1 599 126 DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF AN AUDIO-VISUAL SELF-HELP YOGA MANUAL FOR INDIAN CAREGIVERS OF PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY: A SINGLE-BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF AN AUDIO-VISUAL SELF-HELP AUDIO-VISUAL YOGA MANUAL ON BURDEN OF INDIAN CAREGIVERS OF PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA, LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY. METHODS: AN EARLIER DEVELOPED YOGA PROGRAM FOR CAREGIVERS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA WAS REMODELED INTO AN AUDIO-VISUAL SELF-HELP MANUAL IN THREE LANGUAGES AND VALIDATED BY MENTAL HEALTH AND YOGA EXPERTS. 48 CONSENTING PRIMARY FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA WERE SCREENED, RECRUITED, AND ALLOTTED RANDOMLY TO YOGA OR CARE AS USUAL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS IN YOGA GROUP WERE TAUGHT YOGA FROM THE SELF-HELP MANUAL (1 SESSION OF 1 H EVERY MONTH FOR 5 MONTHS). THE CAREGIVERS WERE ASKED TO FOLLOW THE MANUAL FOR THE REMAINING MONTH AT HOME. ASSESSMENTS OF BURDEN, PERCEIVED STRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND ANXIETY-DEPRESSION WERE CONDUCTED BY A RATER BLIND TO THE GROUP STATUS AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF EVERY MONTH. RESULTS: POST FACTORING FOR MISSING DATA, REPEATEDMEASURE ANOVA WAS CONDUCTED; WHICH SHOWED THAT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUP THAT PRACTICED THE SELFHELP YOGA MANUAL AND THE CARE AS USUAL GROUP. THE CAREGIVERS WHO PRACTICED YOGA AT HOME MAINTAINED AN AVERAGE OF 50% ATTENDANCE AND "VERY WELL" LEVEL OF YOGA PERFORMANCE. CONCLUSION: THE AUDIO-VISUAL SELF-HELP YOGA MANUAL WAS FOUND TO BE FEASIBLE TO USE BY THE CAREGIVERS EVEN THOUGH ITS EFFECTIVENESS COULD NOT BE ASCERTAINED DUE TO HIGH ATTRITION. 2020 2 2782 34 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA--A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA HAS REMAINED UNSATISFACTORY DESPITE THE AVAILABILITY OF ANTIPSYCHOTICS. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY (YT) AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT TO THE ONGOING ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENT. METHOD: SIXTY-ONE MODERATELY ILL SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YT (N = 31) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE THERAPY (PT; N = 30) FOR 4 MONTHS. THEY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 4 MONTHS AFTER THE START OF INTERVENTION, BY A RATER WHO WAS BLIND TO THEIR GROUP STATUS. RESULTS: FORTY-ONE SUBJECTS (YT = 21; PT = 20) WERE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS FOR ASSESSMENT. SUBJECTS IN THE YT GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY THAN THOSE IN THE PT GROUP AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. THEY ALSO HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER SOCIAL AND OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. CONCLUSION: BOTH NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCTION IN SYMPTOMS, WITH YT HAVING BETTER EFFICACY. 2007 3 2293 44 THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF ADD-ON YOGASANA INTERVENTION IN STABILIZED OUTPATIENT SCHIZOPHRENIA: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED COMPARISON WITH EXERCISE AND WAITLIST. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS A HIGHLY DISABLING ILLNESS. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN YOGA TO BE A FEASIBLE ADD-ON THERAPY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. AIMS: THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN OUTPATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THE STUDY DONE AT A TERTIARY PSYCHIATRY CENTER USED A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DESIGN WITH ACTIVE CONTROL AND WAITLIST GROUPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA, EXERCISE, OR WAITLIST GROUP. THEY CONTINUED TO RECEIVE PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY THAT WAS UNCHANGED DURING THE STUDY. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA OR EXERCISE GROUP WERE OFFERED SUPERVISED DAILY PROCEDURES FOR ONE MONTH. ALL PATIENTS WERE ASSESSED BY A BLIND RATER AT THE START OF THE INTERVENTION AND AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: KENDALL TAU, A NONPARAMETRIC STATISTICAL TEST, SHOWED THAT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP IMPROVED IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS) NEGATIVE AND TOTAL PANSS SCORES AS WELL AS SOCIAL FUNCTIONING SCORES COMPARED WITH THE EXERCISE AND WAITLIST GROUP. ODDS RATIO ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA GROUP IN TERMS OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS WAS ABOUT FIVE TIMES GREATER THAN EITHER THE EXERCISE OR WAITLIST GROUPS. CONCLUSION: IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WITH SEVERAL YEARS OF ILLNESS AND ON STABILIZED PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY, ONE-MONTH TRAINING FOLLOWED BY THREE MONTHS OF HOME PRACTICES OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT OFFERED SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER EXERCISE OR TREATMENT AS USUAL. YOGA HOLDS PROMISE AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. 