1 1194 119 EXAMINING MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. HYPOTHESIS THIS STUDY EXAMINES MODERATORS AND MEDIATORS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TARGETING QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER RECEIVING RADIOTHERAPY.METHODS WOMEN UNDERGOING 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (YG; N = 53) OR STRETCHING (ST; N = 56) INTERVENTION OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (WL; N = 54). DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE. MEDIATOR (POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS, BENEFIT FINDING, AND CORTISOL SLOPE) AND OUTCOME (36-ITEM SHORT FORM [SF]-36 MENTAL AND PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCALES [MCS AND PCS]) VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, END-OF-TREATMENT, AND 1-, 3-, AND 6-MONTHS POSTTREATMENT. RESULTS BASELINE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (P = .03) AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES (P < .01) MODERATED THE GROUP X TIME EFFECT ON MCS, BUT NOT PCS. WOMEN WITH HIGH BASELINE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN YG REPORTED MARGINALLY HIGHER 3-MONTH MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN WL (P = .11). WOMEN WITH HIGH BASELINE SLEEP DISTURBANCES IN YG REPORTED HIGHER 3-MONTHS MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN WL (P < .01) AND HIGHER 6-MONTH MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN ST (P = .01). YG LED TO GREATER BENEFIT FINDING THAN ST AND WL ACROSS THE FOLLOW-UP (P = .01). THREE-MONTH BENEFIT FINDING PARTIALLY MEDIATED THE EFFECT OF YG ON 6-MONTH PCS. POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL SLOPE DID NOT MEDIATE TREATMENT EFFECT ON QOL. CONCLUSION YOGA MAY PROVIDE THE GREATEST MENTAL-HEALTH-RELATED QOL BENEFITS FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING PRE-RADIOTHERAPY SLEEP DISTURBANCE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY IMPROVE PHYSICAL-HEALTH-RELATED QOL BY INCREASING ABILITY TO FIND BENEFIT IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE. 2016 2 1868 56 RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. PURPOSE: PREVIOUS RESEARCH INCORPORATING YOGA (YG) INTO RADIOTHERAPY (XRT) FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER FINDS IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). HOWEVER, SHORTCOMINGS IN THIS RESEARCH LIMIT THE FINDINGS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PATIENTS WITH STAGES 0 TO III BREAST CANCER WERE RECRUITED BEFORE STARTING XRT AND WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YG (N = 53) OR STRETCHING (ST; N = 56) THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS DURING XRT OR WAITLIST (WL; N = 54) CONTROL. SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF QOL (MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY 36-ITEM SHORT-FORM SURVEY; PRIMARY OUTCOMES), FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, AND SLEEP QUALITY, AND FIVE SALIVA SAMPLES PER DAY FOR 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE, END OF TREATMENT, AND 1, 3, AND 6 MONTHS LATER. RESULTS: THE YG GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASES IN PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCALE SCORES COMPARED WITH THE WL GROUP AT 1 AND 3 MONTHS AFTER XRT (P = .01 AND P = .01). AT 1, 3, AND 6 MONTHS, THE YG GROUP HAD GREATER INCREASES IN PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING COMPARED WITH BOTH ST AND WL GROUPS (P < .05), WITH ST AND WL DIFFERENCES AT ONLY 3 MONTHS (P < .02). THE GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE SIMILAR FOR GENERAL HEALTH REPORTS. BY THE END OF XRT, THE YG AND ST GROUPS ALSO HAD A REDUCTION IN FATIGUE (P < .05). THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND SLEEP QUALITY. CORTISOL SLOPE WAS STEEPEST FOR THE YG GROUP COMPARED WITH THE ST AND WL GROUPS AT THE END (P = .023 AND P = .008) AND 1 MONTH AFTER XRT (P = .05 AND P = .04). CONCLUSION: YG IMPROVED QOL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH XRT BEYOND THE BENEFITS OF SIMPLE ST EXERCISES, AND THESE BENEFITS APPEAR TO HAVE LONG-TERM DURABILITY. 