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Background and Aim: Evidence suggests a beneficial effect of sun exposure on type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). However, little is known about the characteristics of sun exposure among DM patients or individuals at risk of developing DM. The aim of this study was to analyze the sun exposure behaviors of individuals diagnosed with DM and those susceptible to developing DM within a semi-urban community in North India. Materials and Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in northern India with 494 participants aged 25–60, with or without DM. The participants’ sun exposure characteristics were assessed through a sunlight exposure questionnaire, and total sun exposure in a day was computed using the veritable sun exposure (VSE) index. Fasting blood sugar, anthropometric measurements, and demographic details were also collected. Results: The study had 56.5% female participants, and 9.1% of the participants had DM. The VSE of the study participants ranged from 0.01 to 0.81, with a mean of 0.15 (±0.14) and a median of 0.10, indicating that more than half of the study samples had less than 10% h/day of sunlight exposure. The use of sunscreen, gender, and disease status all influenced VSE. Our data suggest that the characteristics of sun exposure among Indians significantly deviate from standard recommendations. Conclusion: Our results propose a need for evidence-based guidelines and policies that promote awareness about sun exposure among DM patients as well as those at risk of developing DM. Nevertheless, these findings need to be validated through large-scale observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Due to the physical demands of work, blue-collar workers (BCW) frequently experience fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, and burnout. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and utility of introducing yoga-based loosening exercises (YLE) at the workplace for improving fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, and burnout among BCW. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty-eight BCW were randomized into a yoga group that received 40 minutes of supervised YLE daily, 5 days a week, for 1 month, followed by 1 month of unsupervised practice at home or a waitlisted control group. The Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS), Visual Analog Scale for pain, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), sit-and-reach test (SRT), handgrip strength dynamometer, and the Short Form-8 (SF-8) questionnaire were measured at baseline, at the end of the first month, and at follow-up after the first month. RESULTS: All the participants adhered well to the YLE (≈86% at the workplace, ≈70% at home). Compared to the controls, the yoga group reported significant reductions in fatigue, pain, and burnout and significant improvements in flexibility, strength, and quality of life (P < 0.001) at all the time points. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that workplace yoga programs for BCW are feasible and can considerably reduce fatigue, pain, and burnout and improve their quality of life.

Objective: There is a need to address the mental health insufficiencies among the home-quarantined COVID-19 patients. Telemedicine is reckoned as a productive means to stay connected with patients during pandemic. This study explores the role of Yoga and Naturopathy Interventions (YNI) as the telemedicine in improving depression, anxiety, stress, quality of life (QoL), and symptom scores among home-quarantined COVID-19 patients. Methods: This was a nonrandomized controlled study that included 112 COVID-19 patients who received either YNI (n?=?56), which includes yoga therapy, naturopathic diet, steam inhalation, self-acupressure delivered across the day or simple sectional breathing (n?=?56) through a telemedicine mode for 14 days, along with standard care. The allocation of the study participants to either YNI or Breathing was done by two of the investigators. At baseline and on the 14th day, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), World Health Organization (WHO) QoL, and Symptom scores were measured. Results: A generalized linear model was used to evaluate the effects of intervention on stress, anxiety, depression, and WHO-QOL scores. The YNI group had shown significant improvement in DASS-21 scores and the QoL domains as compared with the controls. The severity of cough was significantly reduced in the study group compared with the controls. However, the changes in the severity of other symptoms such as breathlessness, persistent pain, pressure in the chest, fever, headache, and loss of smell remained insignificant between the groups. Conclusion: YNI-based telemedicine was found effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress and improving the QoL in COVID-19 patients. However, limitations such as a small sample size and a lack of randomization warrant large-scale studies to strengthen these findings. Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registry Number: CTRI/2021/05/033816.