2012 4 290 39 ADJUNCTIVE YOGA V. HEALTH EDUCATION FOR PERSISTENT MAJOR DEPRESSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER HATHA YOGA IS AN EFFICACIOUS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CONTINUED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS DESPITE ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT. METHOD: WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES (N = 63) V. HEALTH EDUCATION CLASSES (HEALTHY LIVING WORKSHOP; HLW; N = 59) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION USE. HLW SERVED AS AN ATTENTION-CONTROL GROUP. THE INTERVENTION PERIOD WAS 10 WEEKS, WITH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS 3 AND 6 MONTHS AFTERWARDS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SEVERITY ASSESSED BY BLIND RATER AT 10 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIODS, SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING, GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS, PAIN, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: AT 10 WEEKS, WE DID NOT FIND A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS (B = -0.82, S.E. = 0.88, P = 0.36). HOWEVER, OVER THE ENTIRE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, WHEN CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED LOWER LEVELS OF DEPRESSION THAN HLW PARTICIPANTS (B = -1.38, S.E. = 0.57, P = 0.02). AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, 51% OF YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A RESPONSE (50% REDUCTION IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS) COMPARED WITH 31% OF HLW PARTICIPANTS (ODDS RATIO = 2.31; P = 0.04). YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTIONING AND GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS OVER TIME. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT SEE A DIFFERENCE IN DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED FEWER DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER THE ENTIRE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY ACCUMULATE OVER TIME. 2017 5 872 37 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS, SYMPTOMS AND FUNCTIONING IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. OBJECTIVE: FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND CAN IMPAIR SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING IN THESE PATIENTS. TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE THESE DEFICITS IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED PATIENTS HAVE NOT BEEN WELL STUDIED. YOGA THERAPY HAS BEEN DESCRIBED TO IMPROVE FUNCTIONING IN VARIOUS DOMAINS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA; HOWEVER, ITS EFFECT ON FERD IS NOT KNOWN. METHOD: ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N=27), EXERCISE (N=17) OR WAITLIST GROUP (N=22) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 2ND MONTH, AND 4TH MONTH OF FOLLOW-UP BY RATERS BLIND TO GROUP STATUS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS), SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING SCALE (SOFS), AND TOOL FOR RECOGNITION OF EMOTIONS IN NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS (TRENDS). RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN BASELINE FERD AND SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING (R=0.3, P=0.01). PAIRED SAMPLES T TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND PERFORMANCE ON TRENDS (P<0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP, BUT NOT IN THE OTHER TWO GROUPS. MAXIMUM IMPROVEMENT OCCURRED AT THE END OF 2 MONTHS, AND IMPROVEMENT IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS PERSISTED AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY CAN BE A USEFUL ADD-ON TREATMENT TO IMPROVE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, FERD, AND SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. 2011 6 875 33 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON PLASMA OXYTOCIN AND FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS IN PATIENTS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. CONTEXT: YOGA THERAPY HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO BE USEFUL IN TREATMENT OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVING THE SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. OXYTOCIN HAS BEEN RECENTLY IMPLICATED IN SOCIAL COGNITION DEFICITS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON SYMPTOMS, SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING, FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC STABILIZED SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY ON 43 CONSENTING, MEDICATION STABILIZED PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A TERTIARY PSYCHIATRIC CENTER USING YOGA INTERVENTION AND WAITLISTED GROUPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 43 SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA GROUP (N=15) OR WAITLIST GROUP (N=28). PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED TRAINING IN A SPECIFIC YOGA THERAPY MODULE FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA. PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS WERE CONTINUED ON STABLE ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED SCALE FOR ASSESSMENT OF POSITIVE SYMPTOMS, SCALE FOR ASSESSMENT OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING SCALE AND TOOL FOR RECOGNITION OF EMOTIONS IN NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS (TRENDS) AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS; PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 1 MONTH. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 15 PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 12 IN WAITLIST GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE YOGA THERAPY GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING, PERFORMANCE ON TRENDS (P<0.001) AND PLASMA INCREASE IN OXYTOCIN LEVELS (P=0.01) AS COMPARED WITH THE WAITLIST GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY SUPPORTED THE ROLE OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY IN MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND DEMONSTRATED AN IMPROVEMENT IN ENDOGENOUS PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS RECEIVING YOGA THERAPY. 2013 7 1129 35 EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR IN-PATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOTIC DISORDER. CONTEXT: THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS IS AS YET UNKNOWN; ALTHOUGH, PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN EFFICACY IN STABILIZED OUT-PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THIS STUDY WAS PERFORMED IN AN IN-PATIENT SETTING USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED SINGLE BLIND DESIGN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 88 CONSENTING IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA THERAPY GROUP (N=44) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP (N=44). SIXTY PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY PERIOD OF 1(1/2) MONTHS. PATIENTS WHO COMPLETED IN THE YOGA GROUP (N=35) AND IN THE EXERCISE GROUP (N=25) WERE SIMILAR ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE, ILLNESS PARAMETERS AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SCORES AT BASELINE. RESULTS: THE TWO TREATMENT GROUPS WERE NOT DIFFERENT ON THE CLINICAL SYNDROME SCORES AT THE END OF 2 WEEKS. AT THE END OF 6 WEEKS, PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HOWEVER HAD LOWER MEAN SCORES ON CLINICAL GLOBAL IMPRESSION SEVERITY (CGIS), POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (TOTAL AND GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SUBSCALE) AND HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) (P<0.05). REPEATED MEASURE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE DETECTED AN ADVANTAGE FOR YOGA OVER EXERCISE IN REDUCING THE CLINICAL CGIS AND HDRS SCORES. CONCLUSION: ADDING YOGA INTERVENTION TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT IS FEASIBLE AND MAY BE BENEFICIAL EVEN IN THE EARLY AND ACUTE STAGE OF PSYCHOSIS. 2013 8 161 36 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF ADJUNCTIVE YOGA AND ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. BACKGROUND: YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE HAVE BEEN USED AS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ), BUT CONTROLLED COMPARISONS ARE LACKING. AIMS A SINGLE-BLIND RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE WHETHER YOGA TRAINING OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING ENHANCE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN SZ, BASED ON A PRIOR PILOT STUDY. METHODS: CONSENTING, CLINICALLY STABLE, ADULT OUTPATIENTS WITH SZ (N=286) COMPLETED BASELINE ASSESSMENTS AND WERE RANDOMISED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU), SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING WITH TAU (YT) OR SUPERVISED PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING WITH TAU (PE). BASED ON THE PILOT STUDY, THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS SPEED INDEX FOR THE COGNITIVE DOMAIN OF 'ATTENTION' IN THE PENN COMPUTERISED NEUROCOGNITIVE BATTERY. USING MIXED MODELS AND CONTRASTS, COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AT BASELINE, 21 DAYS (END OF TRAINING), 3 AND 6 MONTHS POST-TRAINING WERE EVALUATED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT PARADIGM. RESULTS: SPEED INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN IN THE YT GROUP SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN PE AT 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP (P<0.036, EFFECT SIZE 0.51). IN THE PE GROUP, 'ACCURACY INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN TAU ALONE AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (P<0.025, EFFECT SIZE 0.61). FOR SEVERAL OTHER COGNITIVE DOMAINS, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED WITH YT OR PE COMPARED WITH TAU ALONE (P<0.05, EFFECT SIZES 0.30-1.97). CONCLUSIONS: BOTH YT AND PE IMPROVED ATTENTION AND ADDITIONAL COGNITIVE DOMAINS WELL PAST THE TRAINING PERIOD, SUPPORTING OUR PRIOR REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YT ON SPEED INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN. AS ADJUNCTS, YT OR PE CAN BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH SZ. 2017 9 270 36 ADD ON YOGA TREATMENT FOR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA: A MULTI-CENTRIC, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE EFFICACY OF ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IS MODEST AT BEST. PRELIMINARY STUDIES SUGGEST THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF ADD ON YOGA, A TRADITIONAL INDIAN PRACTICE, IN THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. HENCE, IN THIS STUDY, WE EXAMINED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A RANDOMIZED, WAIT-LIST CONTROLLED DESIGN FROM TWO CLINICAL INSTITUTES IN SOUTH INDIA. 89 PATIENTS (AGE - 34.20 +/- 8.06 YEARS; EDUCATION - 14.22 +/- 2.69 YEARS; 28 FEMALES) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THE ADD-ON YOGA OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU - WAIT-LIST CONTROL) GROUP. PATIENTS HAD A MEAN ILLNESS DURATION OF 10.97 +/- 7.24 YEARS WITH AN AGE AT ONSET OF 23.34 +/- 5.81 YEARS. CENTRAL BLOCK RANDOMIZATION WAS FOLLOWED TO ENSURE CONCEALED ALLOCATION. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA TREATMENT GROUP ATTENDED 12 SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING SESSIONS OVER TWO WEEKS AND PRACTICED YOGA SESSIONS AT HOME FOR THE SUBSEQUENT 10 WEEKS. 64 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE TRIAL. AN INTENT TO TREAT ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED WITH 89 PARTICIPANTS USING A LINEAR MIXED MODEL. IMPROVEMENT IN NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS WAS OUR PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE. THE TWO GROUPS WERE MATCHED ON DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AND BASELINE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SEVERITY. PARTICIPANTS IN THE ADD-ON YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SANS BASELINE: 49.13 +/- 2.30; 12-WEEKS FOLLOW UP: 31.55 +/- 2.53) COMPARED TO THE TAU GROUP (SANS BASELINE: 51.22 +/- 2.40; 12-WEEKS FOLLOW UP: 45.30 +/- 2.93; T = 3.36; P = 0.006; COHEN'S D-0.65). THE CURRENT STUDY FINDINGS SUGGEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA PRACTICE AS A REGULAR CLINICAL INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS NEEDS TO BE EXPLORED IN FUTURE STUDIES BY INTEGRATING YOGA SERVICES ALONG WITH OTHER CLINICAL SERVICES. 2021 10 2785 34 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THERE HAS BEEN LIMITED STUDY OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM ON SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A STATE PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY. METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY, 18 CLINICALLY STABLE PATIENTS (12 MEN AND 6 WOMEN) WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (MEAN AGE=42+/-13.5) WERE RANDOMIZED TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM (YT) AND A WAITLIST GROUP (WL). YT INTERVENTION INCLUDED YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, AND RELAXATION. AT BASELINE AND AT 8 WEEKS, SYMPTOMATOLOGY WAS MEASURED USING THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS). SECONDARY EFFICACY OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE BREF QUESTIONNAIRE (WHOQOL-BREF). RESULTS: THE YT GROUP OBTAINED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA SYMPTOMS COMPARED TO WL, INCLUDING PANSS SCORES ON POSITIVE SYNDROME (T=-2.64, P=0.02), NEGATIVE SYNDROME (T=-3.04, P<0.01), GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (T=-3.74, P<0.00), ACTIVATION (T=-2.29, P<0.04), PARANOIA (T=-2.89, P<0.01), AND DEPRESSION SUBSCALES (T=-2.62, P<0.02). PANSS TOTAL SCORES ALSO DECREASED FOR THE YT GROUP (T=-4.54, P<0.00). YT HAD IMPROVED PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICAL (T=2.38, P<0.04) AND PSYCHOLOGIC DOMAINS (T=2.88, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA BEING TREATED IN A STATE PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY WHO PARTICIPATED IN AN 8-WEEK THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER, MORE SUFFICIENTLY POWERED STUDIES WITH ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. 