No rest in the cancer fight ... keeping fit beats disease

By Lizzie Robinson

Friday December 30 2011

ONE in three cancer patients is less physically active following treatment despite evidence proving it is "vital in aiding the recovery process", a charity warned today.

Research by Macmillan Cancer Support also found that three quarters of cancer patients said their doctor or nurse did not talk to them about the benefits of physical activity after treatment.

The study, of 1,495 adults, showed 32pc of patients felt less active since treatment, 52pc felt about the same, and 15pc said they did more exercise.

Professor Jane Maher, chief medical officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "We know cancer treatment is tough and gruelling, and many people probably feel they should give their bodies a rest afterwards.

"But even moderate physical activity is vital in aiding the recovery process, and with some cancers in reducing the risk of recurrence and mortality, so if anything we should be expecting an increase. What is more worrying is that so few cancer patients learnt of these benefits through their doctor or nurse.

"This is clear evidence that there is a need for a culture change, to prioritise discussing physical activity and providing the relevant services during and after cancer treatment.

A recent report by Macmillan found bowel cancer patients could reduce the risk of recurrence and of dying from the disease by around 50pc by doing six hours of moderate intensity physical activity a week.

It also showed that breast cancer patients could help reduce the risk of recurrence and of dying by up to 40pc by doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week.

Physical activity could also help reduce the risk of side effects, including fatigue and depression.

hnews@herald.ie

- Lizzie Robinson

http://www.herald.ie/news/no-rest-in-the-cancer-fight-keeping-fit-beats-disease-2976335.html

The Seven Best Gratitude Quotes

Develop a gratitude practice to open your heart and rewire your brain

Published on November 23, 2011 by Melanie A. Greenberg, Ph.D. in The Mindful Self-Express

Gratitude is an integral part of a spiriual practice

"For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends."-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Experiencing and expressing gratitude is an important part of any spiritual practice.  It opens the heart and activates positive emotion centers in the brain.  Regular practice of gratitude can change the way our brain neurons fire into more positive automatic patterns. The positive emotions we evoke can soothe distress and broaden our thinking patterns so we develop a larger and more expansive view of our lives.  Gratitude is an emotion of connectedness, which reminds us we are part of a larger universe with all living things. Below are some of my favorite quotes about gratitude to help inspire you and deepen your thinking about finding an enduring place for gratitude in your own life.

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Gratitude Quotes

1.  "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust
2. "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." - Thornton Wilder
3. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy 
4. At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer 
5. The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.
-- WIlliam James
6. "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."
-- Oprah Winfrey
7. He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." - Epictetus

How to Bring Gratitude into Your Life

 To begin bringing gratitude into your life, you can deliberately meditateon all the things in your own life that help you or give you pleasure.  You can also write a gratitude diary, posting pictures and writing about the things you feel grateful for each day. The holidays are a great time to express your gratitude to friends and family by writing cards and exchanging thoughtful, personal gifts. Baking cookies for neighbors or sharing food with the poor are other ways to express appreciation for the abundance of food that we have in this country. Gratitude can lead to feelings of love, appreciation, generosity, and compassion, which further open our hearts and help rewire our brains to fire in more positive ways.

About The Author 

Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, life coach, and expert on life change, health psychology, integrative  & behavioral medicine,  chronic stress and pain, who has published her own research in academic journals.  Previously a Professor, she is now an influential  practicing psychologist, speaker, and media consultant.

http://mindfulselfexpress.visibli.com/share/wDEgFn

Shaping 2012 with three little words

December 31, 2011 at 3:05 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments
Tags: adventure, breast cancer, discovery, escapade, guide, harmony, inspire, laughter, Mrauk U, New Year,recovery, resilience, three little words, vitality, wonder

This year it has actually been really hard to settle on my three words to guide and inspire me in the coming year.  To be fair, I knew it would be difficult because I have liked my previous choices so much.  Not only have they been the right words for me, they have been the right words for me in that particular year.  When I first saw the idea of selecting three words at the end of 2009, it spoke so clearly to me and the three words came almost instantly.  2010 was indeed a year of recovery, discovery and laughter as I moved through the months of heavy treatment, back to Scotland to see family and friends after so long, returning to work and finally growing those characteristic grey chemo curls as I moved towards the end of the year.

Last year’s words clearly represented a shift in where I was with “harmony, vitality and adventure”.  Harmony in terms balance in my life, professionally, personally, emotionally and physically as well as harmonious musically.  Vitality encouraged me and spurred me on to build on my daily swimming and be even more active, taking up the gym and becoming fitter than I probably have been in decades.  And adventure – well, this has been a favourite and I hav embarked on a number of adventures throughout the year, which have grown in their adventurousness as the year progressed!

