Rest is not Best: Cancer survival through Active Living

Texas_wedge

was the title of an hour's  lecture given by Dr. Anna Campbell in Dundee, Scotland in January.  She's the leading expert (certainly in the UK, at least) on the important role of exercise in the lives of cancer patients, having spent about the last twelve years teaching and researching on that subject.  She has a Master's degree in Sport and Exercise Science and  is a qualified fitness instructor but she also knows plenty about the science of cancer - her B Sc was in immunology and she has a Doctorate in Biochemistry. 

It was an evening lecture, open to the general public, so it's not pitched at a scientific level but it gives a very good, well-illustrated and understandable treatment of an important topic, enlivened by a Glaswegian sense of humour and West Coast (of Scotland!) accent.

It's focused on patients undergoing chemo/radiotherapy, across the major forms of cancer, and has wide applicability (but of course it isn't relevant to the period immediately following major surgery, when modest levels of activity and adequate rest is essential, as we all know and some have learnt the hard way!).

Not everyone will be interested, or have an hour to spare, but I hope one or two forum members may find it interesting and entertaining.  They can find it here:

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/externalrelations/events/sels/2012/campbell.htm

 

 

 

 

Texas_wedge

Exercise for cancer patients

I'm a little surprised that no-one here seems interested in the above lecture.  Quite a few ladies on the breast cancer forum have thanked me for posting it there, having found it worth watching.   It's relevant to everyone living with any form of cancer.

Perhaps the link below, from Cancer Compass, to an article entitled "Cancer-Related Fatigue Often Overlooked, Study Finds" might encourage people here to watch the lecture.

 

 

angec

TW, this is an excellent

TW, this is an excellent topic!  I enjoyed listening ( although I had to retrain myself after, I have a scottish brach now).  Exercise is very importang and more so during a cancer diagnosis.  My sister in law takes Chemo for uterine cancer and often doesn't feel well. But walking up and down in her hallway gives her a boost, even for ten minutes several times a day. It stimulates the immune system to kick in and fight to protect the body more than we know. Thank you for posting this. As always you are on top of it all!  XXxoo I hope my IPad doesn't change the words after I spellcheck and post this.  I really am not that bad in my grammar.  Lol

 

foxhd

angec said:

TW, this is an excellent

TW, this is an excellent topic!  I enjoyed listening ( although I had to retrain myself after, I have a scottish brach now).  Exercise is very importang and more so during a cancer diagnosis.  My sister in law takes Chemo for uterine cancer and often doesn't feel well. But walking up and down in her hallway gives her a boost, even for ten minutes several times a day. It stimulates the immune system to kick in and fight to protect the body more than we know. Thank you for posting this. As always you are on top of it all!  XXxoo I hope my IPad doesn't change the words after I spellcheck and post this.  I really am not that bad in my grammar.  Lol

 

complete belief

I didn't follow the lecture because I live it. I've done similar presentations for many years. But I know many need the motivation. Thanx.

Texas_wedge

foxhd said:

complete belief

I didn't follow the lecture because I live it. I've done similar presentations for many years. But I know many need the motivation. Thanx.

Exercise

I realise that I was preaching to the converted in your case Fox, but I think you would find the content interesting and entertaining, nonetheless.  Some of the ladies on the breast cancer forum who thanked me for the link are similarly already committed to an active lifestyle but one said she intended to draw the lecture, and the research reported in it, to the attention of the cancer nurses at her place in the belief that they would benefit from the information it contains.

I'm determined to try to persuade more members to look at this lecture which is on the importance of exercise for nearly all cancer patients - before, during and after treatment (of course, duly modest exercise in the period immediately following major surgery!).

In the UK at the moment the Government is considering a new weapon in the war against the biggest health problem we have - obesity and all it brings with it.  Doctors can prescribe visits to the gym for exercise, where deemed necessary.  It's being mooted that those obese patients who are on social welfare benefits, are obese and refuse to take the prescribed remedial exercise should lose their benefits. 

Naturally this has met with the expected chorus of self-righteous plaudits, wails from couch potatoes, rants from idiot 'protectors of our human rights' and more subtle arguments about its flaws from interested parties such as a bariatric surgeon who is doubtless less than enthusiastic to see his cash cow under threat.

