Why Exercise is Really the Only Prescription You Need

On April 23, the NYAM Fellow Author Night Series will feature Steven Jonas, MD, MPH, MS, co-author of Exercise is Medicine??? , a companion to the recently launched program created by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association (AMA). The Exercise is Medicine??? program seeks to create broad awareness that exercise is indeed medicine—encouraging health professionals to treat "level of physical activity" as a vital sign much like blood pressure and weight.

A recent ACSM study found that nearly two-thirds of patients would be more interested in exercising to stay healthy if advised by their doctor and given additional resources. With Exercise is Medicine??? health professionals will be able to provide patients comprehensive preventive care.

Steven Jonas, MD, MPH, MS, will be presenting his new book about treating exercise as medicine.

"What if I told you I could write a prescription for medicine that would do all of the following: lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight; improve cholesterol, sleep, bone and heart health; and decrease the risk for cancer? Imagine one prescription that could do all of these things and more. Well, that prescription exists and there is only one catch: you’ll need 30 minutes a day to take it. Yes, that’s right, the ‘medicine’ is exercise.” —USA Weekend on the ACSM’s Exercise is Medicine??? initiative.

The goal of the Exercise is Medicine??? program is to encourage physicians to record physical activity as a vital sign during patient visits. Able patients will be advised to participate in at least 30 minutes of physical activity and 10 minutes of stretching and light muscle training five days a week.

Dr. Jonas, a NYAM Fellow since 1992, is Professor of Preventive Medicine, at the School of Medicine of Stony Brook University. Dr. Jonas is a widely respected authority on the importance of exercise and sports and their connection to health policy and public health. He has authored, co-authored, edited and co-edited 11 books of his own and has collaborated on 17 others including the first text book on the US health care system, Health Care Delivery in the United States, and the first preventive medicine textbook organized around risk factors rather than around diseases, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice.

Dr. Jonas has an interactive program planned and encourages participants of all backgrounds to bring their own experiences and knowledge to the event on April 23. To register for this free event please visit: http://www.nyam.org/events/?id=487&click=

The event speaks to the ongoing effort of NYAM to integrate prevention and public health into healthcare reform efforts, especially through community based programs that include exercise. One of NYAM’s current priority areas in urban health is strengthening systems that promote the public’s health and preventing disease. Our participation in initiatives such as the New York State Prevention Agenda, which promotes community based planning and action to tackle the top ten causes of death and disease in New York State, and the Strategic Alliance for Health, a five-year plan in partnership with the NYC DOHMH and key community based organizations in East Harlem, Central Harlem and the South Bronx to decrease tobacco use and improve local opportunities for physical activity and healthy nutrition, allow us to be deeply involved in prevention at the city and state level. On a national level our research contributed to Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) Prevention for a Healthier America report, which made available, for the first time, a return on investment analysis of community based prevention of tobacco use and promotion of healthy eating and exercise.

Posted on April 21, 2009

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Andrew J. Martin
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The New York Academy of Medicine
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