1 1462 147 INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES AND WOUND HEALING IN EARLY OPERABLE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. CONTEXT: PRE- AND POSTOPERATIVE DISTRESS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS CAN CAUSE COMPLICATIONS AND DELAY RECOVERY FROM SURGERY. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES AND WOUND HEALING IN EARLY OPERABLE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. METHODS: NINETY-EIGHT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM WITH SUPPORTIVE THERAPY AND EXERCISE REHABILITATION ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES AND WOUND HEALING FOLLOWING SURGERY. SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED AT THE BASELINE PRIOR TO SURGERY AND FOUR WEEKS LATER. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, CLINICAL AND INVESTIGATIVE NOTES WERE ASCERTAINED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE STUDY. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR ESTIMATION OF PLASMA CYTOKINES-SOLUBLE INTERLEUKIN (IL)-2 RECEPTOR (IL-2R), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF)-ALPHA AND INTERFERON (IFN)-GAMMA. POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES SUCH AS THE DURATION OF HOSPITAL STAY AND DRAIN RETENTION, TIME OF SUTURE REMOVAL AND POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS WERE ASCERTAINED. WE USED INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST AND NONPARAMETRIC MANN WHITNEY U TESTS TO COMPARE GROUPS FOR POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES AND PLASMA CYTOKINES. REGRESSION ANALYSIS WAS DONE TO DETERMINE PREDICTORS FOR POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: SIXTY-NINE PATIENTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE CURRENT ANALYSIS (YOGA: N = 33, CONTROL: N = 36). THE RESULTS SUGGEST A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE DURATION OF HOSPITAL STAY (P = 0.003), DAYS OF DRAIN RETENTION (P = 0.001) AND DAYS FOR SUTURE REMOVAL (P = 0.03) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN PLASMA TNF ALPHA LEVELS FOLLOWING SURGERY IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.001), AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS. REGRESSION ANALYSIS ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES SHOWED THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION AFFECTED THE DURATION OF DRAIN RETENTION AND HOSPITAL STAY AS WELL AS TNF ALPHA LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF YOGA IN REDUCING POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 2008 2 1461 85 INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON MOOD STATES, DISTRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND IMMUNE OUTCOMES IN EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. CONTEXT: BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AWAITING SURGERY EXPERIENCE HEIGHTENED DISTRESS THAT COULD AFFECT POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES. AIMS: THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON MOOD STATES, TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND IMMUNE OUTCOMES IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: NINETY-EIGHT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM WITH SUPPORTIVE THERAPY PLUS EXERCISE REHABILITATION ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES FOLLOWING SURGERY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED PRIOR TO SURGERY AND FOUR WEEKS THEREAFTER. PSYCHOMETRIC INSTRUMENTS WERE USED TO ASSESS SELF-REPORTED ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, TREATMENT-RELATED DISTRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR ENUMERATION OF T LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS (CD4 %, CD8 % AND NATURAL KILLER (NK) CELL % COUNTS) AND SERUM IMMUNOGLOBULINS (IGG, IGA AND IGM). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: WE USED ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE TO COMPARE INTERVENTIONS POSTOPERATIVELY. RESULTS: SIXTY-NINE PATIENTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE CURRENT ANALYSIS (YOGA N = 33, CONTROL N = 36). THE RESULTS SUGGEST A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE STATE (P = 0.04) AND TRAIT (P = 0.004) OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION (P = 0.01), SYMPTOM SEVERITY (P = 0.01), DISTRESS (P < 0.01) AND IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE (P = 0.01) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANTLY LESSER DECREASE IN CD 56% (P = 0.02) AND LOWER LEVELS OF SERUM IGA (P = 0.001) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS FOLLOWING SURGERY. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE BENEFITS FOR YOGA IN REDUCING POSTOPERATIVE DISTRESS AND PREVENTING IMMUNE SUPPRESSION FOLLOWING SURGERY. 