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Exercise
Seen As Help in Cancer Fight
New nutrition and fitness
guidelines for those living after a cancer diagnosis say
appropriate exercise can help even the weakest eat better,
feel less fatigue and recover faster.
"It doesn't mean cancer survivors have to all of a
sudden start training for a marathon," cautions Colleen
Doyle of the American Cancer Society, who co-authored the
organization's new advice.
More than 150 cancer patients a year trudge into Julie Main's
weight room, often pale and weak next to the more buff regulars
at her California gym. For 10 weeks, in a free program backed
by the local cancer hospital, they rebuild muscles their
disease has laid to waste.
Patients aren't doing aerobics at the Santa Barbara Athletic
Club. But under the guidance of general manager Main, a
breast cancer survivor who started the WellFit program with
the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara, they work on resistance
machines to regain strength for everyday activities —
carrying groceries, picking up a toddler, climbing stairs.
Pick a program carefully, Main advises: one that specializes
in cancer will encourage starting exercise after the first
two chemo cycles, sometimes the roughest, and to skip the
gym if your immune system gets too weak.
"There's a lot of germs in here," she says. "By
the same token, in a lot of ways exercise builds up their
immune system and builds up their strength. There's a fine
line we walk, and we're very encouraging of the participants
to let us know what's going on with them medically."
Nearly two-thirds of cancer patients live more than five
years after diagnosis. And starting during treatment, they
face choices about food, dietary supplements and physical
activity that can affect quality of life, sometimes even
survival.
Yet it's difficult to find consumer-friendly information
that separates the fads and frauds from scientifically backed
choices. Hence the cancer society's new guidelines, published
in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Topping the advice: there's no magic lifestyle choice that
will keep cancer from returning. Beware fads like Gerson
therapy, with its emphasis on vegetable juices and coffee
enemas. Talk with your doctor about even the seemingly innocuous
— high doses of vitamins, for instance, may actually
block certain cancer treatments from working.
In fact, the No. 1 protection against another bout of cancer
is to avoid being overweight, Doyle says.
Think of cancer and dangerous treatment-caused weight loss
called cachexia, not obesity, usually comes to mind. Cachexia
is a common problem, and the guidelines have tips, including
anti-nausea drugs, high-calorie drinks and making foods
more moist so they're easier to swallow.
But obesity is a risk factor both for developing some common
cancers, and for recurrences after initial treatment. During
therapy, overweight patients can lose a maximum of 2 pounds
a week with their oncologist's approval and oversight —
and long-term survivors must maintain a healthy weight,
the guidelines say.
That's one area exercise helps.
But even cancer patients who aren't overweight can benefit
from physical activity, the guidelines stress. It lifts
spirits, decreases vomiting and constipation, and, when
tailored to increase strength, can help even people who
weigh too little maintain crucial lean body mass.
Do the right activity for your level of disease. People
undergoing radiation treatment, for instance, should avoid
swimming pools because the chlorine will irritate their
skin. The severely fatigued may do 10 minutes of stretching
exercises daily, until returning stamina allows more.
"A woman with a mastectomy is not going to do the same
exercises as a man with leukemia," says Main, who underwent
a mastectomy herself at age 36.
There are no certification standards for cancer exercise
programs, something the cancer society is about to study.
For now, ask if your cancer treatment center offers referrals,
or ask your doctor for individual exercise advice.
Article Source: Associated Press
Article Author: N/A
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