Yoga, Immune Function, and Health

The Ohio State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: Hatha Yoga Classes; Behavioral: Movement Control

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT00371397

R21AT002971-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

2005H0068

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is designed to examine the impact of hatha yoga on immune and hormonal functioning in healthy individuals.

Full description

This study is designed to examine the effects of hatha yoga on autonomic, immune, and endocrine function. The data from both inexperienced and experienced groups will help us better understand how longer-term practice of yoga may be beneficial. The study consists of one 3-hour screening session and three 6-hour activity sessions with 30 minute follow-up appointments the following morning scheduled 2 - 4 weeks apart. Each participant will complete the 3 activity sessions, which will consist of either yoga, mild movement, or a neutral activity (watching a videotape), in randomly assigned order. Thus, both novices and experts will participate in 3 activity sessions each (yoga, movement control, video control). The order in which each participant goes through the activity sessions is counterbalanced. Data for each activity session will be aggregated by group (i.e. novice or expert). We will measure responses to tape stripping to assess skin barrier repair, and evaluate responses to computer tasks, self-report measures, and a battery of unobtrusive behavioral measures. We will also collect blood and saliva samples to measure immune and endocrine outcomes.

Enrollment: 52 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 30 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• healthy female adults
• relatively inexperienced with yoga (beginner)
• experienced with yoga (advanced practitioner)

Exclusion criteria

• Treatment with medication that has immunological or endocrinological consequences
• Chronic health problems that affect immune or endocrine systems
• Anemia
• Use of psychoactive drugs or mood-altering medication
• Smoking
• Needle or blood phobias
• Tape or bandage allergies
• Pregnancy or nursing within the previous 3 months
• Heart problems
• History of hip or knee replacement surgery, displaced vertebrae, and any other physical limitations that would prevent full participation in the program
• use of statins, beta blockers
• excessive alcohol use
• convulsive disorders
• Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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52 participants in 3 patient groups

Hatha yoga classes

Experimental group

Description:

Groups consisted of novices or experts. Groups were counterbalanced to ensure that equal number of novices and experts participated in each possible session combination, in a randomly assigned order.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Hatha Yoga Classes

Movement Control

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Non-Hatha yoga gentle movement. Groups consisted of novices or experts. Groups were counterbalanced to ensure that equal number of novices and experts participated in each possible session combination, in a randomly assigned order.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Movement Control

Passive Video Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Another control condition, a neutral video that did not include any music, allowed us to contrast the effects of yoga with no activity.The session included a sequence on how to design physics experiments for a high school classroom, as well as segments from two lectures on polymers and quantum mechanics. Groups were counterbalanced to ensure that equal number of novices and experts participated in each possible session combination, in a randomly assigned order.