Book excerpt: Exercise and Disease Management is designed to help managed care physicians, their patients, other health care professionals, and interested readers integrate current exercise guidelines into their practices. This extraordinary book is accompanied by a series of 11 workbooks, each one for a chronic disease, designed specifically for physicians to give to their patients. These workbooks make it convenient for physicians to prescribe physical activity to their patients in a ready-to-use format. Each book chapter and workbook contains a section on the background, medical management, and exercise guidelines, accompanied by self-care instructions for patients, encouraging them to take a proactive role in their health and disease management. New and Updated in the Second Edition: A ready-to-use "Exercise Prescription Page," which follows each chapter on a specific disease, enables health care professionals, especially physicians in managed care, to prescribe exercise quickly to clients with specific medical conditions The "Rate Pressure Product" method for prescribing exercise helps health care providers individualize exercise prescriptions for patients with heart disease by accounting for the amount of oxygen the heart uses Individual companion workbooks on the downloadable resources provide patient health maintenance information about diabetes, AIDS, obesity, golden years (age 65 and older), heart, kidney, peripheral arterial, and lung disease. Workbooks for physical inactivity, osteoporosis, arthritis and high blood pressure also are included on the downloadable resources Common question-and-answer sections that help patients understand the diseases from which they suffer and encourages them to take responsibility for their health Exercise and Disease Management, Second Edition consolidates the current knowledge base on exercise and chronic disease, providing a ready-made format for health care providers to use when prescribing exercise programs for their clients. Using guidelines set forth by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, this book helps physicians, other health care providers, and health enthusiasts respond to the challenge to keep patients healthier and active and reduce recurrent hospitalizations and health care costs.