'way Of Future' Taken Up For Health

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday September 27, 2005

By COURTNEY TRENWITH

A RECENT trend in the Illawarra to use exercise as an alternative treatment for chronic illnesses is set to spread across the nation.

Illawarra general practitioners have been regularly referring patients with ill-nesses such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis to exercise physiologists for the past year.

Other doctors across the country are now expected to follow suit after the Federal Government announced it would make consultations with exercise physiologists available through Medicare as of January 1 next year.

Patients will be able to subsidise up to five sessions a year with an exercise physiologist for therapy or rehabilitation.

To qualify, they must be referred by their GP and have their health managed through an enhanced primary care plan.

Exercise physiologist Luke Meessmann said the announcement finally showed the value of his field.

"If you have people who are getting out there and exercising and not falling into such diseases as diabetes and leading on to cardiovascular diseases, the strain on the health system will be less later on," Mr Meessmann said.

"It's the way of the future."

Mr Meessmann has worked with University of Wollongong masters student Chris Tsar, who conducted research which showed exercise could be used to control blood sugar levels, improve cardiovascular parameters and improve mood.

The results were also used in the campaign to get exercise physiology on the Medicare list.

An ongoing program has now been developed with the Illawarra Division of General Practice.

David Gallacher is one patient who has praised using physical activity instead of insulin shots to help treat his diabetes.

Mr Gallacher, from Kanahooka, has a family history of the disease but he is the first member to treat it without medication.

"I got excited about the fact that I'm in a situation of controlling (the diabetes) by what I consume and by my exercise ... and I have no medication," Mr Gallacher said.

He attends the gym at least three times a week and walks on other days.

"I can live my life and my quality of life, of course, is much better," Mr Gallacher said. "... the method is so effective it would be almost immoral for that not to be on Medicare."

© 2005 Illawarra Mercury

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