# 65 - Exercise Aids Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatment

This article was written by a reader of this blog, Mr. David Haas. Thank you, David, for sharing your words on diet, exercise and cancer treatment. May it benefit others.

Keeping physically active and eating a nutritious diet are the best ways to stay healthy and prevent many infections and chronic conditions. But what about if you are already sick? Most medical doctors will say light exercise can be productive when experiencing flu-like symptoms, but it can actually cause damage during fevers. The common wisdom has been to exercise only if the body feels up for it, no matter the illness. Research, however, has shown definitively that a regular exercise program can offer benefits for patients with many chronic diseases, including cancer.

How Much Exercise is Best During Cancer Treatment?

With exercise and diet, the optimum routine varies between individuals and treatment types. One study shows the efficacy of establishing a walking program for breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Walking was found to help manage common symptoms, such as emotional distress, fatigue and insomnia. This is comparable to what is known about the effects of exercise on healthy individuals, namely stress reduction and metabolic regulation through building lean muscle.

Patients were observed during a 14-week endurance-training program following surgery for non-small cell lung cancer. Contrary to popular belief that lung surgery greatly inhibits the amount of exercise possible, patients in the high-intensity program received the same benefits attributed to exercise for healthy adults. A physical fitness expert who tailored the program to each individual encouraged the safety of patients, and their motivation to stay with the program, with supervision.

Though the research is lagging on the many types of cancer, most research organizations agree that establishing an exercise program is important for every cancer patients. Even terminal patients with mesothelioma or brain cancer will see improvement in quality of life and reduction of symptoms from the cancer and treatment.

What Type of Exercise is Safest?

Though everyone says exercise is a good idea, most research has focused on either walking or endurance training. Few studies have been performed to determine whether benefits extend to other forms. There has been an increasing call for fitness experts to be included in cancer treatment programs, because this is the best way to maintain patient safety and maximize exercise effectiveness. Fitness experts working with mesothelioma doctors, for instance, are in the best position to make safe programs available, from range-of-motion therapy to water aerobics. All types of exercise offer benefits, and the choice ultimately depends on collaboration and personal preference.