The Roles of Exercise and Yoga in Ameliorating Depression as a Risk Factor for Cognitive Decline

Efficacy of spinal manipulations and Schroth exercises on psychological parameters in patients with functional scoliosis: a randomised controlled trial

Functional scoliosis is defined as the reversible and temporary lateral spinal curvature that mainly occurs due to abnormal postural habits that leads to non-structural and compensatory changes in spine. Functional scoliosis can lead to the development of mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety and depression. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of spinal manipulation techniques and Schroth exercises on psychological parameters in patients with functional scoliosis. The subjects were randomly allocated into experimental (n=31) and control group (n=31). Spinal manipulation techniques and Schroth exercises were given to the patients of experimental group, while only Schroth exercises were given to the patients of control group. Outcome measures were Depression, Anxiety & Stress Score that was examined by using ‘DASS-21 questionnaire’. Treatment was given for four weeks, thrice weekly. After the completion of four weeks, DASS scores were obtained from the participants. Patients were followed up after 2 months and data was collected again. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare the mean changes within-group. Independent t-test was used to analyse the mean improvement between-group. Results suggested that there was a statistically significant difference between pre-/post and pre-/follow-up scores of the DASS, but there was statistical non-significant difference between post-/follow-up scores of the DASS. Results also suggested that experimental group showed better improvement compared to the control group. This study concluded that the combine use of spinal manipulation techniques and Schroth exercise protocol can significantly reduce the psychosomatic symptoms in functional scoliosis.

Clinical Trial Registry of India: CTRI/2020/02/023221

Moderated by personal perception: The preventive relationship between home HIIT dance and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

Introduction

Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic were believed to greatly increase the risk of depression among isolated residents in both China and in Western countries. How to effectively reduce this risk has become one of the key issues in the field of public mental health.

Methods

The present study seeks to examine the preventive relationship between doing home HIIT dance-which became popular during Shanghai's COVID-19 lockdown in 2022-and depression, and how such a preventive relationship has been mediated by different personal perception factors using an online survey with 528 samples.

Results

The preventive relationship between doing home HIIT dance and depression was differently mediated by residents' personal perception factors, such as perceived benefits, severity, and self-efficacy, based on the health belief model.

Discussion

These results deepen the research on the psychological effects of doing home HIIT dance on preventing depression, especially in the COVID-19 lockdown period, emphasizing the possible moderation effects of different self-perception factors.

The Effects of Yoga Exercise on Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation of Postpartum Women

Rehabilitation of the pelvic floor after delivery is very important for women. Pelvic floor rehabilitation can speed up the recovery of the postpartum vagina and pelvic floor muscle tension and elasticity and have a good effect on the prevention and treatment of postpartum vaginal prolapse and relaxation, urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor disorders. Thus, this article focuses on yoga exercise to explore its impact on postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation. This article uses electrical stimulation and the treatment of pelvic floor muscles combined with the posture recognition algorithm, the yoga rehabilitation training program that has the best effect on the parturient is obtained, and the yoga myoelectric stimulation combined method and the traditional myoelectric stimulation method are designed for comparison experiments. The experimental results show that the parturients who have undergone the combined method of yoga myoelectric stimulation, in the resting state, contraction state, and Valsalva state, the position of the bladder meridian, the position of the uterus, and the position of the rectal ampulla of the parturient have a significant recovery compared those who have undergone the traditional electromyography treatment. In addition, the average area of hiatus in the pelvic floor ultrasound examination in the control group 42 days postpartum was 12.2605 cm2, while the average area of the hiatus in the pelvic floor ultrasound examination in the experimental group 42 days postpartum was 10.788 cm2; the average area of hiatus in the pelvic floor ultrasound examination in the control group at 3 months postpartum was 11.4805 cm2, and the average area of hiatus in the pelvic floor ultrasound examination in the experimental group at 3 months postpartum was 8.9475 cm2. To sum up, yoga had a very significant improvement on the physical indicators and mental health of postpartum women.

War-Related Mental Health Issues and Need for Yoga Intervention Studies: A Scoping Review

Conflicts and humanitarian crises lead to serious mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, stress, and cognitive decline. Exposure to these circumstances in early life can lead to the development of disorders such as mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD), for which no treatments are available. In this review, various research papers have been compiled to develop an understanding about mental health of population affected due to wars and conflicts and how stress and depression can accelerate the development of dementia and AD. Due to failure of drugs in the treatment of dementia and AD, yoga and mindfulness-based approach has been proposed for future investigations. Although studies have shown that yoga and mindfulness can be helpful in the management of stress, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder in the war-afflicted areas, limited mechanistic studies in yoga and mindfulness remain the chief cause precluding its clinical application in such warzones. The molecular studies in the field of yoga can be undertaken by targeting these warzones. This review provides a scientific evaluation of mind-body techniques as a justification for mental health rehabilitation in the war-afflicted zones in face of failed clinical trials for various drugs. This may help reduce the risk of developing dementia and AD in this susceptible population.

Role of green tea catechins in prevention of age-related cognitive decline: Pharmacological targets and clinical perspective

Over the past decade, a wide range of scientific investigations have been performed to reveal neuropathological aspects of cognitive disorders; however, only limited therapeutic approaches currently exist. The failures of conventional therapeutic options as well as the predicted dramatic rise in the prevalence of cognitive decline in the coming future show the necessity for novel therapeutic agents. Recently, a wide range of research has focused on pharmacological activities of green tea catechins worldwide. Current investigations have clarified mechanistic effects of the catechins in inflammatory cascades, oxidative damages, different cellular transcription as well as transduction pathway in various body systems. It has been demonstrated that green tea polyphenols prevent age-related neurodegeneration through improvement of endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms, modulation of neural growth factors, attenuation of neuroinflammatory pathway, and regulation of apoptosis. The catechins exhibited beneficial effects in cellular and animal models of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, MS, and Parkinson's disease. The present review discusses the current pharmacological targets, which can be involved in the treatment of cognitive decline and addresses the action of catechin derivatives elicited from green tea on the multiple neural targets.

Tele-yoga for Chronic Pain: Current Status and Future Directions

Pain is a pervasive, debilitating disorder that is resistant to long-term pharmacological interventions. Although psychological therapies such as cognitive behavior therapy demonstrate moderate efficacy, many individuals continue to have ongoing difficulties following treatment. There is a current trend to establish complementary and integrative health interventions for chronic pain, for which yoga has been found to have exciting potential. Nevertheless, an important consideration within the field is accessibility to adequate care. Telehealth can be used to provide real-time interactive video conferencing leading to increased access to health care for individuals located remotely or who otherwise have difficulty accessing services, perhaps through issues of mobility or proximity of adequate services. This article assesses the current status and feasibility of implementing tele-yoga for chronic pain. Methodological limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.