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Doctors urged to get patients moving

Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 24, 2007 at midnight

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Would you be more likely to get off the couch if your doctor wrote you a prescription for exercise?

Two University of Michigan physicians say that it's important for primary care doctors to counsel their patients about the benefits of physical activity.

Some techniques include:

• making a connection between the patient's sedentary lifestyle and medical problems he or she is experiencing;

• providing a written prescription for exercise and following up with patients;

• a patient-centered collaboration, with the physician and patient working together to create an exercise plan; and

• "motivational interviewing," in which the physician helps patients explore their barriers to behavior change and find ways to overcome them.

The report appears in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management.

Lifting weights helps dialysis patients

Dialysis and weightlifting make a great combination.

Australian researchers studied the effect of progressive resistance training during dialysis in 49 patients with end-stage renal disease. One group used dumbbells and ankle weights to strength-train in the dialysis chair during regular three-times- weekly dialysis sessions.

After three months, the weight-lifting patients had developed more muscle mass, greater strength and endurance and increased energy. The benefits required no change in diet, physical activity or other lifestyle factors and didn't interfere with the dialysis procedures.

It is common for dialysis patients to experience muscle-wasting, which can lead to premature death. The study appears in May's Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.