Insight: July 3

Dr. Michael Mosley returns to Insight this week in Part 2 of the discussion about the Exercise Pill. How can we use exercise to combat chronic health conditions?

Around half of the Australian population have one of eight major chronic conditions*. Conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental illness can develop in many ways but lack of physical activity is a primary risk factor.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has called chronic disease “the biggest health challenge that Australia faces” – but is that message motivating us to make lifestyle changes and exercise more?

Ian Davis was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes eight years ago and admits it was a shock, despite a strong family history.

He tells Insight’s Jenny Brockie that at the time, he thought, “the medication’s going to fix this…”

But Professor Rob Newton thinks exercise is the best medication. “If it was a pill … then possibly every general practitioner in the country would prescribe it to every patient who was at risk of a chronic disease.”

So are Australian medical professionals prescribing it enough?

After an injury at work, Helen Turner developed osteoarthritis. It took two years for her to find a physiotherapist who was willing to treat her debilitating condition.

Her physiotherapist, Christian Barton, tells Insight, “when I looked at Helen it wasn’t that there wasn’t anything that could be done – we needed to give her the right exercise program.”

This week – in part two of Insight’s exercise special – we examine the role of exercise in treating chronic health conditions and ask, is exercise really medicine?

8.30pm Tuesday on SBS. (7:30pm WA).