Lack of Exercise and Poor Kiwi Lifestyle Choices Blamed for Rise in Mental Illness
The mental health of New Zealanders is
being compromised by a lack of exercise and poor lifestyle choices warns the
New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association following reports from the USA that
mental health clinicians are considering exercise not just in therapy but as
therapy.
Dr Hayden Thomas, chiropractor and
spokesperson for the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association explains: ‘Not only
is our physical health being eroded but our mental well being is also being
compromised by poor lifestyle choices, stress, tension, and reduced spinal
function. It is becoming a phenomenon across New Zealand. In my own practice, I
am increasingly seeing depression arising from a lack of movement from
sedentary lifestyles and a lack of proper nutrition.
`To function properly, the brain
requires key nutrients from our food to build nerve cells, form connections,
and replenish chemicals that help signal between cells. Joint movement is also
a key element required to fire input into the brain and keep it functioning.
Essentially movement can be considered a nutrient for the brain. If we don’t
get enough overall, or areas of our spine in particular are not moving properly
due to injury or sedentary lifestyle, then there is reduced input to the brain
and a decline in higher neurological processing.’
This month
delegates attending Psych Congress 2012: US Psychiatric and Mental Health
Congress in San Diego, California, were told that evidence in recent years
suggests a unique effect by exercise on some psychiatric disorders, prompting
mental health clinicians to rethink treatment strategies and to consider the
possibility of exercise not just in therapy but as therapy[1].
Some of the
strongest evidence is seen in depression, where psychiatric benefits from
exercise have been shown in some cases to match those achieved with
pharmacologic interventions and to persist to prevent reoccurrence in the long
term[2].
Other studies
have shown equally impressive results in exercise for a variety of populations,
including pregnant women with depression, who have a high interest in avoiding
medications, people with HIV, and even patients with heart failure, who showed
not only a significant reduction in depression related to exercise but also
reduced mortality[3].
Dr Thomas points out that: `People may
not realise that chiropractic is a key wellness and prevention service.
Chiropractors don’t just wait for people to break down but are primarily
interested in preventing and correcting the underlying factors which cause ill
health. A chiropractor will be able to
check that all your spinal joints are moving properly to provide enough input
to the brain and also look at other physical, emotional, nutritional and
biochemical stressors that may be impacting on your body’s ability to self
regulate and heal. Then working in conjunction with other members of the
healthcare team your chiropractor will devise a programme that will help to
address each of the factors.
For further information on the
New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association visit www.chiropractic.org.nz.
-Ends-
Further
Information:
Dr
Hayden Thomas, Chiropractor 027 299 9939
TELARC SUPPORTS NATION’S SMES BY PARTNERING WITH BUSINESS MENTORS NEW ZEALAND
Telarc,
the country's leading ISO Standards certifying body has
become a Partner Patron sponsor of Business Mentors New Zealand (BMNZ), the not for profit organisation which provides a
national business mentoring service to support the development and growth of
New Zealand’s small to medium sized enterprises.
‘We are looking
forward to becoming involved with Business Mentors New Zealand,’ says Telarc CEO,
Peter Rose. ‘We believe that the success of New Zealand’s SME sector and
therefore the economy as a whole depends on our ability to improve standards. We annually assess the management systems of over
2,000 organisations across both public and private sectors. As a Crown Entity
Subsidiary, our aim is to help companies become compliant, thus ensuring higher
growth rates for sales, employment, payroll, and average annual earnings. We also
assist in reducing running costs and reduce overall risk, while ensuring the
efficient use of resources, promoting stakeholder reassurance and industry
compliance.’
Ray
Schofield, CEO of Business Mentors New Zealand welcomes Telarc’s decision to
support the SME sector through the volunteer mentoring programme.
He
says: ‘Business Mentors New Zealand is a non-profit organisation, which is
largely funded by patrons from the private sector. Without the support of our sponsors,
such as Telarc, we would not be able to keep providing our free mentoring
service to companies across New Zealand.’
Telarc works with a range of standards and
accreditations, including the globally recognised Quality
Management System ISO 9001, Environmental
ISO 14001, PEFC, FSC, Health and Safety ASNZS 4801 and Public
Safety 7901.
Business Mentors provides access to 1,900 volunteer
mentors (who provide their experience, skill and knowledge free of charge), and
the focus is on developing capability, profitability, and employment
generation. Since the organisation was established in 1991, Business Mentors
has assisted over 60,000 small to medium businesses. It is funded largely by
patrons from the private sector, with additional support from New Zealand Trade
and Enterprise.
For more information on Business Mentors New Zealand,
visit www.businessmentors.org.nz
For more information on Telarc visit www.telarc.co.nz
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