2008 3 2507 47 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 4 329 56 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 5 867 41 EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: LUNG FUNCTIONS ARE FOUND TO BE IMPAIRED IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD), CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION, AND AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY. DIFFUSION CAPACITY PROGRESSIVELY WORSENS AS THE SEVERITY OF CAD INCREASES DUE TO REDUCTION IN LUNG TISSUE PARTICIPATING IN GAS EXCHANGE. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGIC POSTURES MAY PLAY AN IMPRESSIVE ROLE IN IMPROVING CARDIO-RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY AND FACILITATING GAS DIFFUSION AT THE ALVEOLO-CAPILLARY MEMBRANE. THIS STUDY WAS DONE TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA REGIMEN ON LUNG FUNCTIONS PARTICULARLY DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 80 STABLE CAD PATIENTS BELOW 65 YEARS OF AGE OF BOTH SEXES WERE SELECTED AND RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 40 EACH. GROUP I CAD PATIENTS WERE GIVEN YOGA REGIMEN FOR 3 MONTHS WHICH CONSISTED OF YOGIC POSTURES, PRANAYAMA BREATHING EXERCISES, DIETARY MODIFICATION, AND HOLISTIC TEACHING ALONG WITH THEIR CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE WHILE GROUP II CAD PATIENTS WERE PUT ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE. LUNG FUNCTIONS INCLUDING DIFFUSION CAPACITY WERE RECORDED THRICE IN BOTH THE GROUPS: 0 DAY AS BASELINE, 22(ND) DAY AND ON 90(TH) DAY BY USING COMPUTERIZED MS MEDISOFT CARDIO-RESPIRATORY INSTRUMENT, HYP'AIR COMPACT MODEL OF CARDIO-RESPIRATORY TESTING MACHINE WAS MANUFACTURED BY P K MORGAN, INDIA. THE RECORDED PARAMETERS WERE STATISTICALLY ANALYZED BY REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA FOLLOWED BY TUKEY'S TEST IN BOTH THE GROUPS. CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS WERE ALSO COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION IN BOTH THE GROUPS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN SLOW VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE, MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY VENTILATION, AND DIFFUSION FACTOR/ TRANSFER FACTOR OF LUNG FOR CARBON MONOXIDE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGA REGIMEN IN GROUP I. FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1(ST) SEC (FEV1), AND FEV1 % ALSO SHOWED A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENT ALTHOUGH NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. HR, SBP AND DBP ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GROUP-I PATIENTS WHO FOLLOWED YOGA REGIMEN. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA REGIMEN WAS FOUND TO IMPROVE LUNG FUNCTIONS AND DIFFUSION CAPACITY IN CAD PATIENTS BESIDES IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. THUS, IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLIMENTARY OR ADJUNCT THERAPY ALONG WITH THE CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE FOR THEIR TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION. 2015 6 974 67 EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM ON SELF-REPORTED DEPRESSION SCORES IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. AIM: TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PROGRAM WITH SUPPORTIVE THERAPY ON SELF-REPORTED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: NINETY-EIGHT BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH STAGE II AND III DISEASE FROM A CANCER CENTER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 45) AND SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N = 53) OVER A 24-WEEK PERIOD DURING WHICH THEY UNDERWENT SURGERY FOLLOWED BY ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY (RT) OR CHEMOTHERAPY (CT) OR BOTH. THE STUDY STOPPAGE CRITERIA WAS PROGRESSIVE DISEASE RENDERING THE PATIENT BEDRIDDEN OR ANY PHYSICAL MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURY RESULTING FROM INTERVENTION OR LESS THAN 60% ATTENDANCE TO YOGA INTERVENTION. SUBJECTS UNDERWENT YOGA INTERVENTION FOR 60 MIN DAILY WITH CONTROL GROUP UNDERGOING SUPPORTIVE THERAPY DURING THEIR HOSPITAL VISITS. BECK'S DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) AND SYMPTOM CHECKLIST WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, AFTER SURGERY, BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER RT AND SIX CYCLES OF CT. WE USED ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE (INTENT-TO-TREAT) TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF INTERVENTION ON DEPRESSION SCORES AND PEARSON CORRELATION ANALYSES TO EVALUATE THE BIVARIATE RELATIONSHIPS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 69 PARTICIPANTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE CURRENT ANALYSIS (YOGA, N = 33, AND CONTROLS, N = 36). THERE WAS 29% ATTRITION IN THIS STUDY. THE RESULTS SUGGEST AN OVERALL DECREASE IN SELF-REPORTED DEPRESSION WITH TIME IN BOTH THE GROUPS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN DEPRESSION SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS FOLLOWING SURGERY, RT, AND CT (P < 0.01). THERE WAS A POSITIVE CORRELATION (P < 0.001) BETWEEN DEPRESSION SCORES WITH SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND DISTRESS DURING SURGERY, RT, AND CT. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS WITH YOGA INTERVENTION IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. 2015 7 1385 44 IMPACT OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO YOGA IN DAILY LIFE(R) SYSTEM ON SELF-ESTEEM AFTER BREAST CANCER SURGERY. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE IMMEDIATE AND SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE((R)) SYSTEM ON THE SELF-ESTEEM OF PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. DESIGN: THIS IS A PARALLEL-GROUPS DESIGN. SETTINGS/LOCATION: BASELINE INTERVENTIONS TOOK PLACE AT THE INSTITUTE FOR ONCOLOGY OF LJUBLJANA (SLOVENIA). AT DISCHARGE, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS ISSUED WITH AUDIOCASSETTE RECORDINGS CONTAINING THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR RELAXATION TRAINING TO BE PRACTICED INDIVIDUALLY AT HOME FOR AN ADDITIONAL 3 WEEKS. SUBJECTS: THE CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF 32 PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WAS RECRUITED FROM AN ACCESSIBLE POPULATION OF HOSPITALIZED WOMEN. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL (N=16) AND TO THE CONTROL GROUP (N=16). INTERVENTIONS: BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED THE SAME STANDARD PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR 1 WEEK, WHILE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ADDITIONALLY RECEIVED A GROUP RELAXATION TRAINING SESSIONS ACCORDING TO THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE((R)) SYSTEM. AT DISCHARGE, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS ISSUED WITH AUDIOCASSETTE RECORDINGS CONTAINING SIMILAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR RELAXATION TRAINING TO BE PRACTICED INDIVIDUALLY AT HOME FOR AN ADDITIONAL 3 WEEKS. OUTCOME MEASURES: OUTCOME MEASURES WERE OBTAINED BY BLINDED INVESTIGATORS (PHYSIOTHERAPISTS) USING STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES (ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE) AT BASELINE (AFTER THE SURGERY); AT 1 WEEK (1 WEEK POSTATTENDANCE; AT DISCHARGE); AND AT 4 WEEKS (4 WEEKS POSTATTENDANCE); PRIOR THE COMMENCEMENT OF RADIATION. RESULTS: ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE SHOWED THAT THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP IN ALL MEASURING SELF-ESTEEM SCORES OVER THE STUDY PERIOD (P<0.0005). AT THE SAME TIME, THE CONTROL GROUP'S SCORES REMAINED UNCHANGED OVER THE STUDY PERIOD (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE SYSTEM COULD BE A USEFUL CLINICAL PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE BREAST CANCER AND WHO ARE EXPERIENCING LOW SELF-ESTEEM. ALTHOUGH THIS KIND OF RELAXATION TRAINING CAN BE APPLIED TO CLINICAL ONCOLOGY IN SLOVENIA, MORE STUDIES NEED TO BE DONE. 2011 8 964 62 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON MOOD STATES, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND TOXICITY IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS RECEIVING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. AIMS: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PROGRAM WITH SUPPORTIVE THERAPY COUNSELING ON MOOD STATES, TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS, TOXICITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER PATIENTS ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. METHODS: NINETY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERWENT SURGERY FOLLOWED BY ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY (RT) OR CHEMOTHERAPY (CT) OR BOTH AT A CANCER CENTER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 45) AND SUPPORTIVE THERAPY COUNSELING (N = 53) OVER A 24-WEEK PERIOD. INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 60-MIN YOGA SESSIONS, DAILY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS IMPARTED SUPPORTIVE THERAPY DURING THEIR HOSPITAL VISITS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, BECK'S DEPRESSION INVENTORY, SYMPTOM CHECKLIST, COMMON TOXICITY CRITERIA, AND FUNCTIONAL LIVING INDEX-CANCER. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE, AFTER SURGERY, BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER RT AND SIX CYCLES OF CT. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS HAD SIMILAR BASELINE SCORES. THERE WERE 29 DROPOUTS 12 (YOGA) AND 17 (CONTROLS) FOLLOWING SURGERY. SIXTY-NINE PARTICIPANTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE CURRENT ANALYSIS (33 IN YOGA, AND 36 IN CONTROLS). AN ANCOVA, ADJUSTING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES, SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE FOR THE YOGA INTERVENTION AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP DURING RT (FIRST RESULT) AND CT (SECOND RESULT), IN (I) ANXIETY STATE BY 4.72 AND 7.7 POINTS, (II) DEPRESSION BY 5.74 AND 7.25 POINTS, (III) TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS BY 2.34 AND 2.97 POINTS, (IV) SEVERITY OF SYMPTOMS BY 6.43 AND 8.83 POINTS, (V) DISTRESS BY 7.19 AND 13.11 POINTS, AND (VI) AND IMPROVED OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE BY 23.9 AND 31.2 POINTS AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. TOXICITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.01) DURING CT. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST A POSSIBLE USE FOR YOGA AS A PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. 2017 9 1798 33 PREOPERATIVE REHABILITATION IN LUNG CANCER PATIENTS: YOGA APPROACH. LUNG CANCER IS ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF CANCER DEATH WORLDWIDE. SURGICAL REMOVAL REMAINS THE BEST OPTION FOR MOST TUMORS OF THIS TYPE. REDUCTION OF CIGARETTE CONSUMPTION IN PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER CANDIDATES FOR THE SURGERY COULD LIMIT THE IMPACT OF TOBACCO ON POSTSURGICAL OUTCOMES. BREATHING EXERCISES APPEAR TO HELP COMBAT CIGARETTE CRAVINGS. YOGA EXERCISE BENEFITS HAVE BEEN STUDIED IN LUNG CANCER SURVIVORS, RATHER THAN IN THE PREOPERATIVE SETTING. IN THIS STUDY, WE HAVE RECRUITED 32 ACTIVE SMOKERS AFFECTED BY LUNG CANCER AND BEING CANDIDATES FOR PULMONARY SURGERY. THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS: ONE TREATED BY STANDARD BREATHING AND THE OTHER TREATED BY YOGA BREATHING (YB). THE GROUPS WERE EVALUATED AT TIMES T0 (BASELINE) AND T1 (AFTER 7 DAYS OF TREATMENT) TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF THE TWO BREATHING TREATMENTS ON PULMONARY PERFORMANCE IN A PRESURGERY SETTING. PULMONARY AND CARDIOCIRCULATORY FUNCTIONS HAVE BEEN TESTED USING A SELF-CALIBRATING COMPUTERIZED SPIROMETER AND A PORTABLE PULSE OXIMETRY DEVICE. THE FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE APPRECIABLE SHORT-TERM IMPROVEMENT IN LUNG FUNCTION ASSESSED BY SPIROMETRY. WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA BREATHING CAN BE A BENEFICIAL PREOPERATIVE SUPPORT FOR THORACIC SURGERY. 2018 10 1384 39 IMPACT OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO YOGA IN DAILY LIFE(R) SYSTEM ON PERCEIVED STRESS AFTER BREAST CANCER SURGERY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE IMMEDIATE AND SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO YOGA IN DAILY LIFE((R)) (YIDL) SYSTEM ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 32 PATIENTS AT THE INSTITUTE FOR ONCOLOGY OF LJUBLJANA WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL (N=16) AND TO THE CONTROL GROUP (N=16). BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED THE SAME STANDARD PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR 1 WEEK, WHILE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ADDITIONALLY RECEIVED A GROUP RELAXATION TRAINING SESSIONS ACCORDING TO YIDL((R)) SYSTEM. AT DISCHARGE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS ISSUED WITH AUDIOCASSETTE RECORDINGS CONTAINING THE SIMILAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR RELAXATION TRAINING TO BE PRACTICED INDIVIDUALLY AT HOME (FOR FURTHER 3 WEEKS). AN EXPERIMENTAL REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN WAS USED TO INVESTIGATE THE DIFFERENCES OVER 1 MONTH PERIOD IN STRESS LEVELS, CHANGES IN MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. MEASURES WERE OBTAINED AT THREE TIME POINTS DURING THE STUDY PERIOD: BASELINE, AT 1 WEEK, AND AT 4 WEEKS, BY BLINDED INVESTIGATORS USING STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE-12 (GHQ-12), ROTTERDAM SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (RSCL) PSYCHOLOGICAL SUBSCALE, PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS). PATIENTS WHO RECEIVED RELAXATION TRAINING REPORTED FEELING SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DISTRESSED DURING HOSPITALIZATION AND AFTER DISCHARGE-PERIOD THAN DID THE CONTROLS THAT DID NOT RECEIVE RELAXATION TRAINING. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO YOGA IN DAILY LIFE((R)) SYSTEM COULD BE USEFUL CLINICAL PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS EXPERIENCING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. ALTHOUGH THIS KIND OF RELAXATION TRAINING CAN BE APPLIED TO CLINICAL ONCOLOGY IN SLOVENIA, MORE STUDIES NEED TO BE DONE. 2011 11 511 38 COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPY AND ADDITIONAL YOGASANAS FOR KNEE REHABILITATION AFTER TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY. BACKGROUND: AMONGST VARIOUS MODALITIES OF POST OPERATIVE REHABILITATION IN A TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT (TKR) SURGERY, THIS STUDY FOCUSES ON EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF ADDITIONAL YOGA THERAPY ON FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF TKR PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WAS DONE TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF CONVENTIONAL PHYSIOTHERAPY