Cancer Therapy Sport increases well-being

Cancer therapy: Sport increases well-being

07/01/2015

Not only the cancer itself, but also the therapy weakens the body enormously. According to experts, patients can counteract this with the help of sport. Although fatigue and fatigue make it difficult to exercise, exercise during cancer therapy can have a positive impact on well-being.

Exercise has a positive effect on well-being
Not only cancer itself but also its therapy weakens the body. As the news agency dpa reports, patients can counteract that with sports. However, this is not so easy when exhaustion and fatigue make the motivation difficult. According to experts, exercise during cancer therapy can have a positive effect on well-being. It can strengthen the immune system, improve cardiopulmonary function and increase self-esteem. Physical activities can also reduce disease and therapy-related side effects such as fatigue, sleep disorders and depression. This is what the German Cancer Aid points out in its guidebook „Step by step. More exercise, less cancer risk“ down.

Reduce physical degeneration through sport
In addition, sport can simultaneously reduce the physical degeneration that causes patients as a result of illness and therapy. Muscle cells do not get enough oxygen from the cancer and therapy. As a result, it can lead to anemia, muscle changes and pain, changes in the blood vessels and reduced lung function. This not only reduces the performance, but can also negatively affect the psyche. However, as many cancer patients suffer from severe fatigue at the same time, they almost do not move at all and therefore their condition worsens even more.

Strength training for breast cancer patients
Therefore, the most important thing when choosing a sport is that it is fun. Because that motivates patients to move. There is no blanket recommendation as to which sport is particularly good, those concerned are best discussed with their doctors and therapists. Factors such as diagnosis, stage of the disease, treatment phase, side effects and comorbidities play a role in the choice of sport. For breast cancer patients, strength training is a good way to alleviate or even avoid the most common fatigue associated with the disease and therapy, as recommended by the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, citing a study a few months ago would have.

Special sports courses for cancer patients
In some hospitals, exercise for patients has already become part of the treatment. For example, the Center for Prevention and Sports Medicine at the Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich focuses on the positive effect of physical activity in the fight against cancer. There are special sports courses for patients with oncological diseases offered. The head of the center, Professor Martin Halle, explained to the dpa last year that patients who do sports during chemotherapy tolerate the therapy better. Especially side effects such as chronic fatigue and nausea would be better overcome. (Ad)