Yes, cancer is depressing. And exhausting. And cancer treatment is even more depressing and more exhausting. So what's a cancer-stricken person suffering from depression and exhaustion to do? Exercise, according to a new report that reviewed the findings of 60 studies on the effects of exercise on cancer. New York Times health writer Anahad O'Connor points out that the recommendation contradicts what many cancer patients have been told in recent years. O'Connor notes that the researchers found that two and a half hours of exercise a week could lower a breast cancer patient’s risk of dying or cancer recurrence by 40 percent, and could reduce a prostate cancer patient’s risk of dying from the disease by about 30 percent. The Times reports that the American College of Sports Medicine has developed a set of guidelines on physical activity for people who are undergoing or have recently completed treatment. The panel recommended adaptations for exercise in people based on their specific cancers and the side effects of their treatment, like strength-building routines for patients who have lost muscle mass and shoulder-stabilizing exercises in breast cancer survivors who have had operations that debilitate the joints in their shoulders. O'Connor also tells us that the American Cancer Society promotes moderate exercise but encourages patients to discuss their exercise plans with their oncologists first, and lists on its Web site a set of precautions.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Sunday, June 1, 2025
That is interesting. There have been alot of new break throughs on cancer since my mother and grandfather have passed. It’s to bad that we haven’t found a cure for it by now. I did like the editorial on. Keep up the good work.