Coronary heart diseases (CHD) represent a major health burden. The number of patients with CHD is increasing and psychosocial factors are now recognised as playing a significant and independent role in the development of CHD and its complications. This indicates a need for implication of non-pharmacological intervention in the management of CHD patients, which is overlooked in Indian settings. Aims: The present study aimed at examining the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programme in reducing the perceived stress and health complaints (somatic complaints and cognitive complaints) in CHD patients. Methodology: The sample consisted of 50 participants with the diagnosis of CHD; age ranged from 25 to 55 years. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups – treatment-as-usual (TAU) group (N=25) and MBSR group (N=25) – after completing the measures. The tools used, before and after intervention, included Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Health Complaints Scale (HCS). Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Product and Service Solutions version 16.0 (SPSS-16.0). Results: The results revealed a significant decrease in perceived stress and health complaints scores in the MBSR group at post intervention level. Conclusion: MBSR is highly effective for reducing perceived stress and health complaints in CHD patients. These findings should be considered as a breakthrough and can be taken seriously that MBSR is a credible and potentially effective way of helping people cope with perceived stress and health complaints.
OBJECTIVES: Previously it was shown that a brief yoga-based lifestyle intervention was efficacious in reducing oxidative stress and risk of chronic diseases even in a short duration. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of this intervention in reducing stress and inflammation in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.
DESIGN: This study reports preliminary results from a nonrandomized prospective ongoing study with pre-post design.
SETTING/LOCATION: The study was conducted at the Integral Health Clinic, an outpatient facility conducting these yoga-based lifestyle intervention programs for prevention and management of chronic diseases.
SUBJECTS: Patients with chronic inflammatory diseases and overweight/obese subjects were included while physically challenged, and those on other interventions were excluded from the study.
INTERVENTION: A pretested intervention program included asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), stress management, group discussions, lectures, and individualized advice.
OUTCOME MEASURES: There was a reduction in stress (plasma cortisol and β-endorphin) and inflammation (interleukin [IL]-6 and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) at day 0 versus day 10.
RESULTS: Eighty-six (86) patients (44 female, 42 male, 40.07 ± 13.91 years) attended this program. Overall, the mean level of cortisol decreased from baseline to day 10 (149.95 ± 46.07, 129.07 ± 33.30 ng/mL; p=0.001) while β-endorphins increased from baseline to day 10 (3.53 ± 0.88, 4.06 ± 0.79 ng/mL; p=0.024). Also, there was reduction from baseline to day 10 in mean levels of IL-6 (2.16 ± 0.42, 1.94 ± 0.10 pg/mL, p=0.036) and TNF-α (2.85 ± 0.59, 1.95 ± 0.32 pg/mL, p=0.002).
CONCLUSIONS: This brief yoga-based lifestyle intervention reduced the markers of stress and inflammation as early as 10 days in patients with chronic diseases; however, complete results of this study will confirm whether this program has utility as complementary and alternative therapy.
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The purpose of this article was to systematically review yoga interventions aimed at improving depressive symptoms. A total of 23 interventions published between 2011 and May 2016 were evaluated in this review. Three study designs were used: randomized control trials, quasi-experimental, and pretest/posttest, with majority being randomized control trials. Most of the studies were in the United States. Various yoga schools were used, with the most common being Hatha yoga. The number of participants participating in the studies ranged from 14 to 136, implying that most studies had a small sample. The duration of the intervention period varied greatly, with the majority being 6 weeks or longer. Limitations of the interventions involved the small sample sizes used by the majority of the studies, most studies examining the short-term effect of yoga for depression, and the nonutilization of behavioral theories. Despite the limitations, it can be concluded that the yoga interventions were effective in reducing depression.
The current endeavor intended to evaluate the effectiveness and mode of action of Anuloma‑Viloma Pranayama (AVP), i.e., alternate nasal breathing exercise, in resolving clinical features of Pratishyaya, i.e., rhinosinusitis. The present study was directed to validate the use of classical “saccharin test” in measuring the nasal health by measuring mucociliary clearance time. This study also highlights the effects of AVP by application of Bernoulli principle in ventilation of paranasal sinuses and surface oxygenation of nasal and paranasal sinuses ciliary epithelium. Clinically, endoscopically and radiologically diagnosed patients of Pratishyaya, i.e., rhinosinusitis, satisfying the inclusion criteria were selected to perform AVP as a breathing exercise regularly for 30 min every day in order to evaluate the effectiveness of AVP in resolving features of rhinosinusitis. Saccharin test was performed before and after completion of 40 days trial to assess the nasal ciliary activity, which has been proved to be directly related to the health of ciliary epithelium and nasal health overall as well. AVP may be regarded as a catalyst to conspicuously enhance ventilation and oxygenation of the paranasal sinuses and the positively effect the nasal respiratory epithelium by increasing better surface availability of oxygen and negative pressure in the nasal cavity itself.
