Longitudinal and Immediate Effect of Kundalini Yoga on Salivary Levels of Cortisol and Activity of Alpha-Amylase and Its Effect on Perceived Stress

Effect of online Kundalini Yoga mental health of university students during Covid-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial

University students were at an increased risk for psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a randomized controlled trial, we examined the efficacy of an online Kundalini Yoga intervention on students' psychological functioning. Healthy university students (N = 106) were randomly assigned to a Kundalini Yoga group, an active control group, or a passive control group in a 1:1:1 ratio. The experimental group attended six Yoga sessions over 6 weeks and the active control group attended to six autogenic relaxation sessions over 6 weeks. All participants completed the study protocol, which involved answering questionnaires related to psychological distress, emotion regulation, self-compassion, self-concept, spiritual well-being, and subjective happiness at three different time points: baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at 1-month follow-up. Results showed that Yoga contributed to improving self-compassion, extrinsic affect improving, and personal and communal spiritual well-being, in comparison to the control groups.

Stretching the Peace: The Role of Kundalini Yoga in the Lives of Young People in Alexandra, South Africa

The purpose of this exploratory study is to underline the importance of a humanistic approach to peace studies against a scenario characterized by the failings and weaknesses of the liberal peacebuilding agenda. To do so, we employ a transrational peace research framework to investigate whether Kundalini yoga can be used as a peacebuilding tool by analyzing its role in the lives of young people living in an Alexandra township, in South Africa. We conducted semistructured interviews with yoga instructors, surveyed yogis online, and analyzed three annual reports of Yoga4Alex, an organization that provides young people in Alexandra with tools for a better life through Kundalini yoga (and other programs). The main findings of this study demonstrate that practicing Kundalini yoga plays a vital role in the yogis’ lives in Alexandra, creating a space where peace can grow. Many respondents consider that yoga creates a community that offers them support and mental well-being. Moreover, yoga practice helps to develop tools they can use for personal transformation, contributing to the creation of a new identity and offering a nonviolent alternative for everyday life. This study provides reflections for both research and practice.

Perceived stress and salivary biomarkers in educators: comparison among three stress reduction activities

Background:

The teaching profession is a potentially stressful occupation with up to 30% of all novice teachers leaving the profession and annual teacher turnover is higher when compared with turnover of all other occupations. This study investigated the effects of a one-time stress reduction activity (meditation, yoga, or aerobic exercise) in university and K-12 educators who were part of one-day seminar on Stress Reduction.

Methods:

Participants (N = 26) self-selected their stress reduction activity, completed a demographic questionnaire, educator stress self-assessment tool, and visual analogue scales indicating current stress levels. Salivary cortisol and amylase levels were measured before, immediately after, and 30 minutes after completion of the stress reduction activity.

Results:

Three (time) by three (activity) mixed factorial ANOVAs were computed for salivary analytes. The ANOVA for cortisol revealed a significant interaction (F (4, 66) = 3.60, p = .01). Comparisons showed significant differences with the aerobic exercise group having significantly higher cortisol levels at the 30-minute post-activity level when compared to the meditation (p < .05, Cohen’s d = .74) and yoga groups (p < .05, Cohen’s d = .52).

Conclusion:

Overall, the one-time activity of meditation and yoga showed lowered salivary cortisol levels at 30-minutes post-activity when compared to aerobic exercise activity. Additional research to examine the effects of stress reduction on educators in the work setting is needed.

Quality of Life and Stress Management in Healthcare Professionals of a Dental Care Setting at a Teaching Hospital in Rome: Results of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

In the healthcare environment, more and more people experience work-related stress. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of Sapienza University of Rome, having observed the need to take care of healthcare professionals, has set itself the objective of providing useful tools such as additional and necessary personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals.

OBJECTIVE

To promote health through better management, skills, and the use of strategies and solutions to identify, decompress, and neutralize those responsible for work-related stress mechanisms in order to take care of those who care (CURARE CURANTES).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted. The participants were enrolled by three departments of the Department of Dental and Maxillofacial Sciences of Rome; in consideration of emotional involvement of health professionals who work there. A motivational program was offered.

RESULTS

There were 17 and 16 healthcare professionals in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Levels of the mental composite score (MCS) varied both in the pre-post phase of the intervention group (p = 0.002), and between the intervention group and control group in the post phase (p = 0.006). No significant differences were observed for the physical composite score (PCS). Similarly, there were no significant differences regarding the positivity scale (PS) and the two dimensions of work-related stress (job demand and decision latitude).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the efficacy of yoga training practiced directly in the workplace and wearing work clothes, entering the work context, not weighing further on the healthcare workload, and being a way to carry out physical activity even in those cases in which professionals do not have the time to do it in their free time.

