1 217 187 A STUDY PROTOCOL OF A THREE-GROUP RANDOMIZED FEASIBILITY TRIAL OF AN ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION FOR MOTHERS AFTER STILLBIRTH (THE MINDFUL HEALTH STUDY). BACKGROUND: IN THE USA, STILLBIRTH (IN UTERO FETAL DEATH >/=20 WEEKS GESTATION) IS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. WOMEN WHO EXPERIENCE STILLBIRTH, COMPARED TO WOMEN WITH LIVE BIRTH, HAVE A NEARLY SEVENFOLD INCREASED RISK OF A POSITIVE SCREEN FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) AND A FOURFOLD INCREASED RISK OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE DEATH OF THEIR BABY BECOME PREGNANT WITHIN 12-18 MONTHS AND THE LACK OF INTERVENTION STUDIES CONDUCTED WITHIN THIS POPULATION, NOVEL APPROACHES TARGETING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, SPECIFIC TO THE NEEDS OF THIS POPULATION, ARE CRITICAL. EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS EFFICACIOUS, SAFE, ACCEPTABLE, AND COST-EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH IN A VARIETY OF POPULATIONS, INCLUDING PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN. TO DATE, THERE ARE NO KNOWN STUDIES EXAMINING ONLINE-STREAMING YOGA AS A STRATEGY TO HELP MOTHERS COPE WITH PTSD SYMPTOMS AFTER STILLBIRTH. METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY IS A TWO-PHASE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PHASE 1 WILL INVOLVE (1) AN ITERATIVE DESIGN PROCESS TO DEVELOP THE ONLINE YOGA PRESCRIPTION FOR PHASE 2 AND (2) QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS TO IDENTIFY CULTURAL BARRIERS TO RECRUITMENT IN NON-CAUCASIAN WOMEN (I.E., PREDOMINATELY HISPANIC AND/OR AFRICAN AMERICAN) WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED STILLBIRTH (N = 5). PHASE 2 IS A THREE-GROUP RANDOMIZED FEASIBILITY TRIAL WITH ASSESSMENTS AT BASELINE, AND AT 12 AND 20 WEEKS POST-INTERVENTION. NINETY WOMEN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED A STILLBIRTH WITHIN 6 WEEKS TO 24 MONTHS WILL BE RANDOMIZED INTO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THREE ARMS FOR 12 WEEKS: (1) INTERVENTION LOW DOSE (LD) = 60 MIN/WEEK ONLINE-STREAMING YOGA (N = 30), (2) INTERVENTION MODERATE DOSE (MD) = 150 MIN/WEEK ONLINE-STREAMING YOGA (N = 30), OR (3) STRETCH AND TONE CONTROL (STC) GROUP = 60 MIN/WEEK OF STRETCHING/TONING EXERCISES (N = 30). DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A 12-WEEK, HOME-BASED, ONLINE-STREAMED YOGA INTERVENTION, WITH VARYING DOSES AMONG MOTHERS AFTER A STILLBIRTH. IF FEASIBLE, THE FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY WILL INFORM A FULL-SCALE TRIAL TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOME-BASED ONLINE-STREAMED YOGA TO IMPROVE PTSD. LONG-TERM, HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS COULD USE ONLINE YOGA AS A NON-PHARMACEUTICAL, INEXPENSIVE RESOURCE FOR STILLBIRTH AFTERCARE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02925481. 2018 2 1683 70 ONLINE YOGA TO REDUCE POST TRAUMATIC STRESS IN WOMEN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED STILLBIRTH: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL FEASIBILITY TRIAL. BACKGROUND: ABOUT 1 IN EVERY 150 PREGNANCIES END IN STILLBIRTH. CONSEQUENCES INCLUDE SYMPTOMS OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY. YOGA HAS BEEN USED TO TREAT PTSD IN OTHER POPULATIONS AND MAY IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR STILLBIRTH MOTHERS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE: (A) FEASIBILITY OF A 12-WEEK HOME-BASED, ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION WITH VARYING DOSES; (B) ACCEPTABILITY OF A "STRETCH AND TONE" CONTROL GROUP; AND (C) PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF THE INTERVENTION ON REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF PTSD, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PERINATAL GRIEF, SELF-COMPASSION, EMOTIONAL REGULATION, MINDFULNESS, SLEEP QUALITY, AND SUBJECTIVE HEALTH. