Exercise And Cancer: Helping Patients Cope by David Haas
Cancer — the disease and its treatment — can make some patients too tired to exercise. This is particularly true for people fighting rare or late-stage cancers like mesothelioma.In years past, most cancer doctors advised patients to exchange their activities for much-needed rest. Depending on a person’s condition, this advice may still ring true, since exercise may cause pain, shortness of breath, or a rapid heart rate.
But most doctors today recommend exercise to their patients. Modern research shows that gentle-to-moderate exercise is possible and safe for cancer patients. In fact, physical activity can actually improve a patient’s health and quality of life.
Benefits Of Exercise For Cancer Patients
Chemotherapy and other cancer treatment methods often make patients tired and stressed. Exercise can help them better cope with their treatment. While it may be easier to rest during cancer treatment — and friends and family will likely encourage this — exercise may be the better decision.
Moderate exercise can help cancer patients in several ways. Contrary to popular assumptions, exercise actually reduces fatigue and boosts energy. It improves strength, flexibility, and organ functioning. For people on chemotherapy, it may actually reduce nausea and increase appetite.
Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, which reduce pain. It also improves sleep, so cancer patients who exercise feel more rested than their sedentary peers. And exercise is a wonderful mood-lifter, which enhances life in general.
Forms Of Exercise For Cancer Patients
Exercise is equally beneficial for people facing breast cancer surgery, mesothelioma treatment, or radiation therapy for a skin malignancy. However, while the benefits are the same, exercise will take a different form for each patient. It is important to follow a doctor or therapist’s guidance.
The exercise form for cancer patients depends on factors like fitness level, treatment type, and overall health. Most exercises are appropriate. Walking, jogging, dancing, bicycling, yoga, swimming, weight training, and gardening are common activities for people with cancer.
According to American Cancer Society fitness guidelines shows that cancer patients should aim for around 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week. They should avoid pushing themselves too hard at first, and they can adjust exercise intensity, duration, and frequency as needed. In some cases, inappropriate exercise can be harmful. So if their doctor recommends avoiding exercise, patients should follow their doctor’s advice.
By: David Haas
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On his quest to hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, Larry talked our son, Jason into spending a few days with him hiking through Tennessee. After a long day of hiking in inclimate weather, Jason and Larry reached the shelter one night and encountered what seemed to be inexperienced hikers. Their packs were too clean for the amount of days they claimed to have hiked and their entries into the shelter’s log book seemed to be in code. They chated with the newcomers, who claimed to have been on the trail for a month. The next day, Larry and Jason hiked into town. They weren’t surprised to see one of the hikers come out of a restaurant and dressed in a suit and looking well rested. Larry was intriqued. “How did you get here so quickly?” A bit unnerved, the gentleman claimed he had hiked all night to get to town. The 
Two days before Thanksgiving 2002, I was in the kitchen preparing dinner when the phone rang. I saw on the caller ID that it was Dr. Saperstein. My heart rate began to increase. I had butterflies in my stomach. It had been four days since Larry’s endoscopy and biopsy. I picked up the remote handset and leaned on the kitchen table for support. I grabbed a chair with my other hand and sat down.