Kundalini Yoga for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease: A Preliminary Randomized Study

This study examined the adherence to and the potential benefit of Kundalini yoga (KY) for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Participants were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of a KY small-group intervention or a waitlist control (WLC). Adherence was measured as attendance at KY group sessions. Primary outcomes assessed pain, pain interference, fatigue, and global health. Secondary outcomes assessed multisystem symptom burden, mood, sleep, physical and social functioning, cognition, and mindfulness. Linear mixed models were used to test changes in outcomes over time as a function of group assignment; intercepts for participants were modeled as random effects. Although the target sample size was 40 participants, the study concluded with 29 participants due to recruitment challenges. No KY participants dropped out of the study, and participants attended 75% of group sessions on average, but WLC retention was poor (57%). Regarding primary outcomes, there was no significant interaction between group and time. Regarding secondary outcomes, there was a significant interaction between group and time for multisystem symptom burden (p < 0.05) and cognition (p < 0.01); KY participants reported improved multisystem symptom burden and cognition over the course of the study compared to WLC participants. To enhance recruitment and retention, future trials may consider expanding geographic access and including supportive procedures for WLC participants. This preliminary study supports the need for a larger study to determine if KY reduces multisystem symptom burden and enhances cognition among people with PTLDS.

Saliva Cortisol in Girls With Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Dance and Yoga Intervention

INTRODUCTION

Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) are common among girls and has been associated with stress. Cortisol is one of the major stress hormones. Dance and yoga have been shown to reduce abdominal pain among girls with FAPDs.

AIM

To investigate the effect of an 8-month intervention with dance and yoga on cortisol levels in saliva among girls with FAPDs.

METHODS

A total of 121 girls aged 9-13 years with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or functional abdominal pain were included in the study. Participants were randomized into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group attended a combined dance and yoga session twice a week for 8 months. Saliva samples were collected during 1 day, in the morning and evening, at baseline, and at 4 and 8 months. Subjective pain and stress were assessed as well.

RESULTS

No significant effects on saliva cortisol levels between groups were observed after completion of the intervention at 8 months. However, evening cortisol and evening/morning quotient were significantly reduced at 4 months in the intervention group compared to the control group (p = 0.01, p = 0.004). There was no association between cortisol quota and pain or stress.

CONCLUSION

Improvements in cortisol levels were seen in the intervention group at 4 months but did not persist until the end of the study. This indicates that dance and yoga could have a stress-reducing effect during the ongoing intervention.

Association between salivary alpha-amylase and subjective and objective oral parafunctions in community-dwelling elderly individuals

Background/purpose

Stress in the elderly is caused by loss of physical and psychological health. Although there have been many reports on the intraoral environment affecting physical health, few reports exist on stress and the intraoral environment in the elderly. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between salivary α-amylase as an index of stress value and the intraoral environment.

Materials and methods

Three hundred and nineteen participants were community-dwelling independent individuals over 65 years old. The outcome variable was salivary α-amylase. After measurement, salivary α-amylase was classified into four groups (0 = 0–30, 1 = 31–45, 2 = 46–60, 3 = 61–200). The predictor variables were physical status (which includes age and male body-mass index) and subjective and objective symptoms (which include present teeth, torus palatinus, torus mandibularis, temporomandibular joint noise, bruxism, and dental attrition). These variables were compared among participants using univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results

The participants included 77 men and 242 women, with a mean age of 75.8 ± 5.4 years (65–94 years). Although temporomandibular joint noise and dental attrition were significantly positively correlated with salivary α-amylase, bruxism was significantly negatively correlated with salivary α-amylase (p < 0.05). Stepwise regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between salivary α-amylase and temporomandibular joint noise, bruxism, and dental attrition.

Conclusion

High salivary α-amylase is associated with a high rate of temporomandibular joint noise and dental attrition, and a low rate of bruxism among elderly participants.

Yoga and Mindfulness as a Tool for Influencing Affectivity, Anxiety, Mental Health, and Stress among Healthcare Workers: Results of a Single-Arm Clinical Trial

Mindfulness-based interventions have emerged as unique approaches for addressing a range of clinical and subclinical difficulties such as stress, chronic pain, anxiety, or recurrent depression. Moreover, there is strong evidence about the positive effects of yoga practice on stress management and prevention of burnout among healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to conduct a single-arm clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of an intervention based on mindfulness-based stress reduction and yoga in improving healthcare workers' quality of life. Healthcare workers of two hospitals in Rome were enrolled in a 4-week yoga and mindfulness course. Four questionnaires were administered at different times (Short Form-12 (SF-12), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Y1 and Y2, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)) to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Forty participants took part to the study (83.3 %). The Mental Composite Score-12, that is part of the quality of life assessment, passed from a median of 43.5 preintervention to 48.1 postintervention (p = 0.041), and the negative affect passed from a score of 16 in the preintervention to 10 in the postintervention (p < 0.001). Both the forms of the STAI questionnaires showed a decrease after the intervention. Yoga and mindfulness administered together seem to be effective to reduce stress and anxiety in healthcare workers, providing them with more consciousness and ability to manage work stressful demands.

The precedence and viability of yoga in the lives of D3-dental students, dental practitioners, and dental patients

Dentistry as a profession is quite demanding and challenging and is also associated with occupational hazards like musculoskeletal disorders and stress-related problems. The practice of yoga has been proven to be efficacious in management of quite a lot of stress and lifestyle disorders. It strengthens one physically, mentally, and emotionally. Moreover, yoga can also be used in the management of dental patients for stress-related oral conditions like lichen planus, burning mouth syndrome, aphthous ulcers, etc., Yoga has also been found to have antiinflammatory, antianxiety effect, and also a lot of other beneficial effects. This review emphasizes on the relevance of yoga in the dental profession, from the practitioners, students, and patients viewpoint. Data pertaining to the subject was obtained after a thorough search of the PubMed literature and Google search engine.