In a sort of about-face when it comes to the conventional wisdom on what is best for patients during cancer treatment, doctors are now advising, and finding, that more exercise seems to be better for their patients, not taking it really easy during treatment  as was previously advised.

New guidelines that have recently been put in place actually advise that as much physical activity as possible be practiced while patients are undergoing chemotherapy, which is, in itself a very taxing therapy on the body. However, as you all know, exercise releases all types of excellent endorphins and other healthy chemicals that help counteract sickness.

Exercise actually helps increase energy levels, although it may feel hard to actually get up and do it when chemo is zapping your energy, so ultimately it ends up helping your energy levels not hurting them. It can be extremely challenging to will yourself to get up off the couch when you’re already emotionally exhausted from your family, your worries about your illness, the financial drain and the inevitable emotional drain when you have cancer.

However, researchers are saying that the benefits you will reap will outweigh the toughness of it at first, and ultimately you will be better able to come through your treatment as a whole, healthy person.  Roughly 20 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per day should do it for cancer patients, if that is possible.  They should find that they feel better after working out, like most everyone else, and in the end the physical activity will help their bodies stay strong and fortify their defenses against the side effects, helping them to maintain strength during the recovery period.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Fitness Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.