1 1133 136 EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMS TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN ALLEVIATING VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS (VMS) FREQUENCY AND BOTHER. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS A THREE-BY-TWO FACTORIAL, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. ELIGIBLE WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 107), EXERCISE (N = 106), OR USUAL ACTIVITY (N = 142), AND WERE SIMULTANEOUSLY RANDOMIZED TO A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARISON OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID (N = 177) OR PLACEBO (N = 178) CAPSULES. YOGA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 12 WEEKLY 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES WITH DAILY HOME PRACTICE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE VMS FREQUENCY AND BOTHER ASSESSED BY DAILY DIARIES AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX) AT BASELINE AND 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: AMONG 249 RANDOMIZED WOMEN, 237 (95%) COMPLETED 12-WEEK ASSESSMENTS. THE MEAN BASELINE VMS FREQUENCY WAS 7.4 PER DAY (95% CI, 6.6 TO 8.1) IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 8.0 PER DAY (95% CI, 7.3 TO 8.7) IN THE USUAL ACTIVITY GROUP. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES INCLUDED ALL PARTICIPANTS WITH RESPONSE DATA (N = 237). THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTERVENTION GROUPS IN THE CHANGE IN VMS FREQUENCY FROM BASELINE TO 6 AND 12 WEEKS (MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA--USUAL ACTIVITY] FROM BASELINE AT 6 WK, -0.3 [95% CI, -1.1 TO 0.5]; MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA--USUAL ACTIVITY] FROM BASELINE AT 12 WK, -0.3 [95% CI, -1.2 TO 0.6]; P = 0.119 ACROSS BOTH TIME POINTS). RESULTS WERE SIMILAR FOR VMS BOTHER. AT WEEK 12, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPROVEMENT IN INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS (MEAN DIFFERENCE [YOGA - USUAL ACTIVITY] IN THE CHANGE IN INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX, 1.3 [95% CI, -2.5 TO -0.1]; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: AMONG HEALTHY WOMEN, 12 WEEKS OF YOGA CLASS PLUS HOME PRACTICE, COMPARED WITH USUAL ACTIVITY, DO NOT IMPROVE VMS FREQUENCY OR BOTHER BUT REDUCE INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS. 2014 2 1434 38 IMPROVING VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS; PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS; AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PERI- OR POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN THROUGH YOGA: AN UMBRELLA SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS (VMS), COMMONLY REPORTED DURING MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION, NEGATIVELY AFFECT PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). WHILE HORMONE THERAPY IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT, ITS USE IS LIMITED BY CONCERNS ABOUT POSSIBLE HARMS. THUS, MANY WOMEN WITH VMS SEEK NONHORMONAL, NONPHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT OPTIONS. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE TO GUIDE CLINICAL RECOMMENDATIONS IS INCONCLUSIVE. THIS STUDY REVIEWED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA, TAI CHI AND QIGONG ON VASOMOTOR, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND HRQOL IN PERI- OR POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. DESIGN: MEDLINE, COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS, EMBASE, CINAHL AND THE ALLIED AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE DATABASE WERE SEARCHED. RESEARCHERS IDENTIFIED SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS (SR) OR RCTS THAT EVALUATED YOGA, TAI CHI, OR QIGONG FOR VASOMOTOR, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN PERI- OR POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. DATA WERE ABSTRACTED ON STUDY DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES. RISK OF BIAS (ROB) WAS ASSESSED AND UPDATED META-ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED. RESULTS: WE IDENTIFIED ONE HIGH-QUALITY SR (5 RCTS, 582 PARTICIPANTS) AND 3 NEW RCTS (345 PARTICIPANTS) PUBLISHED AFTER THE SR EVALUATING YOGA FOR VASOMOTOR, PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, AND HRQOL; NO STUDIES EVALUATED TAI CHI OR QIGONG. UPDATED META-ANALYSES INDICATE THAT, COMPARED TO CONTROLS, YOGA REDUCED VMS (5 TRIALS, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) -0.27, 95% CI -0.49 TO -0.05) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS (6 TRIALS, SDM -0.32; 95% CI -0.47 TO -0.17). EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE WERE REPORTED INFREQUENTLY. KEY LIMITATIONS ARE THAT ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE RARELY REPORTED AND OUTCOME MEASURES LACKED STANDARDIZATION. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS FROM THIS META-ANALYSIS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY BE A USEFUL THERAPY TO MANAGE BOTHERSOME VASOMOTOR AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. 