Exercise To Fight Cancer!

Article from www.news-press.com

Staying active can improve lives of patients, survivors

In the past, doctors told cancer patients to rest.

Not any more. There is a new directive and it's all about exercise.

The American College of Sports Medicine panel revised the group's national guidelines this year regarding exercise and cancer survivors. It officially wants them to move.

The group determined that exercise training is safe during and after cancer treatments and improves physical functioning, quality of life, and cancer-related fatigue. They concluded that cancer patients and survivors should strive to get the same amount of exercise recommended for everyone else, about 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.

Exercise has a lot of benefits, said Dr. William Harwin, a Fort Myers hematologist and oncologist.

"A lot of these studies show that exercise provides a modest protection against breast, colon and pancreatic cancer," he said. "There is also some evidence it reduces the risk of recurrence."

Harwin recommends a regular exercise routine for all of his patients once they finish treatment, he said. He has seen first-hand how it helps combat fatigue and improves the quality of life for his patients.

"I'm a big believer in exercise," he said.

So is Sue Symes, 66, of North Fort Myers. She was diagnosed with breast cancer nine years ago and has been exercising regularly ever since. She attends Zumba three times a week, plays golf frequently, bowls with her friends on Saturday nights and walks two to four miles throughout the week with her husband.

"I know exercise relieves stress and stress is not a good thing, especially if you are a cancer survivor," Symes said.

Other exercise benefits for cancer patients and survivors include reduced fatigue. Aerobic activity has been found to lessen the need for drugs to increase production of red blood cells because of chemo damage. The loss of red blood cells is responsible for much of the crippling fatigue that people often feel while undergoing cancer treatment.

There's also a reduced loss of muscle and bone mass. Evidence has found that regular workouts can reduce the wasting away that comes both from the cancer itself and cancer treatments.

Although it is too early to draw any strong conclusions regarding physical activity and breast cancer survival, some studies have shown that women who exercise three to five hours per week after a diagnosis of breast cancer - especially those with hormone-responsive tumors - have improved survival rates compared with less active women, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Improving survival rates is a goal of a group who teach a class called Movin On!, a free exercise and movement program for breast cancer survivors sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The gentle exercise classes are held in Naples, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte and Fort Myers. They are designed for those in any stage of survival or out of treatment for decades, said Claire Hauenstein, president of Lymph edema Resources Inc., which oversees the program.

"Energy level is a big thing especially for people with massive doses of chemo," she said. "You think your body is a mess and you will never recover. Exercise is a key to getting back to normal day healthy living."

Getting back to normal is exactly what Symes will enjoy as she joins more than 100 of her neighbors at Del Tura Country Club in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk this weekend. In 2006, Symes helped organize a dozen walkers for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Fort Myers and each year the group has grown.

Breast cancer survivors Gail Flynn, 63; Bonnie Paser Klos, 64; Louise Wilcox, 55; Connie Carter, 72; and Joyce Cuffe, 67 will wear their best pink walking clothes and move toward improved health. Carter plans to wear a pink boa and a pink bra.

"Exercise is good for you," Carter said. "But it's even better when you are surrounded by the most wonderful women in the world."