Last January, Karthik Venugopal hit what he called “the rock bottom.” His 48-year-old Karthik, who has won his fifth place in the last decade, also had high cholesterol and showed signs of kidney damage.
Then, in 2021, he falls into a health crisis after the sudden death of his beloved mother. He became very depressed, often had trouble getting out of bed, and was diagnosed with depression.
Karthik, who works in emergency management, said, “For some days I felt so gloomy that I didn’t want to live. “I was eating comfortably and gaining weight.
Not only was he 6 pounds (112 kg) obese at the age of 17 for his 6’3″ height, but his blood pressure was dangerously high at 160/112. [normal is 120/80].
Karthik’s doctor wanted to prescribe him blood pressure medication and an antidepressant, but he had other ideas. With his six-month-old son, Dhanush, who had to take care of him, Karthik believed that overhauling his lifestyle was the better option.
The idea that exercise can treat some medical problems is gaining momentum, if not better than drugs (file image)
London’s Academy of Medicine has declared physical activity to be a ‘miracle cure’ for many common ailments (file image)
He joined a local gym, Ultimate Performance, and started lifting weights three times a week with a coach.
He also committed to walking 10,000 steps a day and overhauled his diet. “I ditched cheesecake, which had become my comfort food, and stuck to lean proteins like chicken, fish, and eggs with lots of veggies,” says Karthik, who is from Tonbridge, Kent.
“Three months later, I weighed 11 pounds (76 kg), my waist went from 47 inches to 31 inches, and I had a six pack.
“My blood pressure has dropped to a safe 116/76, my cholesterol has gone down, my kidneys are functioning normally, and my mental health has improved tremendously.
A year later, Karthik is still working out. “I feel so much better. I’m enjoying life again,” he says. “Most of all, I feel like I have enough energy to be active for my son. It’s been proven that exercise alone, without the pill, keeps me happy and healthy, so I want to keep doing this.” I have.”
The idea that exercise can treat some medical problems is gaining momentum, though not better than drugs.
Earlier this year, a review by Germany’s University of Potsdam hailed exercise as the best treatment for depression, at least as effective as drugs and talk therapy, without potential side effects or waiting lists.
There are many different conditions that respond to exercise. A recent study by Anglia Ruskin University showed that regular physical activity is just as beneficial as drugs when it comes to treating premature ejaculation, for example.
This could add to the list of ailments exercise has been shown to improve, from high blood pressure and diabetes to dementia and arthritis.
In the face of such research, the London Academy of Medicine declared physical activity to be a “miracle cure” for many common ailments. They conclude that exercise reduces pressure on the NHS if encouraged to do so.
And you don’t have to run a marathon to reap the benefits. His 2019 review for the BMJ found that just 30 minutes of physical activity a week improved health.
“The sweet spot identified by the study is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity,” says Lindsay Kass, PhD, an exercise physiology researcher at the University of Hertfordshire. [enough to raise your heart rate and get you a little out of breath] For seizures lasting more than 10 minutes.
With so much evidence, she believes exercise should be widely accepted as “an effective treatment that doctors can prescribe.”
One of the leading researchers in the field, Bente Klarlund Pedersen, an exercise physiologist at the University of Copenhagen, goes one step further: “There is strong evidence that exercise reduces the risk of more than 35 disorders. , indicating that it should be prescribed as a treatment for many chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Doctors have long known that people who move more tend to be leaner, have better mental health, have a lower risk of chronic disease, and live longer. New data reveals what exercise does at the cellular level and why its effects are so potent and far-reaching.
“Studies show that exercise places a small but positive stress on the body’s systems, adapting them to cope with the demands placed on them.” University of Greenwich. “This ultimately allows all organs to work better and harder, and the body as a whole to work more efficiently.”
In other words, repeated exercise keeps all the cells in your body in optimal condition, allowing you to better cope with the challenges of everyday life. Still, certain areas of the body may benefit, such as the heart and the less prominent brain. , streamlines the ‘plumbing’ of the cardiovascular system, reducing strain on the heart and lowering blood pressure,” says Professor Swain.
This improved blood flow also means that vital nutrients are delivered around the body more effectively. We investigated whether it would be useful for
A 2018 study by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that middle-aged women with moderate to high fitness levels were eight times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than women who did not exercise. got it.
Meanwhile, in 2021, Arizona State University researchers found that exercise can significantly slow the deterioration of people who have already started to develop dementia.
Exercise also helps control blood sugar. Our bodies break down the carbohydrates we eat into glucose (blood sugar), which our muscles use as fuel to work. The hormone insulin (released by the pancreas) removes glucose from the blood into muscle cells. It is necessary for
“Exercise releases certain enzymes that improve the sensitivity of cells to insulin, so you need less insulin overall,” explains Dr. Lindsey Kass.
“This means the pancreas doesn’t have to work as hard, which reduces the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Exercise also reduces the age-related decline in mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are the tiny powerhouses in all cells that turn glucose into energy molecules. It can overproduce oxidants, molecules that damage DNA.
Dysfunctional mitochondria are associated with fatigue, memory loss, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
Despite such strong evidence, questions remain about how this research translates into specific prescriptions. In this trial, GPs across England prescribed activities such as walking and cycling as part of a broader movement of social prescribing aimed at referring more patients to non-medical activities. The results of this three-year study show whether being told to be more aggressive actually works, and whether it can help reduce GP appointments and reduce over-reliance on medication. , which is expected to shed more light.
NHS public health expert Lord Muir Gray describes the service as follows: Prescription for activity ”.
But Professor Swain cautions against those who see exercise as an “alternative” to medication without specifically discussing it with their doctor. , caring for children and dealing with injuries,” he says.
You can have too many good things. According to his 2015 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, those who ran at a fast pace for four hours or more per week had the least amount of exercise during his 12-year follow-up period for this study. had about the same risk of death as those who did not.
However, Dr Lindsey Kass says, “Most of us aren’t at risk of overexercising, so the overall message that exercise helps with almost all health problems is true.
“Getting more physical activity every day is a free and easy way to gain more control over your health,” she says.