Purpose: Reports suggest that females experience more adverse events post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination compared to males. However, no gender-specific data on the impact of vaccines on the Indian population are available. The present study was intended to understand the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the health status of young Indian female adults and to identify the factors associated with experiencing adverse events post-vaccination. Methods: A web-based survey was conducted among 433 young female adults who have taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The prevalence and duration of systemic and generalized symptoms were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The factors associated with symptoms post-vaccination were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were computed. A P value of ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Of the 404 surveys returned (93.3%), 371 respondents have received both vaccine doses. COVISHIELD™ was the vaccine of choice among 73% of respondents and nearly 91% of the respondents reported a re-infection post-vaccination. At least one form of the symptom as a side effect of vaccination was experienced by 88.4% (n = 357) of the participants. This included generalized symptoms (77.5%) followed by musculoskeletal (53.2%), localized (38.9%), psychological (35.1%), gastrointestinal (25.5%), gynecological (24%), and endocrine symptoms (22.5%). Presence of chronic ailments was significantly associated with experiencing localized symptoms (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.25-3.91), psychological symptoms (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.34-4.34), neurological symptoms (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.38-6.46), gastrointestinal symptoms (OR 4.76, 95% CI 2.59-8.75), respiratory symptoms (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.29-4.67), endocrine symptoms (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.58-5.38), and gynecological symptoms (OR 4.05, 95% CI 2.21-7.44). Older than 21 years was significantly associated with the experience of gynecologic symptoms (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.24-3.64). Not being re-infected post-vaccination has lower odds of experiencing psychological, gastrointestinal, and respiratory symptoms. Conclusion: Our result suggests serious planning and counseling are warranted while disseminating COVID-19 vaccination among young female adults especially those with comorbidities to foster trust and coverage.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the test–retest reliability and inter-rater agreement between the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pulse diagnosis between two Indian TCM practitioners. Methods: A total of 300 participants were evaluated for their bilateral pulse based on TCM independently by two investigators with similar years of experience but who graduated from different medical schools. The investigators who were blinded diagnosed the participants as per TCM based on the depth, rate, and strength of their pulse. Cronbach α and weighted kappa were used for assessing the reliability and repeatability. Results: The data of all the 300 participants were included in the analysis. The test–retest reliability computed using Cronbach's alpha indicated high reliability between the investigators (α =0.963). There were a total of 37 different types of diagnoses identified by both investigators. The investigators diagnoses matched for 116 participants out of 300 participants; whereas 184 cases were not matched between the investigators. The inter-rater agreement for the TCM diagnosis tested by weighted Kappa did not returned any significant agreement (Kappa = 0.370). Discussion: The present study shows higher reliability between the pulse diagnoses between the investigators. However, the inter-rater agreement for TCM diagnosis based on pulse diagnosis was not significant probably due to the variation in subjective assessments. This calls for the standardization of training in TCM diagnostic methods among practitioners. Future studies should include the differences in training, medical education, and experience among the practitioners while determining the reliability of pulse diagnosis.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of patients who underwent yoga therapy for pain in yoga and naturopathy clinical settings in India.MethodsElectronic medical records of patients who received yoga therapy for pain in three inpatient yoga and naturopathy hospitals were reviewed retrospectively from January 2021 to September 2022. Demographic characteristics and details on pain condition, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, ancillary therapies received, and insurance status were collected. In addition, we prospectively collected data on adherence to yoga practice through a telephonic interview.ResultsA total of 984 patients were identified from a pool of 3,164 patients who received yoga therapy for pain for an average of 9.48 (1.13) days. Patients aged between 8 and 80 underwent therapy for varying pain conditions and diseases that include pain in the extremities, pain due to infection, trauma, degenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, and spine and neurological diseases. The majority of the patients were females (66.3%), from middle class families (74.8%), and who did not have any insurance coverage (93.8%). Most of the patients were under naturopathy treatment (99.8%), followed by ayurveda (56%), and physiotherapy (49.3%), along with yoga therapy. All patients reported a significant reduction in pain post-integrated yoga therapy (p

