Being a cancer survivor brings its own set of challenges that can affect every aspect of your life. Join Ciaran Fairman, alongside leading researchers, doctors, health professionals and cancer survivors themselves, as they bring you the latest in exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle behaviors to reduc…
Dr. Parr is a postdoctoral research fellow with the Exercise and Nutrition Research Program at The Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research. We chat about her research into exercise, intermittent fasting, protein metabolism and body composition. Keep up with Evelyn: Twitter @ev_parr Me: Twitter/Instagram: @ciaranfairman
Dave is an Assistant Professor at Jacksonville University, specialising in exercise endocrinology. We chat about the hypogonadal condition in male athletes and how this relates to those with cancer. Keep up with Dave JU Profile: https://www.ju.edu/directory/david-hooper.php Twitter: @DavidRHooperPhD Me: Instagram/Twitter: @ciaranfairman
Z is the brains behind Barbells for Boobs, a company aimed at providing support for women with breast cancer. I chat to her about the highs and lows of growing her company. BFB: https://www.barbellsforboobs.org/ Z: https://www.instagram.com/zionna/ Me: Twitter/Instagram: @ciaranfairman
Keep up with Karen: https://www.mapletreecanceralliance.org/ Follow me: https://twitter.com/CiaranFairman
I chat to Dr. Emer Guinan about her research in exercise and oesophagogastric cancer Keep up with Emer: https://twitter.com/emguinank Find out more about the work at Trinity: https://www.tcd.ie/medicine/physiotherapy/research/exercise-oncology.php Check out their masters course in Cancer Survivorship: https://www.tcd.ie/medicine/physiotherapy/postgraduate/msc-cancer-survivorship/
Dr. Elizabeth Muenks is a clinical psychologist in Kansas Cancer Center. In this episode, we cover a broad area of topics including the psychology of cancer in those diagnosed and their caregivers, how psychology fits in cancer care, and minority issues and multicultural competency. Keep up with Liz: http://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/psychiatry-and-behavioral-sciences/diversity-committee.html Keep up with me: Twitter: @ciaranfairman Web: www.ciaranfairman.com
Dr. Kristen Ness is a researcher at St. Judes Childrens Hospital in Memphis Tenessee. In this episode, we chat about unique aspects of childhood cancer, some of the long term side effects of treatment, and what Dr. Ness' team is doing to manage this. Keep up with Dr. Ness: https://www.stjude.org/directory/n/kirsten-ness.html Keep up with Me: Twitter: @ciaranfairman
Jesper is a researcher in Exercise Oncology at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. In this Episode, we chat about the strength of evidence in exercise oncology and the importance of designing strong research projects. Keep up with Jesper ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jesper_Frank_Christensen Twitter: https://twitter.com/jfc_science
Jesper is a researcher in Exercise Oncology at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. In this Episode, we chat about prehabilitation in cancer and Jespers trial looking at rehabilitation in individuals undergoing resection for gastro-esophageal (GE)-cancer. Keep up with Jesper ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jesper_Frank_Christensen Twitter: https://twitter.com/jfc_science
Dr Camille Short is a behavioural scientist based at the University of Melbourne where she holds a joint appointment between the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences and Melbourne School of Health Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding health behaviours from a psychological and public health perspective and building scalable technology based interventions to support healthy lifestyle changes to prevent and manage chronic diseases.