So I started thinking about the words for 2012 over a month ago, looking forward to the process of selecting the words as much as I look forward to a new series of the Amazing Race!  As the time approached I would start thinking of the overall areas I want to focus on and pick up on words as I heard them, read them or even as they came to mind as I was ploughing up and down the swimming pool.

I was however, right in my guess that this year’s choice would be much more difficult though.  How could I settle on words which I liked as much and which were as meaningful as the previous years’ words?  How could I pick only three words when there were just so many to choose from?  I veered from extravagant words through to simple words, playing with each in how they balanced each other as well as how they sounded together.  It is interesting too, that the mood of the words changed somewhat as I worked through the recent thorax and Twang Arm pain and associated fears, and that is reflected in my ultimate choice. Finally, after a great deal of polishing, reflection and dictionary searching I have my three words to share:

Resilience, escapade and wonder

Resilience comes first.  This is one which I have leaned increasingly towards as the challenges of the past weeks played out, and the pain I experienced.  It expresses the priority I aim to place on building my strength both physically and mentally so that I am in a better place to deal with whatever might come my way. The past weeks showed me that despite my pretty good health, both the cancer itself, and its treatment (combination of chemo, the radical surgery, radiation and the calcium-stripping Tamoxifen bonus side effect) have led to a fragility which I have to recognise and respect.  So I intend to continue to build my strength physically, with my precious swimming, and the less popular but equally important regular gym visits and other healthy pursuits.  Mentally and emotionally I will continue to prioritise my creative time and take control of what is in my hands.  This year has seen me join a creative writing group and latterly a Book Club which have been lovely ways of connecting with likeminded souls here, as well as an inspiring way to spend free time.  These are ways of building my strength and capacity to make me more able to “bounce back” following whatever unexpecteds and unwelcomes head my way.

The dictionary definition of resilience is 1) the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress and 2) an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.  There is also a very interesting discussion on psychological resilience on Wikipedia which tells us that “Resilience has been shown to be more than just the capacity of individuals to cope well under adversity. Resilience is better understood as the opportunity and capacity of individuals to navigate their way to psychological, social, cultural, and physical resources that may sustain their well-being, and their opportunity and capacity individually and collectively to negotiate for these resources to be provided and experienced in culturally meaningful ways”.  How apt.

My second word is escapade.  I toyed with coining my own noun “escapaderie” to describe the broad concept of being involved in escapades but decided that was just a bit too inane!  An important word for in 2011 has been adventure.  I have referred repeatedly to adventures, made field trips and short breaks into adventures and plotted adventures.  These have all represented a shift in strength, confidence and independence.  Two years ago I was unable to walk unaided through Bangkok Airport.  Two days ago I returned from a fairly physically demanding trip to a remote part of the country, involving local flights, side car/trishaw transfers, exploring by cycle, pony and on foot and long boat trips which I had to board by slithery narrow planks!

It was a my Mrauk U adventure and pushed me further than I could have imagined possible at the beginning of even this year.  My 2011 adventures have included remote field trips to North Shan and the Ayerawaddy Delta, a trip to Chiang Mai by overnight train and my somewhat extravagant birthday trip to the temples of Angkor in Cambodia.

In choosing “escapade” I wanted to maintain that sense of making the most of experiences, reaching out for the new and continuing to push myself.  For me though, escapade also has a touch of naughtiness about it which appeals to the rebel in me!  This is confirmed by the definition I found of escapade – “a usually adventurous action that runs counter to approved or conventional conduct”.  What appeals additionally to me is that an escapade (in my world) can be as small as an almost imperceptible gesture through to a grand action which attracts attention.  I can apply escapade to so many actions, even to the way my friend and I behave in the oncology waiting room together, being naughty cancer rebels and giggling about the grief we are going to give our doctors in the form of never ending questions!

And my third word, wonder, came to me in the swimming pool as I was ploughing northwards and southwards, waiting for the sun to rise.  Again this has a variety of meanings.  As a verb it encapsulates the action of questioning and enquiring, descriptive of my inquisitive soul as well as critical to my work.  And there is never a shortage of things to wonder about!  As a noun, it is that almost innocent sense of being in awe of things from the most simple through to the truly breath taking and grand.  Throughout 2012 this will remind me to retain that sense of appreciation in what is around me as well as honing my natural curiosity.

As in the two previous years, I am ridiculously pleased with my words.  They fill me with optimism for the coming year and the sense that I can take control of what is in my own hands.  And that is another reminder that much as we cannot change many things which happen to us, particularly in the land post cancer diagnosis, there are many ways to shape our life and experience which are in our hands.  Only we can grasp those ourselves and we have the capacity to interpret what is around us accordingly.

And that is why I have chosen the image below.  A doorway into an unknown place, dark and frightening.  It is also an image which gives me goosebumps of exhilaration as it reminds me of the emotions and new found confidence I felt when exploring the ancient and mysterious temples of Angkor earlier this year.

