Special Physical Activity And Exercise People

Personalized Physical Activity Program

Physical activity; can be defined as the activities that occur with energy consumption by using muscles and joints in daily life, which increases the heart and respiration rate and results with fatigue in varying intenseness. Various sports branches including the whole or a part of basic body movements such as walking, running and swimming and additionally crouching, several arm-leg, head and torso movements, dancing, exercising, playing and daily activities can be considered as physical activity.

There is a vast number of scientific studies that demonstrate the benefits of the physical activity to both physical and mental health, especially when performed regularly.

We can classify such positive effects as follows:

1.     Increased muscle strength and physical activity tolerance (fitness and endurance)
2.     Ensuring stabilization by increasing muscle-joint control, especially prevention of falls in elderly individuals 
3.     Decrease in cardiovascular disease rates
4.     Decrease in chronic fatigue
5.     Individuals with regular physical activity are more successful in getting rid of smoking addiction than those who are not active.
6.     Helps control of diabetes and blood sugar by managing insulin activity
7.     Normalization in blood pressure and blood lipid (fat) levels
8.     Increases bone density and reduces osteoporosis
9.     Improves sleep period and quality. 
10.     Soothes the anxiety and depression tabulation. 
11.     Intestinal activity is regulated, constipation is reduced.
12.     Accelerates metabolism and prevent weight gain.
13.     In the long-term cognitive functions and motor control, thereby self-esteem increase, dementia (forgetfulness) is reduced.
14.     The onset age of entering menopause in women delays, helps soothing adverse effects of menopause.
15.     Positively affects healthy sexual activity in adults.
16.     Builds feeling-good and happiness, and increases the ability to cope with depression and anxiety.
17.     Increases body resistance and improves protection against infections.
18.     Reduces cancer development risk and provides protection against cancer.
19.     Increases quality of life, elevates participation in social and cultural activities

Physical activity should be done regularly in order to achieve the desired effects.  Even moderate-intensity physical activity done 3 to 4 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes is generally sufficient to reveal the positive effects on our health. The personalized physical activity program is an indispensable component of complementary medicine applications because of the benefits we have enumerated above all of which have been supported by scientific studies. In this program, the duration, intensity and type of exercise are determined and monitored by the physiatrist and rehabilitation physician according to the individual's history and associated musculoskeletal and other system problems. Exercise application can be administered in the hospital, under the supervision of a physiotherapist or outside of the hospital in the form of a home schedule. A program consisting of posture, stretching, muscle strengthening, balance and coordination exercises and aerobic exercises such as cycling ergometer, swimming and walking is prepared according to the patient's needs. Convenient patients can join group or individual pilates or yoga classes. Regardless of the type of physical activity program, patient education and safety must be absolutely observed.

Physical activity programs are profoundly effective in the treatment of many diseases and their symptoms, prevention of disease-related complications, and preventing the disease process from causing permanent damage pertaining to the body.

Some situations wherein the positive and therapeutic features of exercise programs are benefited are as follows:

•  Some orthopedic problems, sports injuries 
•  Neurological diseases (paralysis, balance-coordination losses, nerve injuries etc.)
•  Some cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases
•  Child health problems such as cerebral palsy (paralysis of the brain) 
•  Some of the rheumatic diseases 
•  Some problems developing in the aftermath of accident, trauma and surgery
•  Waist, back and neck problems, joint pain such as knee, shoulder
•  Obesity
•  Pregnancy and postnatal recovery process

In recent years, the concept of "cancer rehabilitation" has gained importance due to the increasing frequency of oncological diseases in society. 54% of cancer-diagnosed patients require rehabilitation for physical insufficiency due to tumor effects or cancer treatment. Cancer-related pain is observed in 70% of the patients. In bone involvement, restriction of weight transfer may be required depending on the severity of the lesion. Orthosis applications may be required to protect the bone, and use of corset for the spine. In oncologic patients as well, it is profoundly important that the patient is evaluated by a physical therapy and rehabilitation specialist and their appropriate physical activity schedule is determined before the exercise applications. Muscle strengthening exercises which do not generate motion, low-intensity aerobic exercises (such as walking, cycling), strengthening of the abdominal muscles and back muscles in patients with risk of spine fracture,  balance exercises and environmental regulation for prevention of falling are recommended. In lung tumors, the patient is recommended respiratory exercises, exercises for strengthening neck and arm muscles and aerobic exercises. In the breast cancer rehabilitation program, joint's range of motion exercises pertaining to the shoulder and stretching exercises are performed after the operation. When the drains are removed, the active joint range of motion exercises are initiated and the movements are progressed gradually. Lymphedema treatment is applied.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is completely a scientific treatment method applied by dipping needles into specific points of the body for the purpose of curing various illnesses. Acupuncture has been used notably in China and other Far Eastern countries in order to cure diseases for a period of over 5,000 years. Today it is a complementary medicine method which is widely used in many western countries such as Germany, Austria, France and the USA. The main philosophy of such treatment is based on the unity, equilibrium and harmony between the energy flows that exist everywhere in the whole universe whether living or non-living. Acupuncture in this sense is a balance therapy.

The World Health Organization acknowledged acupuncture treatment as a scientific method in 1979 and publicized a list of medical conditions wherein it is effective. In our country, "the Regulations on Acupuncture" was issued in 1991 and the conditions of application of such treatment and the qualifications of the practitioners were prescribed. Acupuncture might be applied by medical doctors who completed the 500 hours course opened with the approval of the Ministry of Health and succeeded in the examination and thereby granted the certificate accredited by the Ministry of Health.

Ozone Therapy

A Latin word, “ozone” means "smelling". As we know it, ozone is a gas which is formed by conversion of O2 to O3 by UVB rays in the upper layers of atmosphere. It is a heavy gas and has a unique smell. Ozone was first defined in late 1800s by Christian Friedrich Schönbein, a German Chemist. Ozone is used for surface cleaning, water cleaning, sanitation and kills viruses and bacteria. Ozone cannot be taken by inhalation because it is toxic if inhaled. It can only be applied as a cream which is produced with olive oil. If mixed with other oils, it flames up. Or it may directly be injected into a muscle or a joint. There is also another method called “major hemotherapy". In this method, the patient's blood is transferred to a vacuum bottle where it is enriched with ozone and administered back to the patient. Also, there are treatment methods called "bag therapy" to treat foot lesions called "diabetic foot” and extremity lesions, which are applied by keeping the extremity in a special ozone-oxygen mixture.