Being diagnosed with breast cancer can be really difficult. Not only is the treatment process daunting (to say the least) the fact that it could be fatal can also make a person depressed. But being diagnosed with the condition is not a death sentence. There are ways to beat this deadly disease, so don't lose hope.
If you have been diagnosed with the disease, here's a great tip to cope with the diagnosis and better your chances of recovery -- Exercise.
Yes, exercising after a session of chemotherapy session or surgery can be the silliest advice you have heard, but according to experts it is an effective way to help you cope with the side effects of the treatment, extend survival and even helps lower the risk of the recurrence of the cancer. What's more, it also helps improve your quality of life. You may also like to read about other health benefits of exercise.
As per Michelle Holmes, MD, DrPH, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and the study's [1] lead scientist, breast cancer patients who exercise have been found to be in a better mood, have a better body image and self-esteem.
But that's not all, the author adds that exercising regularly can also help reduce a woman's risk of suffering from diabetes and heart diseases -- that are common ailments after breast cancer treatment.
What kind of exercise will help?
According to Julie Gralow of Breast Medical Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and co-author of 'Breast Fitness', patients can do gentle exercises like walking. Start small and gradually increase the distance and pace, depending on how fit you feel. She adds that regular walks can help both mental and physical wellbeing of a patient recovering from breast cancer. Also, after the treatment, increasing the amount of exercise you do gradually will help rebuild muscle tone and beat fatigue.
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For more articles on Breast Cancer, visit our Breast Cancer section. For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. For Breast Cancer related queries, visit our forum. References [1] Holmes MD, Chen WY, Feskanich D, Kroenke CH, Colditz GA. Physical Activity and Survival After Breast Cancer Diagnosis. JAMA. 2005;293(20):2479-2486. doi:10.1001/jama.293.20.2479.
For more articles on Breast Cancer, visit our Breast Cancer section. For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. For Breast Cancer related queries, visit our forum. References [1] Holmes MD, Chen WY, Feskanich D, Kroenke CH, Colditz GA. Physical Activity and Survival After Breast Cancer Diagnosis. JAMA. 2005;293(20):2479-2486. doi:10.1001/jama.293.20.2479.