title: Yoga as a Therapy for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: A Pilot Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Yoga has been shown to improve outcomes in patients with asthma but has not been investigated in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective pilot study to evaluate the safety of a standardized yoga program among CF patients aged 12 to 25 years. Participants engaged in a 50-minute yoga session twice weekly for 8 weeks conducted by a certified yoga instructor using a standardized program designed to be safe for health-compromised individuals. Yoga sessions were individual to avoid transmission of infections. Primary outcome was safety and tolerability. Secondary outcome measures included respiratory symptoms, the Cystic Fibrosis Quality of Life instrument (CFQ-R), lung function, Ease of Breathing Score (measure of exercise tolerance), and weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven participants were enrolled, and 10 completed the study. Adherence was very good; the mean (SD) number of sessions completed was 14.2 (1.3) out of 16 sessions. Eight patients reported 25 adverse events. The most common was cough, reported in 7. Two events were possibly related to study procedures: calf pain and headache. There were no significant changes in dyspnea or pain scales. The mean (SD) CFQ-R respiratory domain score increased from screening to end of study: 67.9 (11.4) to 82.1 (9.9), P=.04. There were no significant changes in the other outcome measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this pilot study, a standardized 8-week yoga program was safe and well tolerated among adolescent and young adult CF patients with mild to moderate lung disease. This study may be helpful to yoga instructors who are interested in working with CF patients. Larger controlled trials are warranted to determine further benefits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, ProMedica Toledo Children's Hospital, Ohio (Dr Ruddy), United States.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruddy
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington (Dr Emerson), United States.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington (Dr McNamara), United States.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McNamara
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington (Mr Genatossio), United States.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Genatossio
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington (Dr Breuner), United States.
authors.forename: Cora
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Breuner
authors.affiliation: Whole Life Yoga, Seattle, Washington (Ms Weber), United States.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington (Dr Rosenfeld), United States.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
keywords: Yoga; adolescents; cystic fibrosis; pilot study; young adults