How to Treat Metabolic Disorders with Physical Therapy
Because of the benefits physiotherapy has proven for both metabolic diseases and healthcare systems, those with metabolic disorders must have access to it.
Metabolic disorders are health problems that affect the way our bodies use energy. Metabolism is the name for the many chemical reactions that happen in the body to turn the food we eat into energy.
Metabolic disorders change these chemical reactions and lead to a wide range of symptoms and changes in how the body works, which can lead to other problems like heart problems and strokes.
Most of these diseases are caused by bad habits like eating unhealthy foods high in fat, being inactive, and smoking, among other things. People with diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia are some examples (of high levels of cholesterol or fats in the blood). Some of these disorders can also be passed down through genes.
Metabolic disorders are very common these days all over the world, but they are especially dangerous in Mexico. Physiotherapy is part of the treatment that these patients need from many different fields.
When a person has a metabolic disorder, their ability to exercise is changed. It is the physiotherapist's job to evaluate the patient's ability to exercise and find out what limits they have. The physiotherapist will then create and supervise an exercise plan for the patient.
During exercise, it is the physical therapist's job to keep an eye on symptoms and other important parameters so that the exercise plan can be done more safely and effectively. Interventions in physiotherapy have been shown to help both metabolic diseases and health care systems, so it is important to send people with metabolic disorders to physiotherapy services.
To treat them, you also need to make changes to your way of life:
It is suggested that you eat a Mediterranean diet, which is based on eating a lot of vegetables and only a small amount of beef and chicken. You should also eat a lot of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and legumes.
Also, it is important to give up bad habits like drinking too much and smoking. Follow the exercise guidelines from the World Health Organization, which say that adults should do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity every day.
Or at least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or an equal amount of moderate and vigorous activity spread out over a week. Muscle strength exercises with a moderate amount of effort should also be done 2 or more times a week. Lastly, try to avoid or limit the times when you do nothing.
Source: UAG Bulletin. By Dr. Dulce María Flores Cano, academic of the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG). The author has a master's degree in Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy in Internal Conditions from the Universiteit Antwerpen in Antwerp, Belgium. She is currently a basic professor of the Bachelor's Degree in Physical Therapy at the UAG.
