"A new study says yoga may be as good a treatment for back pain as physical therapy. One person who might agree is yearold Judith Zaborowski who took up yoga https more than  years ago to help with her aching back. Im much more comfortable with movement she told CBS News. Yoga makes me think about my back and how Im standing and if Im standing properly then I can function better.  New guidelines outline how to handle back pain https In the study  adults with moderate to severe back pain received one of three approaches over  weeks  Weekly yoga classes   physical therapy visits  Education about how to cope with back pain Yoga was just as effective as physical therapy  and both groups were about  percent less likely to use pain medication than patients receiving education alone. Yoga classes started with relaxation exercises warm up then gentle yoga poses like wall dog and chair twist. Dr. Robert Saper at Boston Medical Center is one of the authors. He explained the results. Yoga was as effective as physical therapy for reducing pain intensity Saper said. Perhaps most importantly reducing pain medication use. Saper says yoga likely works by strengthening core and lower back muscles and helping with mindbody relaxation. I feel the more that one can do for ones self and not depend on medication the healthier it is for your body Zaborowski said. Opiate overdoses https are now the leading cause of death https for adults under age   an especially compelling reason to find approaches to chronic pain that dont involve narcotics https"