***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND There has been limited study of yoga training as a complementary exercise strategy to manage the symptom of dyspnea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) . PURPOSE The primary purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a yoga program for its safety , feasibility , and efficacy for decreasing dyspnea intensity ( DI ) and dyspnea-related distress ( DD ) in older adults with COPD . METHODS Clinical ly stable patients with COPD ( n = 29 ; age 69.9 + /- 9.5 ; forced expiratory volume in 1 second ( FEV(1 ) ) 47.7 + /- 15.6 % predicted ; female = 21 ) were r and omized to a 12-week yoga program specifically design ed for people with COPD or usual-care control  ( UC ) . The twice-weekly yoga program included asanas ( yoga postures ) and visama vritti pranayama ( timed breathing ) . Safety measure outcomes included heart rate , oxygen saturation , dyspnea , and pain . Feasibility was measured by patient-reported enjoyment , difficulty , and adherence to yoga sessions . At baseline and at 12 weeks , DI and DD were measured during incremental cycle ergometry and a 6-minute walk ( 6MW ) test . Secondary efficacy outcomes included physical performance , psychologic well-being , and health-related quality of life ( HRQoL ) . RESULTS Yoga training was safe and feasible for patients with COPD . While yoga training had only small effects on DI after the 6MW test ( effect size [ ES ] , 0.20 ; p = 0.60 ) , there were greater reductions in DD in the yoga group compared to UC ( ES , 0.67 ; p = 0.08 ) . Yoga training also improved 6MW distance ( + 71.7 + /- 21.8 feet versus -27.6 + /- 36.2 feet ; ES = 0.78 , p = 0.04 ) and self-reported functional performance ( ES = 0.79 , p = 0.04 ) compared to UC . There were small positive changes in muscle strength and HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS Elderly patients with COPD participated safely in a 12-week yoga program especially design ed for patients with this chronic illness . After the program , the subjects tolerated more activity with less DD and improved their functional performance . These findings need to be confirmed in a larger , more sufficiently powered efficacy study The aim of this study was to measure the effects of a bi-weekly Raj yoga program on  rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) disease activity . Subjects were recruited from among RA patients in Dubai , United Arab Emirates by email invitations of the RA data base .  Demographic data , disease activity indices , health assessment question naire ( HAQ ) , and quality of life ( QOL ) by SF-36 were documented at enrollment and after completion of 12 sessions of Raj yoga . A total of 47 patients were enrolled : 26 yoga and 21 controls .  Baseline demographics were similar in both groups . Patients who underwent yoga had statistically significant improvements in DAS28 and HAQ , but not QOL . Our pilot study of 12 sessions of yoga for RA was able to demonstrate statistically significant improvements in RA disease parameters . We believe that a longer duration of treatment could result in more significant improvements AIM To evaluate the effects of a yoga-based exercise program on pain , fatigue , sleep disturbance , and biochemical markers in hemodialysis patients . MATERIAL S AND METHODS In 2004 a r and omized controlled trial was carried out in the outpatient hemodialysis unit of the Nephrology Department , Uludag University Faculty of Medicine . Clinical ly stable hemodialysis patients ( n=37 ) were included and followed in two groups : the modified yoga-based exercise group ( n=19 ) and the control group ( n=18 ) . Yoga-based exercises were done in groups for 30 min/day twice a week for 3 months . All of the patients in the yoga and control groups were given an active range of motion exercises to do for 10 min at home . The main outcome measures were pain intensity ( measured by the visual analogue scale , VAS ) , fatigue ( VAS ) , sleep disturbance ( VAS ) , and grip strength ( mmHg ) ; biochemical variables-- urea , creatinine , calcium , alkaline phosphatase , phosphorus , cholesterol , HDL-cholesterol , triglyceride , erythrocyte , hematocrit -- were evaluated . RESULTS After a 12-week intervention , significant improvements were seen in the variables : pain -37 % , fatigue -55 % , sleep disturbance -25 % , grip strength + 15 % , urea -29 % , creatinine -14 % , alkaline phosphatase -15 % , cholesterol -15 % , erythrocyte + 11 % , and hematocrit count + 13 % ; no side-effects were seen . Improvement of the variables in the yoga-based exercise program was found to be superior to that in the control group for all the variables except calcium , phosphorus , HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels . CONCLUSION A simplified yoga-based rehabilitation program is a complementary , safe