1 1080 115 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF SLEEP OF WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) COMMONLY COMPLAIN OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES, SPECIFICALLY IN THE LUTEAL PHASE OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. THEREFORE, THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF SLEEP OF WOMEN EXPERIENCING PMS WAS INVESTIGATED. MATERIAL AND METHODS: WOMEN (AGED 20-45 Y) MONITORED FOR PMS, WHO WERE REFERRED TO THE PRIVATE OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CLINICS IN TABRIZ, IRAN, WERE REFERRED TO THE PRIVATE OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CLINICS IN TABRIZ, IRAN. AFTERWARD, 62 WOMEN, WERE SELECTED AND DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS, RANDOMLY: 31 SUBJECTS IN YOGA THE YOGA GROUP AND 31 IN THE CONTROL GROUP. SUBJECTS IN YOGA PERFORMED FOR 10 WK IN 3 SESSIONS, WITH EACH SESSION LASTING 60 MIN. SUBJECTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP DID NOT PERFORM ANY YOGA. SUBJECTS COMPLETED A DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION, SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANTLY EXPRESSED IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEPING (P < .05). BASED ON THE MANN-WHITNEY U TEST, A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN THE SUBDOMAINS OF BOTH GROUPS ON QUALITY OF SLEEP (P < .01), SLEEP LATENCY (P < .01), AND SLEEP EFFICIENCY (P < .05). CONCLUSION: YOGA REDUCED THE DISTURBANCES OF SLEEP IN THE SUBJECTS WITH PMS, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY IMPROVED THE EFFICIENCY OF THEIR SLEEP. THEREFORE, WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA CAN BE PRESCRIBED FOR IMPROVING SLEEP DISTURBANCES IN WOMEN WITH PMS AND MEDICAL THERAPY WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED IN SEVERE SITUATIONS. 2019 2 1016 31 EFFECTS OF SENSORY-ENHANCED YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF COMBAT STRESS IN DEPLOYED MILITARY PERSONNEL. OBJECTIVE: WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF SENSORY-ENHANCED HATHA YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF COMBAT STRESS IN DEPLOYED MILITARY PERSONNEL, COMPARED THEIR ANXIETY AND SENSORY PROCESSING WITH THAT OF STATESIDE CIVILIANS, AND IDENTIFIED ANY CORRELATIONS BETWEEN THE STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY SCALES AND THE ADOLESCENT/ADULT SENSORY PROFILE QUADRANTS. METHOD: SEVENTY MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO WERE DEPLOYED TO IRAQ PARTICIPATED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THIRTY-FIVE RECEIVED 3 WK (>/=9 SESSIONS) OF SENSORY-ENHANCED HATHA YOGA, AND 35 DID NOT RECEIVE ANY FORM OF YOGA. RESULTS: SENSORY-ENHANCED HATHA YOGA WAS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY, DESPITE NORMAL PRETEST SCORES. TREATMENT PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN CONTROL PARTICIPANTS ON 16 OF 18 MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE FACTORS. WE FOUND POSITIVE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN ALL TEST MEASURES EXCEPT SENSORY SEEKING. SENSORY SEEKING WAS NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH ALL MEASURES EXCEPT LOW REGISTRATION, WHICH WAS INSIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUPPORT USING SENSORY-ENHANCED HATHA YOGA FOR PROACTIVE COMBAT STRESS MANAGEMENT. 2012 3 1613 40 MILITARY-TAILORED YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. INTRODUCTION: AMONG VETERANS OF POST-9/11 CONFLICTS, ESTIMATES OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) RANGE FROM 9% SHORTLY AFTER RETURNING FROM DEPLOYMENT TO 31% A YEAR AFTER DEPLOYMENT. CLINICAL AND PHARMACEUTICALLY BASED TREATMENTS ARE UNDERUTILIZED. THIS COULD BE DUE TO CONCERNS RELATED TO LOST DUTY DAYS, AS WELL AS PTSD PATIENTS' FEARS OF STIGMA OF HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE PTSD SYMPTOMS IN THE CIVILIAN POPULATION, BUT FEW STUDIES HAVE TESTED THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON VETERANS OF POST-9/11 CONFLICTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO TEST THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON POST-9/11 VETERANS DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 18 YR OF AGE OR OLDER AND VETERANS OF POST-9/11 CONFLICTS. THEY HAD SUBTHRESHOLD OR DIAGNOSTIC-LEVEL PTSD RELATED TO THEIR COMBAT MILITARY SERVICE, AS DETERMINED BY A SCORE OF 30 OR HIGHER ON THE PTSD CHECKLIST-MILITARY VERSION (PCL-M). VETERANS PARTICIPATED IN 60-MIN WEEKLY YOGA SESSIONS FOR 6 WK TAUGHT BY A WARRIORS AT EASE-TRAINED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WHO IS A, POST-9/11 VETERAN. THE YOGA SESSIONS INCORPORATED VINYASA-STYLE YOGA AND A TRAUMA-SENSITIVE, MILITARY-CULTURE INFORMED APPROACH ADVOCATED BY TWO SEPARATE ORGANIZATIONS: WARRIORS AT EASE AND MEGHAN'S FOUNDATION. DATA WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE AND AGAIN AFTER 7 WK. