Evidence Update: The Benefits of Group Exercise
The New Year is upon us and so is the chance to create healthy habits. Participating in a formal exercise routine is one healthy habit that can have a lasting impact for every population but the impact is even greater for those who have survived breast cancer. According to Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund exercise can lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, and increase bone mineral density. Due to this immune system boost, those who are exercising regularly can also lower their risk of cancer returning. The benefits of exercise do not stop at only physical impacts. According to the same research by Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund, those who choose to exercise regularly can also receive mental and emotional benefits. These benefits include improved emotional well-being, increased quality of life, less anxiety and improved memory. In an article published by https://www.breastcancer.org/, quality of life can also improve when exercising with a group. This article references a study titled Effect of Group Dynamics-Based Exercise Versus Personal Training in Breast Cancer Survivors. During this study 26 women with either stage I or stage II breast cancer were divided into two groups and began exercise training twice a week for 8 weeks. Group I was trained by a personal trainer and group II participated in a group exercise class. Through this study the researchers were able to conclude that while both groups did improve in physical abilities, group II proved to surpass group I in quality of life improvement. Researchers attributed this improved quality of life to the community of support and comradery received through group exercise. As we enter in this New Year, we encourage you to seek out opportunities for group exercise, the benefits of doing so are endless. References DePolo, J. (2019). Group Exercise Improves Quality of Life More than Personal Training for Women Treated for Breast Cancer. breastcancer.org. Wharton, M. (n.d.). The Benefits of Exercise After Getting Diagnosed with Cancer. Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund, 1-4.
Evidence Update: Improved Body Image–The Benefits of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Keep Adding Up!
Phase II randomized controlled trial of hypnosis versus progressive muscle relaxation for body image after breast or gynecological cancer Body image is often negatively affected following breast cancer treatment. Research suggests that body image is most negatively impacted in women who have undergone a bilateral mastectomy, although decreases are noted across all treatment types. A November 2019 study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment looked to compare the benefits of hypnosis and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) as possible treatment tools at http://affectivebrain.com/?attachment_id=5774 for poor body image following breast and gynecological cancer treatment. The study randomized 87 women into one of two treatment groups. Both the hypnosis group and the PMR group met with a trained professional three times over the six-week period. Between individual sessions, participants listened to a 15 to 25 minute audio recording at home of either hypnosis or PMR at least three times per week. A variety of assessment measures were used at baseline to determine scores for body image, sexual function, and mood. After the six-week intervention, the researchers found that both groups showed significant improvements in their baseline measurements in all domains. Although the differences between the treatment groups were not statistically significant, the PMR improved slightly more in measurements of positive mood while the hypnosis group had larger improvements in measures related to sexual function. Overall, 42% of participants in the hypnosis group and 36% in the PMR group reported “moderate” to “very much” improvement in body image at the completion of the intervention. These scores suggest that stress relieving interventions that promote reconnecting to one’s body through the body-mind connection such as hypnosis and PMR may be effective tools for addressing lowered body image after breast cancer treatment. Barton, Debra L., et al. “Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial of Hypnosis versus Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Body Image after Breast or Gynecologic Cancer.” Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, vol. 178, no. 2, 2019, pp. 357–365., doi:10.1007/s10549-019-05395-6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31399932
Evidence Update: Impact of Art Therapies on Breast Cancer Patients
Women with breast cancer suffer from considerable stress related to diagnosis, surgery, and medical treatment. Cancer patients are increasingly turning to complementary and alternative medicine therapies to reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and boost their ability to cope with stress. Research in art therapy has shown outcomes such as an increase in self-esteem, improvement in global health, and a decrease in anxiety and depression, https://xanaxtreatanxiety.com. Different types of art interventions have been used to alleviate symptoms and treat the adverse effects in women who were diagnosed with breast cancer. A recent systematic review evaluated the benefits of art therapies on depression and quality of life in breast cancer patients. Thirteen trials with a total of 606 patients were included in the review. Arts therapies were comprised of music therapy interventions, various types of art therapy, and dance/movement therapies. Results suggest that arts therapies seem to have a positive effect on decreasing a patient’s anxiety. Another randomized control trial published in 2006 in the Journal of Palliative and Supportive Care evaluated the effects of art therapy on improving coping resources among young breast cancer patients. The study evaluated 41 women, aged 37–69 years old, with nonmetastatic primary breast cancer, who were referred for postoperative radiotherapy. Each participant was randomized to a study group with individual art therapy for 1 hour/week during postoperative radiotherapy or to a control group. The results revealed an overall increase in coping resources among women with breast cancer after taking part in the art therapy intervention. Katja Boehm, Holger Cramer, Thomas Staroszynski, and Thomas Ostermann. “Arts therapies for anxiety, depression, and quality of life in breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM vol. 2014 (2014): 10329 Öster, I., Svenska, A., Magnusson, E., Thyme, K., Sjõdin, M., Åström, S., & Lindh, J. Art therapy improves coping resources: A randomized, controlled study among women with breast cancer. Palliative and Supportive Care, 4(1), 57-64. (2006)
Evidence Update: Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors
TurningPoint was thrilled to welcome Kristin Campbell, PT, PhD to Atlanta as the guest speaker at our annual rehabilitation course on Prescribing Exercise as Medicine for Breast Cancer on October 25th and 26th. Kristin was a leader at the international multidisciplinary roundtable for the new 2019 Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Patients. The new guidelines provide a description of patients and information on evaluation, prescription and programming for exercise. The most important message of the new guidelines is to avoid inactivity and continue to exercise. They concluded that exercise training is safe for cancer survivors. The new guidelines report on the expected benefits of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise and aerobic plus resistance exercise. Aerobic exercise helps cancer patients reduce anxiety and depression symptoms, with https://nygoodhealth.com/product/ambien/ decrease fatigue and increase quality of life and perceived physical function. The recommendations for aerobic exercise are to perform the exercise at a moderate intensity, three times per week for 30 minute sessions. Resistance exercise can help decrease fatigue, increase quality of life and increase perceived physical function. The guidelines report that performing resistance exercises has no risk of exacerbating lymphedema. The recommendations for resistive exercise are a frequency of two times per week for 2-3 sets using the large muscle groups. These recommendations will serve as guide for professionals working with cancer survivors to help identify a specific exercise prescription to address common side effects of cancer. Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors Consensus Statement from International Multidisciplinary Roundtable CAMPBELL, KRISTIN L.1; WINTERS-STONE, KERRI M.2; WISKEMANN, JOACHIM3; MAY, ANNE M.4; SCHWARTZ, ANNA L.5; COURNEYA, KERRY S.6; ZUCKER, DAVID S.7; MATTHEWS, CHARLES E.8; LIGIBEL, JENNIFER A.9; GERBER, LYNN H.10,11; MORRIS, G. STEPHEN12; PATEL, ALPA V.13; HUE, TRISHA F.14; PERNA, FRANK M.15; SCHMITZ, KATHRYN H.16 Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: November 2019 – Volume 51 – Issue 11 – p 2375–2390 doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002116 https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2019/11000/Exercise_Guidelines_for_Cancer_Survivors_.23.aspx#pdf-link