Dr. Carla Prado, PhD, RD is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, a Campus Alberta Innovates (CAIP) Chair in Nutrition, Food and Health, and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator. She is the Director of the Human Nutrition Research Unit, a state-of-the-art research and training facility. Her laboratory is dedicated to the study of nutrient intake, energy metabolism and skeletal muscle and adipose tissue dynamics and its effect on health. Kenneth Fearon's research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kenneth_Fearon?_iepl%5BgeneralViewId%5D=gLx6xfnBEx8BGDDNW57g8XPPE7kdtNWmz9Dl&_iepl%5Bcontexts%5D%5B0%5D=searchReact&_iepl%5BviewId%5D=WCh34aUOvwPkH3hIQ4dFgeFo9s9n9vRx2fUA&_iepl%5BsearchType%5D=researcher&_iepl%5Bdata%5D%5BcountLessEqual20%5D=1&_iepl%5Bdata%5D%5BinteractedWithPosition1%5D=1&_iepl%5Bdata%5D%5BwithoutEnrichment%5D=1&_iepl%5Bposition%5D=1&_iepl%5BrgKey%5D=AC%3A10050238&_iepl%5BinteractionType%5D=profileView
Professor Robert Newton, is and Associate Dean at Medical and Exercise Sciences and Research Professor, Exercise Medicine Research Institute at Edith Cowan University Perth, Western Australia. We chat about the history of exercise oncology, Rob's research line and how he built his institute and what he feels are important areas moving forward. ECU exercise oncology courses: https://www.ecu.edu.au/degrees/courses/master-of-exercise-medicine-oncology Follow rob on twitter @ProfRobNewton
Kikkan Randall is an American, Olympic champion cross-country skier. Kikkan won a gold medal in the winter olypmics in 2018. A few months later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In this episode, we chat about her experiences as an olympian, along with her cancer diagnosis and how she moved through treatment.
Kerri is a Professor with the OHSU School of Nursing and is Co-Director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute's Community Partnership Program and Co-Leader of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute's Cancer Prevention and Control Program. In this episode, we chat about her previous research research aimed at delivering exercise interventions targeted at bone health. We also chat about some of her work investigation couples exercising together. Keep up with Kerri on twitter @winters_stone
Alex Ireland is a Senior Lecturer within the School of Healthcare Science at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). His main research interest is in bone mechanoadaptation and the influence of muscular forces on bone loading, assessed using imaging techniques and measurement of neuromuscular function and biomechanics. In this episode, we chat about all things bone physiology and stimulus for adaptation.
Dr. Eric Rawson is a professor and department chair at Messiah College in PA and is a world-renowned expert in the area of nutrition, exercise and supplementation. In this episode, we chat about creatine supplementation, the mechanisms, safety and effects on muscle strength, hypertrophy and other broad ranging health benefits. Keep up with Eric on twitter @EricRawsonPhD
Dr. James Steele is an Associate Professor of Sports and Exercise Science at Southampton Solent University and Principal Investigator at ukactive Research Institute. In this episode, we chat about the minimum dose approach to resistance exercise, measuring effort during exercise and discuss the latest physical activity guidelines. Catch James on twitter @JamesSteeleII EP 53 | Dr. James Steele: Minimal dose approach to resistance training. Can we actually measure effort?
Jennifer McQuade is an Assistant Professor and Physician Scientist in Melanoma Medical Oncology. In this episode, we chat about all things body composition, gut microbiome and cancer. We talk about how weight may be linked to survival in Melanoma. In addition, Jen gives a masterclass in the gut microbiome and how it may enhance the therapeutic effect of certain cancer therapies. Find Jen on twitter @mcquadeMDLAc or email jmcquade@mdanderson.org
Morten Quist is a physiotherapist clinician-researcher with expertise in exercise for patients with cancer. Besides his research he has co-founded and co-created two exercise communities in Denmark (Proof of Life and PACT) for both cancer survivors and patients with cancer. In this episode, we chat about his research investigating exercise in lung cancer, how this resulted in individuals with cancer undergoing chemotherapy getting access to exercise, and some of the community programs he has set up in Denmark. Follow Morten on twitter @QuistMorten.
Jessica Scott is a principal investigator out of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she investigates the effects of aerobic exercise in various types of cancers. In this episode, we chat about the mechanisms of cardiotoxicity in cancer and how aerobic exercise can have a protective effect. We also talk about a recent study from their lab investigating aerobic exercise in individuals with metastatic breast cancer.
