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MESSENGER POST MEDIA

BREASTCANCERAWARENESS

MOnth

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Y ogas rejuvenating and therapeutic effects make it a popular exercise regime for millions of people. For breast cancer patients and survivors, yoga not only helps control physical functions like breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, it offers some surprising benefits, too.

Yoga can improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients in several ways, said Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Ohio State University College of Medicine. Kiecolt-Glaser was the lead author of a recent study that found that yoga can lower fatigue and inflammation in breast cancer survivors. The women in the study were less fatigued than women not practicing yoga, and the more women in the study practiced yoga, the better their results.

Fatigue is a really important quality of life marker for breast cancer patients because it has such a pronounced effect on daily life. The fatigue is not like being short of sleep but rather the kind of fatigue that can permeate the day and the ability to do many daily activities, Kiecolt-Glaser said.

Fatigue fighterIts estimated that perhaps 30 to 40 percent of longer-term breast cancer survivors have debilitating fatigue after treatment, Kiecolt-Glaser said. Women stressed with fatigue are often so tired that theyre less likely to exercise.

The less they exercise, the more tired and the weaker they may

The surprising benefits of yoga for cancer patients, survivors

be, so its a downward spiral. Yoga was a way of interrupting that spiral and getting women the opportunity to learn a new skill that was not too physically demanding and that helped the fatigue substantially, she said.

Sleep issues are often commonplace in breast cancer patients and survivors much more so than their age mates in the general population who havent had cancer, said Kiecolt-Glaser. Yoga can help relieve the insomnia caused by breast cancer treatments and medications.

Stress relieverFor women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, a mind-body approach to yoga offers health benefits beyond fighting fatigue, according to research from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Women who practiced yoga exercises that incorporated controlled breathing, meditation and relaxation techniques into their treatment plan experienced improved ability to engage in daily activities, better general health and better regulation of the stress hormone cortisol. Women in the yoga group were also better equipped to find meaning in the illness experience, which declined over time for women in the other groups.

The transition from active therapy back to everyday life can be very stressful as patients no longer receive the same level of medical care and attention. Teaching patients a mind-body technique like yoga as a coping skill can make the transition less difficult, said Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, professor and director of the Integrative Medicine

The fatigue is not like being short of sleep but rather the kind of fatigue

that can permeate

the day and the ability to do

many daily activities

- Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser

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Program at MD Anderson.

What was the important ingredient in yoga that benefits breast cancer patients and survivors?

Because yoga has several different components breathing, meditative and movement or postures we dont know which of those was potentially most important. We assume they were all important or that one was more important than the others, Kiecolt-Glaser said.

Before you beginBefore starting any new workout program, women should check with a physician.

One of the nice things about yoga, especially a restorative yoga like hatha yoga training, is that it is relatively low demand in terms of physical limitation, Kiecolt-Glaser said. Check with the teacher and ask what kind of class it is and if back or other physical issues can be addressed easily in class.

. . .Think pink . . . . . . Advertising supplement to messenger post mediA for the week of october 4, 2015 pAge 2 . . . . . . Think pink.. .

Embrace Your Sisters, founded in 2006, fills a unique niche of Breast Cancer services in the Finger Lakes area. We provide emergency financial assistance for people going through breast cancer treatment.

Even with health care, many expenses are not covered. Help can be for mounting co-pays, travel expenses to get to treatment, mortgage/rent, utilities etc. Our goal is to take some financial burden off of the patient to allow them to focus on recovery.

We are an entirely volunteer board with no paid staff, dependent completely on donations from the community. All money raised, stays here in the seven county Finger Lakes area which includes Ontario, Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Steuben and Yates. EYS holds fundraising events throughout

the year which are posted on EmbraceYourSisters.org and on our Facebook page. We appreciate each and every person that volunteers and/or donates to us. Many community groups hold fundraisers for us. You may also donate on our website.

Men and BreaST cancerBreast cancer in men is rare, but it does happen. In 2015, it is estimated that among men in the U.S. there will be 2,350 new cases of invasive breast cancer, says Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Survival rates for men are about the same as for women with the same stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis. However, men are usually diagnosed at a later stage because they

are less likely to report symptoms. Treatment for men is the same as treatment for women and usually includes a combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and/or targeted therapy. Learn more about symptoms and treatment for breast cancer in men at ww5.komen.org.