2014 3 136 35 A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION APPROACH FOR IMPROVING LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: YOGA TARGETS PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES WHICH MAY BE IMPORTANT FOR LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS (WL). THIS STUDY IS THE FIRST TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF YOGA WITHIN A WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOLLOWING WL TREATMENT. METHODS: 60 WOMEN WITH OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY (34.3+/-3.9 KG/M2, 48.1+/-10.1 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (2X/WEEK; YOGA) OR A STRUCTURALLY EQUIVALENT CONTROL (COOKING/NUTRITION CLASSES; CON), FOLLOWING A 3-MONTH BEHAVIORAL WL PROGRAM. FEASIBILITY (ATTENDANCE, ADHERENCE, RETENTION) AND ACCEPTABILITY (PROGRAM SATISFACTION RATINGS) WERE ASSESSED. TREATMENT GROUPS WERE COMPARED ON WEIGHT CHANGE, MINDFULNESS, DISTRESS TOLERANCE, STRESS, AFFECT, AND SELF-COMPASSION AT 6 MONTHS. INITIAL WL (3-MO WL) WAS EVALUATED AS A POTENTIAL MODERATOR. RESULTS: ATTENDANCE, RETENTION, AND PROGRAM SATISFACTION RATINGS OF YOGA WERE HIGH. TREATMENT GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER ON WL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTS (WITH EXCEPTION OF ONE MINDFULNESS SUBSCALE) AT 6 MONTHS. HOWEVER, AMONG THOSE WITH HIGH INITIAL WL (>/=5%), YOGA LOST SIGNIFICANTLY MORE WEIGHT (-9.0KG VS. -6.7KG) AT 6 MONTHS AND RESULTED IN GREATER DISTRESS TOLERANCE, MINDFULNESS, AND SELF-COMPASSION AND LOWER NEGATIVE AFFECT, COMPARED TO CON. CONCLUSIONS: STUDY FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR YOGA AS A POTENTIAL STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING LONG-TERM WL AMONG THOSE LOSING >/=5% IN STANDARD BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT. 2022 4 848 29 EFFECT OF YOGA ON SELF-RATED VISUAL DISCOMFORT IN COMPUTER USERS. BACKGROUND: 'DRY EYE' APPEARS TO BE THE MAIN CONTRIBUTOR TO THE SYMPTOMS OF COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME. REGULAR BREAKS AND THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL TEARS OR CERTAIN EYE DROPS ARE SOME OF THE OPTIONS TO REDUCE VISUAL DISCOMFORT. A COMBINATION OF YOGA PRACTICES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE VISUAL STRAIN IN PERSONS WITH PROGRESSIVE MYOPIA. THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS PLANNED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF A COMBINATION OF YOGA PRACTICES ON SELF-RATED SYMPTOMS OF VISUAL DISCOMFORT IN PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER USERS IN BANGALORE. METHODS: TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY ONE PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER USERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO GROUPS, YOGA (YG, N = 146) AND WAIT LIST CONTROL (WL, N = 145). BOTH GROUPS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER SIXTY DAYS FOR SELF-RATED VISUAL DISCOMFORT USING A STANDARD QUESTIONNAIRE. DURING THESE 60 DAYS THE YG GROUP PRACTICED AN HOUR OF YOGA DAILY FOR FIVE DAYS IN A WEEK AND THE WL GROUP DID THEIR USUAL RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES ALSO FOR AN HOUR DAILY FOR THE SAME DURATION. AT 60 DAYS THERE WERE 62 IN THE YG GROUP AND 55 IN THE WL GROUP. RESULTS: WHILE THE SCORES FOR VISUAL DISCOMFORT OF BOTH GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE AT BASELINE, AFTER 60 DAYS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED SCORE IN THE YG GROUP, WHEREAS THE WL GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED SCORES. