Moderate intensity exercise can reduce and even eliminate cancer
The benefits of running or working out are huge. Getting regular exercise helps with our mental wellbeing as well as keeping us fit and looking younger. You may be surprised to learn that exercise can also treat and prevent cancer. There is documented proof of an 87-year-old man with stage-3 colon cancer becoming cancer-free after two years of regular exercise. During my recent ‘Run With It’ television segment on the topic of cancer care and exercise I learned that there is a profound link between cancer and exercise. To explore this topic and discuss new developments in cancer care I interviewed Dr. Sharon Gurm, Naturopathic Physician (Oncology), and Clinic Founder and Medical Director of Port Moody Health Integrative Health Cancer Centre in B.C. I also interviewed international recording artist and breast cancer survivor, Bif Naked on exercise tips.
My first question I asked Dr. Gurm was, ‘How does exercise treat or prevent cancer’? She explains, “There was a recent study on exercise and breast cancer that was published in September. I found it very interesting - it caught my attention. Previously we understood that there is a strong body of evidence that exercise helps prevent breast cancer. It helps breast cancer recurrence and it also improves survivorship. That led to some cancer exercise specific guidelines for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. That consists of generally speaking, 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week. And still clinically we find or I certainly find in my practice that not every woman who has breast cancer can commit to that or understand why that is important even if we say it reduces breast cancer risks. The type of exercise that they are committing to or doing is that behavior modification is simply not translating. What is really interesting about this new study is that they sought to understand better when a woman is exercising and the effect that would have on the breast cancer, the tumor environment and the breast cancer cells."
Dr. Gurm talks about the specific hormones that are released when you exercise. These are stress hormones that occur during an acute period of exercise which influence the growth of tumors, the growth of cancer cells and can be drug resistant.
"This is new information we can take to patients who are dealing with breast cancer. We can better understand why 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week is important. It can be gardening and walking. You’ve got to be doing that moderate intensity exercise,” she says.
Dr. Gurm acknowledges that every patient starts at a different level to start exercising. Based on the study, it should be a combination of some warm-ups, stretching and some resistance training and then something that taxes the cardio system but not over tax. You would start at a beginner level and work yourself up. You should find out what you like to do in terms of exercising.
"It could be walking on an incline and that could be enough to get the heart rate up and build that moderate to high intensity level where you are breaking a sweat, getting the heart rate up, taxing the cardiovascular system and that short burst that is really important,” she notes.
When it comes to exercising, Bif Naked offers her compelling take: "Make an appointment with yourself; it is really your own commitment to your health. Do it for yourself. I know of a woman who is 81 years old and walks for 20 minutes in her own apartment. You can do things at home, yoga, walking up and down your stairs. You can do so many things."
To watch this interview go to my Youtube channel - November 2017 episode. www.runwithit.ca
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