Yoga for schizophrenia: Patients′ perspective

Context: Yoga-based intervention is emerging as an effective add-on therapy in the management of schizophrenia. However, many barriers make it difficult for patients to avail yoga therapy programs. One of them is motivation for yoga therapy. Ways to address the barriers are critical to employ yoga as a treatment in this population. Aim: This study aims at exploring patients′ willingness to participate in add-on yoga therapy programs on out-patient basis. Settings and Design: The study was conducted on 100 schizophrenia patients attending psychiatry out-patient services of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 schizophrenia patients (male: female = 57:43; age: 35.8 ΁ 9.2 years) attending the psychiatry out-patient services of a tertiary neuropsychiatry hospital were administered a survey questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: Chi-square test was used for testing the significance of proportions. P < 0.05 was taken to be significant. Results: About 46% were aware that yoga is also one of the complementary therapies useful in schizophrenia. 32% had tried yoga in the past for some reasons, but only 31% of them were continuing yoga; commonest reasons for not continuing being lack of motivation (31%) and inability to spare time (27.6%). However, the majority (88.5%) of them were willing to take up add-on yoga therapy on out-patient basis along with their regular medical follow-up. Conclusions: In spite of the lack of motivation to practice yoga, the majority of patients were willing to participate in add-on yoga therapy programs if given on out-patient basis along with their regular conventional medical follow-up

Stress and the impact of stressful events are lesser among raja yoga meditators – A cross sectional study during COVID-19 pandemic from India

This research work presents a study on the relationship between stress &amp; related events with meditation practice and other socio-demographic variables during COVID 19 pandemic among healthy adults. In this cross-sectional survey design, healthy adults with and without practice of Raja yoga meditation completed stress, anxiety &amp; depression related questions (Depression Anxiety &amp; stress Scale, DASS 21) and its impact (Impact of Event Scale-Revised, IES-R) along with other socio-demographic including COVID infection or contact related information. Data was assessed for difference in DASS 21 scores and IES-R scores between Raja yoga meditators (n = 802) &amp; non-meditators (n = 357). An analysis was performed to study the predictors of DASS 21 and IES-R scores. We conclude that healthy Raja yoga meditation practitioners differ from non-meditators in terms of stress/anxiety/depression and its impact during COVID 19 pandemic and meditation practice predicts mental health better along with other sociodemographic variables

Add-on yoga therapy for social cognition in schizophrenia: A pilot study

Background: Yoga as a mind–body therapy is useful in lifestyle-related disorders including neuropsychiatric disorders. In schizophrenia patients, yoga has been shown to significantly improve negative symptoms, functioning, and plasma oxytocin level. Aim: The aim of the study was to study the effect of add-on yoga therapy on social cognition in schizophrenia patients. Materials and Methods: In a single pre-post, study design, 15 schizophrenia patients stabilized on antipsychotic medication for 6 weeks were assessed for social cognition (theory of mind, facial emotion recognition, and social perception [SP]) and clinical symptoms (negative and positive symptoms and social disability) before and after twenty sessions of add-on yoga therapy. Results: There was a significant improvement in the social cognition composite score after 20 sessions of yoga (t[13] = −5.37, P≤ 0.001). Clinical symptoms also reduced significantly after twenty sessions of yoga. Conclusion: Results are promising to integrate yoga in clinical practice, if proven in well-controlled clinical trials

Designing and validation of a yoga-based intervention for obsessive compulsive disorder

<p>Some yoga-based practices have been found to be useful for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The authors could not find a validated yoga therapy module available for OCD. This study attempted to formulate a generic yoga-based intervention module for OCD. A yoga module was designed based on traditional and contemporary yoga literature. The module was sent to 10 yoga experts for content validation. The experts rated the usefulness of the practices on a scale of 1–5 (5 = extremely useful). The final version of the module was pilot-tested on patients with OCD (<i>n</i> = 17) for both feasibility and effect on symptoms. Eighty-eight per cent (22 out of 25) of the items in the initial module were retained, with modifications in the module as suggested by the experts along with patients’ inputs and authors’ experience. The module was found to be feasible and showed an improvement in symptoms of OCD on total Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) score (<i>p</i> = 0.001). A generic yoga therapy module for OCD was validated by experts in the field and found feasible to practice in patients. A decrease in the symptom scores was also found following yoga practice of 2 weeks. Further clinical validation is warranted to confirm efficacy.</p

Green Synthesised Silver Nanoparticles Using <i>Anoectochilus elatus</i> Leaf Extract: Characterisation and Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Antidiabetic, and Antimicrobial Activities

The present study investigates the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles was carried out using a leaf extract of Anoectochilus elatus (Ae-AgNPs). The synthesised Ae-AgNPs were characterised using different analytical techniques like UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Additionally, in vitro activities were investigated, and they possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial properties. The UV-Vis spectra exhibited characteristic absorption peaks at approximately 480 nm. FTIR identified functional groups of the Ae-AgNPs. The crystalline structure of the Ae-AgNPs was verified via XRD analysis. SEM studies revealed that the nanoparticles exhibited a spherical morphology. The fabrication of Ae-AgNPs was established by the EDX spectrum, which exhibited prominent signals of silver atoms. The Ae-AgNPs show potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activity compared to standard drugs. In addition, Ae-AgNPs demonstrated the most significant zone of Inhibition. This study affirms the superior biological capability of Ae-AgNPs for target drug delivery and their potential for usage in biomedical research and therapeutics