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE YOGA PRACTICE APPEARED TO REDUCE VISUAL DISCOMFORT, WHILE THE GROUP WHO HAD NO YOGA INTERVENTION (WL) SHOWED AN INCREASE IN DISCOMFORT AT THE END OF SIXTY DAYS. 2006 5 1749 35 PILOT STUDY OF INTEGRAL YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMS TO OBTAIN PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR REDUCING SELF-REPORTED MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES IN A RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDING AN ATTENTION CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: WE RANDOMIZED 54 LATE PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (2-12 MO OF AMENORRHEA) AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (>12 MO OF AMENORRHEA)--AGED 45 TO 58 YEARS AND WHO EXPERIENCED AT LEAST FOUR HOT FLASHES PER DAY, ON AVERAGE, FOR AT LEAST 4 WEEKS--TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: YOGA, HEALTH AND WELLNESS EDUCATION (HW), AND WAIT LIST (WL). YOGA AND HW CLASSES CONSISTED OF WEEKLY 90-MINUTE CLASSES FOR 10 WEEKS. ALL WOMEN COMPLETED DAILY HOT FLASH DIARIES THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL (10 WK) TO TRACK THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF HOT FLASHES. THE MEAN HOT FLASH INDEX SCORE IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF MILD, MODERATE, SEVERE, AND VERY SEVERE HOT FLASHES. RESULTS: HOT FLASH FREQUENCY DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS TIME FOR ALL THREE GROUPS, WITH THE STRONGEST DECLINE OCCURRING DURING THE FIRST WEEK. THERE WAS NO OVERALL SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN HOT FLASH FREQUENCY DECREASE OVER TIME BY TREATMENT GROUPS, BUT THE YOGA AND HW GROUPS FOLLOWED SIMILAR PATTERNS AND SHOWED GREATER DECREASES THAN THE WL GROUP. ON WEEK 10, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED AN APPROXIMATELY 66% DECREASE IN HOT FLASH FREQUENCY, WOMEN IN THE HW GROUP REPORTED A 63% DECREASE, AND WOMEN IN THE WL GROUP REPORTED A 36% DECREASE. THE HOT FLASH INDEX SHOWED A SIMILAR PATTERN. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN SERVE AS A BEHAVIORAL OPTION FOR REDUCING HOT FLASHES BUT MAY NOT OFFER ANY ADVANTAGE OVER OTHER TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS. 2014 6 832 24 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MUSCULOSKELETAL DISCOMFORT AND MOTOR FUNCTIONS IN PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER USERS. THE SELF-RATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISCOMFORT, HAND GRIP STRENGTH, TAPPING SPEED, AND LOW BACK AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY (BASED ON A SIT AND REACH TASK) WERE ASSESSED IN 291 PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER USERS. THEY WERE THEN RANDOMIZED AS YOGA (YG; N=146) AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL (WL; N=145) GROUPS. FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS FOR BOTH GROUPS WERE AFTER 60 DAYS DURING WHICH THE YG GROUP PRACTICED YOGA FOR 60 MINUTES DAILY, FOR 5 DAYS IN A WEEK. THE WL GROUP SPENT THE SAME TIME IN THEIR USUAL RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES. AT THE END OF 60 DAYS, THE YG GROUP (N=62) SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE FREQUENCY, INTENSITY AND DEGREE OF INTERFERENCE DUE TO MUSCULOSKELETAL DISCOMFORT, AN INCREASE IN BILATERAL HAND GRIP STRENGTH, THE RIGHT HAND TAPPING SPEED, AND LOW BACK AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY (REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA AND POST HOC ANALYSIS WITH BONFERRONI ADJUSTMENT). IN CONTRAST, THE WL GROUP (N=56) SHOWED AN INCREASE IN MUSCULOSKELETAL DISCOMFORT AND A DECREASE IN LEFT HAND TAPPING SPEED. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE IS A USEFUL ADDITION TO THE ROUTINE OF PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER USERS. 