1 2666 127 YOGA IN FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTIONS. INTRODUCTION: YOGA IS A POPULAR FORM OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPY. IT IS PRACTICED BOTH IN DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS ARE COMMON AND DO NOT ALWAYS GET ADEQUATE CLINICAL ATTENTION. PHARMACOTHERAPIES FOR TREATING FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS ARE AVAILABLE BUT SUFFER FROM DRAWBACKS SUCH AS POOR COMPLIANCE, LOW EFFICACY, AND SIDE EFFECTS. MANY PATIENTS AND YOGA PROTAGONISTS CLAIM THAT IT IS USEFUL IN IMPROVING SEXUAL FUNCTIONS AND TREATING SEXUAL DISORDERS. AIM: TO ESTABLISH THE EFFECT YOGA CAN HAVE ON FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTIONS. METHODS: WE RECRUITED 40 FEMALES (AGE RANGE 22-55 YEARS, AVERAGE AGE 34.7 +/- 8.49 YEARS) WHO WERE ENROLLED IN A YOGA CAMP AND WERE GIVEN A STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRE NAMED FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTION INDEX (FSFI) BEFORE AND AFTER THE 12 WEEKS SESSION OF YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: FSFI SCORES. RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT AFTER THE COMPLETION OF YOGA SESSIONS; THE SEXUAL FUNCTIONS SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED (P < 0.0001). THE IMPROVEMENT OCCURRED IN ALL SIX DOMAINS OF FSFI (I.E., DESIRE, AROUSAL, LUBRICATION, ORGASM, SATISFACTION, AND PAIN). THE IMPROVEMENT WAS MORE IN OLDER WOMEN (AGE > 45 YEARS) COMPARED WITH YOUNGER WOMEN (AGE < 45 YEARS). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA APPEARS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF IMPROVING ALL DOMAINS OF SEXUAL FUNCTIONS IN WOMEN AS STUDIED BY FSFI. 2010 2 2669 70 YOGA IN MALE SEXUAL FUNCTIONING: A NONCOMPARARIVE PILOT STUDY. INTRODUCTION: YOGA IS PRACTICED BOTH IN DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. MANY PATIENTS AND YOGA PROTAGONISTS CLAIM THAT IT IS USEFUL IN IMPROVING SEXUAL FUNCTIONS AND TREATING SEXUAL DISORDERS. AIM: WE WANTED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MALE SEXUAL FUNCTIONING. METHODS: WE STUDIED 65 MALES (AGE RANGE= 24-60 YEARS, AVERAGE AGE=40+/-8.26 YEARS) WHO WERE ENROLLED IN A YOGA CAMP AND ADMINISTERED A KNOWN QUESTIONNAIRE, I.E., MALE SEXUAL QUOTIENT (MSQ) BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS SESSION OF YOGA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MSQ SCORES BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA SESSIONS. RESULTS: IT WAS FOUND THAT AFTER THE COMPLETION OF YOGA SESSIONS, THE SEXUAL FUNCTIONS SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED (P<0.0001). THE IMPROVEMENT OCCURRED IN SCORES OF ALL THE DOMAINS OF SEXUAL FUNCTIONS AS STUDIED BY MSQ (DESIRE, INTERCOURSE SATISFACTION, PERFORMANCE, CONFIDENCE, PARTNER SYNCHRONIZATION, ERECTION, EJACULATORY CONTROL, ORGASM). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA APPEARS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF IMPROVING ALL DOMAINS OF SEXUAL FUNCTIONS IN MEN AS STUDIED BY MSQ. 2010 3 652 43 EASTERN APPROACHES FOR ENHANCING WOMEN'S SEXUALITY: MINDFULNESS, ACUPUNCTURE, AND YOGA (CME). INTRODUCTION: A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF WOMEN REPORT UNSATISFYING SEXUAL EXPERIENCES DESPITE NO OBVIOUS DIFFICULTIES IN THE TRADITIONAL COMPONENTS OF SEXUAL RESPONSE (DESIRE, AROUSAL, AND ORGASM). SOME SUGGEST THAT NONGOAL-ORIENTED SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS TO SEXUALITY MIGHT FILL THE GAP THAT MORE CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF TREATMENT ARE NOT ADDRESSING. AIM: EASTERN TECHNIQUES INCLUDING MINDFULNESS, ACUPUNCTURE, AND YOGA, ARE EASTERN TECHNIQUES, WHICH HAVE BEEN APPLIED TO WOMEN'S SEXUALITY. HERE, WE REVIEW THE LITERATURE ON THEIR EFFICACY. METHODS: OUR SEARCH REVEALED TWO EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF MINDFULNESS, TWO OF ACUPUNCTURE, AND ONE OF YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: LITERATURE REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL SOURCES. RESULTS: MINDFULNESS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES SEVERAL ASPECTS OF SEXUAL RESPONSE AND REDUCES SEXUAL DISTRESS IN WOMEN WITH SEXUAL DESIRE AND AROUSAL DISORDERS. IN WOMEN WITH PROVOKED VESTIBULODYNIA, ACUPUNCTURE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES PAIN AND IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE. THERE IS ALSO A CASE SERIES OF ACUPUNCTURE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVING DESIRE AMONG WOMEN WITH HYPOACTIVE SEXUAL DESIRE DISORDER. ALTHOUGH YOGA HAS ONLY BEEN EMPIRICALLY EXAMINED AND FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR TREATING SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION (PREMATURE EJACULATION) IN MEN, NUMEROUS HISTORICAL BOOKS CITE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN'S SEXUALITY. CONCLUSIONS: THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE SUPPORTING EASTERN TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS MINDFULNESS, ACUPUNCTURE, AND YOGA, FOR WOMEN'S SEXUAL COMPLAINTS AND LOSS OF SATISFACTION IS SPARSE BUT PROMISING. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD AIM TO EMPIRICALLY SUPPORT EASTERN TECHNIQUES IN WOMEN'S SEXUALITY. 