and effective clinical treatment modality in patients with end-stage renal disease BACKGROUND Adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS ) frequently experience interference with everyday activities . Mind-body approaches such as yoga have been recommended as interventions for patients with IBS . Despite promising results among adult sample s , there have been limited studies exploring the efficacy of yoga with pediatric patients . OBJECTIVE To conduct a preliminary r and omized study of yoga as treatment for adolescents with IBS . METHODS Twenty-five adolescents aged 11 to 18 years with IBS were r and omly assigned to either a yoga or wait list control group . Before the intervention , both groups completed question naires assessing gastrointestinal symptoms , pain , functional disability , coping , anxiety and depression . The yoga intervention consisted of a 1 h instructional session , demonstration and practice , followed by four weeks of daily home practice guided by a video . After four weeks , adolescents repeated the baseline question naires . The wait list control group then received the yoga intervention and four weeks later completed an additional set of question naires . RESULTS Adolescents in the yoga group reported lower levels of functional disability , less use of emotion-focused avoidance and lower anxiety following the intervention than adolescents in the control group . When the pre- and postintervention data for the two groups were combined , adolescents had significantly lower scores for gastrointestinal symptoms and emotion-focused avoidance following the yoga intervention . Adolescents found the yoga to be helpful and indicated they would continue to use it to manage their IBS . CONCLUSIONS Yoga holds promise as an intervention for adolescents with IBS This study examined the effects of a yoga program during pregnancy , on  maternal comfort , labor pain , and birth outcomes .  A r and omized trial was conducted using 74-primigravid Thai women who were equally divided into two groups ( experimental and control ) . The yoga program involved six , 1-h sessions at prescribed weeks of gestation . A variety of instruments were used to assess maternal comfort , labor pain and birth outcomes . The experimental group was found to have higher levels of maternal comfort during labor and 2h post-labor , and experienced less subject evaluated labor pain than the control group . In each group , pain increased and maternal comfort decreased as labor progressed . No differences were found , between the groups , regarding pethidine usage , labor augmentation or newborn Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min . The experimental group was found to have a shorter duration of the first stage of labor , as well as the total time of labor The present study has been conducted to evaluate selected yogic procedures on individuals with low back pain .  The underst and ing of back pain as one of the commonest clinical presentations during clinical practice made the path to the present study . It has also been calculated that more than three-quarters of the world 's population experience back pain at some time in their lives . Twelve patients were selected and r and omly divided into two groups , viz . , group A yogic group and group B control group . Advice for life style and diet was given for all the patients . The effect of the therapy was assessed subjectively and objective ly . Particular scores drawn for yogic group and control group were individually analyzed before and after treatment and the values were compared using st and ard statistical protocol s. Yogic intervention revealed 79 % relief in both subjective and objective parameters ( i.e. , 7 out of 14 parameters showed statistically highly significant P < 0.01 results , while 4 showed significant results P < 0.05 ) . Comparative effect of yogic group and control group showed 79 % relief in both subjective and objective parameters . ( i.e. , total 6 out of 14 parameters showed statistically highly significant ( P < 0.01 ) results , while 5 showed significant results ( P < 0.05 ) Context Yoga combines exercise with achieving a state of mental focus through breathing . In the United States , 1 million people practice yoga for low back pain . Contribution The authors recruited patients who had a recent primary care visit for low back pain and r and omly assigned 101 to yoga or conventional exercise or a self-care book . Patients in the yoga and exercise groups reported good adherence at 26 weeks . Compared with self-care , symptoms were milder and function was better with yoga . The exercise group had intermediate outcomes . Symptoms improved between 12 and 26 weeks only with yoga . Implication s Yoga was a more effective treatment for low back pain than a self-care book . The Editors Most treatments for chronic low back pain have modest