DEMOGRAPHICS PLUS 3 VALIDATED INSTRUMENTS: THE FIVE-FACET MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE (FFMQ), THE EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE (ESS), AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE/VETERANS ADMINISTRATION (DOD/VA) PAIN SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS (PSQ). A TOTAL OF 15 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED BOTH QUESTIONNAIRES. POSTINTERVENTION FFMQ SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN PREINTERVENTION (Z = -3.294, P = .001). THE HIGHEST SUBSCALE SCORES WERE "ACTING WITH AWARENESS" AND "NONJUDGING OF INNER EXPERIENCE." THERE WAS A NOT A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN ESS SCORES AT BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. HOWEVER, THERE WAS A STRONG NEGATIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MEAN ESS IMPROVEMENT SCORE AND THE NUMBER OF WEEKS ATTENDED (RS = -0.705, P = .003). THERE WAS A NOT A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN PAIN BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP SCORES. THIS STUDY SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MINDFULNESS OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS FOLLOWING A GUIDED 8-WEEK IREST YOGA NIDRA PROGRAM. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY MAY PROVIDE SOME INSIGHT INTO HELPING HEALTH CARE WORKERS DEAL WITH THE DEMANDS OF THEIR PROFESSION IN A POSITIVE MANNER, THUS LEADING TO AN IMPROVED WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT. 2018 2 261 32 ACUTE AND CHRONIC EFFECTS OF TANTRIC YOGA PRACTICE ON DISTRESS INDEX. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE ACUTE AND CHRONIC EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. DESIGN: QUANTITATIVE STUDY USING A ONE-GROUP PRE-POSTTEST DESIGN. SETTING: VISAO FUTURO INSTITUTE, PORANGABA, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL. PARTICIPANTS: 22 VOLUNTEERS (7 MEN AND 15 WOMEN). INTERVENTION: SIX WEEKS OF A TANTRIC YOGA PROGRAM (TYP), 50 MINUTES PER SESSION, HELD TWICE A WEEK FROM 8 A.M. TO 9 A.M. THE LOCAL ETHICS COMMITTEE APPROVED THE PROTOCOL. OUTCOME MEASURES: DATA WERE COLLECTED IN THE FIRST WEEK AND AT THE END OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF TYP. SALIVARY CORTISOL CONCENTRATION (SCC) WAS USED TO MEASURE PHYSIOLOGY OF DISTRESS AND TO ANALYZE THE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF TYP. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WAS EVALUATED BY APPLYING A SPECIFIC PERCEIVED STRESS QUESTIONNAIRE (PSQ). RESULTS (MEAN+/-STANDARD DEVIATION) WERE ANALYZED BY WILCOXON TEST (P<0.05). RESULTS: SCC DECREASED 24% AFTER THE FIRST (0.66+/-0.20 MUG/DL VERSUS 0.50+/-0.13 MUG/DL) AND LAST (1.01+/-0.37 VERSUS 0.76+/-0.31 MUG/DL) SESSIONS, SHOWING THE SHORT-TERM EFFECT OF YOGA. LONG-TERM EFFECTS WERE ANALYZED BY DAILY RHYTHM OF CORTISOL PRODUCTION. IN THE BEGINNING, VOLUNTEERS SHOWED ALTERED SCC DURING THE DAY, WITH NIGHTTIME VALUES (0.42+/-0.28) HIGHER THAN THOSE AT NOON (0.30+/-0.06). AFTER THE TYP, SCC WAS HIGHER IN THE MORNING (1.01+/-0.37) AND DECREASED DURING THE DAY, WITH LOWER VALUES BEFORE SLEEP (0.30+/-0.13). THE TYP WAS ALSO EFFICIENT TO REDUCE PSQ SCORES (0.45+/-0.13 VERSUS 0.39+/-0.07). SPECIFICALLY, THE IRRITABILITY, TENSION, AND FATIGUE DOMAINS ON THE PSQ DECREASED (0.60+/-0.20 VERSUS 0.46+/-0.13), AS DID THE FEAR AND ANXIETY DOMAINS (0.54+/-0.30 VERSUS 0.30+/-0.20). CONCLUSION: OVER THE SHORT TERM, TYP LED TO THE DECREASE OF CORTISOL PRODUCTION. OVER THE LONG TERM, TYP INDUCED HIGHER CORTISOL PRODUCTION IN THE MORNING AND LOWER PRODUCTION IN THE EVENING. THOSE EFFECTS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING OF THE PARTICIPANTS. 2015 3 1866 29 RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF TIBETAN YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT RANDOMIZED TRIAL EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A TIBETAN YOGA PROGRAM (TYP) VERSUS A STRETCHING PROGRAM (STP) AND USUAL CARE (UC) ON SLEEP AND FATIGUE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER WHO WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: WOMEN WITH STAGE (AMERICAN JOINT COMMITTEE ON CANCER (AJCC) TNM) I TO III BREAST CANCER WHO WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO TYP (74 WOMEN), STP (68 WOMEN), OR UC (85 WOMEN). PARTICIPANTS IN THE TYP AND STP GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN 4 SESSIONS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY, FOLLOWED BY 3 BOOSTER SESSIONS OVER THE SUBSEQUENT 6 MONTHS, AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE AT HOME. SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX), FATIGUE (BRIEF FATIGUE INVENTORY), AND ACTIGRAPHY WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE; 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT; AND AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES NOTED IN TOTAL SLEEP DISTURBANCES OR FATIGUE LEVELS OVER TIME. HOWEVER, PATIENTS IN THE TYP GROUP REPORTED FEWER DAILY DISTURBANCES 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE STP (DIFFERENCE, -0.43; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [95% CI], -0.82 TO -0.04 [P = .03]) AND UC (DIFFERENCE, -0.41; 95% CI, -0.77 TO -0.05 [P = .02]) GROUPS. GROUP DIFFERENCES AT THE OTHER TIME POINTS WERE MAINTAINED FOR TYP VERSUS STP. ACTIGRAPHY DATA REVEALED GREATER MINUTES AWAKE AFTER SLEEP ONSET FOR PATIENTS IN THE STP GROUP 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT VERSUS THOSE IN THE TYP (DIFFERENCE, 15.36; 95% CI, 7.25-23.48 [P = .0003]) AND UC (DIFFERENCE, 14.48; 95% CI, 7.09-21.87 [P = .0002]) GROUPS. PATIENTS IN THE TYP GROUP WHO PRACTICED AT LEAST 2 TIMES A WEEK DURING FOLLOW-UP REPORTED BETTER PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX AND ACTIGRAPHY OUTCOMES AT 3 MONTHS AND 6 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO DID NOT AND BETTER OUTCOMES COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE UC GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATING IN TYP DURING CHEMOTHERAPY RESULTED IN MODEST SHORT-TERM BENEFITS IN SLEEP QUALITY, WITH LONG-TERM BENEFITS EMERGING OVER TIME FOR THOSE WHO PRACTICED TYP AT LEAST 2 TIMES A WEEK. CANCER 2018;124:36-45. (C) 2017 AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. 2018 4 1852 37 RANDOMISED CLINICAL TRIAL: YOGA VS A LOW-FODMAP DIET IN PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. BACKGROUND: IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME IS THE MOST FREQUENT GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDER. IT IS ASSUMED THAT LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS MIGHT BE A RATIONAL TREATMENT APPROACH. AIM: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION VS A LOW-FODMAP DIET ON PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. METHODS: FIFTY-NINE PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME UNDERTOOK A SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL INVOLVING YOGA OR A LOW-FODMAP DIET FOR 12 WEEKS. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED TWO SESSIONS WEEKLY, WHILE PATIENTS IN THE LOW-FODMAP GROUP RECEIVED A TOTAL OF THREE SESSIONS OF NUTRITIONAL COUNSELLING. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A CHANGE IN GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS (IBS-SSS). SECONDARY OUTCOMES EXPLORED CHANGES IN QUALITY OF LIFE (IBS-QOL), HEALTH (SF-36), PERCEIVED STRESS (CPSS, PSQ), BODY AWARENESS (BAQ), BODY RESPONSIVENESS (BRS) AND SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTIONS. OUTCOMES WERE EXAMINED IN WEEKS 12 AND 24 BY ASSESSORS "BLINDED" TO PATIENTS' GROUP ALLOCATION. RESULTS: NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE INTERVENTION GROUPS, WITH REGARD TO IBS-SSS SCORE, AT EITHER 12 (DELTA = 31.80; 95%CI = -11.90, 75.50; P = .151) OR 24 WEEKS (DELTA = 33.41; 95%CI = -4.21, 71.04; P = .081). WITHIN-GROUP COMPARISONS SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS FOR YOGA AND LOW-FODMAP DIET AT BOTH 12 AND 24 WEEKS (ALL P < .001). COMPARABLE WITHIN-GROUP EFFECTS OCCURRED FOR THE OTHER OUTCOMES. ONE PATIENT IN EACH INTERVENTION GROUP EXPERIENCED SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (P = 1.00) AND ANOTHER, ALSO IN EACH GROUP, EXPERIENCED NONSERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (P = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME MIGHT BENEFIT FROM YOGA AND A LOW-FODMAP DIET, AS BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A REDUCTION IN GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS. MORE RESEARCH ON THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF BOTH INTERVENTIONS IS WARRANTED, AS WELL AS EXPLORATION OF POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM THEIR COMBINED USE. 2018 5 962 31 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON CORTISOL RHYTHM AND MOOD STATES IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES. THIS STUDY COMPARES THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WITH BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY AT A CANCER CENTER. METHODS: EIGHTY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS ARE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 44) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N = 44) PRIOR TO RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS 3 DAYS BEFORE AND AFTER RADIOTHERAPY AND SELF-RATINGS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND STRESS COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. RESULTS: ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE REVEALS SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN ANXIETY (P < .001), DEPRESSION (P = .002), PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .001), 6 A.M. SALIVARY CORTISOL (P = .009), AND POOLED MEAN CORTISOL (P = .03) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN MORNING SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVEL AND ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. CONCLUSION: YOGA MIGHT HAVE A ROLE IN MANAGING SELF-REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND MODULATING CIRCADIAN PATTERNS OF STRESS HORMONES IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY. 2009 6 1980 35 