<p>The article discusses ethnicity and national integration in Nepal. Nepal is a multi-ethnic and pluralistic society. In Nepal, its various social segments called by their respective caste names (jat or jati) are generally understood to form part of a single social and cultural order. The author wishes to see a "harmonic model' prevail as before, but the author argues that the true aim should be to continue to find this harmony in group relationships compatible with the times. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2007-02-04)</p>
BACKGROUND: This study describes evidence of yoga's effectiveness for depressive disorders, general anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. We also address adverse events associated with yoga. METHODS: We searched multiple electronic databases for systematic reviews (SRs) published between 2008 and July 2014, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) not identified in eligible SRs, and ongoing RCTs registered with ClincalTrials.gov. RESULTS: We identified 1 SR on depression, 1 for adverse events, and 3 addressing multiple conditions. The high-quality depression SR included 12 RCTs (n = 619) that showed improved short-term depressive symptoms (standardized mean difference, -0.69, 95% confidence interval, -0.99 to -0.39), but there was substantial variability (I2 = 86%) and a high risk of bias for 9 studies. Three SRs addressing multiple conditions identified 4 nonrandomized studies (n = 174) for GAD/PD and 1 RCT (n = 8) and 2 nonrandomized studies (n = 22) for PTSD. We separately found 1 RCT (n = 13) for GAD and 2 RCTs (n = 102) for PTSD. Collectively, these studies were inconclusive for the effectiveness of yoga in treating GAD/PD and PTSD. The high-quality SR for adverse events included 37 primary reports (n = 76) in which inversion postures were most often implicated. We found 5 ongoing trials (3 for PTSD). CONCLUSIONS: Yoga may improve short-term depressive symptoms, but evidence for GAD, PD, and PTSD remain inconclusive.
BACKGROUND: This study describes evidence of yoga's effectiveness for depressive disorders, general anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. We also address adverse events associated with yoga. METHODS: We searched multiple electronic databases for systematic reviews (SRs) published between 2008 and July 2014, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) not identified in eligible SRs, and ongoing RCTs registered with ClincalTrials.gov. RESULTS: We identified 1 SR on depression, 1 for adverse events, and 3 addressing multiple conditions. The high-quality depression SR included 12 RCTs (n = 619) that showed improved short-term depressive symptoms (standardized mean difference, -0.69, 95% confidence interval, -0.99 to -0.39), but there was substantial variability (I2 = 86%) and a high risk of bias for 9 studies. Three SRs addressing multiple conditions identified 4 nonrandomized studies (n = 174) for GAD/PD and 1 RCT (n = 8) and 2 nonrandomized studies (n = 22) for PTSD. We separately found 1 RCT (n = 13) for GAD and 2 RCTs (n = 102) for PTSD. Collectively, these studies were inconclusive for the effectiveness of yoga in treating GAD/PD and PTSD. The high-quality SR for adverse events included 37 primary reports (n = 76) in which inversion postures were most often implicated. We found 5 ongoing trials (3 for PTSD). CONCLUSIONS: Yoga may improve short-term depressive symptoms, but evidence for GAD, PD, and PTSD remain inconclusive.
The present paper represents the indigenous knowledge on the utilization of various plant species as herbal medicines among nomadic tribe Gujjar of Sub-Himalayan tracts of Uttarakhand. The Gujjars inhabit in the forests of Himalaya with their livestock, hence, called as Van-Gujjars. They are completely dependent on the surrounding vegetational wealth for various substantive,requirements including treatment of different ailments through their inherital traditional knowledge. The following study is based on extensive field surveys, interviews with the community, particularly the elder traditional practitioners and women folk. In the following text ethnomedicinal information on 46 plant species, belonging to 25 families, used by this tribe of Sub-Himalayan tracts has been included.
