Exercise is Medicine is a new movement piggy-backed by the American College of Sports Medicine. The idea behind this movement is to make physical activity more common in America. They hope to one day have physicians write prescriptions for exercise just as commonly as they write prescriptions for drugs. They hope to make physical activity and exercise a standard part of a disease prevention and treatment. Hopefully, physical activity will become a vital sign at every patient visit. This will improve the public’s health and reduce the health care costs in the long run. Their guiding principles are as follows:
o “Exercise and physical activity are important to health and the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases. “
o “More should be done to address physical activity and exercise in health care settings. “
o “Encouragement of ACSM and AMA's efforts to bring a greater focus on physical activity and exercise in health care settings. “
This is relevant to this class because I also found an article from ADDitude Magazine January 2008, discussing exercise as an alternate, free treatment for children and adult ADHD. In this article Dr. John Ratey said that for some people exercise may be a complete replacement of stimulants, but for most it is a complementary treatment that they should absolutely do. He said that exercise with meds will help increase attention and improve mood. Exercise not only trims the waistline, it also firms up the brain. “On a practical level, it causes kids to be less impulsive, which makes them more primed to learn.”
Ratey also noted that in a recent study of rats, exercise reduced learned helplessness, which is a symptom of ADHD.
“So how, exactly, does exercise deliver these benefits to the ADHD brain? When you walk, run, or do a set of jumping jacks or pushups, your brain releases several important chemicals. Endorphins, hormone-like compounds that regulate mood, pleasure, and pain, are only one of the chemical released during exercise. That same burst of activity also elevates the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels. These brain chemicals affect focus and attention, which are in short supply in those with ADHD.”
For more information please visit www.exercsieismedicine.org or www.attitudemag.com/adhd/article/3142
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I agree. Exercise has many benefits, that help mind and body. From personal experience I found that if I am stressed, or experiencing a change in mood, such as anger or saddness, exercise helps relieve these emotions. After exercising I feel more relaxed, stress is diminished, and I have an overall positive mood. This is due to the chemicals (hormones) that are released in the brain during physical activity.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that physicians should turn to more exercise-type prescriptions when dealing with depression, ADHD, and other mental problems. Physical activity is natural to the body, and could serve as a self-fix for some mental problems.
Exercise is not only good for mental disabilities, but can also improve ones level of confidence and self-esteem. Also weight training has been shown to be a great preventative treatment for many disorders and health problems, such as osteoporosis. However, there are physical activities for everyone, from high impact weight lifting to low impact water aerobics. I agree that everyone should consistently partake in some sort of physical activity.
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