Cancer surgery reduces complications, exercise is a great help! Dr. Liu Boren: Do 2 kinds of exercises before surgery to improve immunity

There is evidence that exercise and physical activity can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and improve patient outcomes. Dr. Liu Boren, an authority in functional medicine, advises that once you are diagnosed with cancer, you will definitely feel very low and frustrated, but please try to adjust your mindset as early as possible and face the treatments that come one after another. While waiting for surgery, you may as well start exercising. He also recommends that cancer patients choose a sport that suits them, add forest therapy, or take ultra-slow jogging at home.

Dr. Liu Boren stated in his new book "Functional Medicine Cancer Treatment" that when cancer patients receive immunotherapy, moderate exercise can regulate the performance (phenotype) of immune T cells and increase overall immunity. Its effects include increasing T cells' toxic attacks on tumors and viruses, increasing T cell proliferation and activation, reducing the infiltration of suppressive bone marrow cells, promoting T cell metabolism, reducing the number of aging T cells, increasing the activity and toxicity of natural killer cells, and promoting the performance of dendritic cells that present antigens.

Once you are diagnosed with cancer, you will definitely feel very low and frustrated, but please try to adjust your mindset as early as possible to face the subsequent treatment programs. While you are waiting for surgery, start exercising!

There are many benefits for cancer patients to exercise before surgery

Studies have found that preoperative exercise therapy can help improve the success rate of surgical treatment and reduce complications caused by surgery, especially liver damage. Active exercise for four weeks before surgery can activate liver immune cells (Kupffer cells) towards anti-inflammatory phenotypes, reducing ischemia and reperfusion damage and inflammatory response that may be caused to the liver during surgery. The positive effects can last until one week after the surgery.

Understanding Aerobic Exercise vs. Anaerobic Exercise

Based on the principle that "movement is always better than no movement, and good and skillful movement is good for the body and mind", it is important to choose a sport that suits you and stick to it. Exercise is divided into aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise, which is classified according to whether a large amount of oxygen metabolism is needed to burn fat and consume calories during exercise.

When doing aerobic exercise, the heart rate needs to reach 65-85% of the maximum heart rate (220 minus age) and last for at least 20 minutes to be considered effective aerobic exercise. Activities include brisk walking, ultra-slow jogging, jogging, cycling, skipping rope, aerobics, swimming, riding a flywheel, boxing aerobics, etc.

Anaerobic exercise refers to the use of "anaerobic metabolism" to produce lactic acid for energy conversion during exercise. The heart rate will reach about 90% of the maximum heart rate, and you will feel shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat during exercise. Through high-intensity, high-explosive exercise in a short period of time, the initial muscle fiber micro-destruction process promotes muscle regeneration. This cycle can effectively increase muscle mass, so anaerobic exercise is more helpful for those who want to "gain muscle and lose fat". Projects include squats, core muscle strength training, sit-ups, push-ups, weight training, sprinting, etc.

Walking in the forest is extremely beneficial for reshaping and rehabilitation of psychological qualities. Therefore, exercise combined with forest therapy seems to be more effective in improving immunity.

Suitable exercise for cancer patients: forest walking therapy

Cancer patients often fall into a state of depression, anxiety, and frustration. At this time, walking is also a good way to heal the mind, especially walking in the forest. There was once a study that explored how a short walk in the forest affects psychological state. A total of 585 people with an average age of 21.7 participated. After comparing two different routes, one through the forest and the other in the city, each taking about 15 minutes, it was found that a short walk in the forest can significantly reduce negative emotions such as depression, frustration, tension, anxiety, anger, fatigue, confusion, and hostility. These results show that walking, especially walking in the forest, is extremely beneficial for the reshaping and rehabilitation of psychological qualities. Therefore, exercise combined with forest therapy seems to be more effective in improving immunity.

What is forest therapy?

Why does forest therapy have these benefits? The main reason is that clean air filled with negative ions and phytoncides are the two golden treasures of forest therapy. Because negative ions carry negative charges, they can combine with dust and suspended particles in the air and settle on the ground. They have the effects of activating cells, improving cerebral cortex function, and improving autonomic nervous system disorders.

Phytoncide is a volatile organic compound released by trees for self-defense, against bacteria and mold, and to reduce parasitism or gnawing by animals and insects. These include limonene released by Cryptomeria coniferous forests, or linalool released by Cinnamomum camphora broad-leaved forests, etc. They have the effects of stabilizing mood and reducing tracheal inflammation. These are treasures given to mankind by God from plants in nature, and we really need to make good use of them.

Implement slow jogging at home. Slow jogging can not only maintain muscle strength, but also increase muscle mass.

The second suitable exercise for cancer patients: ultra-slow jogging

If you don’t want to go out due to weather or air pollution, Dr. Liu Boren recommends that you can practice slow jogging at home. Slow jogging can not only maintain muscle strength, but can even increase muscle mass.

Japanese sports scholars once designed an ultra-slow jogging course, which consists of 90 minutes of ultra-slow jogging and 90 minutes of walking per week. They asked elderly people aged an average of 70 to continue this exercise pattern for 12 weeks, and then evaluated the effects on their skeletal muscles, fat composition and physical fitness. In this controlled study, it was found that elderly people who performed ultra-slow jogging had less thigh fat, more aerobic power, and more muscle composition, so this simple ultra-slow jogging exercise is recommended to the public.

The trick to ultra-slow jogging is very simple, about 160 to 180 steps in 1 minute. Readers can use the smartphone App to download the metronome software, about 3 beats in 1 second. You can stand still or move forward. Your steps should not be raised high. When stepping on the ground, the forefoot should land first, then the heel, and the knees should be slightly bent. Ultra-slow jogging has many advantages such as being easy to execute, not getting out of breath, not being restricted by venue, and being able to be done while watching TV. It is very suitable for friends who do not like sports.