Exercise Is Medicine: Doctors Soon To Prescribe It

If exercise is medicine, as is argued by Robert Sallis, the new president of the American College of Sports Medicine, why don’t doctors regularly prescribe it? The answer, according to Sallis, is they should prescribe it, at least for most patients. Sally Squires, writing in the Washington Post, reports that Sallis’ opinion is shared by Ronald M. Davis, incoming president of the AMA, who will recommend that exercise suggestions become part of every physical exam. Squires reports that research suggests that people who are sedentary spend on average
about $1,500 more annually on medical bills than do their more-active
counterparts. Research
also shows that regular physical activity improves health by cutting
the risk of heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and high
blood pressure. Even bouts of activity as short as 10 minutes at a time
can help control weight and relieve arthritis, anxiety and depression. Wait, there’s more:
People who don’t exercise miss work more often than those who do, and are not as productive when they are at work.
But while in Squire’s mind, Doctors should definitely start prescribing exercise, there is one last question: Do patients follow through when doctors advise them to exercise and eat right? "That’s the million-dollar question," Sallis tells her. The studies that have been done show mixed results.
Read more in the Washington Post.