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PCL-M SCORE. PARTICIPANTS ALSO COMPLETED THE PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE, THE BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY, THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX, AND THE MINDFUL ATTENTION AWARENESS SCALE AT BOTH TIME POINTS. RESULTS: EIGHTEEN OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, AND OPERATION NEW DAWN VETERANS COMPLETED THE PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES. AGE RANGED FROM 26 TO 62 YR (MEDIAN = 43 YR), LENGTH OF SERVICE RANGED FROM 2 TO 34 YR (MEDIAN = 18.8 YR), AND 13 (72.2%) HAD COMPLETED COLLEGE. DECREASED PTSD SYMPTOMATOLOGY WAS DEMONSTRATED IN THE THREE-SYMPTOM CLUSTERS REPRESENTED IN THE PCL-M (I.E., HYPERAROUSAL, RE-EXPERIENCING, AND AVOIDANCE). IN ADDITION, THE TOTAL SCORE ON THE PCL-M DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, BY BOTH STATISTICAL AND CLINICAL MEASURES. THE PARTICIPANTS ALSO DEMONSTRATED IMPROVED MINDFULNESS SCORES AND REPORTED DECREASED INSOMNIA, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT A TRAUMA-SENSITIVE YOGA INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR VETERANS WITH PTSD SYMPTOMS, WHETHER AS STAND-ALONE OR ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY. THE IMPRESSIVE DECREASE IN PTSD SYMPTOMATOLOGY MAY BE DUE TO THE TAILORED MILITARY-SPECIFIC NATURE OF THIS INTERVENTION AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS LED BY A VETERAN OF POST-9/11 CONFLICTS. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED WITH A LARGER SAMPLE AND A MORE DIVERSE VETERAN POPULATION. 2018 4 1133 28 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 5 2588 37 YOGA FOR IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OLDER ADULTS. CONTEXT: THE AGING PROCESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES THAT AFFECT SLEEP. IN OLDER ADULTS, UNDIAGNOSED AND UNTREATED INSOMNIA MAY CAUSE IMPAIRED DAILY FUNCTION AND REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). INSOMNIA IS ALSO A RISK FACTOR FOR ACCIDENTS AND FALLS THAT ARE THE MAIN CAUSE OF ACCIDENTAL DEATHS IN OLDER ADULTS AND, THEREFORE, IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RATES IN OLDER POPULATIONS. OBJECTIVES: THE RESEARCH TEAM AIMED TO (1) EXAMINE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION (YI) FOR THE TREATMENT OF INSOMNIA IN OLDER ADULTS, (2) DETERMINE THE ABILITY OF YOGA TO ENHANCE THE QOL OF OLDER ADULTS, AND (3) ESTABLISH THE APPLICABILITY OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN A WESTERN CULTURAL SETTING. DESIGN: A WAITING-LIST CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTINGS * THE STUDY TOOK PLACE IN JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, FROM 2008-2009. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE OLDER MEN AND WOMEN (AGE >/= 60 Y) WITH INSOMNIA. INTERVENTION: THE YI GROUP PARTICIPATED IN 12 WK OF CLASSES, HELD 2 X/WK, INCORPORATING YOGA POSTURES, MEDITATIVE YOGA, AND DAILY HOME PRACTICE OF MEDITATIVE YOGA. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE STUDY USED SELF-REPORT ASSESSMENTS OF SLEEP QUALITY USING THE FOLLOWING: (1) SLEEP QUALITY-THE KAROLINSKA SLEEPINESS SCALE (KSS), THE EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE (ESS), AND THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI), AND DAILY SLEEP AND PRACTICE LOGS; (2) MOOD STATES-THE DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE LONG FORM (DASS-42) AND THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES SHORT FORM (POMS-SF); (3) A HEALTH SURVEY (SF-36); AND (4) MOBILE AT-HOME SLEEP STUDIES. RESULTS: COMPARED WITH CONTROLS, THE YI GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN A RANGE OF SUBJECTIVE FACTORS, INCLUDING OVERALL SLEEP QUALITY; SLEEP EFFICIENCY; SLEEP LATENCY AND DURATION; SELF-ASSESSED SLEEP QUALITY; FATIGUE; GENERAL WELL-BEING; DEPRESSION; ANXIETY; STRESS; TENSION; ANGER; VITALITY; AND FUNCTION IN PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SOCIAL ROLES. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS SHOWN TO BE SAFE AND IMPROVED SLEEP AND QOL IN A GROUP OF OLDER ADULTS WITH INSOMNIA. OUTCOMES DEPENDED ON PRACTICE COMPLIANCE. 