2008 4 2316 45 TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN WOMEN VETERANS WHO EXPERIENCED MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA: INTERIM RESULTS FROM A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT AN INTERIM ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTED FROM AN ONGOING MULTISITE RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL (RCT) ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAUMA CENTER TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA (TCTSY) FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) AMONG WOMEN VETERANS WITH PTSD RELATED TO MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA (MST). THE PURPOSE OF THE INTERIM ANALYSIS WAS TO ASSESS OUTCOMES FROM THE PRIMARY SITE, WHICH IS GEOGRAPHICALLY, DEMOGRAPHICALLY, CULTURALLY, AND PROCEDURALLY DISTINCT FROM THE SECOND SITE. DESIGN: RCT WAS CONDUCTED WITHIN A VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. DATA COLLECTION INCLUDED PREINTERVENTION THROUGH 3 MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. PARTICIPANTS: ENROLLMENT FOR THE MAIN SITE WAS 152 WOMEN. THE SAMPLE SIZE FOR THE INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS 104. THE MAJORITY WERE AFRICAN AMERICAN (91.3%) WITH A MEAN AGE OF 48.46 YEARS. INTERVENTION: THE TCTSY INTERVENTION (N = 58) WAS CONDUCTED BY TCTSY-CERTIFIED YOGA FACILITATORS AND CONSISTED OF 10 WEEKLY 60-MIN GROUP SESSIONS. THE CONTROL INTERVENTION, COGNITIVE PROCESSING THERAPY (CPT; N = 46), CONSISTED OF 12 90-MIN WEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS CONDUCTED PER VETERANS ADMINISTRATION PROTOCOL BY CLINICIANS IN THE PTSD CLINIC. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE CLINICIAN ADMINISTERED PTSD SCALE FOR DSM-5 (CAPS-5) WAS USED TO ASSESS CURRENT PTSD DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOM SEVERITY, INCLUDING OVERALL PTSD AND FOUR SYMPTOM CLUSTERS. THE PTSD CHECKLIST FOR DSM-5 (PCL-5) WAS USED TO OBTAIN SELF-REPORT OF PTSD SYMPTOM SEVERITY, INCLUDING TOTAL SCORE AND FOUR SYMPTOM CLUSTERS. RESULTS: THE FINDINGS REPORTED HERE ARE INTERIM RESULTS FROM ONE CLINICAL SITE. FOR BOTH THE CAPS-5 AND PCL-5, TOTAL SCORES AND ALL FOUR CRITERION SCORES DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.01) OVER TIME IN ALL FIVE MULTILEVEL LINEAR MODELS WITHIN BOTH TCTSY AND CPT GROUPS, WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. THERE WERE CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENTS SEEN FOR BOTH TCTSY AND CPT WITH 51.1%-64.3% OF TCTSY SUBJECTS AND 43.5%-73.7% OF CPT DECREASING THEIR CAPS-5 SCORES BY 10 POINTS OR MORE. EFFECT SIZES FOR TOTAL SYMPTOM SEVERITY WERE LARGE FOR TCTSY (COHEN'S D = 1.10-1.18) AND CPT (COHEN'S D = 0.90-1.40). INTERVENTION COMPLETION WAS HIGHER IN TCTSY (60.3%) THAN IN CPT (34.8%). SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT OCCURRED EARLIER FOR TCTSY (MIDINTERVENTION) THAN FOR CPT (2 WEEKS POSTINTERVENTION). SAFETY: THERE WERE NO UNANTICIPATED ADVERSE EVENTS IN THIS STUDY. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATE THAT TCTSY MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR PTSD THAT YIELDS SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT MORE QUICKLY, HAS HIGHER RETENTION THAN CPT, AND HAS A SUSTAINED EFFECT. TCTSY MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO TRAUMA-FOCUSED THERAPY FOR WOMEN VETERANS WITH PTSD RELATED TO MST. THE STUDY IS REGISTERED IN CLINICALTRIALS.GOV (CTR NO.: NCT02640690). 2021 5 574 27 DELIVERING INTEGRATIVE RESTORATION-YOGA NIDRA MEDITATION (IREST(R)) TO WOMEN WITH SEXUAL TRAUMA AT A VETERAN'S MEDICAL CENTER: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THIS PILOT STUDY EXAMINES IREST, A FORM OF GUIDED MINDFULNESS MEDITATION, AND ITS ABILITY TO REDUCE SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH SEXUAL TRAUMA, INCLUDING MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA (MST), IN A SAMPLE OF WOMEN SEEKING PSYCHOTHERAPY SERVICES AT A DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA) MEDICAL CENTER. METHODS: 90-MINUTE SESSIONS WERE HELD 19 TIMES, TWICE A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS, EXCEPT FOR THE WEEK WITH A HOLIDAY. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED SELF-REPORT MEASURES BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY-18 (BSI), POSTTRAUMATIC COGNITIONS INVENTORY (PTCI), AND THE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER CHECK LIST (PCL) PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT. SIXTEEN WOMEN WERE RECRUITED: 15 ENROLLED, 5 DROPPED DUE TO TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, AND 10 COMPLETED THE PROTOCOL. RESULTS: COMPLETERS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN SYMPTOMS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PCL, T (9) = 3.17, P < 0.01, D = 0.66), NEGATIVE THOUGHTS OF SELF-BLAME (PTCI T (9) = 2.96, P < 0.05, D = 0.52), AND DEPRESSION (BSI, T (9) = 2.33, P < 0.05, D = 0.64). PARTICIPANTS ALSO OFFERED VERBAL REPORTS OF DECREASED BODY TENSION, IMPROVED QUALITY OF SLEEP, IMPROVED ABILITY TO HANDLE INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, IMPROVED ABILITY TO MANAGE STRESS, AND AN INCREASED FEELING OF JOY. PARTICIPANTS ALSO ENTHUSIASTICALLY ENDORSED THE CLASS AND STATED THEY WOULD TAKE IT AGAIN AND RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SMALL PILOT STUDY SHOWED PROMISING RESULTS FOR DELIVERING IREST TO WOMEN WITH SEXUAL TRAUMA IN A VA MEDICAL CENTER. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED. 2014 6 19 31 "WE REALLY NEED THIS": TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA FOR VETERAN WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA. OBJECTIVES: UP TO 70% OF WOMEN SERVICE MEMBERS IN THE UNITED STATES REPORT MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA (MST); MANY DEVELOP POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) AND CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS. TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA (TIY) IS SUGGESTED TO IMPROVE PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS AND SHOWN FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE IN EMERGING RESEARCH, YET NO WORK HAS EVALUATED TIY IN MST SURVIVORS. THE CURRENT QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AIMED TO EXAMINE TIY'S FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PERCEIVED EFFECTS IN THE CONTEXT OF MST. DESIGN: COLLECTIVE CASE SERIES (N = 7). SETTING: NEW ENGLAND VET CENTER. INTERVENTIONS: EXTANT TIY PROGRAM (MINDFUL YOGA THERAPY) ADAPTED FOR VETERAN WOMEN WITH MST IN CONCURRENT PSYCHOTHERAPY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ATTRITION AND ATTENDANCE; QUALITATIVE EXIT INTERVIEW; VALIDATED SELF-REPORT MEASURE OF NEGATIVE AFFECT PRE/POST EACH YOGA CLASS, AND SYMPTOM SEVERITY ASSESSMENTS AND SURVEYS BEFORE (T1; TIME 1) AND AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM (T2; TIME 2). RESULTS: FEASIBILITY WAS DEMONSTRATED AND WOMEN REPORTED TIY WAS ACCEPTABLE. IN QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS, WOMEN REPORTED IMPROVED SYMPTOM SEVERITY, DIET, EXERCISE, ALCOHOL USE, SLEEP, AND PAIN; REDUCED MEDICATION USE; AND THEMES RELATED TO STRESS REDUCTION, MINDFULNESS, AND SELF-COMPASSION. REGARDING QUANTITATIVE CHANGE, RESULTS SUGGEST ACUTE REDUCTIONS IN NEGATIVE AFFECT FOLLOWING YOGA SESSIONS ACROSS PARTICIPANTS, AS WELL AS IMPROVED AFFECT DYSREGULATION, SHAME, AND MINDFULNESS T1 TO T2. CONCLUSIONS: TIY IS BOTH FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE TO VETERAN WOMEN MST SURVIVORS IN ONE SPECIFIC VET CENTER, WITH PERCEIVED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH BENEFITS. RESULTS SUGGEST TIY MAY TARGET PSYCHOSOCIAL MECHANISMS IMPLICATED IN HEALTH BEHAVIOR CHANGE (STRESS REDUCTION, MINDFULNESS, AFFECT REGULATION, SHAME). FORMAL RESEARCH SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO CONFIRM THESE QI PROJECT RESULTS. 2021 7 694 34 EFFECT OF EISCHENS YOGA DURING RADIATION THERAPY ON PROSTATE CANCER PATIENT SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: A RANDOMIZED PHASE II TRIAL. PURPOSE: A RANDOMIZED PHASE II STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO MEASURE THE POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA ON FATIGUE, ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, URINARY INCONTINENCE, AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN PROSTATE CANCER (PCA) PATIENTS UNDERGOING EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY (RT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA AND NO-YOGA COHORTS (1:1). TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE 6- TO 9-WEEK COURSES OF RT. COMPARISONS OF STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED BETWEEN THE 2 COHORTS FOR THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT OF FATIGUE AND THE SECONDARY ENDPOINTS OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, URINARY INCONTINENCE, AND QOL BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER RT. RESULTS: FROM OCTOBER 2014 TO JANUARY 2016, 68 ELIGIBLE PCA PATIENTS UNDERWENT INFORMED CONSENT AND AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY. OF THE 68 PATIENTS, 18 WITHDREW EARLY, MOSTLY BECAUSE OF TREATMENT SCHEDULE-RELATED TIME CONSTRAINTS, RESULTING IN 22 AND 28 PATIENTS IN THE YOGA AND NO-YOGA GROUPS, RESPECTIVELY. THROUGHOUT TREATMENT, THOSE IN THE YOGA ARM REPORTED LESS FATIGUE THAN THOSE IN THE CONTROL ARM, WITH GLOBAL FATIGUE, EFFECT OF FATIGUE, AND SEVERITY OF FATIGUE SUBSCALES SHOWING STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INTERACTIONS (P<.0001). THE SEXUAL HEALTH SCORES (INTERNATIONAL INDEX OF ERECTILE FUNCTION QUESTIONNAIRE) ALSO DISPLAYED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION (P=.0333). THE INTERNATIONAL PROSTATE SYMPTOM SCORE REVEALED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF TIME (P<.0001) BUT NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF TREATMENT (P=.1022). THE QOL MEASURES HAD MIXED RESULTS, WITH YOGA HAVING A SIGNIFICANT TIME BY TREATMENT EFFECT ON THE EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, AND SOCIAL SCORES BUT NOT ON FUNCTIONAL SCORES. CONCLUSIONS: A STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION OF TWICE-WEEKLY CLASSES DURING A COURSE OF RT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PRE-EXISTING AND RT-RELATED FATIGUE AND URINARY AND SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN PCA PATIENTS. 