Keith is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Kinesiology & Biology at Loras College. He is also the Director of the Loras Cancer Research & Exercise Science Laboratory (CARES Lab), where his research agenda focuses globally on the role of physical activity and sedentary behavior on health outcomes specific to cancer survivorship. In this episode we chat about the details of the exercise oncology twitter conference this October, including dates, how to's and participation information! Follow Keith on Twitter @KTB_PhD For more information on the exercise oncology conference, check out www.exonctc.com or @ExOncTc on twitter
Anna Campbell is a senior lecturer at Edinburg Napier University and the founder of CanRehab, a company that provides education and training for health and fitness professionals interested in exercise oncology. In this episode, we chat about Anna’s background and the evolution of CanRehab. We chat about some of the real world challenges with working in this space, particularly with establishing lines of communication with medical staff for referrals. Find Anna at www.canrehab.co.uk or on twitter @canrehab
In this episode, I chat to Tormod about some of his groups work in resistance exercise and prostate cancer. We also chat about how we can do a better job of reporting our exercise trials, particularly in regards to modified sessions, where participants don't reach the desired dose or intensity of exercise. This is a really important area that will strength the impact of our research. Check out Tormod on twitter @TSNils Some of Tormods publications we talked about: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25927504 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29315168
Cancer doesn't just affect the person diagnosed; it can affect the whole family. In this episode, Tori and Khara offer incredible insight into what it's like to be a primary caregiver for someone diagnosed with cancer. Moreover, Tori and Khara both lost their mothers to breast and ovarian cancer, respectively, while both women were in college. We chat about this experience to lose a parent at such a young age, going through that grieving process and how that experience has given both women purpose to pursue fields in oncology.
In this episode, myself, Mark and Chris chat about everything from the patient perspective on cancer care and the transition to survivorship, to factors such as environmental layout and technological advances that influence healthy behaviours.
Ken Martin was diagnosed with two different types of cancer (Lymphomas: Follicular Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; and Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma). An avid endurance athlete, Ken (having read research that demonstrated exercise could help during chemotherapy), convinced his physicians to let him bring his stationary bike into the chemo ward to exercise during chemotherapy. We chat about how and why Ken decided to do this, along with how it was received by the medical staff.
Tarina was diagnosed with Terminal Cancer three years ago at the age of 31. In this episode, we chat about the challenges of living with a terminal diagnosis at such a young age.
Liz is a breast cancer surgeon located in England. In 2015, she was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at the age of 40. In this episode, we chat about how Liz’s diagnosis not only changed her life, but how she speaks to and treats her patients. This was a great chat about how Liz balanced being a doctor and patient, while also training for a triathlon during treatment!
Anna Beery is a registered dietitian working in radiation oncology at Ohio State University. The majority of Anna’s patients are head and neck (HNC) cancer patients. The treatment for HNC presents some unique challenges: with radiation affecting the swallowing muscles, making swallowing painful and difficult. Taste changes also make a lot of food unpalatable. The result of this is that HNC patients experience dramatic weight loss, particularly with muscle mass, with a profound impact on prognosis and quality of life. In this episode, we chat about how Anna and the RD’s at OSU use nutrition to try and prevent some of these changes, along with the difficulties of working with patients undergoing treatment. A fascinating chat for me, I hope you enjoy it!
Dr. Prue Cormie has been one of the leaders in the field of exercise oncology for many years now. She has carried out a wealth of research looking at how exercise can improve physical and mental health in individuals with cancer both during and after treatment. In this episode, we chat about how exercise (particularly higher levels) are linked to increased survival in cancer survivors. We also chat about EX-MED Cancer, a program that Prue has rolled out in Melbourne, Australia. EX-MED is a free community based exercise program for cancer survivors that is grounded in the latest scientific evidence. EX-MED also looks to become the gold standard of education for professionals as they provide webinars and continuing education for people working in this area. For more on EX-MED, visit http://www.exmedcancer.org.au/ and keep up with Prue on twitter @pruecormie
We're back for 2018! In this episode, I chat about plans for the upcoming year, including guests, content and goals for the podcast.