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (N = 90) WERE RECRUITED NATIONALLY AND RANDOMIZED INTO ONE OF THREE GROUPS FOR YOGA OR EXERCISE (LOW DOSE (LD), 60 MIN PER WEEK; MODERATE DOSE (MD), 150 MIN PER WEEK; AND STRETCH-AND-TONE CONTROL GROUP (STC)). BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION SURVEYS MEASURED MAIN OUTCOMES (LISTED ABOVE). FREQUENCY ANALYSES WERE USED TO DETERMINE FEASIBILITY. REPEATED MEASURES ANCOVA WERE USED TO DETERMINE PRELIMINARY EFFICACY. MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO DETERMINE A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MINUTES OF YOGA AND EACH OUTCOME VARIABLE. RESULTS: OVER HALF OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION (N = 48/90). BENCHMARKS (>/=70% REPORTED > 75% SATISFACTION) WERE MET IN EACH GROUP FOR SATISFACTION AND ENJOYMENT. PARTICIPANTS MEETING BENCHMARKS (COMPLETING > 90% OF PRESCRIBED MINUTES 9/12 WEEKS) FOR LD AND MD GROUPS WERE 44% (N = 8/18) AND 6% (N = 1/16), RESPECTIVELY. LD AND MD GROUPS AVERAGED 44.0 AND 77.3 MIN PER WEEK OF YOGA, RESPECTIVELY. THE MD GROUP REPORTED THAT 150 PRESCRIBED MINUTES PER WEEK OF YOGA WAS TOO MUCH. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN PTSD AND DEPRESSION, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-RATED HEALTH AT POST-INTERVENTION FOR BOTH INTERVENTION GROUPS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN DEPRESSION SCORES (P = .036) AND GRIEF INTENSITY (P = .009) BETWEEN THE MD AND STC GROUPS. PTSD SHOWED NON-SIGNIFICANT DECREASES OF 43% AND 56% AT POST-INTERVENTION IN LD AND MD GROUPS, RESPECTIVELY (22% DECREASE IN CONTROL). CONCLUSIONS: THIS WAS THE FIRST STUDY TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF AN ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN AFTER STILLBIRTH. FUTURE RESEARCH WARRANTS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV. NCT02925481. REGISTERED 10-04-16. 2020 3 752 26 EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM BRAHMAKUMARIS RAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES. EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM BRAHMAKUMARIS RAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES LIKE HEART RATE (HR), RESPIRATORY RATE (RR), SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP) WAS EVALUATED IN 100 SUBJECTS PRACTICING RAJA YOGA MEDITATION. ALL 100 SUBJECTS (33 MEN AND 67 WOMEN) WERE AGED 30 YEARS AND ABOVE (MEAN AGE 52.06 +/- 12.76 YEARS). SHORT-TERM MEDITATORS (STM) (N = 27) PRACTICED RAJA YOGA MEDITATION FOR DURATION OF SIX MONTHS TO FIVE YEARS (MEAN DURATION 3.37 +/- 1.67 YEARS) AND LONG-TERM MEDITATORS (LTM) (N = 73) PRACTICED RAJA YOGA MEDITATION FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS (MEAN DURATION 11.19 +/- 5.13 YEARS). THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO MEDITATE AND THE PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES (HR, RR, SBP AND DBP) WERE RECORDED TWICE (15 MINUTES AND 30 MINUTES) AFTER BEGINNING OF MEDITATION. ALSO, THE FASTING BLOOD SUGAR WAS ESTIMATED BY GLUCOMETER. THE STUDY SUBJECTS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY IN AGE AND VARIOUS ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS BODY WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX, WAIST-HIP RATIO AND FASTING BLOOD SUGAR. COMPARISON BETWEEN STM AND LTM SHOWED THAT THE CHANGES FROM BASELINE VALUES (FROM PREMEDITATION TO POST-MEDITATION AT 15 AND 30 MINUTES) IN LTM WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT WITH THOSE IN STM (P > 0.05). HOWEVER, WITHIN GROUP DIFFERENCES IN LTM REVEALED THAT CHANGES IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT WHEN