We are in midst of a global pandemic due to corona virus disease-19 (COVID-19) that has extensively impacted health and well-being. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies have been extensively used by the general public in various forms to improve their immunity and stay resilient against the infection. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a popular form of CAM therapy reported to accelerate weight loss, alleviate inflammation, upregulate metabolism and reverse immune system dysfunction. This case report describes the impact of a 9-month long IF protocol (18?h water only phase followed by 6?h of feeding phase) in a 36-year-old male patient who was at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection owing to his elevated body mass index, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, impaired lipid profile, and high level of anxiety. At baseline his antibody status against COVID-19 was 0.01 (OD ratio). Nine months of IF has shown to improve all his clinical parameters. The authors have observed the presence of antibody against COVID-19: 6.35 (OD ratio) during the 9th month follow-up and also 6.94 (OD ratio) during the refeeding phase at 12th month. However the patient exhibited no symptoms or complications during the entire 1 year of the study. The patient also reported considerable reduction in anxiety on the visual analog scale whose score was reduced to 1 compared with the baseline score of 9. The results suggest prolonged IF to be a safe and useful prophylactic measure against COVID-19 and its risk factors. However, large scale studies are warranted to substantiate the present findings.

Introduction: The philosophical tenets of yoga such as Ashtanga yoga (AY) and Trigunas are seldom considered while designing yoga programs for chronic diseases. This randomized control trial explored the impact of AY principle-based yoga on the anthropometric indices, personality traits, and quality of life (QoL) in abdominal obesity (AO). Materials and Methods: Sixty-two participants with AO were randomized (n = 31 in each arm) into an AY arm or general yoga (GY) arm. For 12 weeks, both the AY and the GY received the same yoga protocol; however, the AY received an additional AY-based orientation session fortnightly. Changes in waist circumference, hip circumference (HC), height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist–hip ratio, Vedic Personality Inventory for gunas, and World Health Organization QoL-BREF were measured at baseline and at the end of 12 weeks. Results: By the end of 12 weeks, the AY arm significantly differed from the GY arm in HC (P = 0.05) and BMI scores (P = 0.03). The AY arm has shown a significant increase in the sattva guna (P < 0.001) and reduction in the rajas (P < 0.001) and tamas gunas (P = 0.03). There was a significant improvement in the physical and social QoL domain, whereas the other variables examined remained insignificant. The increase in sattva guna was negatively correlated with waist circumference (P = −0.489) and BMI (r = −0.553). Conclusion: Exposing participants to progressive AY philosophy can change the personality traits which are further associated with melioration in the determiners of AO. Future yoga programs for chronic disorders may consider including AY philosophy for substantive outcomes.

Background: Recent research indicates prolonged fasting for more than 7 days is beneficial in priming the vitamin D metabolism. However, methodological limitations in previous studies, such as insufficient sample size and a lack of control group, limits its generalizability. The present study evaluated the impact of prolonged fasting (10 days) on vitamin D, vitamin B12, body mass index (BMI), weight, hemoglobin, vitality and quality of life (QoL) compared to a normal diet. Methods: This randomized control trial was conducted in an in-patient private yoga and naturopathy setting between February and April 2022. A total of 52 participants (mean age 51.57 ± 13.67 years) with varying medical conditions were randomized into a fasting group (FG) or a normal diet group (NDG) with 26 participants in each group. The FG was on a fasting diet (500 kCal/day) which included holy basil herbal tea, lemon honey water, and water (3 L). The NDG (1500 kCal/day) consumed a routine diet that included Indian bread, pulses, steamed rice, vegetable salads, and beverages. Results: The FG has shown significant increase in the Vitamin D levels ( P = .003, d = 0.475), vitality ( P = .006, d = 0.425), physical QoL ( P

Problem considered: Road accidents are a growing concern in developing countries that needs immediate attention. The present study evaluated the role of Maha Mrityunjaya mantra (MMM), a vedic practice in reducing reaction time, burnout and improving sleep among commercial drivers. Methods: Fifty commercial drivers (Age 39.92 ± 8.64) were enrolled for a 2 months MMM chanting session (21 rounds, 15 min daily, 5 sessions/week). The effects were measured at the baseline and at the end of 2 months using ruler drop test (RDT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Oldenburg burnout inventory (OLBI). Results: The average work experience and duration of working hours per day were 15.1 ± 7.75 years and for 8.7 ± 1.7 h respectively. We observed significant changes in PSQI scores (Pre- 7.44 ± 3.9, Post- 4.82 ± 2.32; p