2009 7 2654 43 YOGA IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE AND BENEFIT FINDING IN WOMEN UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. SIXTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA OR A WAIT-LIST GROUP. YOGA CLASSES WERE TAUGHT BIWEEKLY DURING THE 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES OF QOL, FATIGUE, BENEFIT FINDING (FINDING MEANING IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE), INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND ANXIETY BEFORE RADIOTHERAPY AND THEN AGAIN 1 WEEK, 1 MONTH, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE END OF RADIOTHERAPY. GENERAL LINEAR MODEL ANALYSES REVEALED THAT COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTION (P = .005) AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING SCORES (P = .04) 1 WEEK POSTRADIOTHERAPY; HIGHER LEVELS OF INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01); AND GREATER BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01). THERE WERE NO OTHER GROUP DIFFERENCES IN OTHER QOL SUBSCALES FOR FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, OR SLEEP SCORES. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES INDICATED THAT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH AFTER RADIOTHERAPY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS AFTER RADIOTHERAPY (R = .36, P = .011). OUR RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STATISTICALLY AND CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ASPECTS OF QOL. 2010 8 2155 34 THE EFFECTS OF THE BALI YOGA PROGRAM (BYP-BC) ON REDUCING PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY: RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED, PARTIALLY BLINDED, CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND SEVERAL COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO REDUCE PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER (BC) PATIENTS. THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION IN REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN BC PATIENTS. METHODS THIS STUDY WAS A RANDOMIZED, PARTIALLY BLINDED, CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING A STANDARDIZED YOGA INTERVENTION TO STANDARD CARE. IT WAS CONDUCTED AT THREE MEDICAL CENTERS IN MONTREAL, CANADA. ELIGIBLE PATIENTS WERE WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE I-III BC RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IMMEDIATELY (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, N=58) OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (N=43 CONTROL GROUP). THE BALI YOGA PROGRAM FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS (BYP-BC) CONSISTED OF 23 GENTLE HATHA ASANAS (POSES), 2 PRAYANAMAS (BREATHING TECHNIQUES), SHAVASANAS (RELAXATION CORPSE POSES) AND PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL THEMES. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED EIGHT WEEKLY SESSIONS LASTING 90 MIN EACH AND RECEIVED A DVD FOR HOME PRACTICE WITH 20- AND 40-MIN SESSIONS. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD CARE DURING THE 8-WEEK WAITING PERIOD. RESULTS A TOTAL OF 101 PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN THE FINAL INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS INCREASED IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P=0.007), WHILE NO CHANGE WAS REPORTED IN THE BYP-BC GROUP (P=0.29). ALSO, DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS DECREASED IN THE WL CONTROL GROUP AFTER RECEIVING THE BYP-BC INTERVENTION (P=0.03). FINALLY, THERE WAS NO STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN TERMS OF ANXIETY SYMPTOMS (P=0.10). CONCLUSIONS RESULTS SUPPORT THE BYP-BC INTERVENTION AS A BENEFICIAL MEANS OF REDUCING AND PREVENTING THE WORSENING OF DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT. 2016 9 962 31 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 10 1980 44 SLEEP MODERATES THE EFFECTS OF TIBETAN YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. THIS STUDY EXAMINED SELF-REPORTED AND ACTIGRAPHY-ASSESSED SLEEP AND DEPRESSION AS MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF A TIBETAN YOGA INTERVENTION ON SLEEP AND DEPRESSION AMONG WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS IS A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF AN RCT EXAMINING A 4-SESSION TIBETAN YOGA PROGRAM (TYP; N = 74) VERSUS STRETCHING PROGRAM (STP; N = 68) OR USUAL CARE (UC; N = 85) ON SELF-REPORTED