COMPARED BETWEEN PRE AND POST MEDITATION BOTH AT 15 AND 30 MINUTES. THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT THE LONG-TERM PRACTICE OF RAJA YOGA MEDITATION IMPROVES BASIC CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS DUE TO SHIFTING OF THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE IN FAVOR OF PARASYMPATHETIC INSTEAD OF SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM. 2012 4 273 52 ADDING A FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP TO AN ONLINE YOGA RANDOMIZED TRIAL FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED STILLBIRTH: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. OBJECTIVES: WOMEN WHO EXPERIENCE STILLBIRTH ARE MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AND ANXIOUS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS THAN THOSE WHO DELIVER LIVE HEALTHY BABIES. PARTICIPANTS IN A RECENT STUDY OF ONLINE YOGA (OY) REPORTED A DESIRE FOR MORE SOCIAL SUPPORT, WHICH MAY HELP REDUCE PTSD RELATED TO GRIEF AND AID IN COPING. FACEBOOK (FB) HAS BEEN USED SUCCESSFULLY TO DELIVER SUPPORT FOR ONLINE INTERVENTIONS, BUT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT ITS USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH OY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A FB SUPPORT GROUP IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN 8-WEEK OY INTERVENTION. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED PARALLEL FEASIBILITY TRIAL WITH A 1:1 STUDY GROUP ALLOCATION RATIO. SETTING/LOCATION: ONLINE. SUBJECTS: WOMEN (N = 60) WHO EXPERIENCED STILLBIRTH WITHIN THE PAST 3 YEARS. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED NATIONALLY TO PARTICIPATE AND RANDOMIZED INTO ONE OF TWO GROUPS: OY ONLY (N = 30) OR ONLINE YOGA WITH FACEBOOK (OYFB) (N = 30). BOTH GROUPS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE 60 MIN OF OY PER WEEK. WOMEN IN THE OY GROUP WERE ASKED TO LOG ON TO A FB PAGE AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK. OUTCOME MEASURES: ACCEPTABILITY (I.E., SATISFACTION) AND DEMAND (I.E., ATTENDANCE), PTSD, ANXIETY, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SOCIAL SUPPORT. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE SATISFIED WITH AND ENJOYED OY, AND 8/13 FB ACCEPTABILITY BENCHMARKS WERE MET. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS IN MINUTES OF YOGA PER WEEK. CONCLUSIONS: THE ADDITION OF A FB GROUP TO AN OY INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED STILLBIRTH IS FEASIBLE, ALTHOUGH MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO INCREASE ITS EFFICACY. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04077476. REGISTERED SEPTEMBER 4, 2019. RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED (HTTPS://CLINICALTRIALS.GOV/CT2/SHOW/NCT04077476). 2022 5 1207 48 EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN A BETA-TEST FOR AN ONLINE-STREAMED YOGA INTERVENTION AFTER A STILLBIRTH. BACKGROUND: LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW TO BEST CARE FOR MOTHERS AFTER STILLBIRTH. AS SUCH, THIS PAPER WILL REPORT THE SATISFACTION AND PERCEPTIONS OF AN ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION (12-WEEK BETA TEST) IN WOMEN AFTER STILLBIRTH. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (N=74) HAD A STILLBIRTH WITHIN THE LAST 24-MONTHS (M TIME SINCE LOSS 9.65 +/- 6.9 MONTHS). POST-INTERVENTION SATISFACTION SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS AND DROPOUT SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS WERE USED TO ANALYZE SURVEY RESPONSES AND DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION. A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH WAS USED TO EXPLORE AND UNDERSTAND UNIQUE EXPERIENCES OF PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING NVIVO10. RESULTS: TWENTY-SIX WOMEN (M AGE 33.73 +/- 4.38) WERE COMPLETERS (> 3 WKS OF YOGA), 26 (M AGE 31.82 +/- 4.13) WERE NON-COMPLETERS (< 3 WKS OF YOGA), AND 22 (M AGE 32.94 +/- 2.93) DROPPED OUT. TWENTY COMPLETERS PARTICIPATED IN A POST-INTERVENTION SATISFACTION SURVEY WITH 75% (N=15) REPORTING BEING VERY SATISFIED OR SATISFIED WITH THE ONLINE YOGA INTERVENTION, FOUND IT TO BE VERY ENJOYABLE OR ENJOYABLE, AND VERY HELPFUL OR HELPFUL TO COPE WITH GRIEF. SATISFACTION AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE INTERVENTION IN THOSE WHO COMPLETED AN INTERVIEW (N=12) WERE CLUSTERED AROUND THE FOLLOWING THEMES: BENEFITS, BARRIERS, DISLIKES, SATISFACTION, AND PREFERENCES. OF THE 22 DROPOUTS, 14 COMPLETED A DROPOUT SURVEY. WOMEN WITHDREW FROM THE STUDY DUE TO PREGNANCY (N=3, 21%), BURDEN (N=3, 21%), STRESS (N=2, 14%), LACK OF TIME (N=2, 14%), DID NOT ENJOY (N=1, 7%), AND OTHER (N=3, 21%). CONCLUSION: FINDINGS HERE MAY BE USED TO HELP DESIGN FUTURE RESEARCH. 2017 6 945 43 EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA VERSUS A 12-WEEK EDUCATIONAL FILM INTERVENTION ON SYMPTOMS OF RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME AND RELATED OUTCOMES: AN EXPLORATORY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. STUDY OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA VERSUS EDUCATIONAL FILM (EF) PROGRAM ON RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS) SYMPTOMS AND RELATED OUTCOMES IN ADULTS WITH RLS. METHODS: FORTY-ONE COMMUNITY-DWELLING, AMBULATORY NONPREGNANT ADULTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE RLS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA (N = 19) OR EF PROGRAM (N = 22). IN ADDITION TO ATTENDING CLASSES, ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED PRACTICE/TREATMENT LOGS. YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO PRACTICE AT HOME 30 MINUTES PER DAY ON NONCLASS DAYS; EF PARTICIPANTS WERE INSTRUCTED TO RECORD ANY RLS TREATMENTS USED ON THEIR DAILY LOGS. CORE OUTCOMES ASSESSED PRETREATMENT AND POSTTREATMENT WERE RLS SYMPTOMS AND SYMPTOM SEVERITY (INTERNATIONAL RLS STUDY GROUP SCALE (IRLS) AND RLS ORDINAL SCALE), SLEEP QUALITY, MOOD, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). RESULTS: THIRTY ADULTS (13 YOGA, 17 EF), AGED 24 TO 73 (MEAN = 50.4 +/- 2.4 YEARS), COMPLETED THE 12-WEEK STUDY (78% FEMALE, 80.5% WHITE). POST-INTERVENTION, BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN RLS SYMPTOMS AND SEVERITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, MOOD, AND QOL-MENTAL HEALTH (P /=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 11 2132 31 THE EFFECTS OF A GENTLE YOGA PROGRAM ON SLEEP, MOOD, AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN OLDER WOMEN WITH RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS): A PRELIMINARY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE. TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA VERSUS AN EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM ON SLEEP, MOOD, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND SYMPATHETIC ACTIVATION IN OLDER WOMEN WITH RLS. METHODS. PARTICIPANTS WERE DRAWN FROM A LARGER TRIAL REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK PROFILES IN OVERWEIGHT, SEDENTARY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. SEVENTY-FIVE WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE EITHER AN 8-WEEK YOGA (N = 38) OR EDUCATIONAL FILM (N = 37) PROGRAM. ALL 75 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED AN RLS SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRE. THE 20 WOMEN WHO MET ALL FOUR DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR RLS (N = 10 YOGA, 10 FILM GROUP) COMPRISED THE POPULATION FOR THIS NESTED STUDY. MAIN OUTCOMES ASSESSED PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT INCLUDED: SLEEP (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX), STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE), MOOD (PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY), BLOOD PRESSURE, AND HEART RATE. RESULTS. THE YOGA GROUP DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENTS THAN CONTROLS IN MULTIPLE DOMAINS OF SLEEP QUALITY AND MOOD, AND SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN INSOMNIA PREVALENCE, ANXIETY, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND BLOOD PRESSURE (ALL P'S0.05). 