Exercise Reduces Stress And Aids Recovery

Exercise reduces stress and aids healing in a variety of situations. Having a diagnosis of cancer creates its own stress in addition to the stress the disease places on the body. Many people may become dreadfully depressed and simply give up, but studies now show that exercise can be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of many kinds of cancer.

A research programme in Sweden that concluded in 2004, investigated the link between physical activity in middle-aged and elderly Swedish men and their risk of developing cancer. Over 40000 men participated and it was discovered that those who exercised for 30 minutes a day reduced their risk of developing cancer by 5%. Those who took physical activity for 60 - 90 minutes each day, reduced their risk by 16%.

"Several recent studies suggest that higher levels of physical activity are associated with a reduced risk of the cancer coming back, and a longer survival after a cancer diagnosis," said Kerry Courneya, PhD, professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Cancer at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

The first benefit is that exercise reduces stress quite significantly. When we exercise, our brains produce chemicals known as endorphins. These endorphins are proteins that work inside the body in much the same way that narcotics work. This means that they can elevate our mood, help us to release stress and relax, and possibly even help fight pain.

When exercise reduces stress, the body is able to fight cancer more efficiently. Excessive stress levels cause the adrenal glands to secrete abnormally high levels of cortisone and this suppresses the immune system. With a body that is already under an extreme barrage of emotional turmoil and physical stress, having a low immune system function can be very detrimental to fighting disease.

The other way that exercise aids healing is that it helps to maintain or even improve muscle tone and bone density which is vital if you are a post-menopausal woman. It also helps to increase the body's metabolism so that energy is used in the manner it is intended rather than feeding the cancer. In this way, exercise again can it help to slow the spread of cancer and make it easier for treatment to work.

Even when a person is perfectly healthy, exercise tends to lift the spirits improving mood. This becomes even more true when a person is battling a disease such as malignant melanoma. The combination of endorphins released by the brain and the diversion of energy into normal cellular functions rather than spreading the cancer, make exercise one of the most valuable tools in the arsenal arrayed against this disease.

It has been proven that a patient who gets adequate exercise and maintains muscle mass, coupled with a healthy diet and consumption of enough of the right type of food calories to avoid wasting away, significantly improve recovery time according to the cancer.org website.

For anyone who is serious about the battle against melanoma, the fact that exercise reduces stress and aids the body and healing itself should be enough encouragement on its own. For anyone who feels that he/she needs more encouragement, consider the family. They are likely is devastated by the diagnosis as you are. If you get out and exercise, and ask them to exercise with you, they will be encouraged and may feel less stress themselves.