Characteristics of patients who use yoga for pain management in Indian yoga and naturopathy settings: a retrospective review of electronic medical records.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of patients who underwent yoga therapy for pain in yoga and naturopathy clinical settings in India. Methods: Electronic medical records of patients who received yoga therapy for pain in three inpatient yoga and naturopathy hospitals were reviewed retrospectively from January 2021 to September 2022. Demographic characteristics and details on pain condition, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, ancillary therapies received, and insurance status were collected. In addition, we prospectively collected data on adherence to yoga practice through a telephonic interview. Results: A total of 984 patients were identified from a pool of 3,164 patients who received yoga therapy for pain for an average of 9.48 (1.13) days. Patients aged between 8 and 80 underwent therapy for varying pain conditions and diseases that include pain in the extremities, pain due to infection, trauma, degenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, and spine and neurological diseases. The majority of the patients were females (66.3%), from middle class families (74.8%), and who did not have any insurance coverage (93.8%). Most of the patients were under naturopathy treatment (99.8%), followed by ayurveda (56%), and physiotherapy (49.3%), along with yoga therapy. All patients reported a significant reduction in pain post-integrated yoga therapy (p < 0.001). Adherence to yoga was significantly associated with underlying pain conditions, the presence of comorbidities, the types of therapies used, and socioeconomic status (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights the real-time application of yoga in pain management in Indian yoga and naturopathy settings, as well as implications for future research.

Effect of Medically Supervised Prolonged Fasting Therapy on Vitamin D, B12, Body Weight, Body Mass Index, Vitality and Quality of Life: A Randomized Control Trial.

Background: Recent research indicates prolonged fasting for more than 7 days is beneficial in priming the vitamin D metabolism. However, methodological limitations in previous studies, such as insufficient sample size and a lack of control group, limits its generalizability. The present study evaluated the impact of prolonged fasting (10 days) on vitamin D, vitamin B12, body mass index (BMI), weight, hemoglobin, vitality and quality of life (QoL) compared to a normal diet. Methods: This randomized control trial was conducted in an in-patient private yoga and naturopathy setting between February and April 2022. A total of 52 participants (mean age 51.57 ± 13.67 years) with varying medical conditions were randomized into a fasting group (FG) or a normal diet group (NDG) with 26 participants in each group. The FG was on a fasting diet (500 kCal/day) which included holy basil herbal tea, lemon honey water, and water (3 L). The NDG (1500 kCal/day) consumed a routine diet that included Indian bread, pulses, steamed rice, vegetable salads, and beverages. Results: The FG has shown significant increase in the Vitamin D levels (P = .003, d = 0.475), vitality (P = .006, d = 0.425), physical QoL (P < .001, d = 0.549), psychological QoL (P = .002, d = 0.488), and environmental QoL (P = .004, d = 0.457) compared to NDG. No significant changes were observed in vitamin B12, weight, BMI, haemoglobin, and social QoL. A weak to moderate (ρ = 0.330-0.483) positive correlation was observed between vitality scores and QoL domains, whereas BMI scores showed an inverse correlation (ρ = -.280) with vitamin D levels. Conclusion: The results suggest that prolonged fasting for 10 days can improve vitamin D levels, improve vitality, and promote quality of life compared to a normal diet. Unlike previous studies, the FG does not differ from the NDG concerning weight and BMI. Nevertheless, fasting may be utilized as an effective tool to tackle vitamin D deficiency and associated health insufficiencies.

Ashtanga Yoga Ethics-Based Yoga Versus General Yoga on Anthropometric Indices, Trigunas, and Quality of Life in Abdominal Obesity: A Randomized Control Trial.

Introduction: The philosophical tenets of yoga such as Ashtanga yoga (AY) and Trigunas are seldom considered while designing yoga programs for chronic diseases. This randomized control trial explored the impact of AY principle-based yoga on the anthropometric indices, personality traits, and quality of life (QoL) in abdominal obesity (AO). Materials and Methods: Sixty-two participants with AO were randomized (n = 31 in each arm) into an AY arm or general yoga (GY) arm. For 12 weeks, both the AY and the GY received the same yoga protocol; however, the AY received an additional AY-based orientation session fortnightly. Changes in waist circumference, hip circumference (HC), height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, Vedic Personality Inventory for gunas, and World Health Organization QoL-BREF were measured at baseline and at the end of 12 weeks. Results: By the end of 12 weeks, the AY arm significantly differed from the GY arm in HC (P = 0.05) and BMI scores (P = 0.03). The AY arm has shown a significant increase in the sattva guna (P < 0.001) and reduction in the rajas (P < 0.001) and tamas gunas (P = 0.03). There was a significant improvement in the physical and social QoL domain, whereas the other variables examined remained insignificant. The increase in sattva guna was negatively correlated with waist circumference (P = -0.489) and BMI (r = -0.553). Conclusion: Exposing participants to progressive AY philosophy can change the personality traits which are further associated with melioration in the determiners of AO. Future yoga programs for chronic disorders may consider including AY philosophy for substantive outcomes.

Evaluation of interference to conventional and real-time PCR for detection and quantification of fungi in dust.

Advances in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have permitted accurate, rapid and quantitative identification of microorganisms in pure cultures regardless of viability or culturability. In this study, a simple sample processing method was investigated for rapid identification and quantification of fungal spores from dust samples using both conventional and real-time PCR. The proposed method was evaluated for susceptibility to interference from environmental dust samples. Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus fumigatus were used as test organisms. The sensitivity of detection in pure culture was 0.1 spore DNA equivalents per PCR reaction corresponding to 20 spores ml(-1) in the sample. However, 1 spore DNA equivalent per PCR reaction corresponding to 200 spores ml(-1) in the sample was the lowest amount of spores tested without interference in dust samples spiked with spores of either fungal species. The extent of inhibition was calculated using conventional and real-time PCR reactions containing fungal spores, specific primers, specific probes (for real-time PCR) and various amounts of dust. The results indicate that the extent of inhibition by dust on PCR varies with the type and amount of dust, and number of spores. No interference in the analysis of spiked samples was detected from 0.2 mg ml(-1) of four real-life dust samples at p-value >0.05 using 2 x 10(4) spores for conventional PCR and 2 x 10(5) spores for real-time PCR. However, samples containing >0.2 mg ml(-1) real-life dust compromised the PCR assay. These results suggest the potential usefulness of a simple sample processing method in conjunction with PCR for monitoring the fungal content of aerosols collected from indoor environments.