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 14 267 48 ACUTE FETAL BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE TO PRENATAL YOGA: A SINGLE, BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (TRY YOGA). BACKGROUND: IN 2012, YOGA WAS PRACTICED BY 20 MILLION AMERICANS, OF WHOM 82% WERE WOMEN. A RECENT LITERATURE REVIEW ON PRENATAL YOGA NOTED A REDUCTION IN SOME PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS (IE, PRETERM BIRTH, LUMBAR PAIN, AND GROWTH RESTRICTION) IN THOSE WHO PRACTICED YOGA; TO DATE, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE ON FETAL RESPONSE AFTER YOGA. OBJECTIVES: WE AIMED TO CHARACTERIZE THE ACUTE CHANGES IN MATERNAL AND FETAL RESPONSE TO PRENATAL YOGA EXERCISES USING COMMON STANDARDIZED TESTS TO ASSESS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MATERNAL-FETAL UNIT. STUDY DESIGN: WE CONDUCTED A SINGLE, BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNCOMPLICATED PREGNANCIES BETWEEN 28 0/7 AND 36 6/7 WEEKS WITH A NONANOMALOUS SINGLETON FETUS OF WOMEN WHO DID NOT SMOKE, USE NARCOTICS, OR HAVE PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA WERE INCLUDED. A COMPUTER-GENERATED SIMPLE RANDOMIZATION SEQUENCE WITH A 1:1 ALLOCATION RATIO WAS USED TO RANDOMIZE PARTICIPANTS INTO THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 1-TIME, 1 HOUR YOGA CLASS WITH A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR WHO TAUGHT A PREDETERMINED YOGA SEQUENCE. IN THE CONTROL GROUP, EACH PARTICIPANT ATTENDED A 1-TIME, 1 HOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION BY AN OBSTETRICIAN ON AMERICAN CONGRESS OF OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXERCISE, NUTRITION, AND OBESITY IN PREGNANCY. ALL PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION TESTING, WHICH CONSISTED OF UMBILICAL AND UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER ULTRASOUND, NONSTRESS TESTING, A BIOPHYSICAL PROFILE, MATERNAL BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MATERNAL HEART RATE. A BOARD-CERTIFIED MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST, AT A DIFFERENT TERTIARY CENTER, INTERPRETED ALL NONSTRESS TESTS AND BIOPHYSICAL PROFILE DATA AND WAS BLINDED TO GROUP ASSIGNMENT AND PRE- OR POSTINTERVENTION TESTING. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A CHANGE IN UMBILICAL ARTERY DOPPLER SYSTOLIC TO DIASTOLIC RATIO. SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATIONS INDICATED 19 WOMEN PER GROUP WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO DETECT THIS DIFFERENCE IN DOPPLER INDICES (ALPHA, 0.05; POWER, 80%). DATA WERE ANALYZED USING A REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, A CHI(2), AND A FISHER EXACT TEST. A VALUE OF P < .05 WAS CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: OF THE 52 WOMEN RANDOMIZED, 46 (88%) COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WAS NO CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN UMBILICAL ARTERY SYSTOLIC TO DIASTOLIC RATIO (P = .34), PULSATILITY INDEX (P = .53), OR RESISTANCE INDEX (P = .66) BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. FETAL AND MATERNAL HEART RATE, MATERNAL BLOOD PRESSURE, AND UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLERS REMAINED UNCHANGED OVER TIME. WHEN UMBILICAL ARTERY INDICES WERE INDIVIDUALLY COMPARED WITH GESTATIONAL AGE REFERENCES, THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHO IMPROVED OR WORSENED BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN FETAL BLOOD FLOW ACUTELY AFTER PERFORMING YOGA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PREGNANCY. YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR LOW-RISK WOMEN TO BEGIN DURING PREGNANCY. 