Philanthropic
Gift to Support ICAM "Yoga for MS" Research Project
by Susan Gould
Fogerite, PhD, Director of Research, ICAM, Assoc. Professor
Primary Care and Clinical Lab Sciences, SHRP, UMDNJ
ICAM recently received a generous gift of $10,000 to support
a seed project to design and develop an integrated yoga program
for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that will be
tested in a clinical trial. We are very grateful to Hugh Evans,
MD, of New Jersey Medical School, for this generous donation
made to the Musical Moments for MS event, which came through
the Foundation of UMDNJ. Substantial work has been
done on this project already, including preliminary design
of the clinical trial and a draft proposal for funding. This
gift will help support further research of the literature
on both yoga and MS, design of the detailed clinical trial
intervention and budget, and a comprehensive proposal for
review by funding agencies, philanthropic individuals and
groups, and the UMDNJ Institutional Review Board. In addition,
to help insure appropriate trial design and successful recruiting,
a survey of the local MS community will be developed and administered
in association with the local New Jersey MS Society. This
survey will determine interest in and experience with yoga,
need for transportation, disability levels, optimal timing
for classes, and various demographic variables.
Goals
and Outcomes
The
pilot clinical trial that will be developed through this work
is currently entitled “The Effect
of Kundalini Yoga on the Quality Of Life and Physical Function
of People with Multiple Sclerosis” . Our long term
goal is to reduce suffering and increase the physical and
mental well-being of people with multiple sclerosis. Our current
primary objectives are to develop a yoga program specifically
designed to help individuals with MS, and to test its efficacy
in a scientifically rigorous, randomized controlled clinical
trial. The primary outcome to be measured in this trial is
effect on Quality of Life, (QOL), with secondary outcomes
of changes in disability, pain, fatigue, depression, strength,
flexibility, balance, and selected immune and neurological
functions. The results of this study will clarify the potential
of yoga to improve the quality of life and physical functioning
of people with MS, and begin to look at biological parameters
that may be associated with these changes. It will also provide
a well defined yoga intervention that can be replicated in
other locations. Positive results from this pilot trial will
support future applications for funding for larger more definitive
yoga trials.
Background
and Rationale
MS
is an autoimmune disease with an estimated prevalence of between
400,000 and 500,000 people in the United States and 2.7 million
worldwide. Quality of Life (QOL) is known to be impaired in
those with MS due to multiple factors, including physical
disability, MS-associated fatigue, and pain. Weakness, spasticity
(muscle stiffness or contraction), fatigue, ataxia (difficulty
moving) and sensory loss, can lead to significant balance
and mobility loss, with increased risk of falls. The practice
of yoga has been shown to improve balance, coordination, strength,
and flexibility. Depression, anxiety, and decreased cognitive
function are also common challenges faced by people with MS.
Yogic breathing practices, meditation, and postures have been
shown to decrease anxiety and depression, and increase subjective
well-being, as well as cognitive function, in healthy populations
and in people with a number of chronic diseases. The results
of the one randomized clinical trial of yoga for MS which
has been published, case studies, and the experiences of many
people, indicate that yoga is helpful for people with MS.
However, there is a strong need for further research on yoga
and MS to develop optimized yoga interventions, to broaden
and deepen the scientific evidence for efficacy, and to move
toward greater understanding of the mechanisms of action.
Study
Team Experience
This
team is uniquely suited to design and carry out a clinical
trial of yoga for MS. Susan Gould-Fogerite, Ph.D.(yours truly),
the Principal Investigator, is Director o f Rese 
arch for the Institute for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry
of New Jersey, (ICAM, UMDNJ). I've been teaching, designing
and supervising basic and pre-clinical science in microbiology
and immunology for over 20 years in academia and industry.
I'm also a teacher of yoga and meditation in the Himalayan
Tradition. In recent years my major research focus has been
on clinical research and the science of mind/body medicine.
Three other highly experienced doctors are the co-investigators.
Rene David Alkalay, D.D., Ph.D., N.D. has studied Kundalini,
Kriya, and Tantra yoga with a number of yoga masters, and
has been teaching yoga for nearly 30 years. He is also a certified
exercise therapist and has significant experience in designing
yoga interventions for people with disabilities, including
MS. Dr. Alkalay is the founder and Director of the Tree of
Life Yoga and Wellness Center , in Forest Hills , NY , where
a “yoga for MS” class that he designed and supervises has
been meeting weekly for more than a year. Rachel Oliker, M.D.,
after completing her undergraduate work at Stanford and medical
school at SUNY Stony Brook, was diagnosed with MS during residency
training in Rehabilitation Medicine at NY-Presbyterian Medical
Center . Although her worsening medical condition made it
necessary to leave that training program, she has since experienced
significant improvement in her health. A major factor that
she feels has lead to this improvement is her practice of
yoga. Her personal experiences with MS and her medical training
have inspired Dr. Oliker to dedicate her time and effort to
developing research studies aimed at alleviating the challenges
faced by the MS community. Adam Perlman, M.D., MPH, Executive
Director of ICAM at UMDNJ is also the founder and Director
of the Siegler Center for Integrative Medicine at Saint Barnabas
Medical Center. In his many years as a Board Certified internist
practicing integrative medicine, he has cared for many people
with MS and other chronic diseases, utilizing allopathic and
complementary and alternative medicine modalities. Ms. Crystal
Jones of ICAM, Master in Public Administration, and Ms. Mariella
Silva, licensed massage therapist and student in the ICAM
Integrative Health and Wellness
track of the SHRP Masters in Health Sciences program, are
also helping with research and preparations for the trial.
Many thanks to Marie Saimbert , MLS, Rph, RN, BSN of UMDNJ's
George Smith Library for
her
help and guidance in literature review and information management
also.
Clinical
Trial
The
yoga program we are developing will seek to maximally engage
the power of the mind body connection in healing. The yoga
intervention will be Kundalini and Hatha Yoga, f focusing
on not only physical yoga poses, but also breathing exercises,
meditation, chanting, silent prayer, guided imagery (visualizations),
and relaxation.Research on the individual components suggests
that this combination will support improved health and strength
in body and mind. Yoga postures will be modified according
to the capabilities of each student. Adults with MS who meet
inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to the yoga program
or a wait list control group. Persons assigned to the wait
list group will participate in the next session of the yoga
program (several months later). We are currently designing
the details of the yoga and wait list interventions. |
