Can Exercise Help Treat Cancer?
Get-Fit Guy explains how exercise may help treat cancer.
Recently, the Mayo Clinic released a study in The Journal of Symptom and Pain Management. The study pointed out that while numerous studies have shown exercise to have powerful pain management and coping effects on cancer care and recovery, very few patients actually discuss exercise with their oncologists.
Exercise improves cancer patients’ mobility, enabling them to enjoy activities and keeping them from becoming isolated in their homes. It can also create feelings of strength and physical safety, help with cancer-related fatigue, and improve sleep. It has even been observed that for patients who have gone through breast or colon cancer treatment, regular exercise reduced their cancer recurrence by up to 50%!
Despite this fact, doctors and patients are often not including exercise as part of the recovery discussion. Ironically, patients rank their oncologists as the people from whom they’re most likely to take this type of advice. So if you are, or your know someone, who is being treated for cancer, be sure to encourage a discussion with their physician about how exercise can help recovery!
If you have questions about whether exercise is a good treatment for cancer, then ask away at the Get-Fit Guy Facebook page.
Healthy runner image from Shutterstock.
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.
