Exercise and Anxiety

Exercise may help chronic illness sufferers feel less anxious.
The Los Angeles Times (2/22, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported that, according to a review published Feb. 22 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, regular exercise may help those who suffer from a chronic illness "feel much less anxious." After analyzing "data from 40 studies" on 3,000 sedentary participants "who had chronic illnesses, but were still able to exercise in sessions of at least 30 minutes," researchers found that "the people who exercised had a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms" compared to those who did not exercise at all. Notably, "exercise helped people no matter what kind of health problem they had: cancer, depression, heart disease, fibromyalgia."