Effect of Mind Sound Resonance Technique on Pulmonary Function and Smoking Behavior among Smokers - A Prospective...

Smoking is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and the respiratory tract is the major body system affected by smoking. Yoga has shown promising effects in improving lung function in previous studies. Mind sound resonance technique (MSRT) is one of the Yoga-based relaxation techniques, which improves internal awareness and reduces impulsivity.

Hence, we aimed to assess the efficacy of MSRT on pulmonary function and smoking behavior among smokers.

A total of 197 subjects were screened among whom 80 were recruited and randomly allocated (1:1) to a study group (SG) (n = 40) who received 10 days of 25-min MSRT intervention and a control group (CG) (n = 40) who received health education during the same period. Baseline assessment was taken before intervention for both the groups. Pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry. All subjects were administered the Smoking Abstinence Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SASEQ) to assess the motivation to quit smoking, the Minnesota Tobacco Withdrawal Scale-Revised (MTWS) to assess withdrawal symptoms on smoking cessation, and the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges to evaluate the urge to smoke, before and after the 10-day intervention. The data were analyzed based on the intention-to-treat principle.

There were no baseline differences across all parameters between the two groups. There was a statistically significant change in all pulmonary function variables including FVC (P < 0.001), FEV₁ (P < 0.001), FEV₁/FVC ratio (P < 0.05), forced expiratory flow 25%-75% (P < 0.001), peak expiratory flow rate (P < 0.001), and breath-holding time (P < 0.001) both within the SG and when compared to the CG. Within the CG, only FEV₁ (P = 0.002) showed a significant change when compared to baseline. Within-group comparison showed a significant change in all the domains of SASEQ (P < 0.001) and few of the domains of MTWS-Revised (P < 0.001) and Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (P < 0.001) in both the groups. Between-group comparison showed a statistically significant difference in all three smoking behavior assessments in the SG when compared to the CG after 10 days of intervention.

The practice of MSRT might help in improving the lung function and also reduce the withdrawal symptoms, craving, urge, and negative affect among smokers. Hence, it can be explored as a low-cost, easy to self-administer, and adjuvant intervention in aiding smoking cessation among smokers.