Insulin and Breast Cancer?

Patients with diabetes have long been encouraged to exercise to help control their insulin levels and help maintain a healthy weight. Doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston are now studying the relationship between exercise and insulin levels and the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Excess weight has been linked with a higher rate of recurrence for breast cancer. Recent evidence has suggested that high levels of insulin, which are common in overweight women, may be involved in that increased risk of recurrence. Doctors at Dana-Farber are examining the benefits of regular exercise and diet modification in breast cancer survivors.

Patients in cancer treatment often stop exercising due to lack of energy and other side effects from treatment, and frequently they remain inactive once treatment is finished. This inactivity leads to weight gain, which increases insulin levels. And weight gain and higher insulin levels may increase the risk of the cancer coming back.

Do any of us want that? Isn’t it easier to walk a little further each week, drink water instead of soda, or take the stairs instead of the escalator? You don’t have to make a complete change all at once; begin with small steps. Just start to make a few healthier choices.

Make one choice today….

Julie

Free Weights vs. Machines

A recent study, authored by K. Spennewyn in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, has shown some significant advantages to free-form resistance training. The study compared the effect of training with fixed versus free-form resistance with 30 people who were previously sedentary. They were assigned to one of three groups: a control group who did not exercise, free form who used free weights and cables, and fixed form who used resistance machines. The study followed the subjects for 16 weeks. (you can read about the study at Pubmed)

Both exercise groups showed improvement in strength, fewer headaches, and better balance. However, the free-form group showed far better improvement: 115% increase compared with 57% increase in strength for fixed-form, and a 245% improvement in balance compared with 49% for fixed. In addition, joint pain increased by 111% for the fixed-form group versus a 30% decrease for the free-form group.

This study is good news for the many people who don't have gym memberships. At Life-Cise.com and Stay Fit Stay Strong, we have always placed a big emphasis on functional, free-form resistance exercises. This is, in large part, because many of our clients don't have access to weight machines or, because of their treatment, are unable to exercise at their gyms. Our muscles do not work in isolation; they always work in conjuntion with other muscles. Therefore, I believe that functional exercises that work a whole group of muscles are often best. They give us increased strength for real-world activities and, because we're using a variety of muscles for every exercise, can help improve balance. Machines can be useful tools. They can be a safe way for beginners to start a resistance program. Also, they can isolate specific muscles, which can be really useful at times. The important thing is to have a safe, effective, and comprehensive exercise program. Ideally, you should work with a fitness professional to develop the program that is appropriate for you.

Julie

Shorter Radiation for Breast Cancer

In yesterday's New York Times, Denise Grady reported on a new Canadian study that found that 3 weeks of radiation treatment to be as effective as the usual course of 5 - 7 weeks. The study followed a large group of women with early-stage breast cancer for 12 years. This provides strong evidence that radiation courses can safely be shortened for some women, significantly improving the impact of treatment on their lives.

A shorter schedule, besides making some women's lives easier, could also increase the number of women who can get radiation. Many women choose to forgo radiation if they live a long distance from their treatment centers. And at busy centers, shorter courses would allow more women to be scheduled and shorter waiting lists. You can read the entire article at www.nytimes.com.

Of course, this does not apply to everyone. The study only covered women who had a lumpectomy and who's cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes. For instance, this would not have affected me, had this research been available when I was in treatment. However, this does have the potential to greatly improve the lives of some women during treatment.

Julie

Acupuncture for Hot Flashes

Here's some good news for women suffering from severe hot flashes due to chemo or hormone treatments.

Recent research has shown that acupuncture may provide effective relief for women who suffer severe hot flashes during breast cancer treatment. Many women who are treated for breast cancer with chemotherapy and hormone treatments go into premature or even a second menopause, developing severe hot flashes. The current therapy of choice for the treatment of hot flashes is the antidepressant Effexor. The study followed 47 women taking either Arimidex or Tamoxifen, and having at least 14 hot flashes per week. Researchers found that acupuncture was just as effective as taking Effexor in decreasing hot flashes, without the side effects associated with the drug.

Dr. Eleanor Walker of the Henry ford Health System in Detroit presented the findings at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Boston.

I'm a big fan of acupuncture. This may be a real help to some of you - certainly worth a try.

Julie

Life-Cise.com Up & Running

So, that was quick. Go-daddy seems to have fixed whatever their problem was. I'm just happy that Life-Cise is back up.

Julie

Life-Cise.com errors

All apologies! Life-cise.com is having some problems tonight. I am hopeful that go-daddy can fix their problems quickly (again). I am sorry.

Julie

Komen Race Day - Completed!!

At approximately 9:20 this morning, nearly 25,000 New Yorkers started this year's Komen Race for the Cure. Here are a few of my images & thoughts from my first Komen Race.

Thousands of people were checking in, and teams were meeting in various locations around Central Park to take pictures. After my team photo (Continuum Cancer Centers), I headed up to the front of the line, where the survivor runners would start. Although most people walk, I planned to run, in spite of the nearly 90 degree, super-humid weather.

