Exercise Prescriptions

More physicians prescribe exercise, but research on its effectiveness seen as "mixed."
The Chicago Tribune (9/28, Deardorff) reports, "If some health advocates had their way, exercise would be the most widely prescribed 'drug' in the country." But, "research on whether the prescriptions are effective is limited and mixed." A study of "Australian women between the ages of 40 to 74 found that exercise prescriptions increased physical activity and quality of life over two years, though falls and injuries also increased." Other "work has found that exercise-referral schemes had a small effect in increasing physical activity in sedentary people," the Tribune adds.
More older people hiring physical therapists in place of personal trainers. The Wall Street Journal (9/28, Helliker) reports that an increasing number of older people are employing physical therapists in place of a personal trainer, despite the higher charges that come with their hiring. Physical therapists are typically hired by athletes crossing 50 to help deal with a problem, but increasingly more people are looking them up because they are very good at identifying problems that could potentially hinder exercise such as ankle or knee injuries, the Journal writes.
Tai chi may help fibromyalgia patients, study suggests. The New York Times' (9/28) health columnist Jane E. Brody writes of "potential health benefits" of Chinese martial art tai chi after reviewing "existing scientific evidence." The "many small studies of tai chi have found health benefits ranging from better balance and prevention of falls to reduced blood pressure, relief of pain and improved immunity." The latest study, financed mainly by NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, "was conducted among patients with debilitating fibromyalgia, a complex and poorly understood pain syndrome." Dr. Chenchen Wang and colleagues at Tufts Medical Center in Boston reported in August in the New England Journal of Medicine "that tai chi reduced pain and fatigue and improved the patients' ability to move, function physically and sleep."