Yoga Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Yoga, including details on benefits, health, treatment, back pain.

Post traumatic stress symptoms and heart rate variability in Bihar flood survivors following yoga: a randomized controlled study.

Telles S, Singh N, Joshi M, Balkrishna A

Department of Yoga Research, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Delhi-Haridwar Highway Haridwar 249402, India. shirleytelles@gmail.com.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: An earlier study showed that a week of yoga practice was useful in stress management after a natural calamity. Due to heavy rain and a rift on the banks of the Kosi river, in the state of Bihar in north India, there were floods with loss of life and property. A week of yoga practice was given to the survivors a month after the event and the effect was assessed. METHODS: Twenty-two volunteers (group average age +/- S.D, 31.5 +/- 7.5 years; all of them were males) were randomly assigned to two groups, yoga and a non-yoga wait-list control group. The yoga group practiced yoga for an hour daily while the control group continued with their routine activities. Both groups' heart rate variability, breath rate, and four symptoms of emotional distress using visual analog scales, were assessed on the first and eighth day of the program. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in sadness in the yoga group (p < 0.05, paired t-test, post data compared to pre) and an increase in anxiety in the control group (p < 0.05, paired t-test, post data compared to pre). CONCLUSIONS: A week of yoga can reduce feelings of sadness and possibly prevent an increase in anxiety in flood survivors a month after the calamity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials Registry of India: CTRI/2009/091/000285.

Published 12 March 2010 in BMC Psychiatry, 10: 18.
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Articles on Yoga published 11 March 2010:

Effects of yoga on sleep quality and depression in elders in assisted living facilities.   J Nurs Res, 18(1): 53-61.

BACKGROUND:: Being relocated to an assisted living facility can result in sleep disturbances and depression in elders. This may be attributed to or worsened by lack of regular physical activity. Appropriate exercise programs may be an important component of quality of life in this group of transitional frail elders. PURPOSE:: This study aimed to test the effects of a 6-month yoga exercise program in improving sleep quality and decreasing depression in transitional frail elders living in ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Yoga published 1 March 2010:

Drinking air and manoeuvering it to the pyloric region of the stomach for the treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection.   Med Hypotheses.

Helicobacter pylori is a flagellate, gram-negative bacterium which lives in the pyloric region of the human stomach and is a major cause of a large proportion of peptic ulcers, some non-ulcer dyspepsias and rarely, gastric cancers. It is a microaerophilic (anaerobic) organism. In place of the several drugs currently in use for treating H. pylori infection, plain simple atmospheric air swallowed or sucked into the stomach, or drunk by any of the various techniques described here and then ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Prescribing yoga.   Prim Care, 37(1): 31-47.

More than 15.8 million people in the United States now practice some form of yoga, and nearly half of current practitioners stated they began yoga practice as a means of improving overall health. More broadly understood in a modern context, yoga is a set of principles and practices designed to promote health and well-being through the integration of body, breath, and mind. This article outlines the history of yoga and describes several forms, including asana-based yoga, which is becoming ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Yoga published 25 February 2010:

Complementary and alternative medicine and supportive care at leading cancer centers: a systematic analysis of websites.   J Altern Complement Med, 16(2): 183-6.

Abstract Background: With increasing frequency, patients with cancer and their family members are turning to the Internet to educate themselves about their disease and treatment options, including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and supportive care. However, very little is known about how national leading cancer centers represent these therapies via their websites. Methods: Simulating the perspective of an information-seeking patient or family member, we performed a systematic ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Yoga published 19 February 2010:

Mind-body therapies for menopausal symptoms: A systematic review.   Maturitas.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the peer-reviewed literature regarding the effects of self-administered mind-body therapies on menopausal symptoms. METHODS: To identify qualifying studies, we searched 10 scientific databases and scanned bibliographies of relevant review papers and all identified articles. The methodological quality of all studies was assessed systematically using predefined criteria. RESULTS: Twenty-one papers representing 18 clinical trials from 6 countries met our ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Yoga published 15 February 2010:

Unusual Body Posture After Death Leading to Signs of Strangulation.   Am J Forensic Med Pathol.

This report concerns a case in which the decedent was found in a highly unusual posture, one resembling a yoga backbend pose. Several findings in this case pointed to death by strangulation, including facial congestion, extensive petechiae of the conjunctivae and mucosal membranes of the oral cavity, and congestion and hemorrhaging in the lingual root, laryngopharynx, and cervical lymph nodes. However, no hemorrhaging of the cervical skin or soft tissue was observed. The cause of death was ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Yoga published 10 February 2010:

Stress, inflammation, and yoga practice.   Psychosom Med, 72(2): 113-21.

OBJECTIVE: To address the mechanisms underlying hatha yoga's potential stress-reduction benefits, we compared inflammatory and endocrine responses of novice and expert yoga practitioners before, during, and after a restorative hatha yoga session, as well as in two control conditions. Stressors before each of the three conditions provided data on the extent to which yoga speeded an individual's physiological recovery. METHODS: A total of 50 healthy women (mean age, 41.32 years; range, 30-65 ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Yoga published 4 February 2010:

Yoga and qigong in the psychological prevention of mental health disorders: a conceptual synthesis.   Chin J Integr Med, 16(1): 80-6.

The study proposes to explore two alternative medicine therapies-qigong and yoga for balancing the essential duo of holistic mind-body and consequently offer a solution for stress, uncertainty, anxiety and depression. Qualitative research methods have been used to create a conceptual synthesis of yoga and qigong. It is suggested that an increased sense of control is the interface between these two modalities. This conceptual congruence of qigong and yoga is thought to be a selective, curative ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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