Gym better than drugs

DOCTORS could soon be prescribing three sets of bench presses and some lunges for a chest infection.

A new study from Griffith University has found that resistance exercise can cause biological responses similar to that produced by drugs.

It creates an increase in key white blood cells in the circulation, all of which are either central to immune defence or aid in healing.

The research, published in Immunology Letters, may make Queenslanders rethink their reasons for going to the gym – the workout could be overhauling the whole immune system.