2017 3 1602 71 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 4 2591 33 YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS-A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. METHODS: MEDLINE (VIA PUBMED), THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, AND SCOPUS WERE SCREENED THROUGH TO FEBRUARY 21, 2017 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS TO THOSE OF NO TREATMENT OR ACTIVE COMPARATORS. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED RISK OF BIAS USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. RESULTS: THIRTEEN RCTS WITH 1306 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. COMPARED WITH NO TREATMENT, YOGA REDUCED TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (SMD=-1.05; 95% CI -1.57 TO -0.53), PSYCHOLOGICAL (SMD=-0.75; 95% CI -1.17 TO -0.34), SOMATIC (SMD=-0.65; 95% CI -1.05 TO -0.25), VASOMOTOR (SMD=-0.76; 95% CI -1.27 TO -0.25), AND UROGENITAL SYMPTOMS (SMD=-0.53; 95% CI -0.81 TO -0.25). COMPARED WITH EXERCISE CONTROLS, ONLY AN EFFECT ON VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS WAS FOUND (SMD=-0.45; 95% CI -0.87 TO -0.04). EFFECTS WERE ROBUST AGAINST SELECTION BIAS, BUT NOT AGAINST DETECTION AND ATTRITION BIAS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSION: YOGA SEEMS TO BE EFFECTIVE AND SAFE FOR REDUCING MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. EFFECTS ARE COMPARABLE TO THOSE OF OTHER EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS. 2018 5 923 39 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVES. TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. METHODS. MEDLINE, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, AND PSYCINFO WERE SCREENED THROUGH APRIL 2012. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE INCLUDED IF THEY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MAJOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, NAMELY, (1) PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, (2) SOMATIC SYMPTOMS, (3) VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, AND/OR (4) UROGENITAL SYMPTOMS. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMDS) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED. TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED RISK OF BIAS USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL RECOMMENDED BY THE COCHRANE BACK REVIEW GROUP. RESULTS. FIVE RCTS WITH 582 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE QUALITATIVE REVIEW, AND 4 RCTS WITH 545 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS. THERE WAS MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.37; 95% CI -0.67 TO -0.07; P = 0.02). NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, SOMATIC SYMPTOMS, VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, OR UROGENITAL SYMPTOMS. YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. CONCLUSION. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. WHILE MORE RIGOROUS RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO UNDERPIN THESE RESULTS, YOGA CAN BE PRELIMINARILY RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL INTERVENTION FOR WOMEN WHO SUFFER FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPLAINTS ASSOCIATED WITH MENOPAUSE. 2012 6 2634 38 YOGA FOR TREATING LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. ABSTRACT: YOGA IS FREQUENTLY USED FOR BACK PAIN RELIEF. HOWEVER, THE EVIDENCE WAS JUDGED TO BE OF ONLY LOW TO MODERATE CERTAINTY. TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN, A META-ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. THEREFORE, MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED TO MAY 26, 2020. ONLY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA WITH PASSIVE CONTROL (USUAL CARE OR WAIT LIST), OR AN ACTIVE COMPARATOR, FOR PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN AND THAT ASSESSED PAIN INTENSITY OR PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY AS A PRIMARY OUTCOME WERE CONSIDERED TO BE ELIGIBLE. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY EXTRACTED DATA ON STUDY CHARACTERISTICS, OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS AT SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. THIRTY ARTICLES ON 27 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (2702 PARTICIPANTS IN TOTAL) PROVED ELIGIBLE FOR REVIEW. COMPARED WITH PASSIVE CONTROL, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SHORT-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN INTENSITY (15 RCTS; MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD] = -0.74 POINTS ON A NUMERIC RATING SCALE; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = -1.04 TO -0.44; STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE [SMD] = -0.37 95% CI = -0.52 TO -0.22), PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY (15 RCTS; MD = -2.28; 95% CI = -3.30 TO -1.26; SMD = -0.38 95% CI = -0.55 TO -0.21), MENTAL HEALTH (7 RCTS; MD = 1.70; 95% CI = 0.20-3.20; SMD = 0.17 95% CI = 0.02-0.32), AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING (9 RCTS; MD = 2.80; 95% CI = 1.00-4.70; SMD = 0.28 95% CI = 0.10-0.47). EXCEPT FOR MENTAL HEALTH, ALL EFFECTS WERE SUSTAINED LONG-TERM. COMPARED WITH AN ACTIVE COMPARATOR, YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. 