The idea has been countered by the Labour opposition party with a suggestion that the obesity issue would be better tackled by mandatory labelling of commercially prepared food to show warnings if the food item in question has a high sugar, fat, or salt content.  This strikes me as a good idea, although the motivation for advancing it at the moment is probably just an excuse for saying that the incumbent administration has 'got it wrong', as is the usual role of oppostion parties in a yah-boo political regime.  Moreover the two ideas aren't mutually exclusive and we need to do everything in our power to reverse the obesity epidemic.

 

garym

Texas_wedge said:

Exercise

I realise that I was preaching to the converted in your case Fox, but I think you would find the content interesting and entertaining, nonetheless.  Some of the ladies on the breast cancer forum who thanked me for the link are similarly already committed to an active lifestyle but one said she intended to draw the lecture, and the research reported in it, to the attention of the cancer nurses at her place in the belief that they would benefit from the information it contains.

I'm determined to try to persuade more members to look at this lecture which is on the importance of exercise for nearly all cancer patients - before, during and after treatment (of course, duly modest exercise in the period immediately following major surgery!).

In the UK at the moment the Government is considering a new weapon in the war against the biggest health problem we have - obesity and all it brings with it.  Doctors can prescribe visits to the gym for exercise, where deemed necessary.  It's being mooted that those obese patients who are on social welfare benefits, are obese and refuse to take the prescribed remedial exercise should lose their benefits. 

Naturally this has met with the expected chorus of self-righteous plaudits, wails from couch potatoes, rants from idiot 'protectors of our human rights' and more subtle arguments about its flaws from interested parties such as a bariatric surgeon who is doubtless less than enthusiastic to see his cash cow under threat.

The idea has been countered by the Labour opposition party with a suggestion that the obesity issue would be better tackled by mandatory labelling of commercially prepared food to show warnings if the food item in question has a high sugar, fat, or salt content.  This strikes me as a good idea, although the motivation for advancing it at the moment is probably just an excuse for saying that the incumbent administration has 'got it wrong', as is the usual role of oppostion parties in a yah-boo political regime.  Moreover the two ideas aren't mutually exclusive and we need to do everything in our power to reverse the obesity epidemic.

 

Perhaps this would work on both sides of the pond...

A tourist walked into a Chinese curio shop in San Francisco . While looking around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very lifelike, life-sized, bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so incredibly striking the tourist decided he must have it. He took it to the old shop owner and asked, "How much for the bronze rat ?"

"Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat and $100 for the story," said the wise old Chinaman.

The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story".

As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the tourist noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and had begun following him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting so he began walking faster.

A couple blocks later he looked behind him and saw to his horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing.

Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward San Francisco Bay . Again, after a couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the rats now numbered in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him
faster and faster.

Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the bronze rat as far as he could into the Bay.

Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after the bronze rat and were all drowned. The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown .

"Ahhh," said the owner, "You come back for story ?"

"No sir," said the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze politician."

Texas_wedge

garym said:

Perhaps this would work on both sides of the pond...

A tourist walked into a Chinese curio shop in San Francisco . While looking around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very lifelike, life-sized, bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so incredibly striking the tourist decided he must have it. He took it to the old shop owner and asked, "How much for the bronze rat ?"

"Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat and $100 for the story," said the wise old Chinaman.

The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story".

As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the tourist noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and had begun following him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting so he began walking faster.

A couple blocks later he looked behind him and saw to his horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing.

Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward San Francisco Bay . Again, after a couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the rats now numbered in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him
faster and faster.

Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the bronze rat as far as he could into the Bay.

Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after the bronze rat and were all drowned. The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown .

"Ahhh," said the owner, "You come back for story ?"

"No sir," said the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze politician."

Oh Gary!

The originality of your humour never ceases to amaze me.

Thanks for putting it on this thread - I hope that eventually someone in addition to Ange will sample the excellent video I gave the link to. I suppose it's too much to hope that you may have found time to look at it in the midst of your busy entertainment schedule?

 

garym

Texas_wedge said:

Oh Gary!

The originality of your humour never ceases to amaze me.

Thanks for putting it on this thread - I hope that eventually someone in addition to Ange will sample the excellent video I gave the link to. I suppose it's too much to hope that you may have found time to look at it in the midst of your busy entertainment schedule?

 

I have not as of yet, but I do intend to do so soon.  Your recs are always high on my list.