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Patients get in shape for cancer treatment

 

EVANSTON, Ill., Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Most U.S. patients diagnosed with cancer don't ask their physicians if they are physically, nutritionally or mentally fit for treatment, but they should.

 

Cancer treatment is so physically and psychologically debilitating that nearly 33 percent of patients undergoing chemotherapy quit before completing the regimen, according to Dr. Keith I. Block, director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, a cancer rehab program that gets patients in shape before, during and after their rigorous cancer treatments.

 

"Just as a surgeon would prefer a patient be as nutritionally, physically and psychologically fit as possible before undergoing surgery, it follows that a physician treating cancer would want the same for their patients," Block says. "The stronger the patient, the better chance they have of withstanding the treatments used to fight their disease."

 

The program includes: proper nutrition, supplements and a fitness program that may include aerobics, weight training, meditation, Tai chi, yoga or stretching exercises. In addition, there is psychological support and counseling to get through treatment, according to Block.