2016 15 258 53 ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF A 12-WEEK YOGA VS. EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS): STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS) IS A COMMON AND BURDENSOME SLEEP DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH PROFOUND IMPAIRMENT OF HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE MEDICATIONS USED FOR RLS MANAGEMENT CARRY RISK OF SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, INCLUDING AUGMENTATION OF SYMPTOMS. YOGA, AN ANCIENT MIND-BODY DISCIPLINE DESIGNED TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND MENTAL WELL-BEING, MAY OFFER A VIABLE, LOW-RISK NEW TREATMENT. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS PILOT, PARALLEL-ARM, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) ARE TO ASSESS THE ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF A 12-WEEK YOGA VS. EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RLS. METHODS: FORTY-FOUR ADULTS WITH CONFIRMED MODERATE TO SEVERE RLS WILL BE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA (N = 22) OR STANDARDIZED EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM (N = 22). YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS WILL ATTEND TWO 75-MIN IYENGAR YOGA CLASSES PER WEEK FOR THE FIRST 4 WEEKS, THEN ONE 75-MIN CLASS PER WEEK FOR THE REMAINING 8 WEEKS, AND WILL COMPLETE A 30-MIN HOMEWORK ROUTINE ON NON-CLASS DAYS. EDUCATIONAL FILM GROUP PARTICIPANTS WILL ATTEND ONE 75-MIN CLASS PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS AND COMPLETE A DAILY RLS TREATMENT LOG; CLASSES WILL INCLUDE INFORMATION ON: RLS MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING SLEEP HYGIENE PRACTICES; OTHER SLEEP DISORDERS; AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES LIKELY TO BE OF INTEREST TO THOSE PARTICIPATING IN A YOGA AND SLEEP EDUCATION STUDY. YOGA AND TREATMENT LOGS WILL BE COLLECTED WEEKLY. FEASIBILITY OUTCOMES WILL INCLUDE RECRUITMENT, ENROLLMENT, AND RANDOMIZATION RATES, RETENTION, ADHERENCE, AND PROGRAM SATISFACTION. PROGRAM EVALUATION AND YOGA-DOSING QUESTIONNAIRES WILL BE COLLECTED AT WEEK 12; DATA ON EXPLORATORY OUTCOMES (E.G., RLS SYMPTOM SEVERITY (IRLS), SLEEP QUALITY (PSQI), MOOD (POMS, PSS), AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36)) WILL BE GATHERED AT BASELINE AND WEEK 12. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL LAY THE ESSENTIAL GROUNDWORK FOR A PLANNED LARGER RCT TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA PROGRAM FOR REDUCING SYMPTOMS AND ASSOCIATED BURDEN OF RLS. IF THE FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT TRIAL AND THE SUBSEQUENT LARGER RCTS ARE POSITIVE, THIS STUDY WILL ALSO HELP SUPPORT A NEW APPROACH TO CLINICAL TREATMENT OF THIS CHALLENGING DISORDER, HELP FOSTER IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF RLS ETIOLOGY, AND ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCING THE INDIVIDUAL, SOCIETAL, AND ECONOMIC BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONDITION. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, ID: NCT03570515 . RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED ON 1 FEBRUARY 2017. 