Stay Healthy During Cancer Treatments

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I have had time to update my blog, but "life" has gotten in the way. I hope to get back to it soon, but in the meantime, please read this wonderful article from guest blogger Melanie Bowen:

Although medical treatment has drastically increased the quality of life of cancer patients, one of the most important forms of supplemental treatment is exercise. Cancer patients should be sure to exercise during all phases of their cancer treatments. Even though exercise will not necessarily cure cancer, it can help the individuals in their daily managing of the disease, and it will help them when their chemotherapy and radiation treatments have cured them. Although mesothelioma is a very aggressive cancer, even people with this disease can also improve their quality of life by exercising.

No one can explain the mix of emotions that every cancer patient exhibits daily. Some will be angry, and others will be depressed; however, one emotion that many cancer patients do not show as often is happiness. However, even though they are going through a difficult time in their lives, exercise will help them to experience a more positive outlook. When patients begin to exercise, their bodies will release certain hormones called endorphins, which will help to improve their mood. Therefore, the depression, anger, and uncertainty will begin to fade away, and more pleasant emotions will result.

Because cancer is such a serious illness, the treatment for it is usually very aggressive. Unfortunately, this aggressive treatment will have many side effects on the body. Patients will experience fatigue, pain throughout their bodies, and weak muscles. Therefore, these patients should be sure to exercise to reduce the negative effects of the treatment. If the patients exercise, they will be able to gain more energy, and this energy can be used to help them continue to do the daily activities that they have been accustomed to doing. Furthermore, if the patients lift light weights, they can strengthen their muscles without increasing their fatigue. Once their muscles are stronger, their bodies will be able to better handle the treatment.

Eventually, the cancer treatments will hopefully allow the patient’s cancer to go into remission. During this time, the patient should still continue to exercise. This exercise should still be a combination of cardio and strength training. By exercising, the body’s immune system will begin to strengthen from the weak state it was in during the treatments. As a result, the immune system will have a better chance of guarding the body against foreign pathogens that may try to invade it.

Since each person’s body will react differently to exercise, patients should talk with their doctors before they begin their daily exercise routines.

The Hazards of Smoking

When I was young I used to watch both of my parents smoke. They would sit on the porch at the end of a long day and puff away. Our home smelled of cigarettes and no one thought anything of it. I grew up in the '60's and back then it was probably considered really cool to smoke. I can even recall being in junior high and having an area by the lunchroom designated for teen smokers.  It's almost like the school district was encouraging kids to smoke. Very strange now, but back then it was considered the norm. Of course only the cool boys would stand out there smoking and no respectable girls ever approached that area. Later in the '70's when I joined the workforce I would sit in an office where everyone smoked at their desk. Hard to imagine this now, but back then if you were a smoker you were allowed to sit and puff while you worked. It did not matter if you as a non-smoker were bothered by it. No one had rights back then to complain. I would have to just sit and accept it and go home reeking of smoke. Now when I see someone smoking publicly it almost looks unusual. The habit has come under great fire in recent years to the point that you hardly see anyone smoking out in public any longer. This is a good thing, because the health hazards are very numerous. Here is information I found posted on the Centers for Disease Control website that is very beneficial for all of us to know so I thought it would be a good idea to share with you:

Overview

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. Smoking causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general.

Smoking and Death

Smoking causes death.

• The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States.
• More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
• Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of all lung cancer deaths in women.
• An estimated 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease are caused by smoking.

Smoking and Increased Health Risks

Compared with nonsmokers, smoking is estimated to increase the risk of—

• coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times,
• stroke by 2 to 4 times,
• men developing lung cancer by 23 times,
• women developing lung cancer by 13 times, and
• dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times.

Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

• Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
• Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries) and puts smokers at risk of developing peripheral vascular disease (i.e., obstruction of the large arteries in the arms and legs that can cause a range of problems from pain to tissue loss or gangrene).
• Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm (i.e., a swelling or weakening of the main artery of the body—the aorta—where it runs through the abdomen).

Smoking and Respiratory Disease

• Smoking causes lung cancer.
• Smoking causes lung diseases (e.g., emphysema, bronchitis, chronic airway obstruction) by damaging the airways and alveoli (i.e., small air sacs) of the lungs.

Smoking and Cancer

Smoking causes the following cancers:

• Acute myeloid leukemia
• Bladder cancer
• Cancer of the cervix
• Cancer of the esophagus
• Kidney cancer
• Cancer of the larynx (voice box)
• Lung cancer
• Cancer of the oral cavity (mouth)
• Pancreatic cancer
• Cancer of the pharynx (throat)
• Stomach cancer

Smoking and Other Health Effects

Smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including increased risk for—

• infertility,
• preterm delivery,
• stillbirth,
• low birth weight, and
• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Smoking is associated with the following adverse health effects:

• Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked.
• Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than women who never smoked.

Obviously, the bottom line is if you have never smoked don't start! If you are a smoker, do all within your power to stop immediately. I realize this is easier said than done, but at our age you cannot afford the health risks involved. There are many resources to assist you in stopping this ugly habit. I encourage you to seek help. Besides all the health hazards smoking also affects our looks too. It affects the elasticity of the skin causing unnecessary wrinkles and we sure do not need any extra wrinkles on our face. Let's all stay healthy, we have a great life, so let's make the most of it! Have a great week everyone!