SLEEP MODERATES THE EFFECTS OF TIBETAN YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. THIS STUDY EXAMINED SELF-REPORTED AND ACTIGRAPHY-ASSESSED SLEEP AND DEPRESSION AS MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF A TIBETAN YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND DEPRESSION AMONG WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS IS A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF AN RCT EXAMINING A 4-SESSION TIBETAN YOGA PROGRAM (TYP; N = 74) VERSUS STRETCHING PROGRAM (STP; N = 68) OR USUAL CARE (UC; N = 85) ON SELF-REPORTED SLEEP (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI), ACTIGRAPHY-ASSESSED SLEEP EFFICIENCY (SE)) AND DEPRESSION (CENTERS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES DEPRESSION SCALE; CES-D) FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. DATA WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE AND 1-WEEK AND 3-MONTH POST-INTERVENTION. BASELINE PSQI, ACTIGRAPHY-SE, AND CES-D WERE EXAMINED AS MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF GROUP ON PSQI, ACTIGRAPHY-SE, AND CES-D 1 WEEK AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT BASELINE ACTIGRAPHY-SE X GROUP EFFECT ON PSQI AT 1 WEEK (P < .001) AND 3 MONTHS (P = .002) AND ON CES-D AT 3 MONTHS (P = .049). SPECIFICALLY, THE NEGATIVE ASSOCIATION OF BASELINE ACTIGRAPHY-SE WITH SUBSEQUENT PSQI AND CES-D WAS BUFFERED FOR WOMEN IN THE TYP AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT IN STP, COMPARED TO THOSE IN THE UC. BASELINE PSQI AND CES-D WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF GROUP ON ANY OUTCOME. BEHAVIORALLY ASSESSED SLEEP MAY BE A MORE ROBUST INDICATOR OF WHICH PATIENTS ARE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR A YOGA INTERVENTION THAN SELF-REPORTED SLEEP QUALITY. WOMEN WITH POOR SLEEP EFFICIENCY MAY DERIVE THE GREATEST BENEFIT IN TERMS OF SLEEP QUALITY AND MOOD FROM A YOGA INTERVENTION. 2022 7 1853 26 RANDOMISED CLINICAL TRIAL: YOGA VS WRITTEN SELF-CARE ADVICE FOR ULCERATIVE COLITIS. BACKGROUND: PERCEIVED STRESS SEEMS TO BE A RISK FACTOR FOR EXACERBATION OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS. AIMS: TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 77 PATIENTS (75% WOMEN; 45.5 +/- 11.9 YEARS) WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS IN CLINICAL REMISSION BUT IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA (12 SUPERVISED WEEKLY SESSIONS OF 90 MIN; N = 39) OR WRITTEN SELF-CARE ADVICE (N = 38). PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DISEASE-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE (INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE). SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DISEASE ACTIVITY (RACHMILEWITZ CLINICAL ACTIVITY INDEX) AND SAFETY. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEKS 12 AND 24 BY BLINDED OUTCOME ASSESSORS. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DISEASE-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED TO THE SELF-CARE GROUP AFTER 12 WEEKS (DELTA = 14.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL=2.6-26.7; P = 0.018) AND AFTER 24 WEEKS (DELTA = 16.4; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL=2.5-30.3; P = 0.022). TWENTY-ONE AND 12 PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND IN THE SELF-CARE GROUP, RESPECTIVELY, REACHED A CLINICAL RELEVANT INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE AT WEEK 12 (P = 0.048); AND 27 AND 17 PATIENTS AT WEEK 24 (P = 0.030). DISEASE ACTIVITY WAS LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE SELF-CARE GROUP AFTER 24 WEEKS (DELTA = -1.2; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL=-0.1-[-2.3]; P = 0.029). THREE AND ONE PATIENT IN THE YOGA GROUP AND IN THE SELF-CARE GROUP, RESPECTIVELY, EXPERIENCED SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (P = 0.317); AND SEVEN AND EIGHT PATIENTS EXPERIENCED NONSERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (P = 0.731). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ANCILLARY INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS AND IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT02043600. 2017 8 2031 39 TAILORED INDIVIDUAL YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES SLEEP QUALITY, FATIGUE, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN CHRONIC INSOMNIA DISORDER. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC INSOMNIA DISORDER (CI) IS A PREVALENT SLEEP DISORDER THAT CAN LEAD TO DISTURBED DAYTIME FUNCTIONING AND IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. FIRST-CHOICE TREATMENT IS COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT-I). OTHER MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS TAI-CHI AND YOGA, HAVE DEMONSTRATED SUBJECTIVE IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVEMENT OF SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS MEASURES OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, SLEEPINESS, AND FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH CI. METHODS: ADULTS WITH CI WERE PROSPECTIVELY INCLUDED IN THIS SINGLE GROUP PRE-POST STUDY. BASELINE ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED HOME POLYSOMNOGRAPHY (PSG), 7-DAY ACTIGRAPHY, AND QUESTIONNAIRES (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX QUESTIONNAIRE (PSQI), HOSPITAL ANXIETY DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS), EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE (ESS), PICHOT FATIGUE SCALE (PS)). PATIENTS PRACTICED VINIYOGA, AN INDIVIDUALISED YOGA PRACTICE WITH DAILY SELF-ADMINISTERED EXERCISES, FOR 14 WEEKS. ASSESSMENTS WERE REPEATED AT THE END OF YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS: TWENTY-ONE PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. OBJECTIVE SLEEP MEASUREMENTS REVEALED NO CHANGE IN PSG PARAMETERS AFTER YOGA PRACTICE, BUT A DECREASE IN AROUSALS ON ACTIGRAPHY (P < 0.001). SUBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS IMPROVED FOR ALL QUESTIONNAIRES (PSQI, P < 0.001; HAD-A, P = 0.020, HAD-D, P = 0.001, ESS, P = 0.041, PS, P = 0.010). IN UNIVARIATE CORRELATIONS, DECREASE IN PSQI WAS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASE IN SLEEP STAGE N3 (P < 0.001) ON PSG. CONCLUSIONS: WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED A POSITIVE IMPACT OF INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA PRACTICE ON SUBJECTIVE PARAMETERS RELATED TO SLEEP AND DAYTIME SYMPTOMS IN CI, RESULTING IN FEWER AROUSALS ON ACTIGRAPHY. YOGA COULD BE PROPOSED AS A POTENTIALLY USEFUL ALTERNATIVE TO CBT-I IN CI, AS IT IS EASY TO PRACTICE AUTONOMOUSLY OVER THE LONG-TERM. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE DESIGN OF THE PRESENT STUDY, FUTURE PROSPECTIVE CONTROLLED STUDIES SHOULD FIRST CONFIRM OUR RESULTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT03314441 , DATE OF REGISTRATION: 19/10/2017. 2022 9 1681 30 ONLINE ISHA UPA YOGA FOR STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DURING COVID-19: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. COLLEGE STUDENTS EXPERIENCED INCREASED STRESS AND ANXIETY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF BRIEF ONLINE ISHA UPA YOGA MODULES ON UNDERGRADUATES' MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL (RCT) WITH WAITLIST CONTROL CROSSOVER (N = 679). THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED TO LEARN AND PRACTICE THE MODULES DAILY FOR 12 WEEKS. AT THE END OF THE 4-WEEK RCT, THE CONTROL GROUP WAS INSTRUCTED TO LEARN AND PRACTICE THE MODULES FOR THE REMAINING 8 WEEKS. PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED STRESS AND WELL-BEING. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, RESILIENCE, POSITIVE AFFECT AND NEGATIVE AFFECT. LINEAR MIXED-EFFECTS MODELS WERE USED FOR ANALYSES. ISHA UPA YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED STRESS (GROUP [INTERVENTION, CONTROL] X TIME [BASELINE, WEEK 4] INTERACTION, P = .009, D = .27) AND INCREASED WELL-BEING (GROUP X TIME INTERACTION P = .002, D = .32). BY THE STUDY'S END, THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN WELL-BEING (P < .001, P < .001), STRESS (P < .001, P < .001), ANXIETY (P < .001, P < .001), DEPRESSION (P < .001, P = .004), POSITIVE AFFECT (P = .04, P < .001), AND NEGATIVE AFFECT (P < .001, P < .001). ONLINE ISHA UPA YOGA SHOWS PROMISE FOR MITIGATING THE PANDEMIC'S NEGATIVE IMPACT ON UNDERGRADUATES' MENTAL HEALTH AND IMPROVING THEIR WELL-BEING. 2022 10 2836 35 YOGA'S IMPACT ON INFLAMMATION, MOOD, AND FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PURPOSE: TO EVALUATE YOGA'S IMPACT ON INFLAMMATION, MOOD, AND FATIGUE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED 3-MONTH TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED WITH TWO POST-TREATMENT ASSESSMENTS OF 200 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ASSIGNED TO EITHER 12 WEEKS OF 90-MINUTE TWICE PER WEEK HATHA YOGA CLASSES OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-STIMULATED PRODUCTION OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), AND INTERLEUKIN-1BETA (IL-1BETA), AND SCORES ON THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL FATIGUE SYMPTOM INVENTORY-SHORT FORM (MFSI-SF), THE VITALITY SCALE FROM THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY 36-ITEM SHORT FORM (SF-36), AND THE CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES-DEPRESSION (CES-D) SCALE. RESULTS: IMMEDIATELY POST-TREATMENT, FATIGUE WAS NOT LOWER (P > .05) BUT VITALITY WAS HIGHER (P = .01) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. AT 3 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT, FATIGUE WAS LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = .002), VITALITY WAS HIGHER (P = .01), AND IL-6 (P = .027), TNF-ALPHA (P = .027), AND IL-1BETA (P = .037) WERE LOWER FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER ON DEPRESSION AT EITHER TIME (P > .2). PLANNED SECONDARY ANALYSES SHOWED THAT THE FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE HAD STRONGER ASSOCIATIONS WITH FATIGUE AT BOTH POST-TREATMENT VISITS (P = .019; P < .001), AS WELL AS VITALITY (P = .016; P = .0045), BUT NOT DEPRESSION (P > .05) THAN SIMPLE GROUP ASSIGNMENT; MORE FREQUENT PRACTICE PRODUCED LARGER