2014 6 2737 58 YOGA POSITIVELY AFFECTED DEPRESSION AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS) OFTEN COMPLAIN ABOUT DEPRESSION WHEN THEIR MENSTRUAL CYCLE BEGINS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON WOMEN WITH PMS SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION DURING MENSTRUAL CYCLE. METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED FROM APRIL TO OCTOBER 2015 IN TABRIZ, IRAN. ALL SUBJECTS (20-45 YEARS OLD), WHO WERE FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO THE PRIVATE OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CLINICS, WERE INITIALLY MONITORED FOR PMS AND DEPRESSION. SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE DEMOGRAPHIC AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II) QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. IN ADDITION, SUBJECTS WERE MONITORED FOR ELIGIBLE AND INELIGIBLE CRITERIA. IN THIS STUDY 62 SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND CONTROL GROUPS. SUBJECTS PRACTICED YOGA OVER TWO MONTHS IN THREE SESSIONS, THE DURATION OF EACH SESSION WAS 60MIN. RESULTS: THE GENERAL SCORE OF THE DEPRESSION AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.036) AND YOGA GROUP BEFORE INTERVENTION (P<0.001). THE DIASTOLIC PRESSURE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION (P<0.029). YOGA DECREASED THE STATE OF DEPRESSION AND DIASTOLIC PRESSURE OF THE SUBJECTS WITH PMS COMPLAINING FROM DEPRESSION. CONCLUSION: WE CONCLUDE THAT YOGA HAS STRONG EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AND BLOOD PRESSURE, THEREFORE IT CAN BE USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY OR ALTERNATIVE REMEDY FOR PMS PATIENTS. 2019 7 2132 30 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'S/= 24 KG/M(2)) BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 6-MONTH, FACILITY- AND HOME-BASED VINIYOGA INTERVENTION (N = 32) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 31). THE YOGA GOAL WAS FIVE PRACTICES PER WEEK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CHANGES IN QOL, FATIGUE, AND WEIGHT FROM BASELINE TO 6 MONTHS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE. RESULTS: IT TOOK 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE RECRUITMENT. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEAN OF 19.6 CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME A MEAN OF 55.8 TIMES DURING THE 6-MONTH PERIOD. AT FOLLOW-UP, 90% OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND 87% COMPLETED ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. QOL AND FATIGUE IMPROVED TO A GREATER EXTENT AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP, ALTHOUGH NO DIFFERENCES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE DECREASED 3.1 CM (95% CI, -5.7 AND -0.4) MORE AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND PRACTICE LEVELS ACHIEVED DURING A 6-MONTH, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA MAY HELP DECREASE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. 2012 19 2415 33 YOGA AND MEDITATION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS-A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE ONLY VERY LIMITED TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EITHER TO A 12-WEEK YOGA AND MEDITATION INTERVENTION OR TO USUAL CARE. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (MENOPAUSE RATING SCALE [MRS] TOTAL SCORE). SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED MRS SUBSCALES, QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY-BREAST), FATIGUE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 12 AND WEEK 24 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 40 WOMEN (MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION, 49.2 +/- 5.9 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 19) OR TO USUAL CARE (N = 21). WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS COMPARED WITH THE USUAL CARE GROUP AT WEEK 12 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -5.