2017 8 1602 44 MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE: RCT OF YOGA, EXERCISE, AND OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF 3 NONHORMONAL THERAPIES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF MENOPAUSE-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS. STUDY DESIGN: WE CONDUCTED A 12-WEEK 3 X 2 RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, FACTORIAL DESIGN TRIAL. PERI- AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, 40-62 YEARS OLD, WERE ASSIGNED RANDOMLY TO YOGA (N = 107), EXERCISE (N = 106), OR USUAL ACTIVITY (N = 142) AND ALSO ASSIGNED RANDOMLY TO A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF OMEGA-3 (N = 177) OR PLACEBO (N = 178) CAPSULES. WE PERFORMED THE FOLLOWING INTERVENTIONS: (1) WEEKLY 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES WITH DAILY AT-HOME PRACTICE, (2) INDIVIDUALIZED FACILITY-BASED AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING 3 TIMES/WEEK, AND (3) 0.615 G OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENT, 3 TIMES/DAY. THE OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED WITH THE FOLLOWING SCORES: MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (MENQOL) TOTAL AND DOMAIN (VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, PSYCHOSOCIAL, PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL). RESULTS: AMONG 355 RANDOMLY ASSIGNED WOMEN WHO AVERAGE AGE WAS 54.7 YEARS, 338 WOMEN (95%) COMPLETED 12-WEEK ASSESSMENTS. MEAN BASELINE VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS FREQUENCY WAS 7.6/DAY, AND THE MEAN BASELINE TOTAL MENQOL SCORE WAS 3.8 (RANGE, 1-8 FROM BETTER TO WORSE) WITH NO BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES. FOR YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL ACTIVITY, BASELINE TO 12-WEEK IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN FOR MENQOL TOTAL -0.3 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -0.6 TO 0; P = .02), VASOMOTOR SYMPTOM DOMAIN (P = .02), AND SEXUALITY DOMAIN (P = .03) SCORES. FOR WOMEN WHO UNDERWENT EXERCISE AND OMEGA-3 THERAPY COMPARED WITH CONTROL SUBJECTS, IMPROVEMENTS IN BASELINE TO 12-WEEK TOTAL MENQOL SCORES WERE NOT OBSERVED. EXERCISE SHOWED BENEFIT IN THE MENQOL PHYSICAL DOMAIN SCORE AT 12 WEEKS (P = .02). CONCLUSION: ALL WOMEN BECOME MENOPAUSAL, AND MANY OF THEM SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE ON WAYS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; LITTLE EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMATION EXISTS. WE FOUND THAT, AMONG HEALTHY SEDENTARY MENOPAUSAL WOMEN, YOGA APPEARS TO IMPROVE MENOPAUSAL QUALITY OF LIFE; THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR FINDING IS UNCERTAIN BECAUSE OF THE MODEST EFFECT. 2014 9 767 43 EFFECT OF TRADITIONAL YOGA, MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY, AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY, ON HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ON PATIENTS ON SICK LEAVE BECAUSE OF BURNOUT. BACKGROUND: TO EXPLORE IF HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE(HRQOL) INCREASED AFTER TRADITIONAL YOGA(TY), MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY(MBCT), OR COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY(CBT), IN PATIENTS ON SICK LEAVE BECAUSE OF BURNOUT. METHODS: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, BLINDED, IN NINETY-FOUR PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PATIENTS, BLOCK RANDOMIZED TO TY, MBCT OR CBT (ACTIVE CONTROL) BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 2007 AND NOVEMBER 2009. PATIENTS WERE LIVING IN THE STOCKHOLM METROPOLITAN AREA, SWEDEN, WERE AGED 18-65 YEARS AND WERE ON 50%-100% SICK LEAVE. A GROUP TREATMENT FOR 20 WEEKS, THREE HOURS PER WEEK, WITH HOMEWORK FOUR HOURS PER WEEK. HRQOL WAS MEASURED BY THE SWED-QUAL QUESTIONNAIRE, COMPRISING 67 ITEMS GROUPED INTO 13 SUBSCALES, EACH WITH A SEPARATE INDEX, AND SCORES FROM 0 (WORSE) TO 100 (BEST). SWED-QUAL COVERS ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SLEEP, GENERAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL AND SEXUAL FUNCTIONING. STATISTICS: WILCOXON'S RANK SUM AND WILCOXON'S SIGN RANK TESTS, BONETT-PRICE FOR MEDIANS AND CONFIDENCE INTERVALS, AND COHEN'S D. RESULTS: TWENTY-SIX PATIENTS IN THE TY (21 WOMEN), AND 27 PATIENTS IN BOTH THE MBCT (24 WOMEN) AND IN THE CBT (25 WOMEN), WERE ANALYZED. TEN SUBSCALES IN TY AND SEVEN SUBSCALES IN MBCT AND CBT SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS, P < 0.05, IN SEVERAL OF THE MAIN DOMAINS AFFECTED IN BURNOUT, E.G. EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, PHYSICAL WELL-BEING, COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND SLEEP. THE MEDIAN IMPROVEMENT RANGED FROM 0 TO 27 POINTS IN TY, FROM 4 TO 25 POINTS IN CBT AND FROM 0 TO 25 POINTS IN MBCT. THE EFFECT SIZE WAS MAINLY MEDIUM OR LARGE. COMPARISON OF TREATMENTS SHOWED NO STATISTICAL DIFFERENCES, BUT BETTER EFFECT (SMALL) OF BOTH TY AND MBCT COMPARED TO CBT. WHEN COMPARING THE EFFECT OF TY AND MBCT, BOTH SHOWED A BETTER EFFECT (SMALL) IN TWO SUBSCALES EACH. CONCLUSIONS: A 20 WEEK GROUP TREATMENT WITH TY, CBT OR MBCT HAD EQUAL EFFECTS ON HRQOL, AND PARTICULARLY ON MAIN DOMAINS AFFECTED IN BURNOUT. THIS INDICATES THAT TY, MBCT AND CBT CAN BE USED AS BOTH TREATMENT AND PREVENTION, TO IMPROVE HRQOL IN PATIENTS ON SICK LEAVE BECAUSE OF BURNOUT, REDUCING THE RISK OF FUTURE MORBIDITY. TRIAL REGISTRATION: JULY 22, 2012, RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED. CLINICALTRAILS.GOV NCT01168661 . FUNDING: STOCKHOLM COUNTY COUNCIL, GRANT 2003-5. 