I wish you a 2012 which is as kind as it can be, and for continued strength and resilience from within each of us as well as from each other.

http://feistybluegeckofightsback.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/shaping-2012-with-three-little-words/

CLICK ON URL TO LINK TO VIDEO/WATCH AFTER COMMERCIAL

Giuliana Rancic talks progress after surgery: 'Up until a week and a half ago, it was hell.' -- VIDEO

by Kate Ward

Categories: Television

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Giuliana Rancic announced her breast cancer diagnosis onToday — and her decision to move forward with a double mastectomy — so it’s no surprise that she returned on NBC’s morning program to talk about her progress alongside husband Bill Rancic. And while the E! anchor looks beautiful two weeks after her surgery, Giuliana mainly discussed the ugly side of breast cancer. “I feel great considering it has only been about two and a half weeks, but I still have a ways to go,” she said about her recovery process.

On Today, Giuliana spoke about being in good spirits prior to the surgery, but focused on the harsh aftermath of the procedure. The newswoman, who still cannot perform simple tasks like buckling her seat belt and raising her hands above her head, said that the surgery and morphine made her ill. “I knew this was going to be a tough surgery,” she told Matt Lauer. “Up until a week and a half ago, it was hell.”

Still, Giuliana tried to remain positive, even breaking a record for the most laps walked around the hospital ward following the surgery. And sharing her story has helped many fans — Bill told Lauer that several people have told them they’ve decided to get tested for breast cancer after hearing Giuliana’s story. “If you can save one life through this proess, you’re turning this negative into an incredible positive.” Bill said. Video after the jump. Click on following link to view video.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/12/30/giuliana-rancic-talks-breast-cancer/

CLICK ON URL TO LINK TO VIDEO/WATCH AFTER COMMERCIAL

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/cynthia-newsome-returning-to-kshb-after-battling-breast-cancer_b34259

, NBC AFFILIATES

Cynthia Newsome Returning To KSHB After Battling Breast Cancer

By Merrill Knox on December 29, 2011 11:27 AM

KSHB‘s Cynthia Newsome is returning to the station in January after a six-month leave of absence to treat breast cancer, Bottom Line Communications reports.

Newsome, the weekend anchor and health reporter at the Kansas City NBC-affiliate, was diagnosed in June. After surgery and eight chemotherapy treatments, she will be back on the air on January 1.

Newsome has filed several reports throughout the process in order to raise awareness for the disease (watch after the jump).

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/cynthia-newsome-returning-to-kshb-after-battling-breast-cancer_b34259

Breast Cancer Survivors Benefit From Practicing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, MU Researchers Find

29/12/2011 01:07:00

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Survivors’ psychological and physiological health improved after training
COLUMBIA, Mo. –Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer have higher survival rates than those diagnosed in previous decades, according to the American Cancer Society. However, survivors continue to face health challenges after their treatments end. Previous research reports as many as 50 percent of breast cancer survivors are depressed. Now, University of Missouri researchers in the Sinclair School of Nursing say a meditation technique can help breast cancer survivors improve their emotional and physical well-being. 
Yaowarat Matchim, a former nursing doctoral student; Jane Armer, professor of nursing; and Bob Stewart, professor emeritus of education and adjunct faculty in nursing, found that breast cancer survivors’ health improved after they learned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a type of mindfulness training that incorporates meditation, yoga and physical awareness.
“MBSR is another tool to enhance the lives of breast cancer survivors,” Armer said. “Patients often are given a variety of options to reduce stress, but they should choose what works for them according to their lifestyles and belief systems.”
The MBSR program consists of group sessions throughout a period of eight to ten weeks. During the sessions, participants practice meditation skills, discuss how bodies respond to stress and learn coping techniques. The researchers found that survivors who learned MBSR lowered theirblood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate. In addition, participants’ mood improved, and their level of mindfulness increased after taking the class. Armer says, for best results, participants should continue MBSR after the class ends to maintain the positive effects.
“Mindfulness-based meditation, ideally, should be practiced every day or at least on a routineschedule,” Armer said. “MBSR teaches patients new ways of thinking that will give them short- and long-term benefits.”
Armer says the non-pharmaceutical approach works best as a complement to other treatment options such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
“Post diagnosis, breast cancer patients often feel like they have no control over their lives,” Armer said. “Knowing that they can control something—such as meditation—and that it will improve their health, gives them hope that life will be normal again.”
The study, “Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Health Among Breast Cancer Survivors,” was published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research.

--30--

Story Contact: Jesslyn Tenhouse, (573) 882-6211

http://www.healthcanal.com/cancers/25068-Breast-Cancer-Survivors-Benefit-From-Practicing-Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction-Researchers-Find.html

Success story: From cancer survivor to pilates instructor

First published 2 hours ago
Updated 2 hours ago

Samantha Fox turned 55 last month and will open her own pilates studio, Fox Pilates, this week in Salt Lake City. It’s something the Midway resident thought unimaginable four years ago when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.

