Exercise can restore a sense of power in medical treatment

The last thing people undergoing treatment for cancer may be thinking about is exercise. Maybe they should reconsider.

"A lot of times cancer patients feel they lose control," said Karen Mustian, director of the Physical Exercise, Activity and Kinesiology Laboratory [PEAK] at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Exercise can restore a sense of power.

"It can help them get through any treatment with less side effects and trouble," said Mustian, who has researched the effects. "They'll be able to adhere to treatment better and recover quicker."

Mustian will talk about the benefits of exercise for cancer patients and survivors at the American Cancer Society's I Can Cope monthly education session at 6:30 p.m. Mondays at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, 2000 Highland Ave, Rochester NY.

Those benefits can accrue to anyone regardless of where they find themselves in their recovery. "They could have just found out and are trying to figure out what to do or it could be 10 years ago," she said.

Mustian also is assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Wilmot Cancer Center and assistant professor in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. She holds a doctorate in exercise physiology and psychology, and has published extensively in scientific journals on exercise and quality of life and management of side effects for cancer patients.

She was the lead investigator in a nationwide clinical trial of the benefits of gentle yoga for people who had completed radiation and chemotherapy. She will present new, objective data that back up participants' reports of improved sleep and discuss ongoing trials and recruitment criteria.

Meditation beats medication

7 Fascinating Facts About Meditation

The Huffington Post - Riddhi Shah First Posted: 7/15/11

Over the last decade, interest in the science of meditation has skyrocketed. We now know more than ever before about just how meditation affects our minds and bodies. Increased research has led to a plethora of fascinating discoveries: Take, for instance, the fact that meditation can prevent heart disease. Or that it reduces stress. Or that it can significantly lessen ADHD symptoms, and in many cases, beats medication.

Still, much is left to be discovered. We know more but we definitely don't know everything. While we wait for science to catch up with ancient wisdom, check out this slideshow on the complex effects of the simple act of focused breathing.

Quite literally, sustained meditation leads to something called neuroplasticity, which is defined as the brain's ability to change, structurally and functionally, on the basis of environmental input. For much of the last century, scientists believed that the brain essentially stopped changing after adulthood. But research by University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson has shown that experienced meditators exhibit high levels of gamma ray activity and display an ability -- continuing after the meditation session has attended -- to not get stuck on a particular stimulus. That is, they're automatically able to control their thoughts and reactiveness.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/15/7-fascinating-facts-about_n_899482.html#s309243&title=It_Makes_Your