Exercise: the new prescription
AS HIPPOCRATES SAID SO LONG AGO: ‘WALKING IS MAN’S BEST MEDICINE’
It was a fantastic week for me since I had the opportunity to see a potential game-changer to the medical, health, wellness and lifestyle industry and Discovery Vitality are once again in the forefront of revolutionising how doctors interact with their patients.
Imagine a world where your doctor is equipped with tools other than a pen to prescribe medicine. In traditional terms, people go to a doctor, the patient tells the doctor what is wrong, he examines you by measuring your vitals such as heart rate, blood pressure and using a stethoscope, he will check your lungs to hear if they are healthy.
In more serious cases your doctor will take some blood and send it away for analysis or refer you to a specialist. This is typically what a “traditional” doctor does. It has been like this for years.
The question everyone should be asking is: With all the technological advancement that has been made in recent years and the amazing research that is currently available, why haWho ven’t doctors taken the bold step of doing things differently? It is probably the same reason why dieticians launch new nutritional theories. If they have to agree, it will go against everything they have stood for over the years and to tell a client that perhaps the information they prescribed was wrong will never happen. It is better to hold on to oldschool information than to constantly evolve. Dr Sundeep Ruder (Endocrinologist in private practice, Associate Lecturer, Honorary Consultant – Society of Endocrinology Metabolism and Diabetes of South Africa) believes that even the doctors coming out of university today won’t be prepared for real world matters because of the educational system being so industrialised. “They are basically walking into their practices misinformed with misinformation.” This not only applies to doctors but the tech industry as well. What you learn in university will most likely become obsolete in five years from graduation. For patients, I am sure that doesn’t leave a good feeling in their stomach knowing this. Don’t get me wrong. Doctors didn’t study their whole lives for only the money. There are far easier jobs to do to make their salaries but the main reason is to help people. The problem is that the system and environment in which they operate is too stringent for change to happen, especially at a rate which is beneficial to their patient. This is why innovation in the medical space is so important and Discovery Vitality is at it again with a ground-breaking initiative that is going to revolutionise the industry. How, you may ask? With exercise, of course!
would have thought that in 460 BC a Greek physician called Hippocrates would have had such a profound effect on the medical world? One of his most famous sayings back in 460BC was, “walking is man’s best medicine”.
At a recent Discovery Media Talk, Professor Martin Schwellnus (Sports, Exercise, Medicine and Lifestyle Research Institute at the University of Pretoria), says that there is now undisputed evidence that exercise is the best natural healer. In fact, 50% of all chronic diseases can be reduced through tailored exercise. This is not just hearsay, there is enough empirical evidence to allow for such a bold shift in the medical fraternity. It also helps that Discovery has over 4 000 doctors on their platform .
Imagine a world where you go to your doctor, he pulls up your records of all your visits to him. The doc takes your physical vitals and then is empowered by a HealthID online portal made available by Vitality to compare them against previous data. He then pulls up all your fitness data, fitness screening tests and most amazingly, all of this is done before you have even told him what your symptoms are. The doctor will basically have a dashboard of your vitals so that when he examines you, he will be better equipped to make a more informed decision to prescribe.
Part of your treatment will involve tailored prescribed exercise. The doctor will no longer only just prescribe medication and send you home to go and rest. Rather, since you are one of the 7.5 billion unique people on the planet so too will be your training and prescription. A biokineticist who works closely with the doctor will administer your training, monitor and track according to strict guidelines. You will be required to have a follow-up visit to the doctor and he will know how many sessions you did, how many you missed and perhaps give you the talk you need to hear to stay on track and thereby getting your health in
order. The idea behind the exercise prescription is that you would rather take advice and exercise prescription from your doctor than some young buff steroid pumped personal trainer. All the doctor cares about is your longer lasting health. What was amazing for me is that Discovery are not only looking after the health of their clients but also the doctors, and have launched an incentive program to keep doctor healthy and active. They offer reduced discounts on fitness devices and tools to monitor their clients. The HealthID portal is just a tip of the iceberg. We are headed for some very exciting times and a much-needed revamp of how we interact with doctors on the horizon. Stay tuned for more information.