Tori is a good friend of mine and we’ve grown close over the past 3 years through a shared passion for the field of exercise oncology. Tori lost her mother to breast cancer in 2012 after an 8 year battle. Tori used this experience to drive her career forward. She found her passion in exercise oncology research, set up HeroCancerHealth and has partnered with Grandview ProFitness to offer free exercise classes to cancer survivors in the Columbus, Ohio area. HeroCancerHealth is an online platform with the goal to provide an education and understanding of safe and effective exercises and recommendations for accompanying and managing existing cancer treatment, reducing cancer risk, and enhancing overall survivorship. We talk about Tori’s experience with her mother’s passing and how this influenced her personal ambition and professional goals. A huge thanks to Tori for tackling a difficult topic and speaking about the difficulty of losing a parent, along with how she turned this adversity into a positive experience moving forward. Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ciaran-fairman/reach-podcast Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reach-research-in-exercise-and-cancer-health/id1223832935?mt=2
Allison is an MD, PhD and a fellow in Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In this fascinating conversation, we talk about how exercise may affect tumor vasculature and improve the delivery of common cancer treatments. Allison’s work (along with folks such as Lee Jones) is leading the way in looking to the mechanisms of how exercise can modify the tumor microenvironment. As a clinician, Allison talks about how the role of exercise in cancer care is viewed through the lens of oncologists. We have a great chat about how if we’re going to view exercise as medicine, we need to treat it with the same rigor we do with any other drug. A huge thanks to Allison for donating her time and offering a unique perspective to exercise oncology!
Sam Ryan is a radiation therapist with extensive experience, working daily with cancer patients receiving radiation treatment to ensure they’re getting the highest quality treatment. Sam reached out to me after hearing some of our episodes, and did a great job of educating me on how body weight changes during treatment can affect both the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation therapy. Some of their margins for error can be less than 2mm, so it’s easy to see how swings in bodyweight either way, may change the shape of the body and shift the targeted area. A really important discussion for anyone working with cancer patients. A huge thanks to Sam for the chat and sharing her knowledge! Get in touch with Sam at samantharyan123@hotmail.com
Nicole is a physical therapist who specializes in cancer rehabilitation. She has done an incredible amount of work in the area of lymphedema and working to improve this area of cancer care. We chat about what lymphedema is, recognizing signs and symptoms, and common exercises used to treat it. We also talk about Nicole’s work using a prospective surveillance model or rehabilitation, screening for and treating issues as they arise. This progressive model can drastically reduce the physical and financial burden of rehab for patients, getting back to full health quicker.
Erica was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia the last semester of her senior year of college, after months of false tests and uncertainty. A little over 3 years on, Erica is now a third year medical student at Ohio State, currently finishing up her clinical rotations. We chat about her incredible from before her diagnosis, through a grueling treatment regimen, to where she is now. I can’t thank Erica enough for her honesty in sharing her story, I’m sure people will take a lot from this! Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ciaran-fairman/reach-podcast Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reach-research-in-exercise-and-cancer-health/id1223832935?mt=2
I often get asked by patients and survivors where they can go to find a trainer with a background or understanding of cancer. It's a great question that has a longer answer. The field is still new, so there's not a lot of us out there yet, but that doesn't mean you can find a great trainer with different background expertise that can help you a lot. Similarly, a lot of people with the most "expertise" tend to be researchers, so they don't have the time to be hands on personal trainers. I chat about this, what to look for in a good coach/trainer and more.