Goal

To regain my strength, mobility, balance — and confidence —after undergoing a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation.

Inspiration

I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in April of 2008. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction and a month later started chemotherapy followed by 25 rounds of radiation.

I wish I could say that it went smoothly, but like Murphy’s Law, everything that could go wrong did. Due to the chemotherapy and the surgeries, I not only lost my strength and mobility, I had also lost my balance and control of my life. Being active since childhood, I decided to take control of those things I could.

How she did it

As soon as my surgeon would allow, I put my bike on an indoor trainer and started to ride. I started with 5 minutes the first day, adding 5 minutes each day. Within two weeks I was pedaling for an hour. Next I worked on improving the range of motion in my shoulders — I could not reach my arms up over my head. I had been practicing pilates for about 10 years, so I put together a program of stretches and exercises that I did every day.

After the radiation, my left side would not heal. In December of 2009, a plastic surgeon performed a lat flap surgery. He said it might be difficult to swim, ride a bike uphill or cross country ski. Well, that wouldn’t do. I had come too far.

By February I was in the pool.

In April, I rode my bike in the Salt Lake City Bike Tour, the same route as the marathon. Due to my lack of balance, I first started walking with my cross-country ski poles. Soon my three-mile walks became three-mile runs up Memorial Hill. That July I went to Hawaii and completed the “Tin Man Triathlon,” an Olympic distance triathlon. I was back.

I decided to give up my career as a real estate agent to pursue a career as a certified pilates instructor. After training in Canada for seven months, I moved back to Utah and worked as an instructor at the Montage Hotel Park City. An opportunity arose recently and on Monday, Jan. 2, I am opening Fox Pilates, 910 E. 3300 South, in Salt Lake City. Learn more about my classes at foxpilates.com

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/53170167-80/success-pilates-goal-bike.html.csp

HEALTH MATTERS

The scary, but serious, truth about women and heart disease

 

BY JEFFREY KREISBERG

12.28.11 | 01:00 pm

If I told you that, every year, about the same number of women under the age of 55 die from heart attacks as from breast cancer, would you be surprised?

If you are, you’re not alone; most women and many of the doctors who care for them are clueless that a woman’s heart can pose such a huge health risk. Young women with heart disease account for nearly 40,000 hospitalizations and 16,000 deaths each year — ranking it as the leading cause of death in this age group. Overall, one in four women die from cardiovascular disease, compared to one in 30 from breast cancer. But I haven't seen any ribbons or car magnets highlighting this cause.

If you have a family history of heart disease, if you smoke, have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels,  or diabetes, or if you are obese, you are at increased risk for heart attack. Also, if you have had pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, your chance of a heart attack more than doubles later in life.

Heart attacks don't just happen to post-menopausal women. Women in their 30s and 40s are increasingly developing heart disease, so be on the lookout for these risk factors and get screened and treated. Also, many physicians fail to recognize the importance of these risk factors in young people, so we, as patients, must be proactive when it comes to our health. The longer these risk factors wreak havoc on our bodies, the worse our heart and vascular health will be.

Have your blood pressure checked every two years, beginning at 18 years of age. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher and, if left untreated, can cause stroke, heart attack, kidney and eye problems and heart failure. Know your numbers! Blood pressure can be managed with medications.

And, beginning at age 20, have your cholesterol checked regularly if:

• You use tobacco.
• You are obese.
• You have diabetes or high blood pressure.
• You have a personal history of heart disease or blocked arteries.
• A man in your family had a heart attack before age 50 or a woman, before age 60.

High cholesterol can be managed by lifestyle changes, like eating healthier and exercise, or medication.

Be aware of the symptoms of a heart attack. Many of us expect the stereotypical signs: clutching chest, gasping for air and screaming out in pain while dropping to a knee. Although chest pain is the most common symptom of heart attack, women are more likely than men to experience other symptoms such as shortness of breath, unusual fatigue, abdominal discomfort, nausea and pain in the back or jaw. Patients and doctors sometimes mistake these symptoms as panic attacks, fatigue, sweating, indigestion and over-exertion and often wait until it’s too late to get treatment. Because of this, twice as many women than men die in the hospital following a heart attack.

Many women don’t seek treatment with these symptoms because they question whether they’re real, or they are embarrassed by their symptoms, they are not taken seriously by their doctor, they don’t have the time due to family demands or they fear they’re symptoms are real and don’t want to know they have a life-threatening condition.

These symptoms won’t just go away on their own. You know best when you’re not feeling well, so listen to your body and get the proper treatment. Ignoring them may cost you your life.

http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/12-28-11-07-37-the-scary-but-serious-truth-about-women-and-heart-disease/