CHANGES. AT 3 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT, INCREASING YOGA PRACTICE ALSO LED TO A DECREASE IN IL-6 (P = .01) AND IL-1BETA (P = .03) PRODUCTION BUT NOT IN TNF-ALPHA PRODUCTION (P > .05). CONCLUSION: CHRONIC INFLAMMATION MAY FUEL DECLINES IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION LEADING TO FRAILTY AND DISABILITY. IF YOGA DAMPENS OR LIMITS BOTH FATIGUE AND INFLAMMATION, THEN REGULAR PRACTICE COULD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS. 2014 11 507 36 COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF PILATES AND YOGA GROUP EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONIC MECHANICAL NECK PAIN: QUASI-RANDOMISED PARALLEL CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PILATES AND YOGA GROUP EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC NECK PAIN (CNP). DESIGN: QUASI-RANDOMISED PARALLEL CONTROLLED STUDY. SETTING: COMMUNITY, UNIVERSITY AND PRIVATE PRACTICE SETTINGS IN FOUR LOCATIONS. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTY-SIX INDIVIDUALS WITH CNP SCORING >/=3/10 ON THE NUMERIC PAIN RATING SCALE FOR >3 MONTHS (CONTROLS N=17, PILATES N=20, YOGA N=19). INTERVENTIONS: EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 12 SMALL-GROUP SESSIONS WITH MODIFICATIONS AND PROGRESSIONS SUPERVISED BY A PHYSIOTHERAPIST. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE NECK DISABILITY INDEX (NDI). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE PAIN RATINGS, RANGE OF MOVEMENT AND POSTURAL MEASUREMENTS COLLECTED AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS AND 12 WEEKS. FOLLOW-UP WAS PERFORMED 6 WEEKS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE EXERCISE CLASSES (WEEK 18). RESULTS: NDI DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE PILATES {BASELINE: 11.1 [STANDARD DEVIATION (SD) 4.3] VS WEEK 12: 6.8 (SD 4.3); MEAN DIFFERENCE -4.3 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL -1.64 TO -6.7); P<0.001} AND YOGA GROUPS [BASELINE: 12.8 (SD 7.4) VS WEEK 12: 8.1 (SD 5.6); MEAN DIFFERENCE -4.7 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL -2.1 TO -7.4); P<0.00], WITH NO CHANGE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. PAIN RATINGS ALSO IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. MODERATE-TO-LARGE EFFECT SIZES (0.7 TO 1.8) AND LOW NUMBERS NEEDED TO TREAT WERE FOUND. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN OUTCOMES BETWEEN THE EXERCISE GROUPS OR ASSOCIATED ADVERSE EFFECTS. NO IMPROVEMENTS IN RANGE OF MOVEMENT OR POSTURE WERE FOUND. CONCLUSIONS: PILATES AND YOGA GROUP EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS WITH APPROPRIATE MODIFICATIONS AND SUPERVISION WERE SAFE AND EQUALLY EFFECTIVE FOR DECREASING DISABILITY AND PAIN COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD-TO-MODERATE CNP. PHYSIOTHERAPISTS MAY CONSIDER INCLUDING THESE APPROACHES IN A PLAN OF CARE. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT01999283. 2016 12 1244 33 FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM AND ITS DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND WELLNESS PARAMETERS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: WE SOUGHT TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE, MOSTLY SELF-DIRECTED YOGA PROGRAM IN A HOSPITAL AND ITS DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) MEASURES OVER SIX MONTHS. METHODS: YOGA-BASED TECHNIQUES (ADVANCED YOGA PRACTICES; AYP; ADVANCEDYOGAPRACTICES.COM) WERE TAUGHT IN 12 BIWEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS AND SELF-DIRECTED PRACTICE AT HOME WAS EMPHASIZED. CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS WERE ELUCIDATED BY INTERVIEW AND REVIEW OF MEDICAL HISTORY. QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE SF-36, THE COHEN PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (CPSS), AND THE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS). RISK FACTORS AND QOL MEASURES WERE COMPARED IN PARTICIPANTS AT BASELINE AND SIX MONTHS, AS WELL AS BETWEEN THOSE PRACTICING >/= 7 TIMES VERSUS < 7 TIMES PER WEEK. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 22 INDIVIDUALS (19 WOMEN, MEAN AGE 59 +/- 8.7 YEARS) COMPLETED THE STUDY. AT SIX MONTHS, CHANGES WERE NOTED IN THE MENTAL COMPONENT SCALE (MCS) OF THE SF-36 (P=0.0004) AND THE CPSS (P = 0.022). A GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN CPSS WAS NOTED IN THOSE PRACTICING >/= 7 TIMES VERSUS < 7 TIMES A WEEK (P=0.045). NO CHANGES WERE NOTED IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS. CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESCRIPTION OF A SELF-DIRECTED YOGA PROGRAM WAS FEASIBLE IN A HOSPITAL SETTING AND RESULTED IN IMPROVEMENT IN QOL MEASURES AT SIX MONTHS. PRACTICING MORE THAN SEVEN TIMES PER WEEK CORRELATED WITH GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THE PERCEPTION OF STRESS. THUS, AT LEAST A ONCE-DAILY DOSE OF AYP TECHNIQUES FOR A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PERCEIVED STRESS IS AN APPROPRIATE DOSE TO EMPLOY AND STUDY IN HOSPITAL SETTINGS. 