2022 7 2614 38 YOGA FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, QUALITY OF LIFE, FUNCTION, AND HOSPITALIZATION IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, PSYCINFO, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH AUGUST 2012. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE OR NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS WERE ANALYZED WHEN THEY ASSESSED SYMPTOMS OR QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SOCIAL FUNCTION, HOSPITALIZATION, AND SAFETY WERE DEFINED AS SECONDARY OUTCOMES. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL RECOMMENDED BY THE COCHRANE BACK REVIEW GROUP. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: FIVE RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 337 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED; 2 RCTS HAD LOW RISK OF BIAS. TWO RCTS COMPARED YOGA TO USUAL CARE; 1 RCT COMPARED YOGA TO EXERCISE; AND 2 3-ARM RCTS COMPARED YOGA TO USUAL CARE AND EXERCISE. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL CARE ON POSITIVE SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.58; 95% CI -1.52 TO 0.37; P = 0.23), OR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.59; 95% CI -1.87 TO 0.69; P = 0.36). MODERATE EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED TO USUAL CARE (SMD = 2.28; 95% CI 0.42 TO 4.14; P = 0.02). THESE EFFECTS WERE ONLY PRESENT IN STUDIES WITH HIGH RISK OF BIAS. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON SOCIAL FUNCTION (SMD = 1.20; 95% CI -0.78 TO 3.18; P = 0.23). COMPARING YOGA TO EXERCISE, NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON POSITIVE SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.35; 95% CI -0.75 TO 0.05; P = 0.09), NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SMD = -0.28; 95% CI -1.42 TO 0.86; P = 0.63), QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD = 0.17; 95% CI -0.27 TO 0.61; P = 0.45), OR SOCIAL FUNCTION (SMD = 0.20; 95% CI -0.27 TO 0.67; P = 0.41). ONLY 1 RCT REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND ONLY MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE. AS THESE EFFECTS WERE NOT CLEARLY DISTINGUISHABLE FROM BIAS AND SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTION WAS UNCLEAR, NO RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE REGARDING YOGA AS A ROUTINE INTERVENTION FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. 2013 8 1054 34 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN RELIEVING CHRONIC NECK PAIN. METHODS: PUBMED/MEDLINE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, SCOPUS, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH JANUARY 2017 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ASSESSING NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND/OR NECK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN PATIENTS. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED QUALITY OF LIFE, MOOD, AND SAFETY. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: THREE STUDIES ON 188 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NON-SPECIFIC NECK PAIN COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE WERE INCLUDED. TWO STUDIES HAD OVERALL LOW RISK OF BIAS; AND ONE HAD HIGH OR UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS FOR SEVERAL DOMAINS. EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS WAS FOUND FOR NECK PAIN INTENSITY (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = -1.28; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) = -1.18, -0.75; P < 0.001), NECK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY (SMD = -0.97; 95% CI = -1.44, -0.50; P < 0.001), QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.197; P = 0.005), AND MOOD (SMD = -1.02; 95% CI = -1.38, -0.65; P < 0.001). EFFECTS WERE ROBUST AGAINST POTENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL BIAS AND DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN DIFFERENT INTERVENTION SUBGROUPS. IN THE TWO STUDIES THAT INCLUDED SAFETY DATA, NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSION: YOGA HAS SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN, ITS RELATED DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND MOOD SUGGESTING THAT YOGA MIGHT BE A GOOD TREATMENT OPTION. 2017 9 2544 41 YOGA FOR ASTHMA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH YOGA IS FREQUENTLY USED BY PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA, ITS EFFICACY IN ALLEVIATING ASTHMA REMAINS UNCLEAR. OBJECTIVE: TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE AVAILABLE DATA ON EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA IN ALLEVIATING ASTHMA. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, PSYCINFO, CAM-QUEST, CAMBASE, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JANUARY 2014. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA WERE INCLUDED IF THEY ASSESSED ASTHMA CONTROL, SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND/OR PULMONARY FUNCTION. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMDS) OR RISK RATIOS (RRS) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: FOURTEEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH 824 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE WAS FOUND FOR ASTHMA CONTROL (RR, 10.64; 95% CI, 1.98 TO 57.19; P = .006), ASTHMA SYMPTOMS (SMD, -0.37; 95% CI, -0.55 TO -0.19; P < .001), QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.39 TO 1.33; P < .001), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (SMD, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.32 TO 0.67; P < .001), AND RATIO OF FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND TO FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (SMD, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.24 TO 0.75; P < .001); EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS WAS FOUND FOR QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.22 TO 0.99; P = .002) AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (SMD, 2.87; 95% CI, 0.14 TO 5.60; P = .04). NO EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH SHAM YOGA OR BREATHING EXERCISES WAS REVEALED. NO EFFECT WAS ROBUST AGAINST ALL POTENTIAL SOURCES OF BIAS. YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. CONCLUSION: YOGA CANNOT BE CONSIDERED A ROUTINE INTERVENTION FOR ASTHMATIC PATIENTS AT THIS POINT. IT CAN BE CONSIDERED AN ANCILLARY INTERVENTION OR AN ALTERNATIVE TO BREATHING EXERCISES FOR ASTHMA PATIENTS INTERESTED IN COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTIONS. 2014 10 222 35 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: MEDLINE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, CAMBASE, AND PSYCINFO, WERE SCREENED THROUGH JANUARY 2012. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA TO CONTROL CONDITIONS IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE INCLUDED. TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED RISK OF BIAS USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL RECOMMENDED BY THE COCHRANE BACK REVIEW GROUP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE PAIN, BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY, GENERIC DISABILITY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: TEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A TOTAL OF 967 CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. EIGHT STUDIES HAD LOW RISK OF BIAS. THERE WAS STRONG EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON PAIN (SMD=-0.48; 95% CI, -0.65 TO -0.31; P<0.01), BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY (SMD=-0.59; 95% CI, -0.87 TO -0.30; P<0.01), AND GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT (RISK RATIO=3.27; 95% CI, 1.89-5.66; P<0.01). THERE WAS STRONG EVIDENCE FOR A LONG-TERM EFFECT ON PAIN (SMD=-0.33; 95% CI, -0.59 TO -0.07; P=0.01) AND MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR A LONG-TERM EFFECT ON BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY (SMD=-0.35; 95% CI, -0.55 TO -0.15; P<0.01). THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE FOR EITHER SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. DISCUSSION: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND STRONG EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS AND MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN THE MOST IMPORTANT PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES. YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL THERAPY TO CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS. 2013 11 2546 40 YOGA FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: MANY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS USE YOGA TO COPE WITH THEIR DISEASE. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. METHODS: MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, EMBASE, CAMBASE, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SCREENED THROUGH FEBRUARY 2012. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA TO CONTROLS WERE ANALYZED WHEN THEY ASSESSED HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OR PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS OR SURVIVORS. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: TWELVE RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 742 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. SEVEN RCTS COMPARED YOGA TO NO TREATMENT; 3 RCTS COMPARED YOGA TO SUPPORTIVE THERAPY; 1 RCT COMPARED YOGA TO HEALTH EDUCATION; AND 1 RCT COMPARED A COMBINATION OF PHYSIOTHERAPY AND YOGA TO PHYSIOTHERAPY ALONE. EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON GLOBAL HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD = 0.62 [95% CI: 0.04 TO 1.21]; P = 0.04), FUNCTIONAL (SMD = 0.30 [95% CI: 0.03 TO 0.57), SOCIAL (SMD = 0.29 [95% CI: 0.08 TO 0.50]; P < 0.01), AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (SMD = 0.41 [95% CI: 0.08; 0.74]; P = 0.01). THESE EFFECTS WERE, HOWEVER, ONLY PRESENT IN STUDIES WITH UNCLEAR OR HIGH RISK OF SELECTION BIAS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH ALSO WERE FOUND: ANXIETY (SMD = -1.51 [95% CI: -2.47; -0.55]; P < 0.01), DEPRESSION (SMD = -1.59 [95% CI: -2.68 TO -0.51]; P < 0.01), PERCEIVED STRESS (SMD = -1.14 [95% CI:-2.16; -0.12]; P = 0.03), AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS (SMD = -0.86 [95% CI:-1.50; -0.22]; P < 0.01). SUBGROUP ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY ONLY FOR YOGA DURING ACTIVE CANCER TREATMENT BUT NOT AFTER COMPLETION OF ACTIVE TREATMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA IN IMPROVING PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE COULD NOT BE CLEARLY DISTINGUISHED FROM BIAS. YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH DURING BREAST CANCER TREATMENT. 