Effect of Kapalbhati Pranayama on Body Mass Index and Abdominal Skinfold Thickness.

A total of 60 overweight resident doctors were recruited in this study. The participants were divided into study and control groups, each group containing 30 subjects of both sexes. The study group was asked to perform Kapalbhati pranayama for 8 weeks. Body mass index and abdominal skinfold thickness were assessed in both the groups. Paired t- test was applied for statistical analysis and p-value <0.05 was considered the level of significance. In study group, body mass index and abdominal skinfold thickness decreased significantly as compared to that of control group. The results of this study show that Kapalbhati has reducing impact on Body Mass Index and Abdominal Skinfold Thickness in overweight individuals.

Assessment of use of complementary alternative medicine and its impact on quality of life in the patients attending rheumatology clinic, in a tertiary care centre in India.

Purpose: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has witnessed an increase in use in recent times in rheumatological conditions and is expected to have impact on the quality of life (QOL). We had planned to conduct this study to investigate the extent of use of CAM and its effect on QOL of patients at a tertiary care center. Materials and Methods: Ethics committee approval was obtained. Sixty patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were enrolled as per the selection criteria, after obtaining their informed consent. Each patient was interviewed for CAM use/non-use, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) (modified) index for QOL was recorded by the study personnel. Statistical Analysis: The normality was checked by using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Descriptive statistics was performed and Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the QOL of CAM users and non-users. Results: Of the 60 patients enrolled with OA (10) and RA (50), 58% (35/60) used CAM. Ayurveda and massage therapy were the commonest [80% (28/35)], followed by yoga asana [34% (12/35)] and homoeopathy [20% (7/35)]. It was observed that combinations of therapies were used too. Nearly half [49% (17/35)] of the CAM users were on self-prescribed medication and 71% (25/35) of them did not inform the physician of CAM use. The QOL of CAM users (WOMAC score: 56.31 ± 6.82) was better than that of CAM non-users (WOMAC score: 60.16 ± 4.02) (P value 0.01). Conclusion:Patients with RA frequently used CAM and QOL improvised with CAM use. We observed that self-administration of CAM was common and this was not informed to the treating physician.

Role of Yogic Exercises in Bipolar Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia.

The science of Yoga, is an old system of traditional relaxation involving the exercise and other prevailing healing practices originated in India. Philosophically, it is based on the union of mind, body, and spirit of the individual. Aim of the present study was to examine the efficacy of yogic exercises among psychiatric inpatients admitted in the ward for the severe mental illness. Method: Fifteen patients in the age range of 20-40 years, diagnosed as having Schizophrenia or Bipolar Affective Disorder (ICD-10 DCR criteria) were included and were given yogic exercises therapy for two months besides treatment and compared to a control of fifteen psychiatric inpatients with the same age, diagnosis and receiving same treatment. They were assessed using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Social-Adaptive Function Evaluation (SAFE) scale. Results revealed significant improvement in the study group on various domains of SAFE compared to the control group after one month with continuation of therapy. It is apparent that Yogic exercises therapy may be effective in the improvement of adaptive functioning which in turn affected the psychological wellbeing of the patients. The study has clinical implications for effective use of this therapy in preventing relapse among the psychotic patients.