2019 16 324 21 ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND CLINICAL PARAMETERS IN CLIMACTERIC YOGA PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND CLINICAL PARAMETERS IN CLIMACTERIC YOGA PRACTITIONERS. METHODS: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED 108 CLIMACTERIC WOMEN. WE RECRUITED 28 WOMEN BETWEEN 40 AND 65 YEARS OLD WHO STARTED YOGA PRACTICES IN PREMENOPAUSE AND HAD ALREADY PRACTICED FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS. AS CONTROLS, WE SELECTED 30 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) PRACTITIONERS WHO HAD PRACTICED FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS AND 50 SEDENTARY WOMEN IN THE SAME AGE RANGE. WE CONDUCED ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE THAN THE PA PRACTITIONERS AND SEDENTARY WOMEN. YOGA PRACTITIONERS ALSO HAD LOWER WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AND WAIST-TO-HEIGHT RATIO; HIGHER LEVELS OF HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL; LOWER LEVELS OF TRIGLYCERIDES, INSULIN, HOMEOSTASIS MODEL ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE, URIC ACID, APOLIPOPROTEIN B AND HIGH-SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN; AND LOWER FREQUENCY OF METABOLIC SYNDROME, LIPID ACCUMULATION PRODUCT, VISCERAL ADIPOSITY INDEX AND SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE THAN THE SEDENTARY WOMEN. CONCLUSION: YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD LOWER GLUCOSE SERUM CONCENTRATIONS THAN THE PA PRACTITIONERS AND SEDENTARY WOMEN. OVERALL, THE YOGA GROUP ALSO HAD BETTER ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND CLINICAL VARIABLES THAN THE OTHER GROUPS. ALTHOUGH FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS REQUIRED, YOGA PRACTICE IN PREMENOPAUSE SEEMS TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR WOMEN WHEN THEY REACH MENOPAUSE. 2022 17 2325 39 TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WITH IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DOSING STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF AN INTERVENTION OF IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING AT FIVE BREATHS PER MINUTE ON DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND TO DETERMINE OPTIMAL INTERVENTION YOGA DOSING FOR FUTURE STUDIES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD). METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE HIGH-DOSE GROUP (HDG) OR LOW-DOSE GROUP (LDG) FOR A 12-WEEK INTERVENTION OF THREE OR TWO INTERVENTION CLASSES PER WEEK, RESPECTIVELY. ELIGIBLE SUBJECTS WERE 18-64 YEARS OLD WITH MDD, HAD BASELINE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II) SCORES >/=14, AND WERE EITHER ON NO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS OR ON A STABLE DOSE OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS FOR >/=3 MONTHS. THE INTERVENTION INCLUDED 90-MIN CLASSES PLUS HOMEWORK. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE BDI-II SCORES AND INTERVENTION COMPLIANCE. RESULTS: FIFTEEN HDG (MAGE = 38.4 +/- 15.1 YEARS) AND 15 LDG (MAGE = 34.7 +/- 10.4 YEARS) SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. BDI-II SCORES AT SCREENING AND COMPLIANCE DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.26). BDI-II SCORES DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM SCREENING (24.6 +/- 1.7) TO WEEK 12 (6.0 +/- 3.8) FOR THE HDG (-18.6 +/- 6.6; P < 0.001), AND FROM SCREENING (27.7 +/- 2.1) TO WEEK 12 (10.1 +/- 7.9) IN THE LDG (-17.7 +/- 9.3; P < 0.001). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS, BASED ON RESPONSE (I.E., >50% DECREASE IN BDI-II SCORES; P = 0.65) FOR THE HDG (13/15 SUBJECTS) AND LDG (11/15 SUBJECTS) OR REMISSION (I.E., NUMBER OF SUBJECTS WITH BDI-II SCORES <14; P = 1.00) FOR THE HDG (14/15 SUBJECTS) AND LDG (13/15 SUBJECTS) AFTER THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION, ALTHOUGH A GREATER NUMBER OF SUBJECTS IN THE HDG HAD 12-WEEK BDI-II SCORES .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