| Dear
Friends,
We hope
you are all having a wonderful winter season and are enjoying
the recent “spring-like” days!
Here
at The Cancer Survivor Center, we have been working hard “revitalizing”
our organization. In the upcoming months, you will see a few
new additions and changes to our program. With that said,
we would like to hear your opinions on various aspects of
The Cancer Survivor Center. In order to provide you with the
best possible services, we would love for you to take a moment
to fill out a short survey. Please know that all comments
will remain confidential. We look forward to hearing your
thoughts!
Please
Click Here To Open Survey
Finally,
we would like to provide you with this edition’s training
tip. Again, if you have questions regarding the tip, please
do not hesitate to contact us at any time.
Training
Tip #3:
Here
at The Cancer Survivor Center, we believe that women who have
had surgery for breast cancer should be participating in moderate
weight training and upper body exercises. Further, we have
been questioning clinical guidelines that restrict exercise
for breast cancer survivors since our inception. We are bolstered
by a research summarized below.
Moderate Weight Training Won't Worsen Lymphedema after Breast
Cancer
Breast
cancer survivors whose underarm lymph nodes are removed or
irradiated are at risk of lymphedema, a painful swelling of
the arm. Current guidelines urge them to avoid upper-body
exercise that may worsen the condition. In this trial, however,
such women who followed a six-month weight-training regimen
were no more likely than those who didn’t weight train
to suffer from lymphedema. Ahmed et al., Journal of Clinical
Oncology, 2006;24:2765-72.
The question
remains why? Lymph transport is facilitated by the same mechanism
by which blood returns to the heart; the milking action of
active skeletal muscles, pressure changes within the thorax
during breathing and valves to prevent back flow. If the guidelines
are designed to AVOID motion in the arm, how will lymph drainage
be facilitated?
While
strategies exist for lymphedema control, we believe upper
body exercise should be encouraged for breast cancer and lymphedema
control, not visa versa. For further information regarding
the appropriate and safe exercises for breast cancer survivors,
please contact us directly.
In health,
Riggs
Resources
How
Super are “Superfoods?”
These
days consumers are continually tempted to purchase the newest
“superfood” on the market. These foods “promise”
health and healing, but do they really live up to their
expectations?
College
Scholarships Available for Young Cancer Survivors
A cancer diagnosis often comes with various degrees of financial
hardship. Fortunately, there are many resources available
to help those in need. College-bound survivors are now eligible
for various scholarships and other financial assistance.
For more information, please view this article.
Betty
Ford Breast Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Symposium
April 3-5, 2008, the Betty Ford Breast Cancer Treatment
and Survivorship Symposium will be held in Beaver Creek.
For session information and additional details, please view
the conference website.
Refresh
and Renew Program at Anderson Ranch “Concept:
Life-threatening illness amplifies the connection between
human suffering, resiliency and the process of recovery.
Illness and the resulting pain can open us to our body’s
capacity to feel itself more deeply. Art and yoga, when
combined, offer a way to enter the truth of this dialectic
by recognizing that there is opportunity within any crisis.”
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