AND ADDITIONAL YOGA ASANAS, ON 56 PATIENTS UNDERGOING TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY DUE TO OSTEOARTHRITIS. AFTER OBTAINING WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT, THE PATIENTS WERE ALTERNATELY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS: CONVENTIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL. BASELINE WOMAC SCORES FOR PAIN AND STIFFNESS WERE TAKEN ON THIRD POST OPERATIVE DAY. THE SUBJECTS IN CONVENTIONAL GROUP RECEIVED PHYSIOTHERAPY REHABILITATION PROGRAM OF SANCHETI INSTITUTE WHERE THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVED ADDITIONAL MODIFIED YOGA ASANAS ONCE DAILY BY THE THERAPIST. AFTER DISCHARGE FROM THE HOSPITAL, PATIENTS WERE PROVIDED WITH WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ASANAS, TWO SETS OF WOMAC QUESTIONNAIRE WITH STAMPED AND ADDRESSED ENVELOPES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PERFORM YOGA ASANAS 3 DAYS/WEEK. SUBJECTS FILLED THE QUESTIONNAIRE AFTER 6 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS FROM THE DAY OF SURGERY AND MAILED BACK. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS WOMAC QUESTIONNAIRE WHICH CONSISTS OF 24 QUESTIONS, EACH CORRESPONDING TO A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, DESIGNED TO MEASURE PATIENT'S PERCEPTION OF PAIN, STIFFNESS AND FUNCTION. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE (P<0.05) FOR ALL THE GROUPS FOR PAIN, STIFFNESS AND FUNCTION SUBSCALES OF WOMAC SCALE. THE PAIN AND STIFFNESS WAS FOUND TO BE LESS IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP RECEIVING ADDITIONAL YOGA THERAPY THAN IN CONVENTIONAL GROUP ON 3(RD) POST OPERATIVE DAY, 6 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE SURGERY. CONCLUSION: A COMBINATION OF PHYSIOTHERAPY AND YOGA ASANA PROTOCOL WORKS BETTER THAN ONLY PHYSIOTHERAPY PROTOCOL. LARGER AND BLINDED STUDY IS NEEDED. 2012 12 1087 54 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY COMPARES THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WITH BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY ON DISTRESSFUL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EIGHTY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 44) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N = 44) PRIOR TO THEIR RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA SESSIONS LASTING 60 MIN DAILY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS IMPARTED SUPPORTIVE THERAPY ONCE IN 10 DAYS DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED ROTTERDAM SYMPTOM CHECK LIST AND EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR RESEARCH IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER-QUALITY OF LIFE (EORTC QOL C30) SYMPTOM SCALE. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. RESULTS: A GLM REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS (P = 0.01), FATIGUE (P = 0.007), INSOMNIA (P = 0.001), AND APPETITE LOSS (P = 0.002) OVER TIME IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE ACTIVITY LEVEL (P = 0.02) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND FATIGUE, NAUSEA AND VOMITING, PAIN, DYSPNEA, INSOMNIA, APPETITE LOSS, AND CONSTIPATION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE ACTIVITY LEVEL AND FATIGUE, NAUSEA AND VOMITING, PAIN, DYSPNEA, INSOMNIA, AND APPETITE LOSS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST BENEFICIAL EFFECTS WITH YOGA INTERVENTION IN MANAGING CANCER-AND TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 2009 13 1904 43 RETARDATION OF CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS WITH YOGA LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS POTENTIAL FOR BENEFIT FOR PATIENTS WITH CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE THOUGH OBJECTIVE, ANGIOGRAPHIC STUDIES ARE LACKING. MATERIAL AND METHODS: WE EVALUATED POSSIBLE ROLE OF LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION INCORPORATING YOGA, ON RETARDATION OF CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROTIC DISEASE. IN THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL, 42 MEN WITH ANGIOGRAPHICALLY PROVEN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD) WERE RANDOMIZED TO CONTROL (N = 21) AND YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 21) AND WERE FOLLOWED FOR ONE YEAR. THE ACTIVE GROUP WAS TREATED WITH A USER-FRIENDLY PROGRAM CONSISTING OF YOGA, CONTROL OF RISK FACTORS, DIET CONTROL AND MODERATE AEROBIC EXERCISE. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS MANAGED BY CONVENTIONAL METHODS I.E. RISK FACTOR CONTROL AND AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION STEP I DIET. RESULTS: AT ONE YEAR, THE YOGA GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN NUMBER OF ANGINAL EPISODES PER WEEK, IMPROVED EXERCISE CAPACITY AND DECREASE IN BODY WEIGHT. SERUM TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, LDL CHOLESTEROL AND TRIGLYCERIDE LEVELS ALSO SHOWED GREATER REDUCTIONS AS COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP. REVASCULARISATION PROCEDURES (CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY OR BYPASS SURGERY) WERE LESS FREQUENTLY REQUIRED IN THE YOGA GROUP (ONE VERSUS EIGHT PATIENTS; RELATIVE RISK = 5.45; P = 0.01). CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY REPEATED AT ONE YEAR SHOWED THAT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LESIONS REGRESSED (20% VERSUS 2%) AND LESS LESIONS PROGRESSED (5% VERSUS 37%) IN THE YOGA GROUP (CHI-SQUARE = 24.9; P < 0.0001). THE COMPLIANCE TO THE TOTAL PROGRAM WAS EXCELLENT AND NO SIDE EFFECTS WERE OBSERVED. CONCLUSION: YOGA LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION RETARDS PROGRESSION AND INCREASES REGRESSION OF CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE. IT ALSO IMPROVES SYMPTOMATIC STATUS, FUNCTIONAL CLASS AND RISK FACTOR PROFILE. 2000 14 975 44 EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAMME ON CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED NAUSEA AND EMESIS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAMME ON CHEMOTHERAPY-RELATED NAUSEA AND EMESIS IN EARLY OPERABLE BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS. SIXTY-TWO SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 28) OR SUPPORTIVE THERAPY INTERVENTION (N = 34) DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR CHEMOTHERAPY. BOTH GROUPS HAD SIMILAR SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND MEDICAL CHARACTERISTICS. INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF BOTH SUPERVISED AND HOME PRACTICE OF YOGA SESSIONS LASTING FOR 60 MIN DAILY, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED SUPPORTIVE THERAPY AND COPING PREPARATION DURING THEIR HOSPITAL VISITS OVER A COMPLETE COURSE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE MORROW ASSESSMENT OF NAUSEA AND EMESIS (MANE) ASSESSED AFTER THE FOURTH CYCLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED MEASURES FOR ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, QUALITY OF LIFE, DISTRESSFUL SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT-RELATED TOXICITY ASSESSED BEFORE AND DURING THE COURSE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. FOLLOWING YOGA, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN POST-CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED NAUSEA FREQUENCY (P = 0.01) AND NAUSEA INTENSITY (P = 0.01), AND INTENSITY OF ANTICIPATORY NAUSEA (P = 0.01) AND ANTICIPATORY VOMITING (P = 0.05) AS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN MANE SCORES AND ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND DISTRESSFUL SYMPTOMS. IN CONCLUSION, THE RESULTS SUGGEST A POSSIBLE USE FOR STRESS REDUCTION INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS YOGA IN COMPLEMENTING CONVENTIONAL ANTIEMETICS TO MANAGE CHEMOTHERAPY-RELATED NAUSEA AND EMESIS. 2007 15 2602 37 YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH EARLY BREAST CANCER AND ITS IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE - A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE AIM OF THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS WITH EARLY BREAST CANCER IN THE IMMEDIATE POSTOPERATIVE PHASE. 93 WOMEN NEWLY DIAGNOSED WITH EARLY BREAST CANCER WERE RANDOMIZED INTO AN INTERVENTION GROUP (IG) AND A CONTROL GROUP (WAITING GROUP, WG). THE IG STARTED YOGA IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE OPERATION. THE WG STARTED YOGA 5 WEEKS AFTER SURGERY. BOTH GROUPS ATTENDED YOGA CLASSES TWICE WEEKLY FOR 5 WEEKS. QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) WAS EVALUATED USING THE EORTC QLQ-C30 AND EORTC QLQ-BR23 QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE THE INTERVENTION, IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE OPERATION AND AFTER 3 MONTHS. AFTER 3 MONTHS THE PATIENTS WERE ASKED WHETHER YOGA IMPROVED THEIR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND WHETHER THEY WISHED TO CONTINUE WITH YOGA. THE OVERALL QOL (P = 0.002) AND THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS (P = 0.005) INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE IG, WHILE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS DECREASED OVER TIME IN BOTH GROUPS. 