-
S Giridharan
1*
-
Bhuvana Pandiyan
2
1Department of Oncology Tawam Hospitals Al Ain, UAE.
2Department of Psychiatry Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust Hereford, UK.
*Corresponding Author: Selvaraj Giridharan, Consultant Oncologist. Department of Oncology Tawam Hospitals Al Ain, UAE.
Citation: S Giridharan, Bhuvana Pandiyan, (2024), Evaluating the Efficacy of Kundalini Yoga for Mental Health and Well-being: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials, Psychology and Mental Health Care, 8(7): DOI:10.31579/2637-8892/295
Copyright: © 2024, Selvaraj Giridharan. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received: 17 July 2024 | Accepted: 26 July 2024 | Published: 01 August 2024
Keywords: kundalini yoga; mental health; anxiety; depression, ptsd therapy, which will prevent secondary neurodegeneration in these patients.
Abstract
Background: Mental health disorders such as stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD pose significant challenges to public health. Traditional treatments, including pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), are effective but have limitations. With its dynamic breathing techniques, meditation, and chanting, Kundalini Yoga has shown the potential to improve mental health outcomes.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Kundalini Yoga on mental health and well-being. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from January 2000 to December 2023 were identified through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. The inclusion criteria focused on studies with individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders or assessed for mental well-being, comparing Kundalini Yoga to other interventions. The Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias Tool and GRADE approach were utilized for quality assessment.
Results: Six RCTs met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The studies indicated that Kundalini Yoga significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, OCD and PTSD and improved overall well-being. Compared to control groups, Kundalini Yoga was generally more effective. However, CBT showed slightly better long-term outcomes in some studies. The risk of bias was moderate, with challenges in blinding and small sample sizes noted.
Conclusion: Kundalini Yoga is a promising intervention for improving mental health outcomes. It effectively reduces anxiety, depression, OCD and PTSD symptoms and enhances overall well-being. Future research should focus on larger sample sizes, long-term follow-up, and standardized protocols to further validate these findings.
References
- World Health Organization. (2022). Mental disorders. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders. Retrieved June 2024
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- National Institute of Mental Health. (2021). Mental Illness. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness. Retrieved June 2024
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- National Institute of Mental Health. (2021). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd. Retrieved June 2024.
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Birdee, G., Ayala, S., & Wallston, K. (2017). Cross-sectional analysis of health-related quality of life and elements of yoga practice. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-017-1599-1591
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Butterfield, N., Schultz, T., Rasmussen, P., & Proeve, M. (2017). Yoga and mindfulness for anxiety and depression and the role of mental health professionals: a literature review. The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice, 12(1), 44-54. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmhtep-01-2016-0002
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Cabral P, Meyer HB, Ames D. (2011). Effectiveness of yoga therapy as a complementary treatment for major psychiatric disorders: a meta-analysis. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 13(4):PCC.10r01068. doi:10.4088/PCC.10r01068
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Wu Y., Yan D., & Yang J.(2023). Effectiveness of yoga for major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1138205
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Ramakrishnan D, Farhat LC, Vattimo EFQ, et al. (2024). An evaluation of treatment response and remission definitions in adult obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review and individual-patient data meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res. 173:387-397. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.03.044
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Yin J, Sun Y, Zhu Y, et al. (2024). Effects of yoga on clinical symptoms, quality of life and social functioning in patients with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian J Psychiatr. 2024;93:103959. doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2024.103959
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Cramer H, Anheyer D, Saha FJ, Dobos G. (2018). Yoga for posttraumatic stress disorder - a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry. 18(1):72. Published 2018 Mar 22. doi:10.1186/s12888-018-1650-x
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Kundalini Research Institute. About Kundalini Yoga. Accessed: June 2024: https://kundaliniresearchinstitute.org/en/about-kundalini-yoga/
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Cramer H., Lauche R., Anheyer D., Pilkington K., Manincor M., Dobos G.et al.(2018). Yoga for anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Depression and Anxiety 2018;35(9):830-843. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22762
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Gard T, Hölzel BK, Lazar SW. (2014). The potential effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline: a systematic review. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2014, 1307:89-103. 10.1111/nyas.12348
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Broad WJ. (2014). The science of yoga: The risks and the rewards. Simon and Schuster; 2012 Feb 7.