Dr. Mike DeLisio is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa, focusing on how exercise alters stem cell interactions with their niche in the context of cancer and cancer therapy. Mike is also a cancer survivor, 4 years removed from a diagnosis of myxoid liposarcoma, a pretty rare form of fat cancer. Mike was 30 years old fresh out of his PhD in exercise physiology when he first got diagnosed. In typical young male fashion, he didn’t want any sympathy or pity and just chose to dig his heels in, push through his treatment without telling many people. We end up having a great chat about his mindset during his diagnosis, the treatment and how much of a psychological effect of these factors around cancer can have. He also gives an interesting insight into how his diagnosis and the thought of recurrence affect some of his bigger life decisions. I can’t thank Mike enough for his honesty, I think a lot of people will take a great deal from his story. Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reach-research-in-exercise-and-cancer-health/id1223832935?mt=2 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ciaran-fairman/reach-podcast
Louise is a Chartered Physiotherapist who received a BSc in Physiotherapy from Trinity College Dublin in 2009. Since then, she has been working clinically in the National Health Service in London and Kent. In this episode, we chat about the CATCH ITN project, funding 8 PhD researchers, and how technology can work in cancer rehab. We also chat about how Louise works with cancer patients directly after to surgery to improve upper limb dysfunction. Louise gives a great insight into some of the strategies employed to improve function in the affected limb as soon as the day after surgery.
This was one of my favorite episodes yet! Colleen is doing some incredible things at the Hope Garden in Columbus, providing cancer patients and survivors access to harvest fruits and vegetables. The best thing about this garden is that it is free for any cancer patient or survivor, even those who aren’t treated at Ohio State, or aren’t participating in a study. So, if you know of someone who might be interest, pass them on the info below! One of the most interesting things we talk about is a current study they’re working with where they’re actually providing cancer patients and survivors with 16 ounces of red meat a week and looking its effects on a variety of health outcomes. The red eat and cancer risk is a hot topic, but has a lot of misconceptions and is not as clear cut as the media tries to make it, so it was great to be able to dive into that with Colleen. Keep up with the Hope Garden here: http://spees11.wixsite.com/hope Follow me on twitter for all cancer-related content @ciaranfairman Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ciaran-fairman/reach-podcast Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reach-research-in-exercise-and-cancer-health/id1223832935?mt=2
Dr. Amy Kirkham is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Alberta. In this episode, we chat about chemotherapy based periodization and how to modify exercise according to chemotherapy cycles and how you're feeling. We also chat about the role of exercise in mitigating cardiovascular toxicity from chemotherapy.
In this episode I dive a little deeper into some of the considerations (both cancer and non-cancer related) for putting together a program for a cancer patient or survivor. I chat about how the cancer type, treatment and point along the cancer continuum can affect the exercise prescription, and the goals of that phase of training. For more about us go to www.reachbeyondcancer.com or follow me on twitter @CiaranFairman.
In this episode, I chat about one of the areas of cancer care can be improved in changing how we deliver information about exercise for cancer patients and survivors. A pamphlet telling them to exercise isn’t enough, we need to do better.
We chat about what Rob’s role as the Head of Research and the type of research the Irish Cancer Society funds. We also talk about how to sift through common cancer myths and how to improve the communication of the scientific evidence to combat fear mongering and quacks. To hear what the Irish Cancer Society is up to check out www.cancer.ie or follow Robert on Twitter @DrRobertOConnor. Be sure to check out the Decoding Cancer talks on Irish Cancer Society facebook page for great free information on all things cancer. Show notes: 3:30 – Robert’s background and what he does as head of research as the Irish Cancer Society 5:40 – The Irish Cancer Society’s four areas of intervention 8.40 - How has the public’s awareness of risk factors for cancer changed and what impact has the internet/social media had? 13.05 – Scare tactics in spreading information about cancer risk. 18.30 – How to improve the communication of scientific evidence in areas of cancer. 33.30 – Common cancer myths debunked: cancer is not a single disease, modern life doesn’t cause cancer etc. 45:00 – Lifestyle behaviors and cancer risk – don’t take it so serious. Having flexibility to improve quality of life. 51:00 – Some of the more important areas of inquiry to improve cancer care in Ireland. 56:00 – Decoding Cancer – Free talks to the general public about all areas of cancer research
Justin is a research fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Research Institute. In this episode, we chat about colorectal cancer and how diet and exercise can help patients and survivors. We also chat about some important considerations for working with this population, such as working around ostomy bags and how to modify exercise accordingly. Show Notes 0:30 – Colorectal cancer – What it is and what are some modifiable risk factors. 5:00 – Treatment of colorectal cancer and common side effects. 8:00 – Staging of cancer and their effects on the course of treatment. 12:00 – Making sense of a messy field – recommendations for dietary patterns to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. 18.00 – How physical activity can help colorectal cancer patients and survivors. 24.00 – What might be happening biologically with exercise in colorectal cancer patients to stop cancer from growing. 38.00 – Side effects of treatment unique to colorectal cancer and common modifications to exercise. 47:00 – Exercise considerations with an ostomy bag. 49.00 – Cancer and its treatment don’t make exercise dangerous, they just provide scenarios to problem solve and modify exercise accordingly. 51.00 – What are the barriers to establishing exercise as a standard of cancer care. 59.00 – Advice to colorectal cancer patients/survivors looking to start an exercise program.
