Health News (Week 07 – 2015)
By Robert Redfern

Below is an article I had put together for my next magazine with Bethany Ramos who is my Editor in Chief, here at Naturally Healthy Publications. It is based upon research I came across while searching to back up my never ending message that walking 5 miles per day will help you live longer and healthier. I am acutely aware that it is hard to believe and that lack of evidence may give us an excuse not to do it.

Well here is solid evidence and so compelling I wanted to share it now…

A Miracle Cure or Sense?

What would you say if your doctor promised you a “miracle cure” for what ails you? If you’re like most patients, your jaw might hit the floor. It’s not every day that a doctor can promise a miracle–and deliver.

In the February 2015 Academy of Medical Royal Colleges report, this is exactly what is promised. The report is entitled “The miracle cure and the role of the doctor in promoting it.” It reveals a “miracle cure” in the form of exercise–with the potential to be more effective than medication in improving health.

Exercise Is a Wonder Drug

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges report instructs doctors to advise patients to exercise for 30 minutes, five times a week. This “miracle cure” may not only improve mood and overall wellbeing, as exercise is known to do. The report is clear in saying that exercise can help to prevent a long list of devastating diseases.

In the report, Professor Dame Sue Bailey, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, explains, “Physical activity is important in the management of long-term diseases, but, it is even more important in the prevention of many other

diseases. I believe that if physical activity was a drug it would be classed as a wonder drug, which is why I would encourage everyone to get up and be active.”

The report states, with supporting research from the Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, “Physical activity helps to manage over 20 chronic conditions, including CVry heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, mental health problems and musculoskeletal conditions.”

This is only the short-term improvement that can be seen from regular exercise. In the long-term, exercise can decrease cardiac mortality by 31 percent, reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol by an average of 1 to 2mmol/l while increasing “good” HDL cholesterol, ease symptoms of osteoarthritis by 22-83 percent without worsening the condition and improve general chronic pain conditions by 25-52 percent. Regular exercisers also had a 57 percent lower rate of prostate cancer progression.

Inactivity Is Not “Normal”

Report author and orthopedic surgeon Scarlett McNally has a special message for doctors based on these findings: It’s time to have more uncomfortable conversations about patient activity during routine exams. And doctors aren’t off the hook either–McNally says that physicians need to practice what they preach by being good role models of regular physical activity.

According to McNally, a broken down body exacerbated by lifestyle and age is not what we should consider normal. McNally writes, “Too many of my patients are paying the price for that with broken bones and years of ill health that could have been avoided by being more active.”

This report aligns with what countless other studies have been reporting for decades–the benefits of exercise are obvious. Researchers discovered that just 12 months of exercise rehabilitation helped slow kidney decline and improve cardiovascular fitness in patients with chronic kidney disease. Alzheimer’s disease patients who maintained regular physical activity had a noticeable decrease in mortality. While 2012 Comprehensive Physiology research confirmed, “Physical inactivity is a primary cause of most chronic diseases.”

The answer is simple and often overlooked: The “miracle cure” is exercise.

Sources:

    1. “Exercise: The miracle cure and the role of the doctor in promoting
      it.” Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. February 2015.
    1. Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (2011).
      “Start active, stay active: a report on physical activity from the four
      home countries.” Chief Medical Officers, Departments of Health.
    1. American Society of Nephrology (ASN). “Chronic kidney disease: Exercise
      provides clear benefits.” ScienceDaily.
    1. Physical activity and Alzheimer disease course. Scarmeas N, Luchsinger JA,
      Brickman AM, Cosentino S, Schupf N, Xin-Tang M, Gu Y, Stern Y. Am J Geriatr
      Psychiatry. 2011 May; 19(5):471-81.
  1. Compr Physiol 2:1143-1211, 2012.

Well? What do you think? Are you convinced enough to get your walking shoes on and join me and Nancy Sinatra in a, ‘these boots are made for walking’ plan (over 50’s may know this song)? Cycling, swimming, jogging, are all OK but not a substitute for walking.

See more on walking and other lifestyle choices that will help you live longer and stronger in all of my FREE books by clicking the image below…

Just so you know I try to follow my own advice in these books as much as possible having just passed 69. I am now in my 70th year, and feel great.

So can you.