Relieve Back Pain Safely With Yoga (NAPSA)—Don’t take back pain lying down: Easy-to-learn yoga exercises may help you get back on your feet while reducing your need for medication, health experts now agree. More than 65 million Americans suffer from lower back pain, studies show. But surgery for back problems presents risks, and drugs have side effects, which explains why many see yoga as a better alternative to both. Recent studies from UCLA, Texas Tech University and Tufts University all reached the same conclusion: Most sufferers of chronic pain found yoga eased their symptoms and reduced their need for medication. Yoga exercises even helped back-pain patients cope with the anxiety and depression that’s often linked to this common health problem. “People suffering from chronic pain go through morethan just the pain itself,” Dr. Sonia D. Guarof Harbour-UCLA Medical Center recently told Psychology Today. “Our study found yoga helped them improvein every area.” Now you can learn yoga at home, thanks to a new video created by New York City yoga professionals Charles and Lisa Matkin, called “Anchor Bay’s Healing Yoga™ for Aches and Pains” ($12.98 VHS/$16.98 DVD). It’s designed for those who may have nevertried yoga before—and may never have thought they could learn it successfully. With a combined 16 years of experience in the field, the Matkins have developed therapeutic yoga @ A new video helps you learn pain-relieving yoga moves at home. programs for New York’s Beth Israel Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital and Oxford Health Insurance, amongothers. They've worked with patients recovering from spinal surgery and cancer, as well as highly stressed executives from Coca-Cola and Citibank. Oneof the Matkins’ clients is fashion designer Elie Tahari, who turned to yoga on the advice of his chiropractor. “When I get stressed, I get pain at the top of my spine,” says Tahari. “Not only has yoga helped merelieve the pain, it has helped me lower myblood pressure andit helps me maintain my physique. It keeps mefeeling young.” The moves on thevideo will benefit those who just want to get the kinksout, as well as those who suffer from chronic back pain. To learn more about the new “Healing Yoga” video and others in the series, visit www.collagevideo.com/hy or call (800) 546-1949.
