Subscribe to our feed

Importance of Exercise and Nutrition Before Starting Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment

by Purva Mewar | Mesothelioma | Thursday, January 11th, 2007

Please Bookmark: del.icio.us Digg Reddit Google Rojo Technorati Yahoo!  

 

Before starting mesothelioma cancer treatment, it’s very important for the patient to be as healthy as possible so that she/he is in a better position to receive and respond to the treatment. A good diet combined with exercises can improve & uplift health, mood and strength of the patient. Healthy Nutrition and Exercise improves physical and emotional well being of a patient to a great extent.

An expert can best work out a good Diet and Exercise Plan for mesothelioma cancer patient. Their diet and workout charts will not look like ours and therefore its best left to a professional or specialist to advise the patient. We as friends or family members should reduce our roles to encouraging the patient to stick to the routine suggested by doctor so that he can build better strength to cope with the disease and treatment.

The above two things, i.e. diet and exercise plan depend upon various factors like, the stage of mesothelioma cancer, the kind of treatment the patients wants to go in for. Factors like age, gender, other medical complications and allergies, previous medical record of the patient will have an important role to play.

The diet chart for mesothelioma cancer patients may have no resemblance with a diet recommended for a healthy person. Again the diet will depend upon the factors like age of the patient and stage of cancer. What suits one may not be good for the other. Therefore it is best left of nutrition or diet specialist to do the job. Remember wrong advice can cost and cause loss of life.

 

Mesothelioma cancer patients are normally suggested diet that includes intake of higher protein and calorie content. A cancer patient may be asked to add more eggs, cheese and whole milk, additional sauces, gravies and salad dressings to the diet. Likewise changing the cooking method may also be recommended. Adding more margarine, oil and butter may be advised. Items with high fiber may be discourages as it can aggravate treatment-related side effects like sore mouth or diarrhea. Such revisions are made in the diet program because it helps the patient to build strength to fight the disease and treatment better.

Researchers have observed that antioxidants such as carotenoids and beta–carotene in foods may act as a protective shield. American Cancer Society suggests 4-5 meals containing fruits, whole grains rather than processed gains, sugar and veggies. Limited intake of red and fatty meat. NO salt-cured food. No Pickles or smoked food items. Cancer patients need more protein therefore include lean meat, fish, and low–fat dairy products in diet.

It has been observed time and again by a panel of experts that exercises like short walks or as recommended by qualified professionals result in improving strength of muscle, result in reducing fatigue, anxiety and stress. Another study showed that with the help of exercise patient’s survival times could be improved by bolstering his/her immune system. Again before preparing a workout or exercise plan for mesothelioma cancer patient, it is necessary to consider the age, stage and other medical complications of the patient.

Complementary therapies like meditation, massage & relaxation techniques can be used in combination with the conventional medical treatments. In some cases it improves physical and emotional strength of a patient dramatically. Research Organizations working on alternate or complimentary therapies may have different views but it’s been observed in many real life situations that these alternative treatments help the patient in improving the quality of life during a very stressed phase of life. Which may be least important for some while most important for others.

No Comments

No comments yet.

Leave a comment