Is General Practice Engaged with Physical Activity Promotion?

I read this article in the September 2015 edition of the BJGP, which looks at: Should GPs engage with Physical Activity (PA) promotion? Is general practice already engaged? Main barriers to GP engagement? How can GPs engage? Conclusion. The article notes how Scotland is moving (slightly) ahead on England and Wales in utilising GPs in… Read More

How Many US Cardiovascular Deaths are due to Modifiable Risk Factors?

If the five commonest modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease – high cholesterol concentrations, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and smoking – were eliminated in the United States, deaths from cardiovascular disease would be halved, a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found (Patel et al., 2015). Cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease… Read More

The Health Benefits of Nature

Research Paper Title Vis Medicatrix naturae: does nature “minister to the mind”? Abstract The healing power of nature, vis medicatrix naturae, has traditionally been defined as an internal healing response designed to restore health. Almost a century ago, famed biologist Sir John Arthur Thomson provided an additional interpretation of the word nature within the context… Read More

The History of Fitness…

Ever wondered about the history of fitness? If the answer is yes then follow this link to an article written by Lance C. Dalleck, M.S. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D. which describes: Primitive man and fitness (pre-10,000 B.C) The Neolithic Agricultural Revolution (10,000-8,000 B.C.) Ancient civilizations – China and India (2500-250 B.C.) The Near East (4000-250 B.C.)… Read More

Older Adults: Outdoor Physical Activity & Self-Rated Health

Research Paper Title Outdoor physical activity and self rated health in older adults living in two regions of the US. Background Older adults spend little time outdoors and many are physically inactive. The relationship between outdoor physical activity and self rated health has not been studied in older adults. This paper aimed to assess the… Read More

CPR: Do You Use Your Hands or Feet?

Bob Trenkamp, a teacher of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the President of the cardiac arrest and stroke charity Saving Lives, suggests that performing CPR with their hands may be too difficult for some people. He tells us that to compress the adult chest to the 2 inches (5cm) required to keep a heart pumping after… Read More