{"id":39200,"date":"2015-03-04T03:01:07","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T08:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=39200"},"modified":"2017-04-27T08:59:44","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T13:59:44","slug":"exercise-medicine-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/exercise-medicine-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Exercise is Medicine: Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-39202\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/medication-300x168.png\" alt=\"medication\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/medication-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/medication-280x158.png 280w, https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/medication.png 340w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/exercise-medicine\/\">My last column<\/a> examined the role that exercise can play in reducing and possibly\u00a0eliminating the need for statins and blood pressure medication. We also discussed\u00a0the positive effects of exercise for diabetics. This week, we will discuss the benefits of\u00a0exercise vis-\u00e0-vis high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>High Blood Pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>High blood pressure, or hypertension, is known as the \u201csilent killer\u201d since the symptoms\u00a0sometimes do not appear until it is too late. This very treatable condition is prevalent\u00a0in more than 20 % of the population. Another significant number of people have what is\u00a0referred to as \u201chigh normal\u201d or \u201cborderline\u201d blood pressure &#8211; that is, their readings fall\u00a0slightly above the normal range and as such, they are now at risk for hypertension.<\/p>\n<p>Drugs given for high blood pressure can have multiple side effects and some of them\u00a0can be very pronounced. Depending upon which drugs you are taking, you may\u00a0experience any of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Asthma symptoms<\/li>\n<li>Cold hands and feet<\/li>\n<li>Depression<\/li>\n<li>Insomnia and sleep problems<\/li>\n<li>A dry, hacking cough that doesn&#8217;t go away.<\/li>\n<li>Skin rash and a loss of taste<\/li>\n<li>Dizziness<\/li>\n<li>Constipation<\/li>\n<li>Dizziness<\/li>\n<li>Headache<\/li>\n<li>Irregular or very rapid heartbeat (palpitations)<\/li>\n<li>Swollen ankles<\/li>\n<li>Fast heart rate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Exercise can prevent or cure high blood pressure. An inactive person has a 20-50%\u00a0higher risk of developing high blood pressure than an active person. This statistic is\u00a0based on studies performed at both Harvard University and the Cooper Institute for\u00a0Aerobics Research. Even without weight loss, aerobic exercise can lower blood pressure\u00a0by 10 points or more. And one of the great things about exercising to reduce blood\u00a0pressure is that one usually starts seeing results after only a few short weeks of starting\u00a0a program. An added bonus: As exercisers also tend to lose weight and concentrate on\u00a0diet, results can go far beyond the 10 points mentioned above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>High Cholesterol<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all animal products. The human body\u00a0makes cholesterol in the liver and absorbs some of it through diet. It is essential for the\u00a0body and is used to produce hormones, form bile acids for digestion of fats and to build\u00a0cell membranes. However, too much cholesterol in the blood can spell trouble in the\u00a0form of increased risk of coronary heart disease.<\/p>\n<p>Approximately 30% of Americans have high cholesterol. Although drugs are being\u00a0prescribed today like candy, they have multiple side effects and we are still not 100%\u00a0sure as to how effective they are in avoiding heart attacks.<\/p>\n<p>Yes they lower your cholesterol, but they also can make you very uncomfortable with\u00a0muscle pain, they can negatively affect your memory and they may raise your risk of\u00a0diabetes.<\/p>\n<p>Steps you can take to lower your overall cholesterol, lower your LDL (bad cholesterol)\u00a0and raise your HDL (good cholesterol) include:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Exercising<br \/>\n-Losing weight<br \/>\n-Eliminating smoking<br \/>\n-Moderating alcohol consumption<br \/>\n-Eating a healthful diet that includes fruits and vegetables<\/p>\n<p>Even those with hereditary factors can see improvement by adopting the practices listed\u00a0above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cancer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Research has shown that the lifetime risk for developing cancer is 45% in men and 39%\u00a0in women. However, according to the American Cancer Society, up to two-thirds of\u00a0cancers are preventable. There is also good news on the cancer treatment front. In\u00a0the 1930s, fewer than one in five people were alive after five years of treatment for\u00a0cancer, but today, more than 50% of people getting treatment live five years or more\u00a0afterwards, and these numbers are expected to continue to improve.<\/p>\n<p>What exactly is cancer? All cancers can be characterized by the uncontrolled growth and\u00a0spread of abnormal cells. If the spread is not controlled, it can, G-d forbid, be fatal, as\u00a0vital passageways are blocked and the body\u2019s oxygen and nutrient supplies are diverted\u00a0to support the rapidly- spreading cancer. Normally, our body cells reproduce and divide\u00a0in an orderly manner. In that way, old cells are replaced and injured cells are repaired.\u00a0However, some cells undergo abnormal changes because of oxidants, radiation, viruses,\u00a0hormones, immune conditions and inherited mutations. It is these abnormal cells that\u00a0grow into masses called tumors. These tumors can be benign or cancerous.<\/p>\n<p>Interesting to note is that it took the American Heart Association a long time to identify\u00a0<strong><em>inactivity<\/em><\/strong> as a risk factor for heart disease. However, in 1996, the American Cancer\u00a0Society added regular physical activity to their list of preventive measures. Evidence\u00a0continues to mount which strongly supports the connection between the development\u00a0of cancer and inactivity. More current research is showing that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Physical activity may lower the risk of cancer by preventing obesity, reducing\u00a0inflammation and hormone levels, and improving insulin resistance and immune\u00a0system function.<\/li>\n<li>Physical activity is associated with a lower risk of several types of cancers,\u00a0including breast cancer and colon cancer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Although, we are speaking here of prevention and not curing cancer, cancer experts do\u00a0encourage moderate exercise during treatment.<\/p>\n<p><em>Next time, we will look at osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome and lower pack pain.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/ou-images\/content\/alans_fitness.JPG\" alt=\"image\" width=\"126\" height=\"126\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Alan Freishtat<\/strong> is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at\u00a0<a href=\"tel:02-651-8502\">02-651-8502<\/a> or <a href=\"tel:050-555-7175\">050-555-7175<\/a>, or by email at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:alan@alanfitness.com\">alan@alanfitness.com<\/a> Check out the his web site \u2013<a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanfitness.com\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.alanfitness.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1493381969635000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE-D7k1ng56nGzC7bQDJ55nvE1vOA\">www.alanfitness.com<\/a> US Line: <a href=\"tel:516-568-5027\">516-568-5027<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My last column examined the role that exercise can play in reducing and possibly\u00a0eliminating the need for statins and blood pressure medication. We also discussed\u00a0the positive effects of exercise for diabetics. This week, we will discuss the benefits of\u00a0exercise vis-\u00e0-vis high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer. High Blood Pressure High blood pressure, or hypertension,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":39202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Exercise is Medicine: Part II - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/exercise-medicine-part-ii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exercise is Medicine: Part II - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My last column examined the role that exercise can play in reducing and possibly\u00a0eliminating the need for statins and blood pressure medication. 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CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. 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