They're baaack!!!

In 1984 a corporation classmate of mine, a cardiologist named Henry Solomon MD published a work called The Exercise Myth (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich). He came down particularly hard upon running. Paradoxically, especially since his thesis stated that exercise did not do any profitable and might do harm, at the extremity of the book he snuck in the notion that walking regularly might not be of that kind a bad idea. Solomon received a doom of publicity and sold a certain quantity of books. Fortunately, since even back then the scientific evidence showed that just about everything he had to say about exercise was wrongful the media eventually caught upon and the book drifted without of mind and off the bookstores' shelves.

Although The Exercise Myth is lengthy since gone, the anti-exercise myth is still with us and periodically rears its head. In the April 17 2005 issue of The fresh York Times News of the Week in Review, Gina Kolata, usually whole and science-based when she writes about medical and scientific matters, published an article entitled "The material part Heretic: It scorns Our Efforts." Based upon interviews with Dr. Daniel Haber, director of the Cancer Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital; Dr Barnett Kramer, associate director for disease prevention at NIH; Dr Barry Glassner, a sociologist; and Dr Shelley Taylor, a psychologist; Kolata conclud that "there are real limits to what can be done to turn end for end the damage caused by a lifetime of unhealthy living." Interestingly enough, she interviewed none of the legion of scientists who believe the massive amount of scientific evidence that single can affect one's own health in many positive ways, at any time of one's life.

Of course, the mete "real limits" does apply. on the other hand the gist of the article, as many of my lay friends who know that my work now center upon personal health promotion told me when they called to say "have you seen this?" is that there is not plenteous one can do about one's have a title to health, especially when one reaches middle age. And in the way that having seen the article, many a patient might well say, "So wherefore exercise?"

for what cause [i]or[/i] reason indeed? First, there is the matter of "risk," a universal that many physicians who were not at any time exposed to epidemiology in medical institute themselves have trouble with, a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of less the general public. For years I have told our residents in preventive medicine that health promotion/disease prevention carries alone one guarantee: if one engages in it wisely and well, single will reduce one's risk of coming down with a, b or c As a physician, if single understands the concept of risk and can communicate it effectively to patients, single can certainly get beyond the "there's nothing you can do ethic." They can also help race to understand that yes, Virginia, there is science behind all of this pro-health information and you can help yourself to become healthier. (See Blumenthal for a new reference on the effectiveness of regular exercise in reducing the risk of heart attack, smooth in patients who already have ischemic heart disease. Also diocese Steve Blair's two year-old Journal of Physical Activity & Health for an ongoing exploration of the benefits of regular exercise and by what means to help patients engage in it.)

next to the first and perhaps more importantly the one and the other for helping people to learn by what mode to lead healthy lives and to reckoner the position taken by the authorities that Kolata interviewed, I think that it is actual helpful to talk about the non-medical benefits of regular exercise and the other forms of health promoting behavior change. About 20 years ago, Dr sight Cooper asked a room replete of public-healthers who exercised regularly if they did it because of the evidence showing that it was serviceable for their physical health (available level back then). "No, that's not it," was the general consensus. "We do it because it makes us perceive good." Moreover, it makes us have feeling good about ourselves too, does it not? Furthermore, if single can find an activity that single enjoys, the exercise itself can be pleasantry not a chore. Regular exercise has made me into an athlete, something I not at any time was as a child. in what way is that for promoting a positive self-image? Finally, just the act of taking sway of one part of one's life, of deciding to do something for oneself of setting goals and then setting without to achieve them can be for a like reason beneficial to one's health.

Bodies scorning efforts, as in the title of the Kolata article? one time again, as in the case of Henry Solomon it is a small in number voices in the minority who happen to gain the attention of the media for a time who are scorning science.

I welcome any make notess you may have on this topic, or any other not absented in the AMAA Journal. lance your comments to amaa@americanrunning.org.

Respectfully yours,

Steven Jonas

REFERENCE

Blumenthal JA, et al. issues of Exercise and Stress Management Training upon Markers of Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease. JAMA. 2005;293:1626

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