ANSWER TO QUESTION OF THE WEEK: (1/1/06) People with any kind of liver disease should take up both aerobic and weight-bearing exercises, as they each play a different role in fighting liver disease. Aerobic exercise trains the heart, lungs, and entire cardiovascular system to process and deliver oxygen more quickly and efficiently to every part of the body. It’s the kind of exercise that gets the heart pumping. As one becomes more aerobically fit, the heart won’t have to work as hard to pump blood to the rest of the body, including the liver. The pulse will begin to slow down, making it easier for the liver to send back to the rest of the body the blood it has just filtered. The benefits of being an aerobically fit person include an overall improved energy level, which translates into decreased fatigue. Swimming is an excellent and safe aerobic exercise for people with liver disease. Swimming regularly in a chlorinated public pool is safe. Chemical disinfectants contained in pool water such as chlorine may result in the formation of potentially hazardous chemical by-products. However, it has been concluded that the risks to the body from these by-products at the amounts at which they are present in pool water are very small in comparison to the risks associated with inadequate disinfection or the health benefits reaped from swimming. In fact studies have shown that the lifetime exposure to disinfectant by-products from swimming pools is typically less than from drinking water! Weight-bearing exercises build up both bones and muscles. People with liver disease need good strong bones because many people, especially those with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) or decompensated liver disease are prone to osteoporosis. Weight training is the best way to fight against this, as stronger muscles equal stronger bones.Thus, it is also important for all people to incorporate weight-bearing exercises into their daily exercise routines. Of course, if already diagnosed with osteoporosis it is important to check with your doctor which specific weight-bearing exercises to avoid for your particular diagnosis and degree of bone loss.

Dr. Palmer is an internationally renowned hepatologist who has been practicing medicine since 1985. She maintains perhaps the largest private medical practice devoted to liver disease in the United States. Dr. Palmer graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. and was trained in hepatology (as well as medical school) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. She has authored numerous scientific publications in the field of hepatology in such peer-reviewed journals as Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Seminars of Liver Disease, Transplantation and Archives of Internal Medicine.

She is frequently called upon by the media for her opinion on various topics related to liver disease. Dr. Palmer has appeared many times on television as a liver disease expert and has been quoted in such publications as TIME magazine, Cosmopolitan magazine, Prevention magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and Newsday. She also has appeared in numerous videos and CD-Roms aimed at educating doctors and the public about hepatitis C and other liver diseases, such as primary biliary cirrhosis.Dr. Palmer lectures to the medical and general public on liver disease-related topics on a regular basis. She also serves as a liver consultant to five major pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Palmer is a board member of the New York chapter of the American Liver Foundation, and she sits on the nutrition subcommittee of the national chapter of the American Liver Foundation, the medical advisory board of the Latino Organization for Liver Awareness (LOLA) and the medical advisory board of the Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Organization (PBCers). She has also been a member of the practice guidelines committee of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease(AASLD) and currently sits on the enduring educational materials committee of AASLD.

Dr. Palmer has performed trials on various experimental medication for the treatment of hepatitis. She is currently conducting research on new therapies for liver disease, specifically in the area of hepatitis C.

Her practice is located on Long Island, New York. (Main office located at: 1097 Old Country Road, Suite 104, Plainview, N.Y. 11803.

Satellite office located at 500 Portion Rd. Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 11779)

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If you are interested in arranging an appointment with Melissa Palmer, M.D., please call (516) 939-2626.

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