2011 11 288 32 ADJUNCTIVE COGNITIVE REMEDIATION FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA USING YOGA: AN OPEN, NON-RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA THERAPY (YT) IMPROVES COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, BUT ITS IMPACT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ) HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED. AIMS: EVALUATE ADJUNCTIVE YT FOR COGNITIVE DOMAINS IMPAIRED IN SZ. METHODS: PATIENTS WITH SZ RECEIVED YT OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU; N = 65, N = 23, RESPECTIVELY). ACCURACY AND SPEED FOR SEVEN COGNITIVE DOMAINS WERE ASSESSED USING A COMPUTERIZED NEUROCOGNITIVE BATTERY (CNB), THUS MINIMIZING OBSERVER BIAS. SEPARATELY, YT WAS EVALUATED AMONG PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR I DISORDER (N = 40), MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (N = 37), AND CARDIOLOGY OUTPATIENTS (N = 68). ALL PATIENTS ALSO RECEIVED ROUTINE PHARMACOTHERAPY. PATIENTS WERE NOT RANDOMIZED TO YT OR TAU. RESULTS: COMPARED WITH THE SZ/TAU GROUP, THE SZ/YT GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT WITH REGARD TO MEASURES OF ATTENTION FOLLOWING CORRECTIONS FOR MULTIPLE COMPARISONS; THE CHANGES WERE MORE PROMINENT AMONG THE MEN. IN THE OTHER DIAGNOSTIC GROUPS, DIFFERING PATTERNS OF IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOTED WITH SMALL TO MEDIUM EFFECT SIZES. CONCLUSIONS: OUR INITIAL ANALYSES SUGGEST NOMINALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH ADJUNCTIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS YT. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGE VARIES BY COGNITIVE DOMAIN AND MAY ALSO VARY BY DIAGNOSTIC GROUP. 2012 12 1252 40 FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY AND EVALUATION OF MEDITATION TO AUGMENT YOGA PRACTICE AMONG PERSONS DIAGNOSED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. OBJECTIVE: TO DESIGN A MEDITATION PROTOCOL AND TEST ITS FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY AND EFFICACY IN CONJUNCTION WITH YT FOR PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ). METHODS: THE MEDITATION PROTOCOL CONSISTED OF ANAPANA (OBSERVING NORMAL RESPIRATION) AND YOGA NIDRA (SUPINE, RESTFUL AWARENESS). IN A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, MEDICATED AND CLINICALLY STABLE OUTPATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH SZ WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU), TAU AUGMENTED WITH YOGA TRAINING (YT), OR TAU AUGMENTED WITH MEDITATION AND YOGA TRAINING (MYT) FOR THREE WEEKS (N=145). ACCEPTABILITY, CLINICAL, SOCIAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS WERE ASSESSED AFTER 3 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS POST RANDOMIZATION USING WITHIN GROUP AND BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSES WITH REPEATED MEASURES MULTIVARIATE TESTS. RESULTS: NO GROUP-WISE DIFFERENCES IN COMPLIANCE, STUDY DISCONTINUATION, MAJOR/SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS OR ADVERSE EVENTS WERE NOTED. FOR SIX ASSESSED CLINICAL VARIABLES, THE DIRECTION OF CHANGES WERE IN THE DESIRED DIRECTION AND THE EFFECT SIZES WERE GREATER IN THE MYT GROUP COMPARED WITH THE TAU GROUP AT BOTH TIME POINTS. CHANGES IN SOCIAL FUNCTION VARIABLES WERE GREATER AT 3 MONTHS THAN AT 3 WEEKS. NOMINALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN INDIVIDUAL COGNITIVE DOMAINS WERE NOTED IN ALL GROUPS AT BOTH TIME POINTS. ALL EFFECT SIZES WERE IN THE SMALL TO MEDIUM RANGE. CONCLUSION: MYT IS FEASIBLE, ACCEPTABLE AND SHOWS MODEST BENEFITS FOR PERSONS WITH SZ. MYT CAN ALSO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND CLINICAL SYMPTOMS. LARGER STUDIES OF LONGER DURATION ARE WARRANTED. 2022 13 1761 25 POSITIVE THERAPEUTIC AND NEUROTROPIC EFFECTS OF YOGA IN DEPRESSION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY. CONTEXT: THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF YOGA IN DEPRESSION IS RECOGNIZED. NEUROPLASTIC EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPIES ARE INFERRED BY ELEVATIONS IN BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF). ROLE OF YOGA IN BOTH THESE EFFECTS HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NON-SUICIDAL, CONSECUTIVE OUT-PATIENTS OF DEPRESSION WERE OFFERED YOGA EITHER ALONE OR WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS. THE DEPRESSION SEVERITY WAS RATED ON HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) BEFORE AND AT 3 MONTHS. SERUM BDNF LEVELS WERE MEASURED AT THE SAME TIME POINTS. REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS PERFORMED TO LOOK AT CHANGE ACROSS GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO HDRS SCORES AND BDNF LEVELS OVER 3 MONTHS OF FOLLOW-UP. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHANGE IN SERUM BDNF LEVELS AND CHANGE IN HDRS SCORES WAS ASSESSED USING THE PEARSON'S CORRELATION COEFFICIENT. RESULTS: BOTH YOGA GROUPS WERE BETTER THAN DRUGS-ONLY GROUP WITH RESPECT TO REDUCTION IN HDRS SCORES. SERUM BDNF ROSE IN THE TOTAL SAMPLE IN THE 3-MONTH PERIOD. THIS WAS NOT, HOWEVER, DIFFERENT ACROSS TREATMENT GROUPS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN FALL IN HDRS AND RISE IN SERUM BDNF LEVELS IN YOGA-ONLY GROUP (R=0.702; P=0.001), BUT NOT IN THOSE RECEIVING YOGA AND ANTIDEPRESSANTS OR ANTIDEPRESSANTS-ALONE. CONCLUSIONS: NEUROPLASTIC MECHANISMS MAY BE RELATED TO THE THERAPEUTIC MECHANISMS OF YOGA IN DEPRESSION. 2013 14 1822 40 PROTOCOL TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF YOGA SUPPLEMENTATION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ) IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS THAT IS TREATED SYMPTOMATICALLY. COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IS A CORE FEATURE OF SZ THAT IS RELATIVELY INTRACTABLE TO PHARMACOTHERAPY. YOGA CAN IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. A RECENT OPEN TRIAL INDICATED SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OF YOGA TRAINING (YT) IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPY AMONG PATIENTS WITH SZ. AIMS: TO DESCRIBE THE PROTOCOL FOR AN ONGOING RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO TEST WHETHER THE REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG SZ PATIENTS CAN BE REPLICATED. SECONDARILY, THE EFFECTS OF YT ON DAILY FUNCTIONING LIVING SKILLS ARE EVALUATED. METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SZ RECEIVE ROUTINE CLINICAL TREATMENT AND ARE RANDOMISED TO ADJUNCTIVE YT, ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE (PE) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (PROPOSED N = 234 TOTAL, N = 78 IN EACH GROUP). THE TRIAL INVOLVES YT OR PE 5 DAYS A WEEK AND LASTS 3 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS ARE EVALUATED THRICE OVER 6 MONTHS. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS MEASURED BY TRAIL MAKING TEST, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA NEUROCOGNITIVE COMPUTERISED BATTERY WERE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WHILE CLINICAL SEVERITY AND DAILY FUNCTIONING MEASURED BY INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS SURVEY WERE SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 309 PARTICIPANTS HAVE BEEN RANDOMISED AS OF 31 AUGUST 2013, WHICH EXCEEDED BEYOND 294 PROPOSED AFTER ATTRITION. ONCE PARTICIPANTS BEGIN YT OR PE THEY GENERALLY COMPLETE THE PROTOCOL. NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: SHORT TERM YT IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE TO INDIAN SZ PATIENTS. IF BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ARE DETECTED, IT WILL PROVIDE A NOVEL ADJUNCTIVE COGNITIVE REMEDIATION STRATEGY FOR SZ PATIENTS. 2014 15 1137 42 EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF PATIENTS HAVING CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA. BACKGROUND: THERE IS A LARGE BODY OF LITERATURE AND SCIENTIFIC DATA REGARDING THE EFFICACY OF PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA, HOWEVER, STUDIES ON YOGA THERAPY IS SCANTY. YOGA IS A MEANS OF BALANCING AND HARMONIZING THE BODY, MIND AND EMOTION, AND FOR ENLIGHTENING THE MIND AND UPLIFTMENT OF THE TOTAL PERSONALITY. AIMS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY AND TO SEE ITS EFFECTS ON PSYCHOPATHOLOGY ON THE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: PRE- AND POST-TEST DESIGN WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IT IS A STUDY USING PURPOSIVE SAMPLING TECHNIQUE BY WHICH 30 CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS WERE SELECTED AND 15 PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH PHARMACOTHERAPY (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP), AND 15 WERE ASSIGNED PHARMACOTHERAPY ALONE (CONTROL GROUP) AFTER THE BASELINE ASSESSMENT USING POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS). THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED YOGA THERAPY EVERYDAY FOR ABOUT 1(1/2) H INCLUDING MOTIVATIONAL AND FEEDBACK SESSION. RESULTS: AT THE END OF 1 MONTH POSTASSESSMENT WAS DONE, AND SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS, WHO RECEIVED THE YOGIC INTERVENTION SHOWED BETTER RATING THAN THOSE IN PHARMACOTHERAPY ALONE ON PANSS VARIABLES. CONCLUSION: YOGA COULD BE A RIGHT CHOICE FOR IMPROVING PSYCHOPATHOLOGY RESULTING IN BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE ALONG WITH OTHER PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT AND PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS. 2015 16 329 36 ANXIOLYTIC EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY COMPARES THE ANXIOLYTIC EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND SUPPORTIVE THERAPY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT AT A CANCER CENTRE. METHODS: NINETY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N=45) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N=53) PRIOR TO THEIR PRIMARY TREATMENT I.E., SURGERY. ONLY THOSE SUBJECTS WHO RECEIVED SURGERY FOLLOWED BY ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY AND SIX CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY WERE CHOSEN FOR ANALYSIS FOLLOWING INTERVENTION (YOGA, N=18, CONTROL, N=20). INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA SESSIONS LASTING 60MIN DAILY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS IMPARTED SUPPORTIVE THERAPY DURING THEIR HOSPITAL VISITS AS A PART OF ROUTINE CARE. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED SPEILBERGER'S STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY AND SYMPTOM CHECKLIST. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE, AFTER SURGERY, BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER RADIOTHERAPY AND CHEMOTHERAPY. RESULTS: A GLM-REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED OVERALL DECREASE IN BOTH SELF-REPORTED STATE ANXIETY (P<0.001) AND TRAIT ANXIETY (P=0.005) IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THERE WAS A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN ANXIETY STATES AND TRAITS WITH SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND DISTRESS DURING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT INTERVALS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN BE USED FOR MANAGING TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND ANXIETY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS. 2009 17 2799 32 YOGA THERAPY FOR SOCIAL COGNITION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: AN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE-BASED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND COGNITIVE DEFICITS ARE DIFFICULT-TO-TREAT SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. IN THIS SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY, WE COMPARED CHANGE IN SOCIAL COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (PWS) (AS PER DSM-5), AFTER 6 WEEKS OF YOGA INTERVENTION WITH A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. WE ALSO EXAMINED CHANGES IN PUTATIVE MIRROR NEURON SYSTEM (MNS) ACTIVITY MEASURED BY TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION (TMS) IN A SUBSET OF SAMPLE (N = 30). 51 PWS STABILIZED ON ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION FOR AT LEAST 6 WEEKS, WERE ASSIGNED TO ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY (YT) (N = 26) OR WAITLIST (WL) (N = 25). SUBJECTS IN THE YT GROUP RECEIVED ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY (20 SESSIONS IN 6 WEEKS). BOTH THE GROUPS CONTINUED THEIR STANDARD TREATMENT AND WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS FOR SOCIAL COGNITION, CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AND SOCIAL DISABILITY. RM-ANOVA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME AND GROUP FOR SOCIAL COGNITION COMPOSITE SCORE (SCCS) (F = 42.09 [1,44], P < 0.001); NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SANS) (F = 74.91 [1,45], P < 0.001); POSITIVE SYMPTOMS (SAPS) (F = 16.05 [1,45], P < 0.001) AND SOCIAL DISABILITY (GSDS) (F = 29.91 [1,46], P < 0.001). MNS ACTIVITY HAD INCREASED AFTER 6 WEEKS IN BOTH GROUPS BUT NOT OF STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT 6 WEEKS OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY COULD IMPROVE SOCIAL COGNITION IN PWS COMPARED TO WAITLIST CONTROL SUBJECTS. HOWEVER, THE CHANGE IN SOCIAL COGNITION WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A CHANGE IN THE PUTATIVE MNS-ACTIVITY. IT NECESSIATATES FURTHER STUDIES TO INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISTIC PROCESSES OF YOGA AND REPLICATE THESE OBSERVATIONS IN A LARGER SAMPLE. 2021 18 2507 43 YOGA BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION AFTER CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS SURGERY: ONE-YEAR RESULTS ON LVEF, LIPID PROFILE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES--A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM WITH ONLY PHYSIOTHERAPY BASED PROGRAM AS AN ADD-ON TO CONVENTIONAL REHABILITATION AFTER CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING (CABG) ON RISK FACTORS. METHODS: IN THIS SINGLE BLIND PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED PARALLEL TWO ARMED ACTIVE CONTROL STUDY, 1026 PATIENTS POSTED FOR CABG AT NARAYANA HRUDAYALAYA INSTITUTE OF CARDIAC SCIENCES, BENGALURU (INDIA) WERE SCREENED. OF THESE, 250 MALE PARTICIPANTS (35-65 YEARS) WHO SATISFIED THE SELECTION CRITERIA AND CONSENTED WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS. WITHIN AND BETWEEN GROUP COMPARISONS WERE DONE AT THREE POINTS OF FOLLOW UP (I.E. 6TH WEEK, 6TH MONTH, AND 12TH MONTH) BY USING WILCOXON'S SIGNED RANKS TEST AND MANN WHITNEY U TEST RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY (P = 0.001, MANN WHITNEY) BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN LVEF THAN CONTROL GROUP IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE EF (<53%) AFTER 1 YEAR. THERE WAS A BETTER REDUCTION IN BMI IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.038, BETWEEN GROUPS) IN THOSE WITH HIGH BASELINE BMI (>/=23) AFTER 12 MONTHS. YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.008, WILCOXON'S) REDUCTION IN BLOOD GLUCOSE AT ONE YEAR IN THOSE WITH HIGH BASELINE FBS >/=110 MG/DL. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA THAN THE CONTROL GROUP IN HDL (P = 0.003), LDL (P = 0.01) AND VLDL (P = 0.03) IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE VALUES. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT (P = 0.02, BETWEEN GROUPS) IN POSITIVE AFFECT IN YOGA GROUP. WITHIN YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.001), ANXIETY (P = 0.001), DEPRESSION (P = 0.001), AND NEGATIVE AFFECT (P = 0.03) WHILE IN THE CONTROL GROUP THERE WAS REDUCTION (P = 0.003) ONLY IN SCORES ON ANXIETY. CONCLUSION: ADDITION OF YOGA BASED RELAXATION TO CONVENTIONAL POST-CABG CARDIAC REHABILITATION HELPS IN BETTER MANAGEMENT OF RISK FACTORS IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE VALUES AND MAY HELP IN PREVENTING RECURRENCE. 2014 19 555 42 CORTISOL AND ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS OF YOGA. CONTEXT: HYPERCORTISOLEMIA IS WELL-KNOWN IN DEPRESSION AND YOGA HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED EARLIER TO REDUCE THE PARAMETERS OF STRESS, INCLUDING CORTISOL LEVELS. AIM: WE AIMED TO FIND THE ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ANTIDEPRESSANT AS WELL AS ITS ACTION ON LOWERING THE SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: AN OPEN-LABELED STUDY CONSISTING OF THREE GROUPS (YOGA ALONE, YOGA ALONG WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION AND ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION ALONE) WAS CONDUCTED AT A TERTIARY CARE PSYCHIATRY HOSPITAL. METHODOLOGY: OUT-PATIENT DEPRESSIVES WHO WERE NOT SUICIDAL WERE OFFERED YOGA AS A POSSIBLE ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPY. A VALIDATED YOGA MODULE WAS USED AS THERAPY TAUGHT OVER A MONTH AND TO BE PRACTICED AT HOME DAILY. PATIENTS WERE FREE TO CHOOSE THE DRUGS IF THEIR PSYCHIATRIST ADVISED. PATIENTS (N=54) WERE RATED ON HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) WITH SERUM CORTISOL MEASUREMENTS AT BASELINE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS. IN 54 PATIENTS, ASSESSMENTS AND BLOOD TEST RESULTS WERE BOTH AVAILABLE. 19 EACH RECEIVED YOGA ALONE OR WITH DRUGS AND 16 RECEIVED DRUGS ONLY. HEALTHY COMPARISON SUBJECTS (N=18) TOO UNDERWENT MORNING CORTISOL MEASUREMENTS ONCE. RESULTS: SERUM CORTISOL WAS HIGHER IN DEPRESSIVES COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. IN THE TOTAL SAMPLE, THE CORTISOL LEVEL DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY AT THE END OF TREATMENT. MORE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUPS HAD A DROP IN CORTISOL LEVELS AS COMPARED TO DRUG-ONLY GROUP. IN THE YOGA-ONLY GROUP, THE CORTISOL DROP CORRELATED WITH THE DROP IN HDRS SCORE (ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECT). CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS SUPPORT THAT YOGA MAY ACT AT THE LEVEL OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS BY ITS 'ANTI-STRESS' EFFECTS (REDUCING THE CORTISOL), TO BRING ABOUT RELIEF IN DEPRESSION. 2013 20 351 37 ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN ASTHMA PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: ASTHMA IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY RESPIRATORY DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY PERIODIC ATTACKS OF WHEEZING, SHORTNESS OF BREATH AND A TIGHT FEELING IN THE CHEST. THE CURRENT STUDY IS BASED ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN ASTHMATICS IN NORTHERN INDIA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 300 PARTICIPANTS OF MILD-TO-MODERATE PERSISTENT ASTHMA (FEV1 >60%) AGED BETWEEN 12 AND 60 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PULMONARY MEDICINE. THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE WAS ASSESSED WITH THE HELP OF MINI ASTHMA QUALITY-OF-LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (AQLQ) AT BASELINE AND THEN AFTER 3(RD) AND 6(TH) MONTH FROM BASELINE. FORTY-FIVE PARTICIPANTS WERE DROPPED OUT DURING THE STUDY WHILE 255 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE STUDY SUCCESSFULLY. RESULTS: IN "THE YOGA GROUP," SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN ALL THE SUBDOMAINS OF AQLQ AT 3(RD) MONTH AND AT 6(TH) MONTH IN COMPARISON TO "THE CONTROL GROUP." THE NUMBER NEEDED TO TREAT WAS FOUND TO BE 2.67 FOR THE TOTAL AQLQ SCORE WHICH WAS GREATER THAN THE MINIMAL IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE. CONCLUSION: "THE YOGA GROUP" GOT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES THAN "THE CONTROL GROUP." THUS, YOGA CAN BE USED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA. 2017