2018 10 1682 41 ONLINE YOGA IN MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASM PATIENTS: RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED PILOT TRIAL TO INFORM FUTURE RESEARCH. BACKGROUND: MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASM (MPN) PATIENTS SUFFER FROM SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOMS, INFLAMMATION AND REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA IMPROVES THESE OUTCOMES IN OTHER CANCERS, BUT THIS HASN'T BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN MPNS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO: (1) EXPLORE THE LIMITED EFFICACY (DOES THE PROGRAM SHOW PROMISE OF SUCCESS) OF A 12-WEEK ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION AMONG MPN PATIENTS ON SYMPTOM BURDEN AND QUALITY OF LIFE AND (2) DETERMINE FEASIBILITY (PRACTICALITY: TO WHAT EXTENT A MEASURE CAN BE CARRIED OUT) OF REMOTELY COLLECTING INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED NATIONALLY AND RANDOMIZED TO ONLINE YOGA (60 MIN/WEEK OF YOGA) OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL (ASKED TO MAINTAIN NORMAL ACTIVITY). WEEKLY YOGA MINUTES WERE COLLECTED WITH CLICKY (ONLINE WEB ANALYTICS TOOL) AND SELF-REPORT. THOSE IN ONLINE YOGA COMPLETED A BLOOD DRAW AT BASELINE AND WEEK 12 TO ASSESS INFLAMMATION (INTERLEUKIN-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA [TNF-ALPHA]). ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, FATIGUE, PAIN, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, SEXUAL FUNCTION, TOTAL SYMPTOM BURDEN, GLOBAL HEALTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE AT BASELINE, WEEK SEVEN, 12, AND 16. CHANGE FROM BASELINE AT EACH TIME POINT WAS COMPUTED BY GROUP AND EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED. PRE-POST INTERVENTION CHANGE IN INFLAMMATION FOR THE YOGA GROUP WAS COMPARED BY T-TEST. RESULTS: SIXTY-TWO MPN PATIENTS ENROLLED AND 48 COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION (ONLINE YOGA = 27; CONTROL GROUP = 21). YOGA PARTICIPATION AVERAGED 40.8 MIN/WEEK VIA CLICKY AND 56.1 MIN/WEEK VIA SELF-REPORT. SMALL/MODERATE EFFECT SIZES WERE GENERATED FROM THE YOGA INTERVENTION FOR SLEEP DISTURBANCE (D = - 0.26 TO - 0.61), PAIN INTENSITY (D = - 0.34 TO - 0.51), ANXIETY (D = - 0.27 TO - 0.37), AND DEPRESSION (D = - 0.53 TO - 0.78). A TOTAL OF 92.6 AND 70.4% OF ONLINE YOGA PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE BLOOD DRAW AT BASELINE AND WEEK 12, RESPECTIVELY, AND THERE WAS A DECREASE IN TNF-ALPHA FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 12 (- 1.3 +/- 1.5 PG/ML). CONCLUSIONS: ONLINE YOGA DEMONSTRATED SMALL EFFECTS ON SLEEP, PAIN, AND ANXIETY AS WELL AS A MODERATE EFFECT ON DEPRESSION. REMOTE BLOOD DRAW PROCEDURES ARE FEASIBLE AND THE EFFECT SIZE OF THE INTERVENTION ON TNF-ALPHA WAS LARGE. FUTURE FULLY POWERED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO TEST FOR EFFICACY. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THIS TRIAL WAS RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED WITH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV (ID: NCT03503838 ) ON 4/19/2018. 2019 11 2701 42 YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER UNDERGOING EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY: A PILOT FEASIBILITY STUDY. PURPOSE: STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL HEALTH EFFECTS FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN CANCER PATIENTS, BUT PREDOMINANTLY IN BREAST CANCER. RESEARCH ON ITS ROLE IN ALLEVIATING PROSTATE CANCER (PC) PATIENTS' SIDE EFFECTS HAS BEEN LACKING. OUR PRIMARY GOAL WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF RECRUITING PC PATIENTS ON A CLINICAL TRIAL OF YOGA WHILE THEY UNDERWENT EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY (RT). METHODS: TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE RT COURSE (6-9 WEEKS). BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED. FEASIBILITY WAS DECLARED IF 15 OF THE FIRST 75 ELIGIBLE PC PATIENTS APPROACHED (20%) WERE SUCCESSFULLY ACCRUED AND COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. ADDITIONAL END POINTS INCLUDED STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS OF FATIGUE, ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED), URINARY INCONTINENCE (UI), AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AT TIME POINTS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER RT. RESULTS: BETWEEN MAY 2013 AND JUNE 2014, 68 ELIGIBLE PC PATIENTS WERE IDENTIFIED. 23 PATIENTS (34%) DECLINED, AND 45 (56%) CONSENTED TO THE STUDY. 18 (40%) WERE VOLUNTARILY WITHDRAWN DUE TO TREATMENT CONFLICTS. OF THE REMAINING 27, 12 (30%) PARTICIPATED IN >/=50% OF CLASSES, AND 15 (59%) WERE EVALUABLE. SEVERITY OF FATIGUE SCORES DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT VARIABILITY, WITH FATIGUE INCREASING BY WEEK 4, BUT THEN IMPROVING OVER THE COURSE OF TREATMENT (P = .008). ED, UI, AND GENERAL QOL SCORES DEMONSTRATED REASSURINGLY STABLE, ALBEIT NOT SIGNIFICANT TRENDS. CONCLUSIONS: A STRUCTURED YOGA INTERVENTION OF TWICE-WEEKLY CLASSES IS FEASIBLE FOR PC PATIENTS DURING A 6- TO 9-WEEK COURSE OF OUTPATIENT RADIOTHERAPY. PRELIMINARY RESULTS ARE PROMISING, SHOWING STABLE MEASUREMENTS IN FATIGUE, SEXUAL HEALTH, UI, AND GENERAL QOL. 2016 12 2081 36 THE EFFECT OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION AND CONSCIOUSNESS YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND FATIGUE SEVERITY IN PATIENTS WITH MS. INTRODUCTION: THE CHRONIC NATURE OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS), HAVE CAN LEAVE DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND FATIGUE. THE PRESENT RESEARCH AIMED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR) AND CONSCIOUS YOGA PROGRAM ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND FATIGUE SEVERITY AMONG PATIENTS WITH MS. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL WITH INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE STATISTICAL POPULATION INCLUDED ALL MEMBERS TO MS SOCIETY OF TEHRAN PROVINCE, 24 OF WHOM DIAGNOSED WITH MS WERE SELECTED AS THE SAMPLE BASED ON THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THE SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO THE TEST GROUP (12 PATIENTS) AND THE CONTROL GROUP (12 PATIENTS). MS QUALITY OF LIFE-54 (MSQOL-54) AND FATIGUE SEVERITY SCALE (FSS) WERE USED FOR DATA COLLECTION. SUBJECTS IN THE TEST GROUP UNDERWENT A MBSR AND CONSCIOUS YOGA PROGRAM IN 8 TWO-HOUR SESSIONS. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING THE SPSS VER.13 SOFTWARE. RESULTS: THE STUDY FINDINGS SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUBJECTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS IN TERMS OF MEAN SCORE OF SOME SUBSCALES OF QUALITY OF LIFE INCLUDING PHYSICAL HEALTH, ROLE LIMITATIONS DUE TO PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS, ENERGY, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, HEALTH DISTRESS, HEALTH PERCEPTION, AND SATISFACTION WITH SEXUAL FUNCTION, OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE, AND FATIGUE SEVERITY. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SHOW THAT THE PROGRAM IS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCTION OF FATIGUE SEVERITY AND IMPROVING SOME SUBSCALES OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN MS PATIENTS. HENCE, THIS SUPPORTIVE METHOD CAN BE USED AS AN EFFECTIVE WAY FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE AND RELIEVING FATIGUE IN MS PATIENTS. 2016 13 594 38 DEVELOPMENT AND FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN (CPP) AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF THIS PROGRAM ON PAIN SEVERITY, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND WELL-BEING. METHODS: A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM FOR CPP WAS DEVELOPED BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL OF CLINICIANS, RESEARCHERS, AND YOGA CONSULTANTS. WOMEN REPORTING MODERATE TO SEVERE PELVIC PAIN FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS WERE RECRUITED INTO A SINGLE-ARM TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWICE WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES FOCUSING ON IYENGAR-BASED YOGA TECHNIQUES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE YOGA AT HOME AN HOUR A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS SELF-RATED THE SEVERITY OF THEIR PELVIC PAIN USING DAILY LOGS. THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPANTS' PAIN ON EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS ASSESSED USING AN IMPACT OF PELVIC PAIN (IPP) QUESTIONNAIRE. SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS FURTHER ASSESSED USING THE SEXUAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN WOMEN QUESTIONNAIRE (SHOW-Q). RESULTS: AMONG THE 16 PARTICIPANTS (AGE RANGE = 31-64 YEARS), AVERAGE RATINGS OF THE SEVERITY OF PAIN "AT ITS WORST," "AT ITS BEST," AND "ON AVERAGE" DECREASED BY 29%, 32%, AND 34%, RESPECTIVELY, FROM START TO SIX WEEKS (P < 0.05 FOR ALL). WOMEN DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENTS IN SCORES ON IPP SUBSCALES FOR DAILY ACTIVITIES (1.8 +/- 0.7 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P < 0.001), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (1.7 +/- 0.9 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P = 0.005), AND SEXUAL FUNCTION (1.9 +/- 1.1 TO 1.0 +/- 0.9, P = 0.04). SCORES ON THE SHOW-Q "PELVIC PROBLEM INTERFERENCE" SCALE ALSO IMPROVED OVER SIX WEEKS (53 +/- 23 TO 27 +/- 23, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF THE FEASIBILITY OF TEACHING WOMEN WITH CPP TO PRACTICE YOGA TO SELF-MANAGE PAIN AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SEXUAL FUNCTION. 2017 14 1731 41 PERSONALIZED YOGA THERAPY FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: EFFECT ON SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF PERSONALIZED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION IN A PRIVATE SETTING AND ITS EFFECT ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), SLEEP QUALITY, AND SYMPTOM RELIEF AMONG PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). A SINGLE-GROUP PRE- AND POST-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AMONG 10 MEMBERS OF THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY OF INDIA BETWEEN DECEMBER 2017 AND APRIL 2018. AT BASELINE AND DURING FOLLOW-UP, QOL, SLEEP QUALITY, SYMPTOMS, AND PAIN WERE ASSESSED USING THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS QUALITY OF LIFE, PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX, MS SYMPTOM CHECKLIST, AND VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE, RESPECTIVELY. THE INTERVENTION COMPRISED 12 PRIVATE CUSTOMIZED YOGA SESSIONS OF 1 HOUR DURATION AND THREE GROUP SESSIONS, ALL SPREAD OVER 3-MONTHS. PATIENT FEEDBACK AND DIRECT OBSERVATIONS BY THE YOGA THERAPIST WE RE DOCUMENTED AT EACH SESSION. TEN PATIENTS (SEVEN FEMALE, THREE MALE, AGE 31-52 YEARS) WERE ENROLLED IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION; SEVEN COMPLETED 8-12 SESSIONS, AND THREE COMPLETED FEWER THAN 5 SESSIONS. THERAPIST-TO-PATIENT RATIO WAS 1:2. ALL DOMAINS EXCEPT SEXUAL FUNCTION SHOWED CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN QOL SCORES. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS FOUND IN SOCIAL FUNCTION (P = 0.014) AND CHANGE IN HEALTH STATUS (P = 0.029) SCORES AFTER THE INTERVENTION. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN AND SLEEP QUALITY, THESE CHANGES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. PATIENTS REPORTED IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS WITH PRACTICE OF YOGA ALONGSIDE LIFESTYLE CHANGES. THE STUDY SUPPORTS THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS 3-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH MS. STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM OUR FINDINGS. 2021 15 498 34 COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA PROGRAM FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN. AIM: URINARY INCONTINENCE IS A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM AMONG MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN. PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY INTERVENTIONS, BUT DIFFICULTY PERFORMING THIS EXERCISE HAS LED RESEARCHERS TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE OR CONJUNCTIVE EXERCISE. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF A COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON URINARY INCONTINENCE. METHODS: A SINGLE GROUP PRE-/POST-TEST DESIGN WAS USED. SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER IN SEOUL, KOREA, AND A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED. FIFTY-FIVE WOMEN PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST DAY OF THE PROGRAM, 34 OF WHOM COMPLETED THE 8 WEEK, TWICE WEEKLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM. URINARY INCONTINENCE WAS MEASURED BY FIVE DOMAINS OF URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS: FILLING FACTOR, VOIDING FACTOR, INCONTINENCE FACTOR, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. ALSO MEASURED WERE ATTITUDE TOWARD PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND PELVIC MUSCLE STRENGTH. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN ATTITUDE TOWARD PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE, PELVIC MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND INCONTINENCE FACTOR. DAILY PERFORMANCE OF PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH IMPROVED INCONTINENCE FACTOR AND WITH QUALITY OF LIFE RELATED TO URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: A COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING OVERALL URINARY INCONTINENCE IN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER ATTENDEES IN KOREA. FURTHER STUDY IS NEEDED WITH A CONTROL GROUP, DIFFERENT POPULATIONS, AND A LONGER INTERVENTION PERIOD. 2015 16 1081 44 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SEXUAL FUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE; IT HAS A HIGH GLOBAL PREVALENCE, BUT NO EFFECTIVE AND SAFE TREATMENT OPTIONS. THE PREVALENCE OF SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IS HIGHER IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME THAN IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED STUDY, 41 WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME (AGE 30-60 YEARS) WERE ASSIGNED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE GROUP (N=20) OR A WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N=21). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY END POINTS WERE CHANGES IN TOTAL AND INDIVIDUAL DOMAIN SCORES ON THE FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTION INDEX. RESULTS: THE 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN AROUSAL (0.74+/-1.18 VS. 0.16+/-0.82, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.042) AND LUBRICATION (0.72+/-1.12 VS. 0.06+/-0.87, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.008) COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE 12-WEEK FOLLOW UP (-3.5+/-13.7 VS. 2.0+/-14.7, RESPECTIVELY; P=0.040). CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME AS WELL AS FOR METABOLIC RISK FACTORS. 2013 17 252 25 A YOGA PROGRAM FOR THE SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN VETERANS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF A YOGA PROGRAM AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR IMPROVING POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) SYMPTOMS IN VETERANS WITH MILITARY-RELATED PTSD. VETERANS (N = 12) PARTICIPATED IN A 6 WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HELD TWICE A WEEK. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PTSD HYPERAROUSAL SYMPTOMS AND OVERALL SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS DAYTIME DYSFUNCTION RELATED TO SLEEP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TOTAL PTSD, ANGER, OR QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOME SCORES. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THIS YOGA PROGRAM MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR IMPROVING HYPERAROUSAL SYMPTOMS OF PTSD INCLUDING SLEEP QUALITY. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE YOGA PROGRAM IS ACCEPTABLE, FEASIBLE, AND THAT THERE IS GOOD ADHERENCE IN A VETERAN POPULATION. 