Exercise Effects on Quality of Life of Cancer Patients

by David Haas, with permission

In the past, a cancer diagnosis came with talk about treatment options and, depending on the type and stage, a more or less strident urging from the doctor to take it easy. Now, it is more likely you will be asked about current exercise programs and assessed for physical fitness. Doctors have learned from the growing mountain of evidence and recommendations from cancer research organizations that physically fit patients can expect better response to treatments and those facing terminal cancers have a longer life expectancy.

Though the going has been slow in getting cancer clinics to retain fitness experts on staff and insurance companies to fund the use of personal trainers, it is only a matter of time. Even for those in poor shape at diagnosis, exercise has been shown to offer the widest range of benefits for any alternative treatment. The evidence is available to push exercise into the mainstream of treatment strategies.

Quality of Life Matters

As ambiguous medical phrases go, quality of life ranks high in the oncologist's office, and it has been made more so by evidence of the benefits of exercise. Doctors have always wrestled with the distinction between life expectancy and quality of life, primarily due to the thinking that to have one meant sacrificing the other. Studies on the benefits of exercise have shown that increasing the quality of life can actually extend life expectancy.

It boils down to symptoms. There is much variation in types of cancer and stage at diagnosis, but many symptoms are common for cancer patients at some point during treatment. Depression, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and nausea all contribute to lower quality of life. Doctors have relied on medications to treat these in the past, but exercise has been shown to reduce occurrence. In this case at least, more is better. Those who are physically fit at the time of diagnosis showed significant reduction of these symptoms, and a better quality of life is known to be a predictor of life expectancy.

Effects of Exercise

The primary effect of exercise is to prompt the more efficient use of energy resources in the body. This is the case for aerobic and anaerobic forms. The muscles begin storing more blood glucose as glycogen in preparation for the next workout, and lean muscle is created after further workouts to allow the body to store even more glycogen. This reordering of energy reserves changes body composition and helps to reduce fatigue, while increasing food cravings.

The experts recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for cancer patients able to participate in a regular program. Special circumstances and patients with mesothelioma or other terminal cancers should consult with a cancer-certified fitness expert.

David Hass’ blog is at http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/david/

PolyMVA, You Are Amazing!

Another Amazing PolyMVA Survival Story!

January 9, 2012

Our 60 year old friend who has had an inoperable brain stem tumor has reported his latest MRI shows the tumor hasn't grown for a month! He started on PolyMVA almost exactly 2 1/2 months ago! Sure, that could be just luck, but here’s the rest of the story. We met him at the Burzynski Clinic in Houston in October 2009 and he started on Burzynski's antineoplastans at that time and continued that treatment plan for 2 years, and thankfully it controlled the tumor. During some of the brief times he chose to interrupt the antineoplastan treatment the tumor grew rapidly. However, health issues began to develop. He decided to discontinue the antineoplastan treatment and searched for other possible ways to treat the tumor. Among other things he is doing nutritionally, he chose to start taking PolyMVA. We look forward to hearing about his continued improvement.

February 6, 2012 Update
MRI done January 30, 2012 showed no new tumor growth. This is the second MRI showing no growth since starting PolyMVA.

PolyMVA websites
 

http://www.polymvasurvivors.com

http://www.polymva4patients.com

http://www.polymva.com/

Pomegranate Juice – Maybe an Ancient Miracle Fruit

Important note: Though the juice is generally without any side effects, speak with your doctor before consuming pomegranate juice if you have cancer or other health conditions. The juice may not suit your situation and may interact with certain medications.

Why is Pomegranate Juice Getting So Much Hype?

There are a lot of reasons, but the reason I got interested is that a good friend used it to eliminate the 50% blockage of his carotid arteries.  He drank 2 ounces daily for one year. That didn’t sound like too much of a sacrifice!!! Here are some other reasons.

Cancer Apoptosis

Dr Leo Galland, M.D. says, “Research is looking at the ways pomegranate juice and extracts of pomegranates may be able to help fight cancer. The anticancer effects of pomegranate juice are related to its potential ability to induce cancer cells to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis. Laboratory research studies suggest that pomegranate juice may help induce apoptosis of human breast, prostate and colon cancer cells by activating genes and enzymes that regulate apoptosis. See his article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leo-galland-md/pomegranate-juice-health-benefits_b_946853.html

Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer

“Researchers are adding to the list of cancer types for which pomegranates seem to halt growth. A recent study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison using a mouse model shows that consuming pomegranates could potentially help reduce the growth and spread of lung cancer cells or even prevent lung cancer from developing.” “We have earlier shown that pomegranate fruit contains very powerful skin and prostate cancer-fighting agents.”

Prostate Cancer - preventing metastasis to the bone?

There is an article in the December 12, 2010 ScienceDaily which states,” "Because the genes and proteins involved in the movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in the movement of other types of cancer cells, the same modified components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment." We show that pomegranate juice markedly inhibits the function of this protein, and thus this juice has the potential of preventing metastasis of the prostate cancer cells to the bone," Martins-Green said.” The source of this information is from researchers at the University of California, Riverside.

Cancer Fighter

Recent scientific research is demonstrating that pomegranate may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of various types of cancer such as breast cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer.  Research using both mouse mammary organ culture and human breast cancer cells in vitro has demonstrated anticancer effects of pomegranate extracts. Another study demonstrated significant antitumor activity of pomegranate-derived materials against human prostate cancer.  Yet another study shows the extracts of pomegranate can promote differentiation--the ability of cancer cells to revert to their normal counterparts. Pomegranate also contains the anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins (flavonoids), which are substances that have been shown in animal and test tube experiments to reduce tumor angiogenesis. 

The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The above information is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended to be used to diagnose, prescribe, or replace proper medical care. The information described herein is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, mitigate, or prevent any disease. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified licensed medical professional.