86 % OF PATIENTS IN THE IG AND ONLY 59 % OF PATIENTS IN THE WG (P = 0.04) CONFIRMED A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THEIR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THROUGH YOGA. MORE WOMEN IN THE IG INTENDED TO CONTINUE WITH YOGA (P = 0.03). EARLY INITIATION OF YOGA AS A SUPPORTIVE TREATMENT IN CANCER HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON QOL. TEACHING YOGA ALLOWED PATIENTS TO PRACTICE YOGA BY THEMSELVES, ENHANCED THE PATIENTS' QOL AND WAS FOUND TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 2013 16 962 46 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON CORTISOL RHYTHM AND MOOD STATES IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES. THIS STUDY COMPARES THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WITH BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY AT A CANCER CENTER. METHODS: EIGHTY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS ARE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 44) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N = 44) PRIOR TO RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS 3 DAYS BEFORE AND AFTER RADIOTHERAPY AND SELF-RATINGS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND STRESS COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. RESULTS: ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE REVEALS SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN ANXIETY (P < .001), DEPRESSION (P = .002), PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .001), 6 A.M. SALIVARY CORTISOL (P = .009), AND POOLED MEAN CORTISOL (P = .03) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN MORNING SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVEL AND ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. CONCLUSION: YOGA MIGHT HAVE A ROLE IN MANAGING SELF-REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND MODULATING CIRCADIAN PATTERNS OF STRESS HORMONES IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY. 2009 17 1383 29 IMPACT OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE(R) SYSTEM ON ANXIETY AFTER BREAST CANCER SURGERY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE IMMEDIATE AND SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE(R) (YIDL(R)) SYSTEM ON ANXIETY OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THE YIDL(R) SYSTEM IS A HOLISTIC SYSTEM BEING PRACTISED AND TAUGHT WORLDWIDE AND HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF VARIOUS DISEASES. THE SYSTEM AIMS TO ESTABLISH PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SPIRITUAL, AND SOCIAL HEALTH. THIRTY-TWO PATIENTS AT THE INSTITUTE FOR ONCOLOGY LJUBLJANA WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL (N=16) AND TO THE CONTROL GROUPS (N=16). BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED THE SAME STANDARD PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR 1 WEEK, WHILE THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ADDITIONALLY RECEIVED 1-HOUR GROUP RELAXATION TRAINING SESSION ACCORDING TO THE YIDL(R) SYSTEM PER DAY. AT DISCHARGE, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS ISSUED WITH AUDIOCASSETTE RECORDINGS CONTAINING SIMILAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR RELAXATION TRAINING TO BE PRACTICED FOR 3 WEEKS INDIVIDUALLY AT HOME. ANXIETY MEASURES WERE OBTAINED BY BLINDED ASSESSORS USING STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT RELAXATION TRAINING ACCORDING TO THE YIDL(R) SYSTEM COULD BE A USEFUL CLINICAL PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS EXPERIENCING ANXIETY. 2013 18 1821 35 PROTOCOL FOR TESTING YOGA TO REDUCE POST-LUMBAR SPINE SURGERY PAIN: A METHODOLOGY ARTICLE. CURRENTLY, ACUTE POSTOPERATIVE PAIN DURING HOSPITALIZATION IS PRIMARILY MANAGED BY MEDICATIONS, AND PATIENTS MUST ADHERE TO RESTRICTIVE POSTOPERATIVE PRECAUTIONS FOR 3 MONTHS FOLLOWING LUMBAR SPINE SURGERIES. YOGA CAN BE AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO ASSIST IN ACUTE AND SUBACUTE POSTOPERATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT, ANXIETY, AND RETURN TO FUNCTION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT WORK WAS TO DEVELOP AND TEST THE FEASIBILITY AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM, DELIVERED IN-PERSON DURING THE HOSPITAL STAY AND ELECTRONICALLY AFTER HOSPITAL DISCHARGE, AS A POTENTIAL NEW AVENUE FOR POSTOPERATIVE CARE. THIS PILOT STUDY WILL USE A CROSSOVER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DESIGN. INDIVIDUALS AGED BETWEEN 40 AND 80 YEARS WHO ARE SCHEDULED FOR LUMBAR LAMINECTOMY AND/OR FUSION, AND WHO HAVE NOT PRACTICED REGULAR YOGA WITHIN THE PAST 6 MONTHS AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT, WILL BE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM (INTERVENTION GROUP) OR USUAL CARE (CONTROL GROUP) DURING THE HOSPITAL STAY (PHASE ONE). BEARING IN MIND POSTOPERATIVE PRECAUTIONS, ALL SUBJECTS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO PERFORM A HOME-BASED TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM DELIVERED ELECTRONICALLY VIA YOUTUBE LINKS FOR 8 WEEKS POST-HOSPITAL DISCHARGE (PHASE TWO). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES ASSESSING FEASIBILITY ARE ADHERENCE/COMPLIANCE. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDE PAIN, ANXIETY, FUNCTION, SLEEP, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PAIN-CATASTROPHIZING BEHAVIOR. LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY AND PAIN MEDICATION USE, GAIT DISTANCE, AND OVERALL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING HOSPITALIZATION WILL ALSO BE COLLECTED. FINALLY, A QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW WILL BE OBTAINED AFTER COMPLETION OF THE HOSPITAL AND HOME-BASED PROGRAMS. THIS STUDY WILL DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM FOR ACUTE AND SUBACUTE POSTOPERATIVE LUMBAR SPINE SURGERY PAIN, ANXIETY, AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES. 2021 19 733 44 EFFECT OF MULA BANDHA YOGA IN MILD GRADE PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE IS THE GROWING HEALTH ISSUE RELATED TO WOMEN OF THE REPRODUCTIVE AND POSTMENOPAUSAL AGE GROUP IN INDIA AND ACROSS THE GLOBE. TREATMENT OPTION FOR PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE INCLUDES BOTH SURGICAL AND NON-SURGICAL INTERVENTION. THE DEVELOPMENT OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE IS AN INDICATION FOR MAJOR SURGERY AMONG 20% OF ALL WOMEN. NEVERTHELESS, THE RECURRENCE OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE IS DETECTED AMONG 58% OF THE PATIENT AFTER SURGERY. THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR REDUCING THE IMPACT OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 3 MONTHS YOGA THERAPY IN FEMALE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM MILD PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 50 PARTICIPANTS WERE ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS (25 IN EACH GROUP) BY GENERATING RANDOM ALLOCATION SEQUENCE. WOMEN AGED 20-60 WITH SYMPTOMATIC MILD PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED MULABANDHA YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH OTHER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT MODALITIES, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS ONLY ON CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. ALL PARTICIPANTS GAVE WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT. AN ASSESSMENT WAS DONE BY IMPROVEMENT IN CHIEF COMPLAINTS AND PELVIC FLOOR DISTRESS INVENTORY-20 (PFDI-20) & PELVIC FLOOR IMPACT QUESTIONNAIRE-7 (PFIQ-7) AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 4, 8 & 12 WEEKS. RESULTS AT THE END OF 12 WEEKS, POST-STUDY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CHIEF COMPLAINTS LIKE PERENNIAL PAIN, P/V DISCHARGE, PERINEAL MUSCLE LAXITY AND FEELING OF SOMETHING COMING OUT P/V (P < 0.001). PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA GROUP IMPROVED BY (ON AVERAGE) 5.7 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 3.1 TO 14.7) POINTS MORE ON THE PFDI-20 THAN DID PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.1) AND A MEAN SCORE OF PFIQ-7 WAS ALSO IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH MULABANDHA (ROOT LOCK) YOGA THERAPY LED TO A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN PFDI-20 & PFIQ-7 SCORES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GROUPS WAS BELOW THE PRESUMED LEVEL OF CLINICAL RELEVANCE (15 POINTS). MORE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS RELATED TO THE SUCCESS OF MULABANDHA (ROOT LOCK) YOGA THERAPY AND TO INVESTIGATE LONG-TERM EFFECTS. 2018 20 851 54 EFFECT OF YOGA ON SLEEP QUALITY AND NEUROENDOCRINE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT DISTRESS AND ACCOMPANYING NEUROENDOCRINE STRESS RESPONSES AS IMPORTANT PREDICTOR OF SURVIVAL IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. SOME PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION STUDIES HAVE SHOWN HAVE MODULATION OF NEUROENDOCRINE-IMMUNE RESPONSES IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. IN THIS STUDY, WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PERCEIVED STRESS, SLEEP, DIURNAL CORTISOL, AND NATURAL KILLER (NK) CELL COUNTS IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC CANCER. METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, 91 PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER WHO SATISFIED SELECTION CRITERIA AND CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE "INTEGRATED YOGA BASED STRESS REDUCTION PROGRAM" (N = 45) OR STANDARD "EDUCATION AND SUPPORTIVE THERAPY SESSIONS" (N = 46) OVER A 3 MONTH PERIOD. PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENTS FOR SLEEP QUALITY WERE DONE BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. BLOOD DRAWS FOR NK CELL COUNTS WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING THE ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE ON POSTMEASURES USING RESPECTIVE BASELINE MEASURE AS A COVARIATE. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN SCALES OF SYMPTOM DISTRESS (P < 0.001), SLEEP PARAMETERS (P = 0.02), AND IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF SLEEP (P = 0.001) AND INSOMNIA RATING SCALE SLEEP SCORE (P = 0.001) FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN MORNING WAKING CORTISOL IN YOGA GROUP (P = 0.003) ALONE FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN NK CELL PERCENT (P = 0.03) FOLLOWING INTERVENTION IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST MODULATION OF NEUROENDOCRINE RESPONSES AND IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED BREAST CANCER FOLLOWING YOGA INTERVENTION. 2017