From the first moment
my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from
the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer
seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did
little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known
reason, I started this blog…
Every month, I’ll be
highlighting breast cancer research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from
different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into
understandable English and share them with you. Today: http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/exercise-program-successful-in-life
Exercise and breast cancer – at first thought, you might
say, “What!!!!!” The implication of a breast cancer diagnosis or treatment,
brings to mind hospital beds, recuperation, and convalescence.
Not hitting the weight room!
But this study, while it’s neither large nor longitudinal
for more than a year, seems to indicate that gentle weight training has a good
chance of either preventing the occurrence of lymphedema or reducing it.
We’re NOT talking pumping iron, here folks! In the words of
the study: “As in PAL [Physical Activity and Lymphedema Trial], the researchers
found that the Strength After Breast Cancer program didn’t increase the risk of
lymphedema and helped ease lymphedema
symptoms. The women were also stronger at the end of the program and felt
better about their bodies.”
Does this mean you have to join a gym and get into those
leotards and exercise?
Not necessarily. Simply returning to moderate exercise after
breast cancer treatment and surgery is GOOD: “...one study found that women who
followed a slow, progressive strength-training program lowered their risk of
developing lymphedema by 35 percent; women who had at least five lymph nodes
removed and started lifting weights reduced their risk by 70 percent.”
As well, the article goes on to talk about other aspects of
exercise after breast cancer and as always, do so with your doctor’s knowledge and
under her supervision. Even so, “Increased physical activity after cancer
treatment has been consistently linked to better physical function, reduced
fatigue, and bodily pain...Compared to sedentary women, regular exercisers, who
have been diagnosed with breast cancer, have a much lower risk of breast cancer
recurrence, breast cancer death, and all causes of death.”
And NOT just the wives/girlfriends/moms/sisters, gentlemen!
We need to exercise as well to maintain our health and support our women!
Capisce? (From
Neapolitan capisci, the second-person present-tense form of capire (“to
understand”), from Latin capere (“to grasp, seize”).)
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