Exercise for Speedy Recovery

Exercise for Speedy Recovery
by author Kimberly Easterbrook

Back in the fall and winter of 1996 and 1997, after surgery to remove a cancerous testicle, world-class cyclist Lance Armstrong received chemotherapy. Between treatments, even as he was losing muscle, he continued to ride. A year later in July of 1998, the fully recovered Armstrong won the most prestigious event in cycling–the Tour de France!

The amazing Ruth Heidrich, PhD and author of Race for Life, at the age of 51 went from the devastation of breast cancer and the possibility of losing her life to competing in four Ironman triathlons in less than a year’s time!

Whether Lance or Ruth knew it or not, they became international spokespersons for using exercise as part of the cancer recovery process. They also provided evidence, through further research of their lifestyles, that exercise is a preventive factor in cancer.

A growing number of doctors are now encouraging their cancer patients to participate in a course of exercise to help control the effects of their treatment.

"Regular exercise is vital to help maintain functional capacity during chemotherapy or radiation treatment. It’s also a critical intervention to help protect against cachexia [muscle wasting and malnutrition]," says Dr Peter Boasberg, administrative director of medical oncology at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California.

The Santa Barbara Athletic Club in California has instructed an exercise and wellness program for the past six years in which those diagnosed with cancer can participate in small group exercise sessions, lift weights, train on aerobic machines and relax with meditation sessions. The results have been as remarkable as the Tour de France and Ironman victories. Based on a 10-week exercise program, the participants improved strength and endurance by over 25 percent, lowered fatigue levels by over 30 percent, reduced pain levels by 20 per cent and improved their quality of life scores by almost 40 percent.

One expert in promoting exercise and quality of life to his clients is holistic healing coach and counsellor Jean Robillard of Vancouver, British Columbia. After healing himself completely from cancer, it has become his purpose in life to coach cancer patients to make empowered choices through natural healing practices.

"Fatigue does not have to be part of the recovery process with cancer," Robillard says. "Psychologically speaking, you don’t need intense exercise to achieve energy and quality of life, as some people cringe at the thought of exercise. The average person should start at his or her own pace, until achieving a level that is comfortable."

Robillard feels that a simple exercise like conscious breathing can give you energy–something that cancer patients have a limited supply of when going through treatment. "This creates a different quality of oxygen in your body, somewhat like ozone," says Robillard.

He also highly recommends walking and pumping the lymphatic system. Conscious breathing while taking lots of brisk walks in nature is one of the best remedies for a cancer patient. Conscious breathing and walking moves the diaphragm, which, in turn, helps the lymphatic system do its cleansing work. Purchasing a mini trampoline is also beneficial, as bouncing up and down stimulates the pumping of the lymphatic system, ridding the body of disease and toxic waste material and cleaning the blood. Better quality blood reinforces the immune system and helps fight cancer.

Free Your Qi

From an Eastern point of view on exercise and cancer, Les McLean, student of the late Michael Picard, qi gong teacher and professor of the European University of Sinobiology, survived cancer of the prostate and colon using no other forms of treatment but qi gong exercise and herbal remedies.

"The Chinese view of cancer is that everybody produces cancer cells all the time," McLean explains. "When our immune systems are healthy and functioning properly it’s able to eat up these malignant cells. In a cancer patient, the immune system is dysfunctional to begin with and most Western protocols use chemotherapy and radiation treatment for their patients, not realizing the immune system is weakened even more. Just as cancer cells are killed by chemotherapy, so too are healthy red blood cells which transport our oxygen supply to body tissues. Fatigue becomes the silent killer."

In Chinese medicine, the immune system is studied extensively. Qi gong exercise is known to help trigger remission in cancer patients by stimulating the immune system to function properly. It also helps eliminate the cause of cancer. This gentle art of qi gong also reduces or eliminates side effects from radiation and chemotherapy. It improves blood circulation and stimulates the conductivity of meridians and channels through which energy (qi) flows. Chinese medical theory states that when the immune system is strong, you’re emotionally centered and energy and blood are flowing freely, then most diseases should disappear.

Qi gong is a standing exercise, usually practised outdoors in the fresh air. It involves ascending and descending arms, knee bends, back bends and arm swings, all while standing. These exercises are focused on following the breath, inhaling and exhaling with each movement. It’s extremely important to do these exercises slowly and breathe slowly following each movement.

McLean recommends that qi gong be practised three times a day for cancer patients. "Since being diagnosed of prostate and colon cancer 10 years ago, I have been faithfully doing qi gong exercises every day. I look and feel healthier than I ever did. I am 74 years of age and keep up with my eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. Keep the faith, cancer can be beaten!"

Kimberly Easterbrook is a natural health product consultant, wellness coach and longevity research writer.

Source: alive #222, April 2001

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Health Pioneer

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Small Victories; Healthy Kids

Yin and Yang of a Balanced Diet

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Hydration for digestion

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Don't Blame the Season

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Change is Good

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Breaking the Ice

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Foods for Cancer Prevention

Happy Hemp Harvest

Do It Yourself

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Stand Up for Clean Air

Move Your Mood

Active Healing

An Apper for All

Imagine You're a Pretzel

Training Intensity for Older Males

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Active Living

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From Pole Dancing to Gliding
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Start Fresh
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Jully Black's Revival
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Taiko Fit
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Where have all the children gone? That's what former Olympic rower and motivational speaker, Silken Laumann wondered when she took her children to the park. Kids weren't playing road hockey or riding bikes or playing all the fun games she recalled from her own childhood in Mississauga, Ontario.

