Diabetes
The most common type of diabetes is type II which is caused by your lifestyle demands, eating habits and activity levels (or the lack of it). More and more people become diabetics and need to use medication in some cases. Exercise is an effective way to help control diabetes as it helps to increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin. This means the body needs less production of insulin because of the more efficient use of blood glucose. With the correct intensity of exercise and nutritional intake, diabetes type II can be managed, thereby reducing the use of medication, obviously with the consent of your doctor.
The type I diabetes patient are dependent on medication for the control of insulin produced in the body. Exercise helps with the blood circulation due to the ‘thickness’ of the blood because of the high glucose levels in the blood. Exercise sessions are done under supervision of a qualified Biokineticist.
High Blood pressure (BP)
Family history, bad eating habits, sedentary lifestyle and stress can increase the risk of developing hypertension. Normal blood pressure is considered to be 120/80 mmHg.
When your systolic BP is above 140 mmHg OR diastolic BP is above 90 mmHg you can be considered as a person with high BP (hypertension). Factors like cholesterol and diabetes can also cause high BP.
Exercise reduces your cholesterol levels and improves the hearts function (his capability to pump blood through your body), which leads to a reduction/lowering of your BP.
Exercise also helps you to cope with daily stress and therefore affecting the BP. Before and after each consultation BP will be monitored with a report that will be sent to your doctor regarding your progress. The consultations can be done in group or individual sessions.
To be able to treat your specific condition efficiently and prior to starting with your exercise program, the following will be needed to get a clear picture:
Every individual will start off with an assessment of your level of fitness (within your capacity and with the BORG scale in mind),
Body Composition measurements: Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat percentage and muscle mass – to set realistic goals!
Medical History to determine all risk factors involved, please bring with you all referral letters as well as previous reports, e.g. ECG reports
All previous or current orthopedic injuries will also be taken into consideration
Strokes
Stress related health problems like Diabetes 1 and 2, Cholesterol and Hypertension can lead to the cause of strokes. It can also be of genetic origin and it is strongly advised to test one’s blood pressure and cholesterol regularly. This is an intelligent preventative measure if there is a history of stroke or other heart diseases in your family. Our goal is to help each patient to regain more or some function through strengthening exercises in collaboration with other therapists.
As Biokineticist we want each patient to be independent as far as possible to be able to lead a normal life. An initial assessment will be done followed by exercises to be done at home. This will enhance and facilitate progress at each individual session at the practice.