Fitness Helps Cancer Patients
Receiving a difficult diagnosis like cancer is a life-altering experience that can easily lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and even depression. Fortunately, there are things cancer patients can be doing on their own that counter those commonly-seen negatives. Research is showing that physical fitness through regular exercise can significantly improve the quality of life of cancer patients by increasing energy levels, boosting their immune system, and raising spirits.
Exercise Increases Energy
Getting physical exercise may seen unappealing until you consider its many benefits. Cancer treatment can be very demanding and draining on the body. Feelings of fatigue are very common among cancer patients. Exercise increases energy through its ability to raise your body's metabolic rate. This can give you more energy and help you lose any excess weight you may be carrying around.
Not only does exercise increase metabolism, but the effects are seen hours after your initial workout. Hours later you will still have a higher than normal metabolism, with more energy coming your way, and more fat loss. If you are doing resistance training like weight lifting, you will also be building muscle, which can counter the muscle-wasting effect seen in some forms of cancer.
Immune System Effects
Exercise has also been shown to increase the effectiveness and activity of the immune system. Even though you may be getting treatment for cancer, like mesothelioma treatment, it will be your own body's immune system that will ultimately defeat the cancer. Exercise increases the activity of the body's natural killer T-cells that scavenge your body for foreign invaders like cancer cells. Exercise invigorates the body and puts it on a "war footing" to fight any pathogens in your body.
Exercise Lifts Spirits
Another great benefit to exercising is the way that it can alleviate feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. Exercise promotes endorphin release. These powerful chemicals are the body's own form of painkillers. They alleviate pain, promoting feelings of calm and security. The effects also linger long after the exercise is over. Some cancer patients have been able to cut back on their pain medication when the "endorphin effect" is seen.
Cancer Patients Urged to Exercise
Recently, the American Cancer Society issued new guidelines urging oncologists to discuss healthy eating and exercise with their cancer patients. Currently, most doctors focus on killing the cancer through radiation and chemotherapy, at the omission of natural healing.
Officials at the American Cancer Society have been recommending such an approach for years, but not until recently has the evidence become so overwhelming that they felt compelled to issue such a strong statement.
Since 2007, over 100 studies have been conducted among cancer survivors, showing that physical fitness and healthy diets are associated with lower rates of cancer recurrence and longer survival.
If you are considering exercising, it is important that you consult with your health care provider to ensure that you find an exercise routine appropriate for your condition.
David Haas is a cancer support group and awareness program advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In addition to researching the many valuable programs available to our site’s visitors, David often blogs about programs and campaigns underway at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, as well as creative fitness ideas for those dealing with cancer, while creating relationships with similar organizations.
Receiving a difficult diagnosis like cancer is a life-altering experience that can easily lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and even depression. Fortunately, there are things cancer patients can be doing on their own that counter those commonly-seen negatives. Research is showing that physical fitness through regular exercise can significantly improve the quality of life of cancer patients by increasing energy levels, boosting their immune system, and raising spirits.
Exercise Increases Energy
Getting physical exercise may seen unappealing until you consider its many benefits. Cancer treatment can be very demanding and draining on the body. Feelings of fatigue are very common among cancer patients. Exercise increases energy through its ability to raise your body's metabolic rate. This can give you more energy and help you lose any excess weight you may be carrying around.
Not only does exercise increase metabolism, but the effects are seen hours after your initial workout. Hours later you will still have a higher than normal metabolism, with more energy coming your way, and more fat loss. If you are doing resistance training like weight lifting, you will also be building muscle, which can counter the muscle-wasting effect seen in some forms of cancer.
Immune System Effects
Exercise has also been shown to increase the effectiveness and activity of the immune system. Even though you may be getting treatment for cancer, like mesothelioma treatment, it will be your own body's immune system that will ultimately defeat the cancer. Exercise increases the activity of the body's natural killer T-cells that scavenge your body for foreign invaders like cancer cells. Exercise invigorates the body and puts it on a "war footing" to fight any pathogens in your body.
Exercise Lifts Spirits
Another great benefit to exercising is the way that it can alleviate feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. Exercise promotes endorphin release. These powerful chemicals are the body's own form of painkillers. They alleviate pain, promoting feelings of calm and security. The effects also linger long after the exercise is over. Some cancer patients have been able to cut back on their pain medication when the "endorphin effect" is seen.
Cancer Patients Urged to Exercise
Recently, the American Cancer Society issued new guidelines urging oncologists to discuss healthy eating and exercise with their cancer patients. Currently, most doctors focus on killing the cancer through radiation and chemotherapy, at the omission of natural healing.
Officials at the American Cancer Society have been recommending such an approach for years, but not until recently has the evidence become so overwhelming that they felt compelled to issue such a strong statement.
Since 2007, over 100 studies have been conducted among cancer survivors, showing that physical fitness and healthy diets are associated with lower rates of cancer recurrence and longer survival.
If you are considering exercising, it is important that you consult with your health care provider to ensure that you find an exercise routine appropriate for your condition.
David Haas is a cancer support group and awareness program advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In addition to researching the many valuable programs available to our site’s visitors, David often blogs about programs and campaigns underway at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, as well as creative fitness ideas for those dealing with cancer, while creating relationships with similar organizations.
2 comments:
This is a good new to all cancer patients. We know that cancer is one of the serious conditions that each of us don't want to have. Exercise helps a lot and we should put it then in our daily routines.
Interesting layout on your blog. I really enjoyed reading it,I agree with you that health and fitness is actual help to improve their health. I will be back to read more in the future.
South Orange County Cancer Fitness
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