2012 12 2180 30 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. METHODS: A META-ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED BY SYSTEMATICALLY SEARCHING PUBMED, EMBASE, AND COCHRANE LIBRARY DATABASES TILL AUGUST 2020 FOR STUDIES PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH. THE REFERENCE LISTS OF ELIGIBLE STUDIES WERE ALSO SEARCHED. THE MOTOR SYMPTOMS (UPDRS-PART III), BALANCE FUNCTION (BBS AND BESTEST), FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY (TUG), ANXIETY (HADS AND BAI), DEPRESSION (HADS AND BDI), AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE (PDQ-39 AND PDQ-8) WERE THE PRIMARY EVALUATION INDEXES. RESULTS: TEN STUDIES INCLUDING 359 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS META-ANALYSIS. THE POOLED RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE YOGA TRAINING GROUP AND THE CONTROL GROUP. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA TRAINING GROUP HAD BETTER FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES IN TERMS OF MOTOR STATUS (MD = -5.64; 95% CI, -8.57 TO -2.7), BALANCE FUNCTION (SMD = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.08 TO 0.77), FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY (MD = -1.71; 95% CI, -2.58 TO -0.84), ANXIETY SCALE SCORES (SMD = -0.72; 95% CI, -1.01 TO -0.43), DEPRESSION SCALE SCORES (SMD = -0.92; 95% CI, -1.22 TO -0.62), AND QOL (SMD = -0.54; 95% CI, -0.97 TO -0.11). CONCLUSION: OUR POOLED RESULTS SHOWED THE BENEFITS OF YOGA IN IMPROVING MOTOR FUNCTION, BALANCE, FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY, REDUCING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, AND INCREASING QOL IN PD PATIENTS. 2021 13 2599 34 YOGA FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: THIS STUDY AIMS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND SUMMARISE THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS. MEDLINE (THROUGH PUBMED), SCOPUS, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED THROUGH APRIL 2018 FOR RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE PAIN INTENSITY, FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE; SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE MENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL AND QUALITY OF EVIDENCE THROUGH GRADE. RECENT FINDINGS: NINE TRIALS INCLUDING 640 INDIVIDUALS WITH MAINLY LOWER EXTREMITY OSTEOARTHRITIS AGED 50-80 YEARS WERE IDENTIFIED, WITH 80.3% FEMALE PARTICIPANTS (MEDIAN). META-ANALYSES REVEALED VERY LOW-QUALITY EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PAIN (VS. EXERCISE: STANDARDISED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = - 1.07; 95%CI - 1.92, - 0.21; P = 0.01; VS. NON-EXERCISE: SMD = - 0.75; 95%CI - 1.18, - 0.31; P < 0.001), PHYSICAL FUNCTION (VS. EXERCISE: SMD = 0.80; 95%CI 0.36; 1.24; P < 0.001; VS. NON-EXERCISE: SMD = 0.60; 95%CI 0.30, 0.98; P < 0.001), AND STIFFNESS (VS. EXERCISE: SMD = - 0.92; 95%CI - 1.69, - 0.14; P = 0.008; VS. NON-EXERCISE: SMD = - 0.76; 95%CI - 1.26, - 0.26; P = 0.003) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. EFFECTS WERE NOT ROBUST AGAINST POTENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL BIAS. NO EFFECTS WERE FOUND FOR QUALITY OF LIFE, AND DEPRESSION, OR FOR HAND OSTEOARTHRITIS. SAFETY WAS RARELY REPORTED. THE FINDINGS OF THIS META-ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING PAIN, FUNCTION, AND STIFFNESS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE, COMPARED TO EXERCISE AND NON-EXERCISE CONTROL GROUPS. DUE TO THE LOW METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY AND POTENTIAL RISK OF BIAS, ONLY A WEAK RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE AT THIS TIME FOR THE USE OF YOGA IN ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE. 2019 14 1486 30 INTEGRATIVE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE ARTHRITIS: A PRISMA-COMPLIANT META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. THIS STUDY PERFORMS A META-ANALYSIS TO QUANTIFY THE EFFICIENCY OF YOGA EXERCISE FOR PATIENTS PAIN REDUCTION, FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY, AND GENERAL WELLBEING. METHODS: A COMPUTERIZED SEARCH OF PUBMED AND EMBASE WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RELEVANT STUDIES. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE PAIN, STIFFNESS, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION. TWO INVESTIGATORS IDENTIFIED ELIGIBLE STUDIES AND EXTRACTED DATA INDEPENDENTLY. THE QUALITY OF CITATIONS WAS MEASURED USING JADAD SCORE. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMDS) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED FOR PAIN, MUSCULOSKELETAL IMPAIRMENT, QUALITY OF LIFE, GENERAL WELLBEING, AND MENTAL WELLBEING. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 13 CLINICAL TRIALS INVOLVING 1557 PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WERE INCLUDED IN FINAL META-ANALYSIS WITH THE AVERAGE JADAD SCORE 2.8. THE SMD WAS -0.98 (95% CI -1.18, -0.78, P < .05) FOR PAIN, -1.83 (95% CI -2.09, -1.57, P < .05) FOR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, WAS 0.80 (95% CI 0.59, 1.01, P < .05) FOR SHORT FORM 36 HEALTH SURVEY (SF-36) GENERAL HEALTH, 0.49 (95% CI 0.14, 0.82, P < .05) FOR SF-36 MENTAL HEALTH, AND HAQ WAS -0.55 (95% CI -0.83, -0.26, P < .05) FOR HEALTH ASSOCIATED QUESTIONNAIRE (HAQ). ALL THE RESULTS FAVOR YOGA TRAINING GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA TRAINING IS HELPFUL IN REDUCING KNEE ARTHRITIC SYMPTOMS, PROMOTING PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND GENERAL WELLBEING IN ARTHRITIC PATIENTS. 2018 15 2518 49 YOGA COMPARED TO NON-EXERCISE OR PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE ON PAIN, DISABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS A COMMON AND OFTEN DISABLING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITION. YOGA HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL CONTROVERSIES ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AT DIFFERENT FOLLOW-UP PERIODS AND COMPARED WITH OTHER PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES. OBJECTIVE: TO CRITICALLY COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ON PAIN, DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE WITH NON-EXERCISE (E.G. USUAL CARE, EDUCATION), PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS REGISTERED IN PROSPERO, AND THE REGISTRATION NUMBER WAS CRD42020159865. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF ONLINE DATABASES INCLUDED PUBMED, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, EMBASE WHICH EVALUATED EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ON PAIN, DISABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SEARCHED FROM INCEPTION TIME TO NOVEMBER 1, 2019. STUDIES WERE ELIGIBLE IF THEY ASSESSED AT LEAST ONE IMPORTANT OUTCOME, NAMELY PAIN, BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE. THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WAS USED TO ASSESS THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. THE CONTINUOUS OUTCOMES WERE ANALYZED BY CALCULATING THE MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) OR STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) ACCORDING TO WHETHER COMBINING OUTCOMES MEASURED ON DIFFERENT SCALES OR NOT. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 18 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS META-ANALYSIS. YOGA COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE PAIN AT 4 TO 8 WEEKS (MD = -0.83, 95% CI = -1.19 TO -0.48, P<0.00001, I2 = 0%), 3 MONTHS (MD = -0.43, 95% CI = -0.64 TO -0.23, P<0.0001, I2 = 0%), 6 TO 7 MONTHS (MD = -0.56, 95% CI = -1.02 TO -0.11, P = 0.02, I2 = 50%), AND WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN 12 MONTHS (MD = -0.52, 95% CI = -1.64 TO 0.59, P = 0.36, I2 = 87%) COMPARED WITH NON-EXERCISE. YOGA WAS BETTER THAN NON-EXERCISE ON DISABILITY AT 4 TO 8 WEEKS (SMD = -0.30, 95% CI = -0.51 TO -0.10, P = 0.003, I2 = 0%), 3 MONTHS (SMD = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.45 TO -0.18, P<0.00001, I2 = 30%), 6 MONTHS (SMD = -0.38, 95% CI = -0.53 TO -0.23, P<0.00001, I2 = 0%), 12 MONTHS (SMD = -0.33, 95% CI = -0.54 TO -0.12, P = 0.002, I2 = 9%). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ON PAIN, DISABILITY COMPARED WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE GROUP. FURTHERMORE, IT SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS A NON-SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE BETWEEN YOGA AND ANY OTHER INTERVENTIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS META-ANALYSIS PROVIDED EVIDENCE FROM VERY LOW TO MODERATE INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS. YOGA MIGHT DECREASE PAIN FROM SHORT TERM TO INTERMEDIATE TERM AND IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY STATUS FROM SHORT TERM TO LONG TERM COMPARED WITH NON-EXERCISE (E.G. USUAL CARE, EDUCATION). YOGA HAD THE SAME EFFECT ON PAIN AND DISABILITY AS ANY OTHER EXERCISE OR PHYSICAL THERAPY. YOGA MIGHT NOT IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE BASED ON THE RESULT OF A MERGING. 