Medicine/Medical Profession Articles

BY MI C H AE L SC OT T S C U D D E R FORECASTING THE NEXT 5 YEARS IN THE FITNESS INDUSTRY AN INDUSTRY EXPERT EXAMINES HOW TODAY'S SOCIOECONOMIC CLIMATE WILL AFFECT TOMORROW'S BUSINESS OUTLOOK. Someone once said that predicting the future is easy; it's understanding the present that's so difficult! That said, I'm still going to attempt to make some predictions about what the next 5 years may brin...

Do you know your target blood pressure? If you do, you are in the minority. Even when this question was posed to those who are hypertensive and most need to control their blood pressure, a whopping 70 percent said they didn’t have a clue, according to a new study conducted by Consumer Health Sciences, an international consumer health care marketing firm. The company surveyed more than 22,000 adults who had been diagnosed with hypertension, a condition marked by high blood pressure.

Since 1995, the fitness industry has been changing its profile in Norway. Many new and more exclusive clubs have arrived. The marketing of these clubs to consumers has also changed to signal that fitness is for everyone, not just the young and fit. These changes have made the common man in our culture feel comfortable and included in the clubs.

For years, physicians and medical organizations have been espousing the benefits of annual mammograms as one way women can take charge of their health. Then in October 2001, an article in the British journal Lancet questioned whether this breast-screening technique had any impact on breast cancer deaths. This report spurred months of controversy within the medical community and led to much confusion among women.

Since we last reported on automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in a Special Report that appeared in our March issue, several new developments have taken place. In the March 2002 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) released a Joint Position Statement addressing the purchase and use of AEDs in health and fitness facilities.

April is National Sleep Awareness Month, and with nearly 70 million Americans affected by sleeping disorders, it’s likely that fitness professionals will encounter clients struggling with insomnia. Promoting the link between exercise and sound sleep may both wake up a new market and enhance the exercise benefits of current clients. For clients seeking to improve their sleep, keep in mind the following tips when designing an exercise program:

You probably know that problems can occur when you combine different drugs or use certain drugs in conjunction with certain foods. Yet are you aware that a wide variety of commonly used drugs—including prescription, over-the-counter and herbal products—can affect your response to exercise, potentially increasing your risk of injury? Discover how to stay safe using these tips from Carol Krucoff, coauthor of Healing Moves: How to Cure, Relieve and Prevent Common Ailments With Exercise (Harmony Books, 2000).

Individuals who take aspirin to thin their blood and ibuprofen for arthritis may be canceling out the aspirin’s benefits, new research suggests. The study found that when patients took ibuprofen before taking aspirin, the aspirin lost 98 percent of its blood-thinning ability. When they took aspirin first, followed by ibuprofen, the aspirin lost 90 percent of its benefits.

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of Special Reports that will appear in IDEA Health & Fitness Source throughout the year. The goal of these Special Reports is to investigate timely industry issues in an impartial manner to create a dialogue among fitness professionals.

Perhaps what is most frustrating about the rising number of people with diabetes, heart disease and obesity is the fact that in many cases exercise and diet can prevent these conditions. And prevention is more cost-effective than treatment, which is why partnerships between fitness facilities and hospitals are growing.