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Vorkapic, C. and Rangé, B. (2014). Reducing the symptomatology of panic disorder: the effects of a yoga program alone and in combination with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00177
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Yoshihara, K., Hiramoto, T., Sudo, N., & Kubo, C. (2011). Profile of mood states and stress-related biochemical indices in long-term yoga practitioners. Biopsychosocial Medicine, 5(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0759-5-6
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Cramer H, Lauche R, Langhorst J, Dobos G. (2013). Yoga for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Depress Anxiety.30(11):1068-1083. doi:10.1002/da.22166
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Cheshire A. and Cartwright T. (2021). A population-practice-based model to understand how yoga impacts on human global functioning: a qualitative study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2021;27(11):991-1001. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2021.0104
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Jeter PE, Slutsky J, Singh N, Khalsa SB. (2015). Yoga as a therapeutic intervention: a bibliometric analysis of published research studies from 1967 to 2013. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine. 21(10):586-92.
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Elwy AR, Groessl EJ, Eisen SV, Riley KE, Maiya M, Lee JP, Sarkin A, Park CL. (2014). A systematic scoping review of yoga intervention components and study quality. American journal of preventive medicine. 47(2):220-32.
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Sherman KJ. (2012). Guidelines for developing yoga interventions for randomized trials. Evidence‐Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2012;2012(1):143271.
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Patwardhan AR. Yoga research and public health: is research aligned with the stakeholders’ needs?. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. 2017 Jan;8(1):31-6.
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C. et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Sterne, J. A. C., Savović, J., Page, M. J., Elbers, R. G., Blencowe, N. S. et al. (2019). RoB 2: a revised tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 366, l4898. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l4898
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Hoge EA, Simon NM, Szuhany K, et al. (2023). Comparing Kundalini Yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy, and stress education for generalized anxiety disorder: Anxiety and depression symptom outcomes. Psychiatry Res. 2023;327:115362. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115362
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Jacoby RJ, Brown ML, Wieman ST, et al. (2024). Effect of cognitive behavioural therapy and yoga for generalised anxiety disorder on sleep quality in a randomised controlled trial: the role of worry, mindfulness, and perceived stress as mediators. J Sleep Res. 2024;33(1):e13992. doi:10.1111/jsr.13992
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Simon NM, Hofmann SG, Rosenfield D, et al. (2021). Efficacy of Yoga vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Stress Education for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry;78(1):13-20. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2496
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Brandão T, Martins I, Torres A, Remondes-Costa S. (2024). Effect of online Kundalini Yoga mental health of university students during Covid-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Health Psychology. 29(6):567-580. doi:10.1177/13591053231220710
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Jindani F, Turner N, Khalsa SB. (2015). A Yoga Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress: A Preliminary Randomized Control Trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015:351746. doi:10.1155/2015/351746
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Shannahoff-Khalsa D, Fernandes RY, Pereira CAB, et al. (2019). Kundalini Yoga Meditation Versus the Relaxation Response Meditation for Treating Adults With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Front Psychiatry. 10:793. Published 2019 Nov 11. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00793
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Brinsley, J., Schuch, F., Lederman, O., Girard, D., Smout, M. et al. (2021). Effects of yoga on depressive symptoms in people with mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 55(17), 992–1000. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101242
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar
- Martínez-Calderon, J., Casuso-Holgado, M. J., Muñoz-Fernandez, M. J., Garcia-Muñoz, C., & Heredia-Rizo, A. M. (2023). Yoga-based interventions may reduce anxiety symptoms in anxiety disorders and depression symptoms in depressive disorders: a systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression. British journal of sports medicine, 57(22), 1442–1449. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106497
View at Publisher |
View at Google Scholar