Thrills on Horseback
Exactly how fit do you need to be to ride a horse? For anyone who has ever watched English riders in stretchy breeches and fitted jackets ride in unison with their horses or who has gaped at a horse and rider fly over a set of jumps the answer is-very.

Four Regular Guys (in Tuxedos)
A taxi pulls into the gravel parking lot of Calgary's Edworthy Park on a hot June afternoon. As children spin on the roundabout, four handsome young men in tuxedos wait to get into the cab. Although they're overdressed for this casual setting, Giorgio Armani would agree that his formal wear looks good anywhere.

Building a Health Reserve
Hoping to be a healthy elder? Then stock your health bank as faithfully as your financial one. Healthy aging requires preparation. This month's Research Watch discusses what you need to know to build up your health reserves for a long and healthy life.

Let the Happy Times Roll
Josh Jackson grew up with unusual nurseryrhymes: "Nuts and bolts, we've been screwed! Call the cops, we've been robbed! Jackson learned this song from his mother when he started bowling at age three. The song acknowledges a player who just knocked down all the pins except the corner one.

Falls and Fun
Kerplunk. It's a sound you will surely hear within moments of your first attempt at windsurfing.

Acne's Oily Secret
From sunburn to psoriasis, acne to eczema, inflammation is often the common thread in unwanted skin conditions. Now, as nutritional medicine advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that dietary choices can influence inflammation in all parts of the human body, including the skin.

Potent Pomegranates
In ancient cultures, pomegranates were symbols of life, regeneration, health, and vitality. In Babylon and Persia, soldiers chewed pomegranate seeds before battle, believing that the exotic fruits would reward them with superior skills and invincibility. The Egyptians placed pomegranates in King Tut's tomb, to help him in his afterlife.

Goodbye Treadmill, Hello Waves
Every morning millions of wave worshippers around the world wake at sunrise to scout the ocean-searching for that perfect break, for that ultimate rush, for the chance to become one with the awesome power of the sea.

The Spectrum
Dean Ornish is a high-profile name where alternative medicine is concerned. A 30-year veteran of North America's controversial diet wars, Ornish is consistently lauded by the scientific community for his work in reversing heart disease and other illnesses through dietary and lifestyle changes.

Cheap Winter Thrills
With the bracing chill of winter in the air and several inches of inviting fresh powder on your local ski hill, global warming may seem like a distant memory. Unfortunately, cashing in your paycheque for shiny new winter sports equipment won't stop those polar ice caps from melting.

New Year's Workout
Change is one of those words that often evokes powerful emotions, both scary and exciting, all at once. Change can mean different things to different people, but come New Year's, the number-one change that most people try to implement in their lives is better health and fitness.

Probiotics
There is a newfound interest in probiotics, and food companies haven't missed a beat. They have put these latest nutritional money-makers into flavoured sticks, special drinks, yogourts, cheese, and anything else you can put a bite on.

Deal Out Cancer
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, about 40 percent of women and nearly 45 percent of men in this country will face a personal battle with this fearful disease.

This Might Save Your Life
"I'm going to call an ambulance, I told my patient, a woman in her early 50s. She knew that something was wrong, but I knew she wasn't convinced that her symptoms were serious. Most women, and many men, aren't aware of the more subtle signs of a heart attack.

Fertility
You've been trying and trying, but your dream of having a child just hasn't come true. Along with the longing to hold your own little one in your arms come some nagging questions.

Hormonal Harmony
Irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, and nutritional deficiencies leading to heart issues and bone loss are only a few of the health concerns associated with hormonal imbalances due to menopause.

Milk Thistle
Even though milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is not a new herb to the health food industry, the studies and clinical evidence of this amazing medicinal botanical continue to expand each year.

Varicose Veins
I was sitting and chatting with my friend Tania, when she suddenly interrupted me. "You shouldn't sit like that you know, she said, pointing at my crossed legs. "You're going to give yourself varicose veins.

Let’s Talk About SEX...
We can talk about sex, but with increased rates of low libido, are people actually “doing it”?

Roll Safely
The sun is shining and the kids run outside to play. They joyfully grab their bikes, scooters, skateboards, or in-line skates without a care in the world, and they’re off. Kids are so excited about moving that they don’t think about staying safe.

Holistic Health Care
If you’re a holdout because you don’t know the difference between naturopaths and homeopaths, let this introductory guide, well, guide you.

Canada’s Natural Health Industry
Twenty years ago a natural health aficionado typically frequented one-stop shops that sold everything—herbs, cosmetics, bulk foods, and a few trusted vitamin lines. But the past two decades have seen a major shift.

Get Active!
Here is a simple guide to help you get and stay on the exercise track so that you can reap the many benefits of physical activity.

Vacation Without the Spread
Vacations are often a time to kick back, soak up the rays, and unfortunately, sometimes gain weight. When you’re on a tropical cruise or frolicking between cafés in Provence, it’s much too easy to forget about your commitment to a healthy lifestyle and just give in to your new surroundings.

Overcoming common barriers to getting active
Sometimes the reasons people cite for being inactive are just excuses, but research also tells us that there are barriers to physical activity that many of us face across the country.

Man alive—and kicking!
While we may be able to point out our Achilles tendon, we may not know where our Achilles heel is. A slight vulnerability—an inflexible shoulder or bad posture at our desk—could lead to injury. The key to prevention, and to successful recovery, is identifying our weaknesses and accepting that none of us is invincible.

30 days to a new you
One month may seem like a short amount of time, but there’s much you can do for your health in just four short weeks. Take 30 days to change your life—and improve your health—by trying something new.