Exercise, The Miracle Cure-All

One's health and longevity are to some degree determined by heredity, to a larger degree by diet, but the overwhelming factor seems to be exercise. Scientific studies have shown that regular exercise can greatly improve the quality of life, especially in the elderly. Exercise not only uses bones, joints and muscles, but also improves the balance aspect of our nervous systems. Regular exercise of the balance or proprioceptive nervous system vastly reduces the risk of falling, a major cause of bone fractures in seniors. Exercise helps most musculoskeletal conditions from osteoporosis to arthritis to lower back pain. Studies have shown exercise to be helpful in heart disease, cancer, diabetes, circulatory disease, multiple sclerosis and a host of other common conditions.

The problem is that we have become brainwashed that before embarking on any new exercise program, we must see our doctors. What for? There are no lab tests, no x-rays, nor any kind of physical examination that can predict some evil thing that may happen when we exercise. To many people the message that we must seek medical advice prior to exercising conjures up an image that somehow exercise is inherently dangerous. This is all the excuse many people need to not exercise.

In an article on the subject in January 2004 edition of The Back Letter published by Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins it is suggested that perhaps the reverse should be the case: Perhaps we should see our doctors if we wish to remain couch potatoes. Inactivity is far and away more life threatening than exercising! A doctor's permission to live a sedentary life would be quite rare, I'm sure.

The Back Letter article is an appeal to physicians to relax the onerous screening recommendations in favour of becoming more enabling of physical participation. It would serve the public much more for doctors to adopt the attitude that harm comes from exercise only very rarely, rather than giving the patient the message that exercise might do harm.

The authors point out that only a "few individuals" mainly those with unstable heart conditions need be restricted from exercise.

A little common sense advice would do far more than a bunch of virtually meaningless tests and procedures. Simply encouraging the would-be participant to go ahead, but start slowly and expect a certain degree of discomfort initially from unaccustomed activity would make lots of sense. Inactivity in our modern day society has become an epidemic and we must endeavor to remove any and all roadblocks that potentially hold people back from getting off the couch and getting going again.

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