2015 13 963 29 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA: A SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. DESIGN: SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: 40 RANDOMLY SELECTED UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS, WITH 20 EACH ASSIGNED TO AN EXERCISE OR A CONTROL GROUP. INTERVENTION: THE PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN A YOGA PROGRAM FOR 60 MINUTES ONCE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. THE PROGRAM CONSISTED OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE COMBINED WITH RELAXATION AND MEDITATION. OUTCOME MEASURES: MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS LEVELS WERE MEASURED BY USING THE VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE FOR PAIN AND THE MENSTRUAL DISTRESS QUESTIONNAIRE, RESPECTIVELY. DATA WERE ANALYZED BY USING THE KOLMOGOROV-SMIRNOV AND SHAPIRO-WILK NORMALITY TESTS, T-TEST, CHI-SQUARE TEST, LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSIS, AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (SPSS PROGRAM). RESULTS: MENSTRUAL PAIN INTENSITY (GROUP DIFFERENCE, -0.94; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI], -1.47 TO -0.42; P = 0.001) AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS (GROUP DIFFERENCE, -1.13; 95% CI, -1.43 TO -0.82; P < 0.0001) SCORES DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY REDUCE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS AND MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN FEMALE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA. 2016 14 2415 30 YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE ONLY VERY LIMITED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EITHER TO A 12-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION OR TO USUAL CARE. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE [MRS] TOTAL SCORE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED MRS SUBSCALES, QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST), FATIGUE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 12 AND WEEK 24 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 40 WOMEN (MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION, 49.2 +/- 5.9 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 19) OR TO USUAL CARE (N = 21). WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS COMPARED WITH THE USUAL CARE GROUP AT WEEK 12 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -5.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -9.2 TO -1.9; P = .004) AND AT WEEK 24 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -4.5; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -8.3 TO -0.7; P = .023). AT WEEK 12, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS; LESS FATIGUE; AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (ALL P < .05). AT WEEK 24, ALL EFFECTS PERSISTED EXCEPT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS REMAINED SIGNIFICANT WHEN ONLY WOMEN WHO WERE RECEIVING ANTIESTROGEN MEDICATION (N = 36) WERE ANALYZED. SIX MINOR ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN EACH GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA COMBINED WITH MEDITATION CAN BE CONSIDERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE EFFECTS SEEM TO PERSIST FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS. 2015 15 944 32 EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON METABOLIC RISK AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN HONG KONG CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METABOLIC SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS). METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A CONTROLLED TRIAL WITHIN AN UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED HOSPITAL. 173 CHINESE MEN AND WOMEN AGED 18 OR ABOVE WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 87) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 86). PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED 12-WEEK CHANGE IN METABOLIC RISK FACTORS AND METS Z SCORE. SECONDARY OUTCOME WAS HRQOL (MEDICAL OUTCOMES SHORT FORM SURVEY AT 12 WEEKS). RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 52.0 (SD 7.4, RANGE 31-71) YEARS. ANALYSIS INVOLVING THE ENTIRE STUDY POPULATION REVEALED THAT THE YOGA GROUP ACHIEVED GREATER DECLINE IN WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (P<0.001), FASTING GLUCOSE (P<0.01), TRIGLYCERIDES (P<0.05), AND METS Z SCORE (P<0.01). YOGA TRAINING ALSO IMPROVED GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS (P<0.01), PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCORE (P<0.01), AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING (P<0.01) DOMAINS SCORE OF HRQOL. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS WERE OBSERVED IN THE MEAN CHANGE OF SYSTOLIC/DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES OR HIGH-DENSITY LIPID PROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (ALL P>0.05). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND METS Z SCORE BETWEEN THE METS SUBGROUPS (BOTH P>0.05). CONCLUSION: A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVES METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HRQOL IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ACTRN12613000816752. 