Regular exercise is an important preventive and therapeutic treatment for heart disease and other health disorders. Studies show that a family practice doctors attitude toward exercise can greatly influence the activity level of patients. Consequently, a physician that emphasizes physical fitness as a priority can significantly enhance both the length and quality of patients lives.
The Squeaky Wheel
Family practice physicians routinely recommend exercise for patients at risk for heart disease, including type II diabetics, hypertensives, hypercholesterolemics, and the overweight and obese. Many physicians currently recommend exercise programs to help patients with non-cardiac disorders as well, including lower back pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, depression, and pulmonary disorders. At the advice of his family physician, Joe DeTeresa attended a pulmonary rehabilitation exercise program at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale to treat his emphysema. According to Joe, if his doctor had not told him of the healing benefits of exercise, he would never have considered beginning a program. “When I was finished, I felt 100-percent improved,” states Joe, who became a member of Holy Crosss Zachariah Family Wellness Pavilion [ZFWP] after completing the pulmonary program. “The staff at the [ZFWP] put together a program [to improve] my lungs. The oxygen content of my blood has since increased dramatically and my stamina is very much improved.”
Whereas most family practitioners are now taking the benefits of exercise seriously for their chronically ill patients, many doctors do not discuss the importance of exercise with their apparently healthy patients. Michelle Fiorillo, D.O., of Holy Cross Medical Group is an exception to this rule. Dr. Fiorillo views all of her patients exercise behavior as an essential component of their medical histories. “Everyone must exercise and be educated on proper diet,” states Fiorillo. Rather than simply telling patients to exercise, she counsels them on how to fit regular workouts into their busy schedules. Physicians like Fiorillo, by inspiring positive health behaviors in their patients before the onset of disease, are actually helping to prevent cardiovascular and other disorders in their patients.
Practicing What They Preach
Doctors who exercise can more easily inspire their patients to stay active than can practitioners who do not exercise. Dr. Fiorillo, a regular exerciser at Holy Crosss Zachariah Family Wellness Pavilion, concurs. “You can teach others how to balance exercise, work, family, and good nutrition when your own lifestyle incorporates these goals,” Fiorillo asserts.
Unfortunately, many physicians do not practice healthy lifestyle behaviors. For these doctors, assuming the responsibility for their patients fitness programs is a daunting task. Fortunately, there are myriad resources that can help such practitioners. One such resource is the non-profit “Shape-Up Americas” website, www.shapeup.org, which offers educational materials that physicians may distribute to their patients.
Physicians should always urge higher-risk or older patients to initiate exercise in a supervised environment, such as a hospital-based wellness center. It is therefore crucial that physicians find a local facility that they feel comfortable recommending to such individuals. For example, many Fort Lauderdale physicians refer individuals to the Zachariah Family Wellness Pavilion at Holy Cross Hospital, confident that these patients will receive the extra instruction they need. At this facility, patients undergo thorough health and fitness screenings and personalized exercise prescriptions from experienced exercise physiologists. Not only do patients feel safe in this environment, but they might even rub elbows with their own physicians, many of whom are also members of the ZFWP.
Spread the Word!
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2000), 7 in 10 American adults do not participate in leisure-time physical activity. Sadly, physical activity is also dwindling amongst children, as physical education is no longer a staple in our school systems. It is therefore not surprising that 64% of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, along with 20% of children. Because family practice doctors typically serve patients of all ages for both preventive and therapeutic purposes, they have the power to transform the health behaviors of a wide scope of Americans. Not only can these practitioners help to foster healthy habits in the younger generation, but they can also inspire adults to reverse some of the damage caused by a lifetime of inactivity. If all family doctors begin to convey the message that exercise is essential to ones good health, they will significantly lessen the economic impact of obesity- and inactivity-related disorders in this country.
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