<p>The article is a study of temples, focusing on their origin and their forms in Nepal. The author rejects the idea of Banerjee, who traces the origin of the Nepali temples to the multi-terraced "eduka" style constructions in India. In the context of the evolution of temples in the Kathmandu valley, the author examines the use and popularity of the term "devakula". The use of the word devakula was common in the Licchavi period and degah is used in Newari which is also a derivative of the Licchavi term devakula. The Pashupati inscription of Jayadeva II is a long, important, and historically significant in study of temples. The article includes verses from the inscription and paragraph from Slusser. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2006-10-25)</p>
<p>The article is an a socio-cultural study of a pilgrimage site. This article focuses on the study of Gosaikunda which is an important pilgrimage site situated in Himalayan region of Nepal. It is situated inside Langtang National Park. Gosainkunda is called Sisankh in Tibetan, Gvelachen in Tamang, Silu in Newari, and Nilkanthathirtha in Sanskrit granth. The article is written with the objective to disseminate the historical and cultural importance of this pilgrimage site. The article explains the geographical condition of Gosainkunda. It discusses the writings about Gosainkunda on old granths with illustrations of Sanskrit verses. It includes tales about Gosainkunda with details of feasts and festivals. Finally, there is information on the demographic details of Gosainkunda and it's development as a tourist place. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2006-10-23)</p>
Annotation; Target Audience: Trade
The effort to realize and uphold an optimum state of health has always drilled the minds of men and as a result, a number of healing systems have evolved around the world. Communities have devised systems to alleviate the tiresome condition arising out of illnesses using their own technique, which vary from one community to another. Each culture has set outlook regarding the disease causation and these are rooted in their belief systems. There are several theories which not only explain the cause of disease but also community’s health care seeking approach. Archaeological and existing genetic facts state that human population voyaged to the Indian subcontinent and their familiarity with herbs and other naturally accessible material is as old as human civilization.Folk medicine includes healing practices and ideas on health care which are limited to a particular group in a culture, and are generally transmitted orally or word of mouth. In India, folk medicine is highly conditioned by the impact of folk deities and, sometimes it is so deep rooted that medicine and folk deities become an integrated whole. Across the whole Himalayan Region, folk healers have a remarkable knowledge of herbs, accumulated through generations and they have been developing the health care traditions through constant experimentation and years of experience which is rooted in understanding and realistic considerations.
BACKGROUND: Anger related issues in adolescents are an important contributor to adolescent mortality and many negative developmental outcomes. Anger being the most primitive defence mechanism, determining its maladaptive nature is a complex phenomenon. Further, it lacks clarity in terms of its definition, demarcation from aggression and hostility, and also its assessment. Available anger rating scales do not represent anger adequately or comprehensively. The concept of anger is dealt with exhaustively in Indian classical texts. According to these texts, anger is an evil virtue that is born out of Rajasic nature and leads to momentary loss of cognitive functional abilities. Manifestation of anger occurs at behavioural (kayika), verbal (vachika) and mental (manasika) levels. Based on these principles, a psychometric scale is developed for assessment of anger in adolescents. MATERIALS & METHODS: Item generation was done referring to the existing scales, texts on spirituality and psychology. It also included discussions with children, teachers and parents. Item reduction was carried out using expert opinion, focused group discussion and factor analysis. Testretest reliability was checked with 127 children (63 girls and 64 boys). The final scale was administered to 757 children (427 girls and 330 boys) to ascertain reliability co-efficient values. RESULTS: Co-efficient of Alpha value for final scale recorded .804. Testretest reliability showed .835 correlation. CONCLUSION: Anger can be assessed holistically using Trikarana (kayika, vachika and manasika) concept as dealt in almost all Indian classical texts. A 23-item adolescent anger scale is a comprehensive tool to assess behavioural, verbal and mental anger in adolescents.
The present study was conducted to assess the immediate effect of high-frequency yoga breathing on muscle strength and motor speed. Bilateral handgrip strength, leg and back strength, finger tapping and arm tapping speed were assessed in fifty male participants (group mean age +/- SD, 26.9 +/- 6.2 years) before and after (a) high frequency yoga breathing for 15 minutes and (b) breath awareness for the same duration. Sessions (a) and (b) were on two different days but at the same time of the day. The schedule was alternated for different participants. There was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in right hand grip strength after high frequency yoga breathing. Both finger and arm tapping improved after both practices. The results suggest a role for high frequency yoga breathing in improving the hand grip strength as an immediate effect.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the immediate effect of slow pace bhastrika pranayama (respiratory rate 6/min) for 5 minutes on heart rate and blood pressure and the effect of the same breathing exercise for the same duration of time (5 minutes) following oral intake of hyoscine-N-butylbromide (Buscopan), a parasympathetic blocker drug.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Heart rate and blood pressure of volunteers (n = 39, age = 25-40 years) was recorded following standard procedure. First, subjects had to sit comfortably in an easy and steady posture (sukhasana) on a fairly soft seat placed on the floor keeping head, neck, and trunk erect, eyes closed, and the other muscles reasonably loose. The subject is directed to inhale through both nostrils slowly up to the maximum for about 4 seconds and then exhale slowly up to the maximum through both nostrils for about 6 seconds. The breathing must not be abdominal. These steps complete one cycle of slow pace bhastrika pranayama (respiratory rate 6/min). During the practice the subject is asked not to think much about the inhalation and exhalation time, but rather was requested to imagine the open blue sky. The pranayama was conducted in a cool, well-ventilated room (18-20 degrees C). After 5 minutes of this breathing practice, the blood pressure and heart rate again were recorded in the aforesaid manner using the same instrument. The other group (n = 10) took part in another study where their blood pressure and heart rate were recorded following half an hour of oral intake of hyoscine-N-butylbromide 20 mg. Then they practiced the breathing exercise as stated above, and the abovementioned parameters were recorded again to study the effect of parasympathetic blockade on the same pranayama.
