Exercise Therapists Gaining Recognition In Preventing NCD -- Global NCD Activist

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 (Bernama) – There is increasing recognition on the role of exercise therapists in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), said Global NCD activist Jessy Lai. She said the role of exercise therapists is becoming more popular, especially in Asia where such therapists help prescribe the right dosage of exercise to NCD patients as the first course of treatment to prevent four main NCDs, namely hypertension, diabetes, obesity and dyslipidemia. “Malaysia needs more exercise therapists to prevent and treat NCDs which is on the rising trend in the country where about 73 per cent of total deaths in Malaysia were due to NCDs. “The exercise therapy has the potential to be an alternative remedy to conventional medicine in preventing NCDs and had proven to produce many positive changes to the human body if executed in the right manner,” she told Bernama. Lai said Malaysia took the lead in proposing a global plan to tackle NCDs last year by inviting policymakers from 16 countries to deliberate on the best policies and practices to fight NCDs. She said there are a total of eight exercise clinics in various locations in the country where the clinic makes use of exercise therapists, who prescribe exercise as the first line of intervention for patients for at least six months. “We have eight exercise clinics in Malaysia and three of the clinics are run with the cooperation of Health Ministry through Klinik Kesihatan (government-run clinics) in Kuala Ketil, Bagan Pinang, Port Dickson and Johor Baharu,” said Lai, adding more exercise clinics will be opened soon. Lai also said the education ministry should promote exercise therapy as a course and added that Asia College of Exercise and Sports Medicine in Setia Alam, Shah Alam is the one and only college producing students in such a field. Commenting further, she also suggested for housing developers in Malaysia to incorporate exercise clinics in their projects to attract potential customers. She said besides being a unique selling point for real estate businesses, exercise clinics incorporated in housing projects could encourage behavioural changes to reduce the risk of getting NCDs. Lai, who is the chairman of the International Scientific Committee on Exercise Medicine, said she will be opening the first International Seminar on Exercise Medicine in Lahore, Pakistan, this month. Meanwhile, exercise medicine expert Prof Dr Lee Chee Pheng said exercise therapy has the potential to address mental health issues – a condition of increasing concern in the NCD group – through the right intensity of exercise. Lee said he will also propose exercise medicine as a first course of treatment to fight NCDs to private medical practitioners as an alternative to the drugs prescribed by practitioners for patients to treat such diseases. He said Malaysia will be hosting the 4th World Conference on Exercise Medicine (WCEM) on June 22-24 at the Palace of The Golden Horses in Kuala Lumpur. For further information on WCEM2020, log on to wcem.com.my. -- BERNAMA