Exercise Improves Fatigue for Cancer Survivors
Medscape Medical News (2010, March 12)

A group of newly diagnosed non-metastatic cancer survivors participated in a randomized study on the benefits of exercise on fatigue. 68 participants were assigned to the exercise group and 58 were assigned to the usual-activity group. Participants in the exercise group were asked to walk briskly for 10 minutes, increasing to 30 minutes over the course of the study, five days a week. The walking was designed to reach 50% to 70% of maximum heart rate. Results of the study showed increased aerobic exercise to be significantly associated with less fatigue. Participants who exercised throughout the study period reported having 7.5% more energy than when they started.


Participating in Pleasant Social Programs Can Improve Mood
Journal General Internal Medicine 2009:24 (Suppl. 2): 417-424

1,801 cancer patients diagnosed with major depression took part in a study on the effects of collaborative care on depression. Half of the patients were randomized to usual care consisting of antidepressants and referrals to mental health services, the other half to collaborative care. The collaborative care program involved a depression care manager (DCM), antidepressants, structured psychotherapy program of six to eight sessions, and scheduling pleasant events to overcome avoidance behaviors. Patients were monitored every two weeks during treatment and monthly thereafter. A year later patients in the collaborative care group were twice as likely to have responded to their depression treatment as those in the usual care group and reported significantly more days free from depression. In addition, there was a decrease in suicidal thoughts in the collaborative care group as compared to an increase in the usual care group.


NEW. Nutrition Bites by Christine Sardo, MPH, RD,
Partnerships and Policies Director at The Canyon Ranch Institute in Tucson, AZ

Berry Good For You!

Why berries for cancer prevention? The reasons are many, starting with the high concentration of nutrients such as vitamin C, selenium, zinc, folate, and a host of non-nutritive substances that work together to produce an effect that is greater than any one of the phytochemicals on their own.

Berries have a profound effect on human health. Berries, like all food that we consume, have a physiologic effect on our bodies and can affect the way we express certain genes, release hormones and regulates many other cellular processes including inflammation. As Hippocrates said, “let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” There is tremendous truth to this statement.