SLEEP (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI), ACTIGRAPHY-ASSESSED SLEEP EFFICIENCY (SE)) AND DEPRESSION (CENTERS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES DEPRESSION SCALE; CES-D) FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. DATA WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE AND 1-WEEK AND 3-MONTH POST-INTERVENTION. BASELINE PSQI, ACTIGRAPHY-SE, AND CES-D WERE EXAMINED AS MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF GROUP ON PSQI, ACTIGRAPHY-SE, AND CES-D 1 WEEK AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT BASELINE ACTIGRAPHY-SE X GROUP EFFECT ON PSQI AT 1 WEEK (P < .001) AND 3 MONTHS (P = .002) AND ON CES-D AT 3 MONTHS (P = .049). SPECIFICALLY, THE NEGATIVE ASSOCIATION OF BASELINE ACTIGRAPHY-SE WITH SUBSEQUENT PSQI AND CES-D WAS BUFFERED FOR WOMEN IN THE TYP AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT IN STP, COMPARED TO THOSE IN THE UC. BASELINE PSQI AND CES-D WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT MODERATORS OF THE EFFECT OF GROUP ON ANY OUTCOME. BEHAVIORALLY ASSESSED SLEEP MAY BE A MORE ROBUST INDICATOR OF WHICH PATIENTS ARE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR A YOGA INTERVENTION THAN SELF-REPORTED SLEEP QUALITY. WOMEN WITH POOR SLEEP EFFICIENCY MAY DERIVE THE GREATEST BENEFIT IN TERMS OF SLEEP QUALITY AND MOOD FROM A YOGA INTERVENTION. 2022 11 2799 38 YOGA THERAPY FOR SOCIAL COGNITION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: AN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE-BASED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND COGNITIVE DEFICITS ARE DIFFICULT-TO-TREAT SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. IN THIS SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY, WE COMPARED CHANGE IN SOCIAL COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (PWS) (AS PER DSM-5), AFTER 6 WEEKS OF YOGA INTERVENTION WITH A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. WE ALSO EXAMINED CHANGES IN PUTATIVE MIRROR NEURON SYSTEM (MNS) ACTIVITY MEASURED BY TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION (TMS) IN A SUBSET OF SAMPLE (N = 30). 51 PWS STABILIZED ON ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION FOR AT LEAST 6 WEEKS, WERE ASSIGNED TO ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY (YT) (N = 26) OR WAITLIST (WL) (N = 25). SUBJECTS IN THE YT GROUP RECEIVED ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY (20 SESSIONS IN 6 WEEKS). BOTH THE GROUPS CONTINUED THEIR STANDARD TREATMENT AND WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS FOR SOCIAL COGNITION, CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AND SOCIAL DISABILITY. RM-ANOVA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME AND GROUP FOR SOCIAL COGNITION COMPOSITE SCORE (SCCS) (F = 42.09 [1,44], P < 0.001); NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SANS) (F = 74.91 [1,45], P < 0.001); POSITIVE SYMPTOMS (SAPS) (F = 16.05 [1,45], P < 0.001) AND SOCIAL DISABILITY (GSDS) (F = 29.91 [1,46], P < 0.001). MNS ACTIVITY HAD INCREASED AFTER 6 WEEKS IN BOTH GROUPS BUT NOT OF STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT 6 WEEKS OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY COULD IMPROVE SOCIAL COGNITION IN PWS COMPARED TO WAITLIST CONTROL SUBJECTS. HOWEVER, THE CHANGE IN SOCIAL COGNITION WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A CHANGE IN THE PUTATIVE MNS-ACTIVITY. IT NECESSIATATES FURTHER STUDIES TO INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISTIC PROCESSES OF YOGA AND REPLICATE THESE OBSERVATIONS IN A LARGER SAMPLE. 2021 12 1087 36 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 2030 21 TAI CHI/YOGA REDUCES PRENATAL DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES. NINETY-TWO PRENATALLY DEPRESSED PREGNANT WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A TAI CHI/YOGA OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP AT AN AVERAGE OF 22 WEEKS GESTATION. THE TAI CHI/YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 20-MIN GROUP SESSION PER WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. AT THE END OF THE TREATMENT PERIOD THE TAI CHI/YOGA GROUP HAD LOWER SUMMARY DEPRESSION (CES-D) SCORES, AS WELL AS LOWER NEGATIVE AFFECT AND SOMATIC/VEGETATIVE SYMPTOMS SUBSCALE SCORES ON THE CES-D, LOWER ANXIETY (STAI) SCORES AND LOWER SLEEP DISTURBANCES SCORES. 