What’s the occasion? Yoga is the featured topic of the month at NCCAM, which funds scientific studies on yoga’s benefits and overall impact on health. On August 1st NCCAM released at 15-minute video featuring yoga from a scientific perspective. This is a great resource, which likely summarizes some of the topics that may come up in the Twitter chat if you aren’t able to join, including:

-A look at innovative technology that examines how older people use their muscles and joints in certain yoga postures. (George Salem, Ph.D., University of Southern California)

-An overview of a rigorously designed study that shows yoga may benefit people with chronic low back pain, a common and difficult-to-treat problem. (Karen Sherman, Ph.D., M.P.H., Group Health Research Institute)

-Valuable “dos and don’ts” for consumers who are thinking about practicing yoga.

A teaser from the video and the chat: While a growing body of evidence suggests yoga may be effective in treating low back pain, yoga has not been found helpful for asthma symptoms, and the research on yoga for arthritis has yielded mixed results. Among people with high blood pressure, glaucoma, sciatica, and pregnancy, modification or avoidance of some yoga poses may be necessary.