RESULTS: It was noted that after slow bhastrika pranayamic breathing (respiratory rate 6/min) for 5 minutes, both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly with a slight fall in heart rate. No significant alteration in both blood pressure and heart rate was observed in volunteers who performed the same breathing exercise for the same duration following oral intake of hyoscine-N-butylbromide.
DISCUSSION: Pranayama increases frequency and duration of inhibitory neural impulses by activating pulmonary stretch receptors during above tidal volume inhalation as in Hering Bruer reflex, which bring about withdrawal of sympathetic tone in the skeletal muscle blood vessels, leading to widespread vasodilatation, thus causing decrease in peripheral resistance and thus decreasing the diastolic blood pressure. After hyoscine-N-butylbromide, the parasympathetic blocker, it was observed that blood pressure was not decreased significantly as a result of pranayama, as it was observed when no drug was administered.
CONCLUSIONS: Vagal cardiac and pulmonary mechanisms are linked, and improvement in one vagal limb might spill over into the other. Baroreceptor sensitivity can be enhanced significantly by slow breathing (supported by a small reduction in the heart rate observed during slow breathing and by reduction in both systolic and diastolic pressure). Slow pace bhastrika pranayama (respiratory rate 6/min) exercise thus shows a strong tendency to improving the autonomic nervous system through enhanced activation of the parasympathetic system.
Background: Yoga is considered to be one of the most important, effective, and valuable tools available for man to overcome various physical and psychological problems. Stress contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases; hence, it becomes important to reduce the level of stress for prevention and management of diseases. Aims and Objectives: The present study was aimed: (1) To understand and analyze the possibilities of employing yogic practices in the treatment of periodontal disease along with conventional dental therapy, (2) to understand the effect of stress on periodontal treatment outcome, (3) to evaluate the efficacy of yoga in the management of periodontal disease with reference to stress. Materials and Methods: An outpatient department-based parallel group randomized study was performed with standard treatment for periodontal disease yoga therapy as Group II and only standard treatment as Group I. Periodontal health status was recorded using indices of modified plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth, and clinical attachment loss (CAL). The Cohen's perceived stress questionnaire was also used to determine stress severity. The yogic intervention consists of lectures and practical sessions on asanas, pranayama, kriyas, and meditation. Results: Repeated measure analysis of variance revealed a significant difference (P < 0.001) in all the outcome variables with respect to time in both groups. It was observed that mean PI score reduced by 1.35 in Group II as compared to 0.54 in Group I, mean probing pocket depth reduced by 1.60 in Group II as compared to only 0.68 in Group I, and mean CAL score reduced by 1.60 in Group II as compared to 0.68 in Group I. Similarly, Cohen's perceived stress scale score also reduced by 18.76 points in Group II as compared to only 2.58 points in Group I, BOP also shows better improvement in Group II with a reduction of 0.68 as compared to reduction of only 0.08 in Group I. The results obtained ascertained the role of yoga in stress reduction in periodontal disease. Conclusion: Although yoga does not play a direct role in improving periodontal disease, it accelerates the treatment outcomes by combating the stress which is a major factor affecting the treatment of periodontal disease.
<p>This is a review article mainly based on Kirkpatrick's <em>An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal: The Substance of Observations Made during a Mission to that Country in the Year 1793</em>. Colonel Kirkpatrick's mission to Nepal was undertaken in early 1793 and his itinerary lasted less than seven weeks, from February 13 until April 3. Kirkpatrick wrote in his book that two Himalayan states, Tibet and Nepal, were regarded as ideal for conducting trade with Britain. The article includes the saying of Prithvinarayan Shah in Divya Upadesa: "This kingdom is like a yam, sandwiched between two stones." The article reveals the Nepalese diplomacy at that time of maintaining good relations with neighboring countries and of opposing the English. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2006-08-12)</p>
<p>An attempt to understand and appreciate the workings of the land system prevalent under the Licchavi rulers of Nepal and the implications of this system for the for the period immediately preceding as well as following it. (Mark Turin 2004-06-11)</p>
<p>The article discusses the legends of Gayahbajya of Patan in the Kathmandu valley. The legend of this Brahman named Gaya was written by the author while he was collecting oral histories of Patan in 1991. The author argues that these legends' play of life and death, magical spells, interactions between high and low castes, and the relations between teacher and disciple give a clear picture of the medieval Newar society of Patan. Gayahbajya's real name was Gayapati. Gayapati saw an event where a pode made his dead son alive then started to go to pode's house but never entered. The article includes other stories as well and gives details of bringing Candesvari to Patan and of the social topography of Gayahbajya's world. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2006-10-24)</p>
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