In part 2 of our interview, myself and Nicole chat about one of the biggest areas of improvement in our field, improving the communication of our research. We chat about establishing relationships with physicians and oncologists along with educating health professionals on working the cancer patients and survivors. See what Nicole’s up to at www.thrivehealthservices.com or follow her on twitter @NCulosReed. Find out more about us at www.reachbeyondcancer.com or find me on twitter @ciaranfairman.
If you haven’t listened to part 1 of Kylee’s interview, go check out episode 15. Kylee is in the final year of her dermatology residency. Having moved to Columbus a few years ago, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In part 2 of the interview, we chat about how Kylee balanced her residency whilst going through treatment, how she modified her exercise during treatment and what it was like trying to eat during chemo. We have an important discussion about the meat to sandwich ratio at Jimmy John’s, along with Kylee’s perspective on keto during cancer treatment. A huge thanks to Kylee for sharing her story! For more cancer and health related topics, find me on twitter @ciaranfairman, or go to reachbeyondcancer.com to find out more about what we do. Show notes 4.00 – Balancing cancer treatment and residency coursework. 7.00 – When the more pronounced side effects of chemo (such as hair loss) started to kick in. 10.40 – Reflecting on the journey through treatment and her mindset throughout. 16.00 – Modifying exercise during treatment. 19.00 – Getting a blood clot and receiving treatment. 22.00 – The challenges of being a physician with worried parents. 26.30 – Listening to your body with exercise during treatment. 29.00 – Trying to eat during treatment and some of the challenges with it. Very important discussion surrounding Jimmy John’s meat to sandwich ratio. 32.00 – Kylee’s perspective on ketogenic diet during cancer treatment. 34.00 – Not getting special treatment and how it was important to Kylee that people treated her “normally”. 38.00 – Some of the side effects a year out of treatment. 42.00 – Kylee’s perspective on exercising during treatment and how to establish exercise as a standard of care. Making exercise fit a person.
Sami Mansfield is a cancer exercise specialist and founder of Cancer Wellness for Life. She provides educational content about cancer wellness to clinical staff in hospitals and organizations, along with patients and survivors. Sami also runs “BUILD” a functional program run through a crossfit gym in Kansas, that is designed to combat treatment related side effects and improve the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. In this episode, we chat about Sami’s programs, how she started collaborating with hospitals and what the BUILD program does for cancer patients and survivors. Find out more about Sami at www.cancerwellnessforlife.com, @cancerwellnessforlife on Instagram and @bewellwithsami on twitter. Keep up with us at reachbeyondcancer.com or follow me on twitter @ciaranfairman. Sami Show notes 3:30 – Sami’s background & how she got started working with cancer patients and survivors. 6.00 – Cancer terminology is like learning a new language. 8.45 – How moving into survivorship can be a really challenging period. 10.00 – Challenges with research based exercise prescription & getting physician buy-in. 15.30 – Physical activity guidelines is not on physicians, it’s on exercise physiologists. 19.30 – What do we mean when we say strength training for cancer patients. The risk of inactivity by far outweighs the risks of exercises. 25.00 – Improving the translation of research – moving beyond professionals talking to each other. 26.00 – Sami’s Cancer Wellness for Life program: what it is and what she does. 40.00 – 5 year survival rates have improved across a lot of cancer - but we care about quality of life, not just quantity. 44:00 – Sami’s BUILD program and working with cancer patients and survivors. 52.00 – The community aspect of BUILD and crossfit. 56.00 – People looking to join the BUILD program – what to expect. 61.00 Advice for professionals getting into the area.
