Abstract Title: Alternate Nostril Breathing at Different Rates and its Influence on Heart Rate Variability in Non Practitioners of Yoga. Abstract Source: J Clin Diagn Res. 2016 Jan ;10(1):CM01-2. Epub 2016 Jan 1. PMID: 26894062 Abstract Author(s): Rajam Krishna Subramanian, Devaki P R, Saikumar P Article Affiliation: Rajam Krishna Subramanian Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Heart rate variability is a measure of modulation in autonomic input to the heart and is one of the markers of autonomic functions. Though there are many studies on the long term influence of breathing on HRV (heart rate variability) there are only a few studies on the immediate effect of breathing especially alternate nostril breathing on HRV. This study focuses on the immediate effects of alternate nostril breathing and the influence of different breathing rates on HRV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was done on 25 subjects in the age group of 17-35 years. ECG and respiration were recorded before intervention and immediately after the subjects were asked to perform alternate nostril breathing for five minutes. RESULTS: Low frequency (LF) which is a marker of sympathetic activity increased, high frequency (HF) which is a marker of parasympathetic activity decreased and their ratio LF/HF which is a marker of sympatho/vagal balance increased immediately after 6 and 12 minutes in comparison to baseline values whereas there was no significant difference in the means of these components when both 6 and 12 minutes were compared. CONCLUSION: Immediate effects of alternate nostril breathing on HRV in non practitioners of yogic breathing are very different from the long term influence of yogic breathing on HRV which show a predominant parasympathetic influence on the heart. Article Published Date : Dec 31, 2015

Abstract Title: Nasal cycle dominance and hallucinations in an adult schizophrenic female. Abstract Source: Psychiatry Res. 2015 Mar 30 ;226(1):289-94. Epub 2015 Jan 13. PMID: 25660663 Abstract Author(s): David Shannahoff-Khalsa, Shahrokh Golshan Article Affiliation: David Shannahoff-Khalsa Abstract: Nasal dominance, at the onset of hallucinations, was studied as a marker of both the lateralized ultradian rhythm of the autonomic nervous system and the tightly coupled ultradian rhythm of alternating cerebral hemispheric dominance in a single case study of a schizophrenic female. Over 1086 days, 145 hallucination episodes occurred with left nostril dominance significantly greater than the right nostril dominant phase of the nasal cycle. A right nostril breathing exercise, that primarily stimulates the left hemisphere, reduces symptoms more quickly for hallucinations. Article Published Date : Mar 29, 2015