Yoga Therapy in Children with Cystic Fibrosis Decreases Immediate Anxiety and Joint Pain. Author: McNamara C1, Johnson M2, Read L2, Vander Velden H2, Thygeson M2, Liu M2, Gandrud L2, McNamara J3. Affiliation: 1Children's Respiratory and Critical Care Specialists, PA, Minneapolis, MN, USA. 2Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. 3Children's Respiratory and Critical Care Specialists, PA, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Conference/Journal: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. Date published: 2016 Other: Volume ID: 2016 , Pages: 9429504 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1155/2016/9429504 , Word Count: 198 This study was designed to determine whether yoga might alleviate symptoms of pain, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). CF is the most common genetic, life-limiting chronic disease among Caucasian populations. It primarily affects the lungs but also many other secretory organs and consequently leads to significant morbidities. Research has shown that children with CF have significantly increased depression, anxiety, and pain compared to their healthy counterparts. Subjects participated in six one-on-one sessions over a 10-week period with a certified instructor who designed each yoga practice based on a preestablished list of 30 yoga asanas. Questionnaires evaluating pain, sleep disturbance, sustained anxiety, immediate anxiety, and depression were administered. Differences between premeasures and postmeasures were evaluated using a two-sided test. Twenty subjects were assessed (12 females/8 males), median age of 11 (7-20) years. Mean immediate anxiety scores decreased (before session to after session 29 to 23.6, respectively, p < 0.001). Joint pain improved (3.25 to 3.65, p = 0.028). CFQ-R emotion subscale improved from 79.2 to 85 (p = 0.073), and the respiratory subscale improved from 66.7 to 79.2 (p = 0.076). Other results were less notable. We conclude that yoga may reduce immediate anxiety and joint pain in patients with CF. PMID: 28077950 PMCID: PMC5204083 DOI: 10.1155/2016/9429504 [PubMed - in process] Free PMC Article