2013 14 2785 32 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THERE HAS BEEN LIMITED STUDY OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM ON SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A STATE PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY. METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY, 18 CLINICALLY STABLE PATIENTS (12 MEN AND 6 WOMEN) WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (MEAN AGE=42+/-13.5) WERE RANDOMIZED TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM (YT) AND A WAITLIST GROUP (WL). YT INTERVENTION INCLUDED YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, AND RELAXATION. AT BASELINE AND AT 8 WEEKS, SYMPTOMATOLOGY WAS MEASURED USING THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS). SECONDARY EFFICACY OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE BREF QUESTIONNAIRE (WHOQOL-BREF). RESULTS: THE YT GROUP OBTAINED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA SYMPTOMS COMPARED TO WL, INCLUDING PANSS SCORES ON POSITIVE SYNDROME (T=-2.64, P=0.02), NEGATIVE SYNDROME (T=-3.04, P<0.01), GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (T=-3.74, P<0.00), ACTIVATION (T=-2.29, P<0.04), PARANOIA (T=-2.89, P<0.01), AND DEPRESSION SUBSCALES (T=-2.62, P<0.02). PANSS TOTAL SCORES ALSO DECREASED FOR THE YT GROUP (T=-4.54, P<0.00). YT HAD IMPROVED PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICAL (T=2.38, P<0.04) AND PSYCHOLOGIC DOMAINS (T=2.88, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA BEING TREATED IN A STATE PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY WHO PARTICIPATED IN AN 8-WEEK THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER, MORE SUFFICIENTLY POWERED STUDIES WITH ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. 2011 15 329 31 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 16 1866 43 RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF TIBETAN YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT RANDOMIZED TRIAL EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF A TIBETAN YOGA PROGRAM (TYP) VERSUS A STRETCHING PROGRAM (STP) AND USUAL CARE (UC) ON SLEEP AND FATIGUE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER WHO WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: WOMEN WITH STAGE (AMERICAN JOINT COMMITTEE ON CANCER (AJCC) TNM) I TO III BREAST CANCER WHO WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO TYP (74 WOMEN), STP (68 WOMEN), OR UC (85 WOMEN). PARTICIPANTS IN THE TYP AND STP GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN 4 SESSIONS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY, FOLLOWED BY 3 BOOSTER SESSIONS OVER THE SUBSEQUENT 6 MONTHS, AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE AT HOME. SELF-REPORT MEASURES OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX), FATIGUE (BRIEF FATIGUE INVENTORY), AND ACTIGRAPHY WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE; 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT; AND AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES NOTED IN TOTAL SLEEP DISTURBANCES OR FATIGUE LEVELS OVER TIME. HOWEVER, PATIENTS IN THE TYP GROUP REPORTED FEWER DAILY DISTURBANCES 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE STP (DIFFERENCE, -0.43; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [95% CI], -0.82 TO -0.04 [P = .03]) AND UC (DIFFERENCE, -0.41; 95% CI, -0.77 TO -0.05 [P = .02]) GROUPS. GROUP DIFFERENCES AT THE OTHER TIME POINTS WERE MAINTAINED FOR TYP VERSUS STP. ACTIGRAPHY DATA REVEALED GREATER MINUTES AWAKE AFTER SLEEP ONSET FOR PATIENTS IN THE STP GROUP 1 WEEK AFTER TREATMENT VERSUS THOSE IN THE TYP (DIFFERENCE, 15.36; 95% CI, 