Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Yoga in Prevention and Therapy


Status
Published

Lead Editor

1University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

2University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA

3University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

4National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India

5University of Westminster, London, UK


Yoga in Prevention and Therapy

Description

Yoga is rooted in Indian philosophy and has been a part of traditional Indian spiritual practice for millennia. In recent times the role of yoga has broadened. Yoga has now also become a popular route to physical and mental well-being and has been adapted for use in complementary and integrative medicine internationally. In the latter setting, yoga most often includes physical postures, breath control, deep relaxation, and meditation/mindfulness techniques. In western societies, yoga is gaining increased popularity as a preventive and therapeutic practice, making it one of the therapies with the most rapid increase in prevalence.

Given the relatively low cost of yoga programs, yoga could easily be implemented worldwide as a preventive and therapeutic means to improve health, well-being, and, for patients with chronic health conditions, better symptom management. As such, healthcare providers are increasingly presented with patients using, or interested in trying, yoga for the management of their medical conditions. This increased use of yoga raises the issue of the efficacy and safety of yoga as a health therapy. Moreover, psychological and physiological mechanisms of action of yoga as a preventive and therapeutic remain largely unknown. Both efficacy and mechanisms need to be investigated in more depth in order to improve both clinical decision-making and research quality on one of the most prevalent complementary therapies used for the prevention and management of chronic health conditions.

This special issue is dedicated to research that focuses on the clinical application of yoga in preventive medicine and therapy. Original research and high-quality systematic reviews/meta-analyses on clinical trials as well as basic research are welcome. Studies employing innovative methodology and examining epidemiological and economic issues in yoga research as well as qualitative analyses are explicitly invited.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Clinical trials on the efficacy and safety of yoga interventions
  • Cost-effectiveness studies of yoga interventions
  • Epidemiological and clinical research on yoga for disease prevention
  • Survey studies on prevalence, patterns, and predictors of yoga use
  • Basic research on yoga’s physiological and psychological mechanisms of action
  • Qualitative studies on patients’ and therapists’ perceptions of yoga in prevention and therapy
  • Methodological issues specific to yoga research

Articles

  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2017
  • - Article ID 2160624
  • - Editorial

Yoga in Prevention and Therapy

Holger Cramer | Crystal L. Park | ... | Karen Pilkington
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2016
  • - Article ID 6267879
  • - Research Article

Evaluation of a Specialized Yoga Program for Persons Admitted to a Complex Continuing Care Hospital: A Pilot Study

Kathryn Curtis | Kerry Kuluski | ... | Joel Katz
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2016
  • - Article ID 9429504
  • - Research Article

Yoga Therapy in Children with Cystic Fibrosis Decreases Immediate Anxiety and Joint Pain

Christopher McNamara | Mahrya Johnson | ... | John McNamara
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2016
  • - Article ID 1832515
  • - Research Article

Yoga Helps Put the Pieces Back Together: A Qualitative Exploration of a Community-Based Yoga Program for Cancer Survivors

Michael J. Mackenzie | Amanda J. Wurz | ... | S. Nicole Culos-Reed
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2016
  • - Article ID 6921689
  • - Research Article

Physical-Performance Outcomes and Biomechanical Correlates from the 32-Week Yoga Empowers Seniors Study

Man-Ying Wang | Gail A. Greendale | ... | George J. Salem
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2016
  • - Article ID 3094589
  • - Research Article

Yoga for Risk Reduction of Metabolic Syndrome: Patient-Reported Outcomes from a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Stephanie J. Sohl | Kenneth A. Wallston | ... | Gurjeet S. Birdee
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2016
  • - Article ID 2914745
  • - Research Article

A Different Weight Loss Experience: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Behavioral, Physical, and Psychosocial Changes Associated with Yoga That Promote Weight Loss

A. Ross | A. Brooks | ... | G. Wallen
  • Special Issue
  • - Volume 2016
  • - Article ID 5859729
  • - Review Article

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Estimating the Expected Dropout Rates in Randomized Controlled Trials on Yoga Interventions

Holger Cramer | Heidemarie Haller | ... | Romy Lauche
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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Acceptance rate7%
Submission to final decision145 days
Acceptance to publication29 days
CiteScore3.500
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