I know plenty of people who won’t try yoga because, well, it’s yoga — and they think they’d feel ridiculous doing it.

But if you’re battling back pain, do yourself a favor: Open your mind before you open another jar of pills — because yoga can help beat your pain, and two new studies prove it.

One of those studies even finds that yoga can beat conventional care for back pain — but let’s face it here, that’s not saying much. “Conventional care” has been a complete failure that’s succeeded only in creating millions of painkiller addicts.

Clearly, it’s time to throw “conventional” out the window and try something a little UNconventional — like yoga, because the study on more than 300 back pain patients in Britain found that 12 weeks of the famous stretching classes led to real reductions in pain and increases in function over standard care.

Those who did yoga were able to walk more quickly, get dressed without needing help and even stand for longer periods of time — and if you’ve battled back pain, you know what a big deal that last one is.

All told, the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that yoga can help get you back on your feet and doing stuff again — and there’s nothing ridiculous about that.

Heck, you might not even have to do actual yoga to get the benefits: In another new study, both yoga classes and regular stretching classes easily beat a control group in which patients were given a 200-page book on pain management and told to read it.

You know how that is — 20 percent of them later admitted they never even cracked the spine on that thing.

Overall, 50 percent of the patients in the classes felt either much better or completely better — versus just 20 percent of those who got the book (and I can’t help but wonder if that was the same 20 percent that didn’t bother to read it).

In other words, the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows it doesn’t really matter what kind of stretching you pick — just pick one and stick to it.

It’s not ridiculous if it works.

A small army of seniors already swears by chondroitin for arthritis relief — and the latest research shows they’re not swearing in vain.

The new study confirms that chondroitin can beat pain, ease stiffness, and even restore function to patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the hands.

Researchers gave 162 patients suffering from radiographic hand osteoarthritis either 800 mg of chondroitin sulfate or a placebo every day. After six months, those who took the real supplement enjoyed a dramatic reduction in hand pain (nearly 9 points on a visual analogue scale).

The visual analogue scale is a 100-point scale where patients estimate their pain levels. Since most of them started around 40, a nine-point drop is an improvement of nearly 25 percent.

They also saw improvements in morning hand stiffness, grip strength, and overall function.

As good as chondroitin is, it’s even better when you pair it with glucosamine.

Glucosamine and chondroitin together can actually restore cartilage to your joints and repair the damage caused by years of osteoarthritis.

For an added boost, add some gentle movement exercises to your routine. Yoga, for example, has been shown to ease pain and restore function in patients who suffer from hand osteoarthritis. And Tai chi, the slow and graceful martial art, has shown to help combat osteoarthritis of the knees.

Put that together with the arthritis-battling duo of glucosamine and chondroitin, and you have yourself a winner.

If you tell your doctor you’re having trouble sleeping, the first thing he’ll do is reach for his prescription pad — especially if you’re a woman going through menopause.

Feel free to visit the drugstore — but don’t head for the pharmacy, and don’t fill that prescription.

Make a beeline for the supplements aisle instead, and reach for an inexpensive remedy that’s been used for centuries by men and women alike to help ease anxiety and get better rest.

It’s valerian root — and a new clinical trial finds that it can help beat the sleep problems that often accompany menopause.

Iranian researchers randomly assigned 100 women to either 530 milligrams of valerian root twice a day, or a placebo, for a month and found that 30 percent of the women who got the supplement had better sleep.

Thirty percent may not sound impressive — but it’s a dramatic improvement compared to the 4 percent of women on the placebo who reported relief.

What’s more, the women who took the supplement reported no side effects — unlike the sleep meds that can not only leave you groggy in the morning, but can also cause addiction as well as bizarre and often dangerous behavior.

If valerian doesn’t work for you, there’s still no reason to fill that prescription: Other studies have found that yoga, tai chi, acupressure, and cognitive behavioral therapy can all help men and women alike overcome sleep problems.

In some cases, you may need to experiment a little until you find a natural treatment that works best for you. In others, you may need to combine two or more.

For more tips on how to get better sleep – whether you’re a man or woman of any age – explore the Web site of the Health Sciences Institute. Enter “sleep” into the “find a cure” box and then find a comfortable spot to finally get the rest you need.

Score one more for yoga!

Researchers say light stretching can do what a pharmacy full of drugs often cannot: Bring real relief to women suffering from fibromyalgia, the mystifying and often debilitating pain condition.

Researchers from York University in Toronto asked 22 women to take 75-minute hatha yoga classes twice a week. After just eight weeks, the women reported less pain than they did at the start of the study.

They also felt better about their condition, reporting less helplessness and more acceptance, and they were less likely to focus on the worst possible outcomes of the disease.

Although those responses were based on a questionnaire given before and after the study, there were also noticeable changes on a much more objective level. The researchers say the women had higher levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol after eight weeks of yoga lessons.

Now, that might sound bad. “Stress hormone” sounds like trouble, and you definitely don’t want too much of it hanging around.

But too little can be even worse, because the stress hormone is needed to help control inflammation and regulate blood pressure. More importantly, it also keeps the immune system in check — the same immune system that often goes haywire in fibromyalgia patients.

And not so coincidentally, fibro patients usually have very low levels of cortisol.

Since the study was small, it’ll take more research before anyone can say for sure whether yoga can boost cortisol levels in the long run — but other studies have been encouraging, at least when it comes to pain relief.

In one I told you about last year, yoga actually brought as much relief as drugs, with none of the risks. (Read about it here.)

Now, if you’re suffering from fibro, I know you might think the pretzel-like contortions of yoga are the last things your body could handle.

In reality, the hatha form of yoga used in the new study is one of the most basic — and the most gentle.

And in addition to helping to beat pain and regulate your cortisol levels, yoga has been shown to boost physical strength and energy levels, lower blood pressure, and even improve mental health.

You can often find inexpensive or even free lessons through your local library, park, or senior center — or even try it on your own with a book or video.

Happy stretching.