If so, you’re not alone.
This weekend, I attended the Irish Cancer Society Living Well With and Beyond
Cancer Conference in Cork. More details about that here:
https://www.cancer.ie/LivingWell
There were many excellent presentations from experts in cancer treatment but what
really struck me was one patient story.
One young woman said that she was young and fit going through chemotherapy and
she asked her medical team could she still exercise. She was met with conflicting
messages. Some told her to continue while others told her to stop and rest. She was
confused and frustrated about what to do.
From my own clients I know this is a common experience.
With all the research around exercise and movement during and after treatment it
continues to shock and disappoint me that this is happening.
There was some shocking statistics from Professor Jack Gleeson- Associate
Professor in Medical Oncology, UCC and Consultant Medical Oncologist, CUH:
1 in 2 people in Ireland will develop cancer in their lifetime.
That’s you or the person beside you…
The good news is that cancer treatment has advanced significantly over the last two
decades and people are living much longer with cancer and beyond.
We are surviving.
We are living longer.
But.
The many side-effects of treatment linger for years after treatment. So the question
now is:
How can we live better with and beyond cancer?
As Professor Gleeson stated:
Exercise is Medicine.
We know that exercise can
· Improve quality of life
· Reduces the many side effects of chemo and radiation
· Improves physical functioning
· Improves mood and psychosocial wellbeing
So if exercise is medicine why are there such conflicting messages out there?
Short answer- they don’t know.
Long answer- Lack of awareness, time demands, staff shortages, limited resources,
an over-burdened and under-resourced healthcare system. Everyone is doing there
best but there is a much bigger issue at play here.
Your medical team are not experts in movement and exercise. That is not their role.
They may not be able to answer your specific questions.
Cancer rehab physiotherapists do exist. It might just take some work to find us.
But please know that there are answers to your questions.
And there is an abundance of research to support those answers.
We do know that exercise is medicine.
We do know that it can help.
Feel free to reply to this email if you have any questions.
Small steps add up.
I’m always here,
Catherine xx
