Sleep and Body Movement

Sleep

You must get 7-8 sound hours of sleep each day.  When you miss or skimp on sleep your DNA is altered in unhealthy ways.  Your brain secretes melatonin at night which helps support your immune system and repair your body.  Nightshift work- perhaps through altering melatonin’s natural production cycle (produced at night)- triggers dysregulation of your natural circadian rhythms and compromises your immune system. So get your 7-8 hours of Zzzz’s even if it means a nap during the day.

Exercise & Body Movement

Do you remember what you called a “workout” when you were a kid?  Play! 

Even on dreary rainy NW days body movement will be your friend.  It increases immune supporting endorphins, helps stimulate your lymph system, clears your mind, and removes toxins from your body.  30-45 min of brisk movement 4-5 times per week makes a huge difference.  Consider Tai Chi and Yoga, swimming, dancing, and low impact movements for effective, gentle exercises.  Videos available at the library, Netflix and Amazon Prime can coach you.

  • If you have severe anemia, you should delay exercise, other than activities of daily living, until the anemia is improved. 
  • If you are in chemo, radiation, or immunotherapy your immune function is low and you will want to avoid public gyms and public pools until your white blood cell counts return to safe levels. 
  • If you are experiencing severe fatigue from your therapy, you may not feel up to an exercise program, however it is very important that you do 10 minutes of light exercises daily. 
  • If you’re undergoing radiation avoid chlorine exposure to irradiated skin (eg, from swimming pools, hot tubs). 
  • If you have an indwelling catheter or feeding tube should be cautious or avoid pool, lake, or ocean water or other microbial exposures that may result in infections, as well as resistance training of muscles in the area of the catheter to avoid dislodgment. 
  • If you have multiple or uncontrolled comorbidities (ex, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.) you’ll need modifications to your exercise program. 
  • If you have significant peripheral neuropathies or ataxia you may have a reduced ability to use the affected limbs because of weakness or loss of balance. You may do better with a stationary type exercise such as a reclining bicycle, rather than walking on a treadmill. 

 

Nutrition and Lifestyle Counseling

Treating any disease responsibly requires treating the “whole person.” Something as seemingly simple as the food we eat can impact our health within a week. You may not even be aware that the food you eat is contributing to poor health. Lack of sleep and exercise absolutely increase the risk for cancer. Stress decreases immune function within days. We’ll talk and identify areas that need improvement to strengthen your ability to fight disease.  We start with simple changes to strengthen your body’s immune system and ability to heal and build from there.