2015 16 881 30 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN EMPLOYEES OF SMALL-SCALE INDUSTRIES. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INTENDS TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON LIPID PROFILE, INTERLEUKIN (IL)-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF)-ALPHA, AND HIGH-SENSITIVITY-C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HS-CRP) AMONG APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS EXPOSED TO OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THE PRESENT STUDY, 48 PARTICIPANTS AGED 30-58 YEARS (41.5 +/- 5.2) WHO WERE EXPOSED TO OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS, THAT IS, EXPERIMENTAL AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL. ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR LIPID PROFILE, IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND HS-CRP AT THE BASELINE AND AFTER COMPLETION OF 3 MONTHS OF YOGA TRAINING INTERVENTION. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNDERWENT YOGA TRAINING INTERVENTION FOR 1 H FOR 6 DAYS A WEEK FOR 3 MONTHS, WHEREAS CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED WITH THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES EXCEPT YOGA TRAINING. DATA ANALYSIS WAS DONE USING STATISTICAL SOFTWARE SPSS VERSION 20.0. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING PAIRED T-TESTS AND INDEPENDENT T-TEST. RESULTS: THE RESULTS OF WITHIN GROUP COMPARISON REVEALED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.001), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (P < 0.001), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL)(P < 0.01), HS-CRP (P < 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.001), AND TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.001) IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. COMPARISON BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP REVEALED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.01), LDL (P < 0.05), IL-6 (P < 0.01), TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.01), AND HS-CRP (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION SEEMS TO BE A HIGHLY PROMISING ALTERNATIVE THERAPY WHICH FAVORABLY ALTERS INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND METABOLIC RISK FACTORS. 2017 17 1080 32 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF SLEEP OF WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) COMMONLY COMPLAIN OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES, SPECIFICALLY IN THE LUTEAL PHASE OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. THEREFORE, THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF SLEEP OF WOMEN EXPERIENCING PMS WAS INVESTIGATED. MATERIAL AND METHODS: WOMEN (AGED 20-45 Y) MONITORED FOR PMS, WHO WERE REFERRED TO THE PRIVATE OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CLINICS IN TABRIZ, IRAN, WERE REFERRED TO THE PRIVATE OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CLINICS IN TABRIZ, IRAN. AFTERWARD, 62 WOMEN, WERE SELECTED AND DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS, RANDOMLY: 31 SUBJECTS IN YOGA THE YOGA GROUP AND 31 IN THE CONTROL GROUP. SUBJECTS IN YOGA PERFORMED FOR 10 WK IN 3 SESSIONS, WITH EACH SESSION LASTING 60 MIN. SUBJECTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PERFORM ANY YOGA. SUBJECTS COMPLETED A DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION, SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANTLY EXPRESSED IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEPING (P < .05). BASED ON THE MANN-WHITNEY U TEST, A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE SUBDOMAINS OF BOTH GROUPS ON QUALITY OF SLEEP (P < .01), SLEEP LATENCY (P < .01), AND SLEEP EFFICIENCY (P < .05). CONCLUSION: YOGA REDUCED THE DISTURBANCES OF SLEEP IN THE SUBJECTS WITH PMS, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY IMPROVED THE EFFICIENCY OF THEIR SLEEP. THEREFORE, WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA CAN BE PRESCRIBED FOR IMPROVING SLEEP DISTURBANCES IN WOMEN WITH PMS AND MEDICAL THERAPY WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED IN SEVERE SITUATIONS. 2019 18 34 29 A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM IMPROVED BALANCE AND MOBILITY IN OLDER COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: EXERCISE THAT CHALLENGES BALANCE CAN IMPROVE MOBILITY AND PREVENT FALLS IN OLDER ADULTS. YOGA AS A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION FOR OLDER ADULTS IS NOT WELL STUDIED. THIS TRIAL EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECT OF A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON BALANCE AND MOBILITY IN OLDER PEOPLE. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A BLINDED, PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS. PARTICIPANTS WERE 54 COMMUNITY DWELLERS (MEAN AGE 68 YEARS, SD 7.1) NOT CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING IN YOGA OR TAI CHI. THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 27) PARTICIPATED IN A 12-WEEK, TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA PROGRAM FOCUSED ON STANDING POSTURES AND RECEIVED A FALL PREVENTION EDUCATION BOOKLET. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 27) RECEIVED THE EDUCATION BOOKLET ONLY. PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS STANDING BALANCE COMPONENT OF THE SHORT PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE BATTERY WITH ADDITION OF ONE-LEGGED STANCE TIME (STANDING BALANCE). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE THE TIMED SIT-TO-STAND TEST, TIMED 4-M WALK, ONE-LEGGED STAND WITH EYES CLOSED, AND SHORT FALLS EFFICACY SCALE-INTERNATIONAL. FEASIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY RECORDING CLASS ATTENDANCE AND ADVERSE EVENTS. RESULTS: FIFTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. THE INTERVENTION GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP ON STANDING BALANCE (MEAN DIFFERENCE = 1.52 SECONDS, 95% CI 0.10-2.96, P = .04), SIT-TO-STAND TEST (MEAN DIFFERENCE = -3.43 SECONDS, 95% CI -5.23 TO -1.64, P < .001), 4-M WALK (MEAN DIFFERENCE = -0.50 SECONDS, 95% CI -0.72 TO -0.28, P < .001), AND ONE-LEGGED STAND WITH EYES CLOSED (MEAN DIFFERENCE = 1.93 SECONDS, 95% CI 0.40-3.46, P = .02). AVERAGE CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 20 OF 24 CLASSES (83%). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSIONS: THIS TRIAL DEMONSTRATES THE BALANCE AND MOBILITY-RELATED BENEFITS AND FEASIBILITY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR OLDER PEOPLE. THE FALL PREVENTION EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION. 2013 19 723 38 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE FACED WITH SEVERAL STRESS FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. THEREFORE, THE FIRST YEAR AT UNIVERSITY IS A PERIOD THAT CALLS FOR CAREFUL ATTENTION AND RESEARCH. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN NURSING STUDENTS. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY EMPLOYING A PRE-/POST-TEST DESIGN WITH A CONTROL GROUP. A TOTAL OF 75 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE ASSIGNED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY WAS APPLIED TO BOTH GROUPS BEFORE SESSION 1 AND AFTER SESSION 8. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE STUDENTS TO MEASURE THEIR CORTISOL LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION. RESULTS: EVALUATION OF THE MEAN SCORES OBTAINED FROM THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05). IN THREE OUT OF THE EIGHT SESSIONS, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP REGARDING THE MEAN VALUES OF PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA CAN PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE MEANS TO HELP FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS COPE WITH STRESS AND REDUCE MENTAL SYMPTOMS. 2021 20 172 34 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF YOGA SKILLS TRAINING VERSUS AN ATTENTION CONTROL DELIVERED DURING CHEMOTHERAPY ADMINISTRATION. CONTEXT: IT IS IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS FATIGUE AND CO-OCCURRING SYMPTOMS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY TO PRESERVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) CANCER. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF A YOGA SKILLS TRAINING (YST) INTERVENTION COMPARED TO AN ATTENTION CONTROL (AC) AMONG ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH GI CANCER. METHODS: YST CONSISTED OF FOUR 30-MINUTE SESSIONS DELIVERED INDIVIDUALLY DURING CHEMOTHERAPY PLUS HOME PRACTICE. AC PROVIDED EMPATHIC ATTENTION PLUS HOME DIARIES. PATIENT-REPORTED (PROMIS T-SCORE) ASSESSMENTS OF FATIGUE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE) WERE COLLECTED AT CHEMOTHERAPY VISITS: BASELINE, WEEK 8, WEEK 10 AND WEEK 14, AND ANALYZED USING A MIXED EFFECTS MODEL. INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND WEEK 10. RESULTS: FORTY-FOUR OF 77 ADULTS APPROACHED AGREED TO PARTICIPATE (57%; YST N = 23; AC N = 21). PARTICIPANTS' MEAN AGE WAS 58 YEARS AND 48% WERE MEN. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO YST REPORTED A LARGER DECLINE IN FATIGUE (-2.4 DIFFERENCE, D = 0.30) AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (-2.5 DIFFERENCE, D = 0.30) THAN AC PARTICIPANTS FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 10 AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES AT WEEK 8 (-3.9 DIFFERENCE, D = 0.50). DIFFERENCES IN MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE IN SYMPTOMS WERE CONSISTENT WITH OR EXCEEDED A MINIMALLY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE. PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS DECREASED MORE IN THE AC AT WEEK 10 (D = 0.30). REDUCTIONS IN INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES (IL-6, STNF R1) WERE LARGER IN THE YST GROUP THAN AC. CONCLUSION: YST SHOWED PROMISE FOR IMPROVING FATIGUE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, AND INFLAMMATION. YST IS ALSO FEASIBLE AND REACHES PATIENTS UNDERREPRESENTED IN YOGA RESEARCH (I.E., GI CANCER, MEN), THUS WARRANTING FURTHER EXAMINATION. 2022