Patients with chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease often experience anxiety about their condition. However, prescription drugs for anxiety may cause serious side effects. Now research reports that exercise can relieve anxiety in patients with chronic illness. This finding suggests that exercise may provide a low-cost and effective treatment for anxiety without using medications that can cause adverse effects.
The review, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, examined the effects of exercise on anxiety. Researchers at the University of Georgia searched the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Scientific Database and Google Scholar for randomized clinical trials (RCTs), from January 1995 through December 2008. They analyzed 40 studies that fulfilled the study criteria, involving 3,000 patients with chronic diseases.
The researchers found that exercise was associated with a 20 percent reduction in anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, patients who exercised for more than 30 minutes per workout had the largest reduction in anxiety.
“Exercise training programs lasting no more than 12 weeks, using session durations of at least 30 minutes, and an anxiety report time frame greater than the past week resulted in the largest anxiety improvements,” the study authors write. “Exercise training reduces anxiety symptoms among sedentary patients who have a chronic illness,”
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Nutritional deficiencies can contribute to the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Taking natural nutrients along with a healthful diet and exercise plan can help relieve anxiety and depression.
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