«Exercise is Medicine» Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen Das American College of Sports Medicine hat vor einigen Jahren mit dem twitterfähigen Slogan «Exercise is Medicine®» eine globale Gesundheitsinitiative lanciert. Zahlreiche Studien…
Background: High altitude training seems beneficial for many athletes. However, training in altitude is always associated with travel and high expenses. Thus, methods have been developed to achieve similar effects as with high altitude training. One method is voluntary hypoventilation training (VHT). Although commonly used in training, the effectiveness of this method has not been analysed sufficiently. Methods: Intervention studies of voluntary hypoventilation training were identified from searches in PubMed, SciVerse Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EBSCOhost and Google Scholar.
Current physical activity recommendations are based on epidemiological-medical findings. They define what doses of physical activity are necessary for positive health effects: adults should be physically active at least 2½ hours per week with moderate or 1¼ hours with high intensity. However, some people find it difficult to implement these recommendations and to be active in the longer term. For optimal long-term adherence, physical activity recommendations should also be based on psychology.
This article aims to summarize the literature on the role of physical activity in cancer patients and to propose exercise programs based on studies and recommendations. Medical advances with improved early diagnosis and treatment have increased the number of cancer survivors. At the same time, the quality of life of these patients must also be improved. In the different stages of the disease physical activity has an important role to play with its beneficial effects on fatigue, physical condition, mood etc. Collaboration between health system actors and patient education are the key to success in this multi-disciplinary care.
The prevalence of obesity is increasing world-wide. Obesity is associated with a plethora of metabolic and clinical constraints, which result in a higher risk for the development of cardiovascular complications and metabolic disease, particularly insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is an acknowledged determinant of glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes and accounts for the majority of premature death due to cardiovascular events. Physical exercise is generally recommended in patients with diabetes in order to prevent the development of or reduce existing obesity, as adopted by every international treatment guideline so far.
Despite increasingly advanced diagnostic and therapeutic methods, coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction continue to be by far the leading cause of death worldwide. This makes it all the more important in this context to make full use of known but far from optimally used therapeutic measures. Adequate physical activity in everyday life and additional targeted training lead to an evidence-based improvement in quality of life, a reduction in morbidity and above all to a significant reduction in cardiac and overall mortality.
Heart failure is a clinical syndrome with different etiologies and phenotypes. For all forms, supervised exercise training and individual physical activity are class IA recommendations in current guidelines. Exercise training can start in the hospital, immediately after stabilization of acute heart failure (phase I). After discharge, it can continue in a stationary or ambulatory prevention and rehabilitation program (phase II). Typical components are endurance, resistance and respiratory training. Health insurances cover costs for three to six months. Patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators or left ventricular assist devices may train in experienced centers.
Physical activity provides huge opportunities for the health of nations. Understanding this, the World Health Organization has published a Global Action Plan which aims to provide member states with a framework for action, namely to create active societies, people, environments and systems. The target is set at a 15% reduction in physical inactivity levels by 2030. We explore in this paper some of the challenges and opportunities that come with it, and give the practitioner some real-world opportunities for relevant action at the local level, as well as for their patients, staying true to the Physician’s Pledge (Declaration of Geneva): “I will attend to my own health, well-being, and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard.”
Regular exercise reduces the risk of suffering from noncommunicable diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Within the framework of the National Strategy for the Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases, movement as a form of therapy is therefore to be anchored in health care in the future. Sports physicians have an important role as multipliers.