2013 18 2244 32 THE INFLUENCE OF TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA (TIY) ON EMOTION REGULATION AND SKILLED AWARENESS IN SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS. THIS STUDY EXAMINED A TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA (TIY) INTERVENTION CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS AND DELIVERED IN A COMMUNITY-BASED GROUP SETTING. MUCH OF THE EXISTING RESEARCH ON THIS TYPE OF INTERVENTION HAS BEEN CONDUCTED IN CLINICAL TRIALS AS OPPOSED TO COMMUNITY-BASED VENUES. AS SEXUAL ASSAULT IS A COMMON TYPE OF TRAUMA AND RESULTS MORE COMMONLY IN POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO SHED LIGHT ON THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF A TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA AND MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE NATURAL SETTING OF A COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION. THE INTERVENTION WAS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED BY LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS AND REGISTERED YOGA TEACHERS AND MODELED ON THE EVIDENCE-BASED WORK OF THE TRAUMA CENTER AT THE JUSTICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE. THE STUDY EMPLOYED A TRADITIONAL QUANTITATIVE ONE-SAMPLE, PRE- AND POSTTEST DESIGN. SURVEY ITEMS WERE DRAWN FROM TWO EXISTING MEASURES: (1) FIVE FACET MINDFULNESS QUESTIONNAIRE AND (2) DIFFICULTIES IN EMOTION REGULATION SCALE. THE MAJORITY OF THE SAMPLE (N = 37) IDENTIFIED AS WHITE (67.6%), FOLLOWED BY LATINA (13.5%), AFRICAN AMERICAN (8.1%), MULTIRACIAL (5.4%), AND OTHER (2.7%). THE MEAN AGE OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 29 YEARS (STANDARD DEVIATION 8 YEARS, RANGE 18-56 YEARS). ALL PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFIED AS FEMALE. FINDINGS DEMONSTRATED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PARTICIPANTS' EMOTION REGULATION AND SKILLED AWARENESS, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE PTSD SYMPTOMATOLOGY. THE PRESENT DISCUSSION CONSIDERS THE RESULTS IN LIGHT OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND PRESENTS STUDY LIMITATIONS. 2020 19 2641 43 YOGA FOR WARRIORS: AN INTERVENTION FOR VETERANS WITH COMORBID CHRONIC PAIN AND PTSD. OBJECTIVE: COMORBID CHRONIC PAIN AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) IS COMMON IN VETERANS; THIS COMORBIDITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED SEVERITY AND POORER PROGNOSIS WHEN COMPARED TO EACH OUTCOME ALONE. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR CHRONIC PAIN AND PROMISING FOR PTSD, BUT YOGA FOR COMORBID PAIN AND PTSD HAS NOT BEEN EXAMINED. THIS ARTICLE OFFERS EMPIRICAL SUPPORT FOR A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR COMORBID CHRONIC PAIN AND PTSD IN A VETERAN POPULATION. METHOD: RESULTS ARE PRESENTED FROM A 4-YEAR PILOT YOGA INTERVENTION FOR COMORBID CHRONIC PAIN AND PTSD AT A LARGE, URBAN VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER. BASED ON THE FEAR AVOIDANCE MODEL OF PAIN, THE INTERVENTION USED A CROSS-SECTIONAL, OPEN-TRIAL DESIGN WITH PRE- AND POSTMEASURES. T TEST ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED ON PROGRAM COMPLETERS (N = 49; OUT OF 87 INITIALLY ENROLLED, 44% ATTRITION RATE), WHO WERE PRIMARILY AFRICAN AMERICAN (69%) AND MALE (61%) AND HAD A MEAN AGE OF 51.41 YEARS (SD = 11.32). RESULTS: RESULTS INDICATED TREND-LEVEL REDUCTIONS IN OVERALL PTSD SYMPTOMS, AS MEASURED BY THE PTSD CHECKLIST FOR DSM-5 (P = .02, D = 0.38) AND IN SYMPTOM CLUSTER SCORES OF NEGATIVE ALTERATIONS OF COGNITIONS AND MOOD (P = .03, D = 0.36) AND AROUSAL AND REACTIVITY (P = .03, D = 0.35). VETERANS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN SOCIAL ACTIVITIES (P < .001, D = 0.44) AND SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN KINESIOPHOBIA (FEAR OF MOVEMENT OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY; P < .001, D = 0.85). ON A SATISFACTION MEASURE WITH A RANGE OF 1 (QUITE DISSATISFIED) TO 4 (EXTREMELY SATISFIED), THE MEAN RATING WAS 3.74 (SD = 0.33). CONCLUSION: YOGA IS A FEASIBLE AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR VETERANS WITH COMORBID CHRONIC PAIN AND PTSD. (PSYCINFO DATABASE RECORD (C) 2020 APA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED). 2020 20 2019 24 SYNCHRONOUS TELEHEALTH YOGA AND COGNITIVE PROCESSING GROUP THERAPIES FOR WOMEN VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: A MULTISITE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ADAPTED FOR COVID-19. BACKGROUND: PROVIDING CARE OVER TELEHEALTH GREW SLOWLY UNTIL THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. SINCE THE ONSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH CARE WAS READILY ADAPTED TO VIRTUAL MEANS; HOWEVER, CLINICAL TRIAL RESEARCH IS NASCENT IN ADAPTING METHODS AND PROCEDURES TO THE VIRTUAL WORLD. METHODS: WE PRESENT PROTOCOL MODIFICATIONS TO PIVOT A MULTISITE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL STUDY, CONDUCTED AT SOUTHEASTERN AND PACIFIC NORTHWESTERN VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS, FROM BEING CONDUCTED IN-PERSON TO VIRTUALLY, FOLLOWING THE ONSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE MEASURED OUTCOMES OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) SYMPTOMS AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MARKERS OF STRESS AMONG FEMALE VETERANS WITH PTSD SECONDARY TO MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA. WE COLLECTED QUALITATIVE DATA ABOUT PROVIDER AND PARTICIPANT EXPERIENCES WITH TELEHEALTH. RESULTS: ACROSS SITES, 200 PARTICIPANTS WERE CONSENTED (48 VIRTUALLY), 132 WERE RANDOMIZED (28 TO VIRTUAL GROUPS), AND 117 COMPLETED DATA COLLECTION AND TREATMENT (69 COMPLETED ALL OR SOME DATA COLLECTION OR TREATMENT VIRTUALLY). CONCLUSIONS: THE PIVOTS MADE FOR THIS STUDY WERE IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND OFFER INNOVATIVE PROCEDURES LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE BROADER LANDSCAPE OF CONDUCTING RESEARCH VIRTUALLY. CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER: NCT02640690. 2022