efficacy at best ( 1 ) . Exercise is one of the few proven treatments for chronic low back pain ; however , its effects are often small , and no form has been shown to be clearly better than another ( 2 - 5 ) . Yoga , which often couples physical exercise with breathing , is a popular alternative form of mindbody therapy . An estimated 14 million Americans practice d yoga in 2002 ( 6 ) , including more than 1 million who used it as a treatment for back pain ( 7 , 8) . Yoga may benefit patients with back pain simply because it involves exercise or because of its effects on mental focus . We found no published studies in western biomedical literature that evaluated yoga for chronic low back pain ; therefore , we design ed a clinical trial to evaluate its effectiveness and safety for this condition . Methods Study Design and Setting This r and omized , controlled trial compared the effects of yoga classes with conventional exercise classes and with a self-care book in patients with low back pain  that persisted for at least 12 weeks . The study was conducted at Group Health Cooperative , a nonprofit , integrated health care system with approximately 500000 enrollees in Washington State and Idaho . The Group Health Cooperative institutional review board approved the study protocol , and all study participants gave oral informed consent before the eligibility screening and written consent before the baseline interview and r and omization . Patients Patients from Group Health Cooperative were recruited for 12-week sessions of classes that were conducted between June and December 2003 . We mailed letters describing the study to 6913 patients between 20 and 64 years of age who had visited a primary care provider for treatment of back pain 3 to 15 months before the study ( according to electronic visit records ) . We also advertised the study in the health plan 's consumer magazine . Patients were informed that we were comparing 3 approaches for the relief of back pain and that each was design ed to help reduce the negative effects of low back pain on people 's lives . A research assistant telephoned patients who returned statements of interest to assess their eligibility . After we received their signed informed consent forms , eligible patients were telephoned again for collection of baseline data and r and omization to treatment . We excluded individuals whose back pain was complicated ( for example , sciatica , previous back surgery , or diagnosed spinal stenosis ) , potentially attributable to specific underlying diseases or conditions ( for example , pregnancy , metastatic cancer , spondylolisthesis , fractured bones , or dislocated joints ) , or minimal ( rating of less than 3 on a bothersomeness scale of 0 to 10 ) . We also excluded individuals who were currently receiving other back pain treatments or had participated in yoga or exercise training for back pain in the past year , those with a possible disincentive to improve ( such as patients receiving workers ' compensation or those involved in litigation ) , and those with unstable medical or severe psychiatric conditions or dementia . Patients who had contraindications ( for example , symptoms consistent with severe disk disease ) or schedules that precluded class participation , those who were unwilling to practice at home , or those who could not speak or underst and English were also excluded . R and omization Protocol Participants were r and omly assigned to participate in yoga or exercise classes or to receive the self-care book . We r and omly generated treatment assignments for each class series by using a computer program with block sizes of 6 or 9 . A research er who was not involved in patient recruitment or r and omization placed the assignments in opaque , sequentially numbered envelopes , which were stored in a locked filing cabinet until needed for r and omization . Interventions The yoga and exercise classes developed specifically for this study consisted of 12 weekly 75-minute classes design ed to benefit people with chronic low back pain . In addition to attending classes held at Group Health facilities , participants were asked to practice daily at home . Participants received h and outs that described home practice s , and yoga participants received auditory compact discs to guide them through the sequence of postures with the appropriate mental focus ( examples of postures are shown in the Appendix Figure ) . Study participants retained access to all medical care provided by their insurance plan . Appendix Figure . Yoga postures Yoga We chose to use viniyoga , a therapeutically oriented style of yoga that emphasizes safety and is relatively easy to learn . Our class instructor and a senior 
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CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that yoga has the potential for alleviating pain .