2020 16 1061 38 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY, PHYSICAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: YOGA RECEIVE MORE ATTENTION FROM BREAST CANCER PATIENTS, HOWEVER ITS FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY DURING CHEMOTHERAPY REMAINS CONFLICTING. WE PERFORMED THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY, PHYSICAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO RETRIEVE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WHICH INVESTIGATED THE COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF YOGA VERSUS COMPARATORS SUCH AS USUAL CARE AMONG BREAST CANCER PATIENTS FOR HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY, PHYSICAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN PUBMED, EMBASE, COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CNETRAL), NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH LITERATURE (CINAHL), CHINESE BIOMEDICAL LITERATURE (CBM) DATABASE, CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL (CSTJ) DATABASE, CHINA NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE INFRASTRUCTURE (CNKI), AND WANGFANG DATABASE FROM INCEPTION TO DECEMBER 2018. THE LATEST SEARCH WAS UPDATED ON SEPTEMBER 2020. ALL ANALYSES WERE COMPLETED USING REVMAN VERSION 5.3. RESULTS: SEVEN TRIALS INVOLVING 693 BREAST CANCER PATIENTS MET INCLUSION CRITERIA. META-ANALYSIS INDICATED A SHORT-TERM IMPROVEMENT IN FATIGUE [STANDARD MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD), -0.62; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI), -1.17 TO -0.07], SLEEP DISTURBANCE (SMD, -0.34; 95% CI, -0.55 TO -0.12), DEPRESSION (SMD, -0.50; 95% CI, -0.70 TO -0.31) ANXIETY (SMD, -0.50; 95% CI, -0.70 TO -0.31), AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) (SMD, 0.72; 95% CI, -0.12 TO 1.56) IN THE YOGA GROUP; HOWEVER BENEFICIAL MEDIUM- AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS IN FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE WERE NOT IDENTIFIED. MOREOVER, QUALITATIVE ANALYSES SUGGESTED THAT YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED ADVERSE EVENTS (AES) COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY BENEFIT TO REDUCE FATIGUE, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, IMPROVE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, AND IMPROVE QOL IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY IN THE SHORT-TERM; HOWEVER, MEDIUM- AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS SHOULD BE FURTHER ESTABLISHED OWING TO LIMITATIONS. 2021 17 932 30 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES. INTRODUCTION: THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. WE CONDUCT THIS META-ANALYSIS TO EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA THERAPY ON THE TREATMENT EFFICACY OF MIGRAINE. METHODS: WE HAVE SEARCHED PUBMED, EMBASE, WEB OF SCIENCE, EBSCO AND COCHRANE LIBRARY DATABASES THROUGH FEBRUARY 2021, AND INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR MIGRAINE ATTACK. RESULTS: FIVE RCTS INVOLVING 356 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS. OVERALL, COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP FOR MIGRAINE, YOGA THERAPY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED HEADACHE FREQUENCY HEADACHE FREQUENCY (SMD = -1.43; 95% CI = -2.23 TO -0.64; P = 0.0004) AND HIT-6 SCORE (SMD = -2.19; 95% CI = -4.09 TO -0.28; P = 0.02), BUT REVEALED NO OBVIOUS INFLUENCE ON PAIN INTENSITY (SMD = -1.37; 95% CI = -2.76 TO 0.01; P = 0.05) OR MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE (SMD = -2.09; 95% CI = -6.39 TO 2.22; P = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA THERAPY MAY BENEFIT TO REDUCE THE HEADACHE FREQUENCY OF MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2022 18 2110 46 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON SLEEP QUALITY AND INSOMNIA IN WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF YOGA OF WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS BY PERFORMING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, CLINICALKEY, SCIENCEDIRECT, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF JUNE, 2019. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA GROUPS WITH CONTROL GROUPS IN WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS WERE INCLUDED. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY EVALUATED RISK OF BIAS BY USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL SUGGESTED BY THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION FOR PROGRAMMING AND CONDUCTING SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE WAS SLEEP QUALITY OR THE SEVERITY OF INSOMNIA, WHICH WAS MEASURED USING SUBJECTIVE INSTRUMENTS, SUCH AS THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI), INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (ISI), OR OBJECTIVE INSTRUMENTS SUCH AS POLYSOMNOGRAPHY, ACTIGRAPHY, AND SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTION. FOR EACH OUTCOME, A STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) AND CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) OF 95% WERE DETERMINED. RESULTS: NINETEEN STUDIES IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW INCLUDED 1832 PARTICIPANTS. THE META-ANALYSIS OF THE COMBINED DATA CONDUCTED ACCORDING TO COMPREHENSIVE META-ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP (SMD = - 0.327, 95% CI = - 0.506 TO - 0.148, P < 0.001). META-ANALYSES REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA USING PSQI SCORES IN 16 RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS), COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG WOMEN USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.54; 95% CI = - 0.89 TO - 0.19; P = 0.003). HOWEVER, THREE RCTS REVEALED NO EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP IN REDUCING INSOMNIA AMONG WOMEN USING ISI (SMD = - 0.13; 95% CI = - 0.74 TO 0.48; P = 0.69). SEVEN RCTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.15; 95% CI = - 0.31 TO 0.01; P = 0.5). FOUR RCTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING THE SLEEP QUALITY FOR PERI/POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.31; 95% CI = - 0.95 TO 0.33; P = 0.34). YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. DISCUSSION: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA INTERVENTION IN WOMEN CAN BE BENEFICIAL WHEN COMPARED TO NON-ACTIVE CONTROL CONDITIONS IN TERM OF MANAGING SLEEP PROBLEMS. THE MODERATOR ANALYSES SUGGEST THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE NON-BREAST CANCER SUBGROUP AND PARTICIPANTS IN THE NON-PERI/POSTMENOPAUSAL SUBGROUP WERE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER BENEFITS, WITH A DIRECT CORRELATION OF TOTAL CLASS TIME WITH QUALITY OF SLEEP AMONG OTHER RELATED BENEFITS. 2020 19 2606 32 YOGA FOR POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY USED AS A THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT AND SEEMS TO IMPROVE PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS ANXIETY DISORDERS AND DEPRESSION. THE AIM OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). METHODS: THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, MEDLINE/PUBMED, PSYCINFO, SCOPUS, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JULY 2017 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF PTSD. MEAN DIFFERENCES (MD) AND STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE COMPUTED. THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE AND THE STRENGTH OF RECOMMENDATION WERE GRADED ACCORDING TO THE GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS. RESULTS: SEVEN RCTS (N = 284) WERE INCLUDED. META-ANALYSIS REVEALED LOW QUALITY EVIDENCE FOR CLINICALLY RELEVANT EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PTSD SYMPTOMS COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT (SMD = - 1.10, 95% CI [- 1.72, - 0.47], P < .001, I(2) = 72%; MD = - 13.11, 95% CI [- 17.95, - 8.27]); AND VERY LOW EVIDENCE FOR COMPARABLE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND ATTENTION CONTROL INTERVENTIONS (SMD = - 0.31, 95%CI = [- 0.84, 0.22], P = .25; I(2) = 43%). VERY LOW EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR COMPARABLE RETENTION OF PATIENTS IN THE TRIAL FOR YOGA AND NO TREATMENT (OR = 0.68, 95%CI [0.06, 7.72]) OR ATTENTION CONTROL INTERVENTIONS (OR = 0.66, 95%CI [0.10, 4.46]). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. LIMITATIONS: FEW RCTS WITH ONLY LIMITED SAMPLE SIZE WERE AVAILABLE. CONCLUSIONS: ONLY A WEAK RECOMMENDATION FOR YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR PTSD CAN BE MADE. MORE HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM OR DISCONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2018 20 518 46 COMPARING ONCE- VERSUS TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN PREDOMINANTLY LOW INCOME MINORITIES: A RANDOMIZED DOSING TRIAL. BACKGROUND. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT ONCE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IN WHITE ADULTS WITH HIGH SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWICE-WEEKLY CLASSES AND GENERALIZABILITY TO RACIALLY DIVERSE LOW INCOME POPULATIONS ARE UNKNOWN. METHODS. WE CONDUCTED A 12-WEEK RANDOMIZED, PARALLEL-GROUP, DOSING TRIAL FOR 95 ADULTS RECRUITED FROM AN URBAN SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND FIVE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS COMPARING ONCE-WEEKLY (N = 49) VERSUS TWICE-WEEKLY (N = 46) STANDARDIZED YOGA CLASSES SUPPLEMENTED BY HOME PRACTICE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGE FROM BASELINE TO 12 WEEKS IN PAIN (11-POINT SCALE) AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION (23-POINT MODIFIED ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE). RESULTS. 82% OF PARTICIPANTS WERE NONWHITE; 77% HAD ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOMES <$40,000. THE SAMPLE'S BASELINE MEAN PAIN INTENSITY [6.9 (SD 1.6)] AND FUNCTION [13.7 (SD 5.0)] REFLECTED MODERATE TO SEVERE BACK PAIN AND IMPAIRMENT. PAIN AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IMPROVED WITHIN BOTH GROUPS (P < 0.001). HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ONCE-WEEKLY AND TWICE-WEEKLY GROUPS FOR PAIN REDUCTION [-2.1 (95% CI -2.9, -1.3) VERSUS -2.4 (95% CI -3.1, -1.8), P = 0.62] OR BACK-RELATED FUNCTION [-5.1 (95% CI -7.0, -3.2) VERSUS -4.9 (95% CI -6.5, -3.3), P = 0.83]. CONCLUSIONS. TWELVE WEEKS OF ONCE-WEEKLY OR TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES WERE SIMILARLY EFFECTIVE FOR PREDOMINANTLY LOW INCOME MINORITY ADULTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT01761617. 2013