7.25-23.48 [P = .0003]) AND UC (DIFFERENCE, 14.48; 95% CI, 7.09-21.87 [P = .0002]) GROUPS. PATIENTS IN THE TYP GROUP WHO PRACTICED AT LEAST 2 TIMES A WEEK DURING FOLLOW-UP REPORTED BETTER PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX AND ACTIGRAPHY OUTCOMES AT 3 MONTHS AND 6 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO DID NOT AND BETTER OUTCOMES COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE UC GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATING IN TYP DURING CHEMOTHERAPY RESULTED IN MODEST SHORT-TERM BENEFITS IN SLEEP QUALITY, WITH LONG-TERM BENEFITS EMERGING OVER TIME FOR THOSE WHO PRACTICED TYP AT LEAST 2 TIMES A WEEK. CANCER 2018;124:36-45. (C) 2017 AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. 2018 17 2836 45 YOGA'S IMPACT ON INFLAMMATION, MOOD, AND FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PURPOSE: TO EVALUATE YOGA'S IMPACT ON INFLAMMATION, MOOD, AND FATIGUE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED 3-MONTH TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED WITH TWO POST-TREATMENT ASSESSMENTS OF 200 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ASSIGNED TO EITHER 12 WEEKS OF 90-MINUTE TWICE PER WEEK HATHA YOGA CLASSES OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-STIMULATED PRODUCTION OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), AND INTERLEUKIN-1BETA (IL-1BETA), AND SCORES ON THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL FATIGUE SYMPTOM INVENTORY-SHORT FORM (MFSI-SF), THE VITALITY SCALE FROM THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY 36-ITEM SHORT FORM (SF-36), AND THE CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES-DEPRESSION (CES-D) SCALE. RESULTS: IMMEDIATELY POST-TREATMENT, FATIGUE WAS NOT LOWER (P > .05) BUT VITALITY WAS HIGHER (P = .01) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. AT 3 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT, FATIGUE WAS LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = .002), VITALITY WAS HIGHER (P = .01), AND IL-6 (P = .027), TNF-ALPHA (P = .027), AND IL-1BETA (P = .037) WERE LOWER FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER ON DEPRESSION AT EITHER TIME (P > .2). PLANNED SECONDARY ANALYSES SHOWED THAT THE FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE HAD STRONGER ASSOCIATIONS WITH FATIGUE AT BOTH POST-TREATMENT VISITS (P = .019; P < .001), AS WELL AS VITALITY (P = .016; P = .0045), BUT NOT DEPRESSION (P > .05) THAN SIMPLE GROUP ASSIGNMENT; MORE FREQUENT PRACTICE PRODUCED LARGER CHANGES. AT 3 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT, INCREASING YOGA PRACTICE ALSO LED TO A DECREASE IN IL-6 (P = .01) AND IL-1BETA (P = .03) PRODUCTION BUT NOT IN TNF-ALPHA PRODUCTION (P > .05). CONCLUSION: CHRONIC INFLAMMATION MAY FUEL DECLINES IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION LEADING TO FRAILTY AND DISABILITY. IF YOGA DAMPENS OR LIMITS BOTH FATIGUE AND INFLAMMATION, THEN REGULAR PRACTICE COULD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS. 2014 18 1097 38 EFFECTS OF YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND AFFECT IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 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 CENTRE. 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. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR RESEARCH IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER-QUALITY OF LIFE (EORTCQOL C30) FUNCTIONAL SCALES AND POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SCHEDULE (PANAS). ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. RESULTS: AN INTENTION TO TREAT GLM REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ACROSS GROUPS OVER TIME FOR POSITIVE AFFECT, NEGATIVE AFFECT AND EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND SOCIAL FUNCTION. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN POSITIVE AFFECT (ES = 0.59, P = 0.007, 95%CI 1.25 TO 7.8), EMOTIONAL FUNCTION (ES = 0.71, P = 0.001, 95%CI 6.45 TO 25.33) AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION (ES = 0.48, P = 0.03, 95%CI 1.2 TO 18.5), AND DECREASE IN NEGATIVE AFFECT (ES = 0.84, P<0.001, 95%CI -13.4 TO -4.4) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN POSITIVE AFFECT WITH ROLE FUNCTION, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND GLOBAL QUALITY OF LIFE. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN NEGATIVE AFFECT WITH PHYSICAL FUNCTION, ROLE FUNCTION, EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND SOCIAL FUNCTION. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR YOGA TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND AFFECT IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS. 2009 19 111 23 A PILOT STUDY OF A HATHA YOGA TREATMENT FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF A YOGA TREATMENT FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. BOTH PHYSIOLOGIC AND SELF-REPORTED MEASURES OF HOT FLASHES WERE INCLUDED. METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE WITHIN-GROUP PILOT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED. PARTICIPANTS WERE 12 PERI- AND POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN EXPERIENCING AT LEAST 4 MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES PER DAY, AT LEAST 4 DAYS PER WEEK. ASSESSMENTS WERE ADMINISTERED BEFORE AND AFTER COMPLETION OF A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM. PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT MEASURES INCLUDED: SEVERITY OF QUESTIONNAIRE-RATED MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (WIKLUND SYMPTOM CHECK LIST), FREQUENCY, DURATION, AND SEVERITY OF HOT FLASHES (24-H AMBULATORY SKIN-CONDUCTANCE MONITORING; HOT-FLASH DIARY), INTERFERENCE OF HOT FLASHES WITH DAILY LIFE (HOT FLASH RELATED DAILY INTERFERENCE SCALE), AND SUBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX). YOGA CLASSES INCLUDED BREATHING TECHNIQUES, POSTURES, AND RELAXATION POSES DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO PRACTICE AT HOME 15 MIN EACH DAY IN ADDITION TO WEEKLY CLASSES. RESULTS: ELEVEN WOMEN COMPLETED THE STUDY AND ATTENDED A MEAN OF 7.45 (S.D. 1.63) CLASSES. SIGNIFICANT PRE- TO POST-TREATMENT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND FOR SEVERITY OF QUESTIONNAIRE-RATED TOTAL MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, HOT-FLASH DAILY INTERFERENCE; AND SLEEP EFFICIENCY, DISTURBANCES, AND QUALITY. NEITHER 24-H MONITORING NOR ACCOMPANYING DIARIES YIELDED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN HOT FLASHES. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA TREATMENT AND STUDY PROCEDURES WERE FEASIBLE FOR MIDLIFE WOMEN. IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOM PERCEPTIONS AND WELL BEING WARRANT FURTHER STUDY OF YOGA FOR MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS, WITH A LARGER NUMBER OF WOMEN AND INCLUDING A CONTROL GROUP. 2007 20 2529 34 YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES FATIGUE AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER. PURPOSE: EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 173 CANCER PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM MILD TO SEVERE FATIGUE WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 84) (IG) VERSUS WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 88). YOGA THERAPY CONSISTED OF EIGHT WEEKLY SESSIONS WITH 60 MIN EACH. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). DATA WERE ASSESSED USING QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE (T0) AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY FOR IG VERSUS WAITING PERIOD FOR CG (T1). RESULTS: A STRONGER REDUCTION OF GENERAL FATIGUE (P = .033), PHYSICAL FATIGUE (P = .048), AND DEPRESSION (P < .001) AS WELL AS A STRONGER INCREASE IN QOL (P = .002) WAS FOUND FOR PATIENTS WHO ATTENDED 7 OR 8 SESSIONS COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. WITHIN THE YOGA GROUP, BOTH HIGHER ATTENDANCE RATE AND LOWER T0-FATIGUE WERE SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF LOWER T1-FATIGUE (P