Seeing such a mass of people coming together to do their part to fight breast cancer was surprisingly moving (yes, I teared up). And starting the race, surrounded by other survivors, with 25,000 people behind us was a pretty amazing feeling. When I was wilting from the heat, I was spurred on by the women around me, and all the volunteers & onlookers cheering us. Thanks to all of you - especially Jennifer! Jennifer is a young woman in the midst of chemo. We fell in at about the same pace and ran much of the race together. She looked totally beautiful and happy out there running. She certainly helped keep my spirits up when I was fading, and I think she was an inspiration to lots of folks, showing just how much is possible. Jennifer, I was completely honored to have met you & run with you - thanks & take care.

Given the heat, I finished in a reasonable time for me (although there's still lots of room for improvement). It was then onto re-hydrating! And goodies at the survivors' tent. And a massage.... SPAcare, a charitable organization from the spa industry (more about them later) provided free massages for survivors. What a lovely little treat!

So, a huge Thank You to all who came out for this event! - all of the volunteers, organizers, sponsors, and of course, all those who ran or walked or wheeled.

And thank you to my family and friends for their donations.
















Be well,
Julie

Race Day

Alright, it's 6:00am, and I am really wishing I had chosen to Sleep In for the Cure! But no, I chose to Race for the Cure, so I'm off to run.

Julie

Komen Race for the Cure

I am back in New York, and I am getting ready for the Komen Race for the Cure this weekend. (Although, since it will mean a very early morning for me, I'm wondering why I didn't opt for the Sleep in for the Cure)
I am still looking for donations. This is the part that I'm very bad at - running the race is no problem, asking people for money is. But the Komen Foundation does some really important work, so I can put aside my discomfort. If you'd like to support me, click here to donate online. And thanks.

Julie

Men's Weight and Colon Cancer

Researchers have found that men increase their risk of colon cancer if they gain weight during adulthood. This is true even for men who are not considered to be overweight based on their body mass index.

Obesity or excess weight has been clearly identified as a risk factor for colon cancer, but Dr. Lau Caspar Thygesen of Denmark's National Institute of Public Health and his colleagues believe this study supports public health interventions to avoid weight gain for prevention of colon cancer.

The study followed over 46,000 men between the ages of 40 and 75 who did not have cancer when they enrolled in 1986. Information on medical history, lifestyle, weight and diet was updated every 2 - 4 years until 2004. Men with an average BMI above 22.5 (normal range for body mass index is 18.5 - 24.9) had a significant increase of risk compared with those who's BMI's were between 20 and 22.5. The risk was mor than doubled for those who are obese, with BMI greater than 30.

The researchers estimate that for every 10 pounds gained over the previous 2 - 4 years, the colon cancer risk increased by 14 percent. Another way to read the statistics: for every 10 pounds gained per 10 years since age 21, risk increased by 33 percent.

So much talk is devoted to maintaining a healthy weight for women, especially after menopause. This is clear evidence that we should be paying as much attention to this issue for the other half of our population. Maintaining a healthy weight is just a good idea for all of us.

Julie

Water

Since the Labor Day weekend, I've been in Michigan, swimming and windsurfing every day. Having a chance to swim in fresh water (always better than a chlorinated pool, in my opinion) has reminded me of just how excellent water exercise can be for a variety of issues.

First, it is one of the best exercises for recovering from surgery - after you've been cleared by your doctor to go in the water, of course. The buoyancy of water makes it much easier to move. It can help support you when you are weak or unsteady after surgery. And because your body is partially supported, it is a gentle way to begin regaining movement and range of motion. Even if you don't know how to swim, you can just get in the water and move. Walking or running in water is a great exercise, getting your heart working while you strengthen your lower body and core. Simply swinging arms back and forth in the water is a good way to begin strengthening arms and shoulders.

Also, water exercise is a good choice of exercise for people with lymphedema. The water acts as a slight counter pressure on the surface of the skin while you pump your muscles as you move through the water. Moving against the water provides gentle resistance to strengthen your muscles. Because I've been stressing my arm a bit lately, with frequent plane flights and rock climbing and windsurfing, I've been spending a lot of time in the water doing arm circles. I stand in water up to my neck, hold my arms out to the side and move them in little circles to the back (one of my favorite lymphedema exercises, in or out of the water). As a reminder, some very good resources for information on lymphedema are www.lymphnet.org, www.lymphedemacircleofhope.org, and the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. The ACS also publishes very useful pamphlets and books on the subject.

Happy swimming!

Julie

Mom's Progress

While in Utah I spent some time with my mother. I have written in the past of her progress with push-ups. She's in her 70s, but over the past year has developed some impressive upper body strength. Just over a year ago, she was in pretty good cardio-vascular shape, but was unable to push herself up off the floor. I designed a strengthening program for her with a lot of focus on the upper body. She began doing wall pushups, straight arm raises, bicep curls, and tricep extensions. At first she used very little weight, and as her strength improved, made incremental increases over time. She now does full pushups on the floor and has some tough little muscles. And exercising has become such a habit for her that she misses it if she skips it for a few days.

Mom is the perfect example of what I try to accomplish with my online clients at Life-Cise.com and my personal clients at Stay Fit Stay Strong. No matter what your starting fitness level or limitations, with a clear program and steady work, you can improve. Besides feeling better and stronger, a strengthening program can help you lead a more functional and independent life. This is especially important when we're in a weakened position because of illness or it's treatment. In my own experience, I found that keeping up some strength helped me feel more capable of lasting through all of my treatments. And however weakened any of us may be after treatment is finished, we can all get stronger - just go slow and keep with it.