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -9.2 TO -1.9; P = .004) AND AT WEEK 24 (MEAN DIFFERENCE, -4.5; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -8.3 TO -0.7; P = .023). AT WEEK 12, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED LESS SOMATOVEGETATIVE, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND UROGENITAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS; LESS FATIGUE; AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (ALL P < .05). AT WEEK 24, ALL EFFECTS PERSISTED EXCEPT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS REMAINED SIGNIFICANT WHEN ONLY WOMEN WHO WERE RECEIVING ANTIESTROGEN MEDICATION (N = 36) WERE ANALYZED. SIX MINOR ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN EACH GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA COMBINED WITH MEDITATION CAN BE CONSIDERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THE EFFECTS SEEM TO PERSIST FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS. 2015 20 2197 41 THE EFFICACY OF A COMPREHENSIVE LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAMME BASED ON YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL BODY OF EVIDENCE ON THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. MANY STUDIES HAVE REPORTED, AS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PULMONARY FUNCTIONS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCTION IN AIRWAY HYPER-REACTIVITY, FREQUENCY OF ATTACKS AND MEDICATION USE. IN ADDITION, A FEW STUDIES HAVE ATTEMPTED TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOCONSTRICTION (EIB) OR EXERCISE TOLERANCE CAPACITY. HOWEVER, NONE OF THESE STUDIES HAS INVESTIGATED ANY IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS BY WHICH YOGA IMPROVES THESE VARIABLES IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. METHODS: THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) WAS CONDUCTED ON 57 ADULT SUBJECTS WITH MILD OR MODERATE BRONCHIAL ASTHMA WHO WERE ALLOCATED RANDOMLY TO EITHER THE YOGA (INTERVENTION) GROUP (N = 29) OR THE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 28). THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED ONLY CONVENTIONAL CARE AND THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED AN INTERVENTION BASED ON YOGA, IN ADDITION TO THE CONVENTIONAL CARE. THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF 2-WK SUPERVISED TRAINING IN LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT BASED ON YOGA FOLLOWED BY CLOSELY MONITORED CONTINUATION OF THE PRACTICES AT HOME FOR 6-WK. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ASSESSED IN BOTH THE GROUPS AT 0 WK (BASELINE), 2, 4 AND 8 WK BY USING GENERALIZED LINEAR MODEL (GLM) REPEATED MEASURES FOLLOWED BY POST-HOC ANALYSIS. RESULTS: IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A STEADY AND PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT IN PULMONARY FUNCTION, THE CHANGE BEING STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN CASE OF THE FIRST SECOND OF FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME (FEV1) AT 8 WK, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (PEFR) AT 2, 4 AND 8 WK AS COMPARED TO THE CORRESPONDING BASELINE VALUES. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN EIB IN THE YOGA GROUP. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO CORRESPONDING REDUCTION IN THE URINARY PROSTAGLANDIN D2 METABOLITE (11BETA PROSTAGLANDIN F2ALPHA) LEVELS IN RESPONSE TO THE EXERCISE CHALLENGE. THERE WAS ALSO NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN SERUM EOSINOPHILIC CATIONIC PROTEIN LEVELS DURING THE 8-WK STUDY PERIOD IN EITHER GROUP. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE (AQOL) SCORES IN BOTH GROUPS OVER THE 8-WK STUDY PERIOD. BUT THE IMPROVEMENT WAS ACHIEVED EARLIER AND WAS MORE COMPLETE IN THE YOGA GROUP. THE NUMBER-NEEDED-TO-TREAT WORKED OUT TO BE 1.82 FOR THE TOTAL AQOL SCORE. AN IMPROVEMENT IN TOTAL AQOL SCORE WAS GREATER THAN THE MINIMAL IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE AND THE SAME OUTCOME WAS ACHIEVED FOR THE SUB-DOMAINS OF THE AQOL. THE FREQUENCY OF RESCUE MEDICATION USE SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE OVER THE STUDY PERIOD IN BOTH THE GROUPS. HOWEVER, THE DECREASE WAS ACHIEVED RELATIVELY EARLIER AND WAS MORE MARKED IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT RCT HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT ADDING THE MIND-BODY APPROACH OF YOGA TO THE PREDOMINANTLY PHYSICAL APPROACH OF CONVENTIONAL CARE RESULTS IN MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT IN SUBJECTIVE AS WELL AS OBJECTIVE OUTCOMES IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. THE TRIAL SUPPORTS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. HOWEVER, THE PRELIMINARY EFFORTS MADE TOWARDS WORKING OUT THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF THE INTERVENTION HAVE NOT THROWN MUCH LIGHT ON HOW YOGA WORKS IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CURRENT CONTROLLED TRIALS ISRCTN00815962. 2009