Trista graduated from the University of Northern Colorado, where she spent a lot of her time working in the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute. In this episode, we chat about Trista’s PhD dissertation where she looked at the difference between perceptual fatigue and muscular fatigue to try and get a deeper understanding of cancer related fatigue. We also spend a lot of time chatting about a phased approach to cancer-rehabilitation. This approach, divides the rehabilitation into different stages based on where the patient is during their treatment and how they are responding to the rehab protocol. This is some really cool stuff that the RMCRI have been working on for a while and may very well serve as a model of cancer rehab in the future. You can find Trista on facebok here or email here at tolson@stcloudestate.edu for more infor on what’s she’s up to. Follow me on twitter @CiaranFairman to hear about more things exercise and cancer. Enjoy! Show notes 6:05 What is cancer related fatigue? 7:45 What causes cancer related fatigue? 10:45 Does cancer type have any effect on fatigue? 12:00 The difference between normal tiredness and fatigue 13:00 How exercise can help alleviate fatigue 18:10 Why it is important to educate patients about the symptoms they will face from treatment 21:00 Trista’s Dissertation 30:00 Phased approach to cancer rehab 32:15 What does a phase one patient’s exercise program look like? 37:15 Moving to phase two 44:00 Dealing with muscular imbalances and other complications from treatment 49:00 Phase three 51:00 The importance of working towards independence 53:45 Frequently asked questions by patients as they start to do more on their own 56:15 Common misconceptions about cancer and exercise 57:15 Trista’s advice for upcoming professionals and for patients/survivors
Kylee is in the final year of her dermatology residency. Having moved to Columbus a few years ago, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. We chat about how she balanced her cancer treatments, along with planning a wedding at the same time! Kylee’s background training as a physician gave her a unique perspective on her diagnosis and treatment and actually ended up influencing some of her treatment decisions, including avoiding a bone marrow biopsy! Her training also allowed her to give a really clear description of some of the common cancer treatments, what they are and why you need them. We have an important talk about the need for patients to continuously ask questions of their physicians to make sure they understand what they’re going through. A huge thanks to Kylee for sharing her story! For more cancer and health related topics, find me on twitter @ciaranfairman, or go to reachbeyondcancer.com to find out more about what we do. Show notes 4.00 – Kylee’s journey through med school and her diagnosis. 7.45 – The power of the snooze button – We talk about people who use the snooze button vs. people who don’t. We talk strategies to optimize morning snoozing. 9.30 – Kylee finding a lump in her throat and getting it checked out. 12.15 – Getting two diagnoses – The day Kylee got her CT results and the day she got her biopsy results. 21.00 – How her training as a physician affected her response to the diagnosis and treatment decisions. 23.40 – NCCN guidelines on cancer treatment and how they influence treatment decisions. 27.40 – Having to work following her diagnosis. 28.40 – Going through with treatment decisions – Pre-chemotherapy tests and decisions. 31.40 – Patients need to ask more questions about their treatment decisions. 33.40 – Going through treatment – what Kylee’s chemo looked like and how it went. 41.40 – Balancing chemo and residency as a physician.
Patricia is a PhD researcher at Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland. Patricia is finishing up her dissertation, where she looked at a physical activity program to improve symptoms of cancer-related fatigue. In this episode, we focus on cancer-related fatigue, what it is, how it’s different from regular tiredness and how it can affect different people. We chat about Patrica’s dissertation work and how physical activity can improve fatigue. We also chat about the state of cancer rehabilitation in Ireland and what services are out there for cancer patients/survivors. You can find Patricia on twitter @FERNTRI or through email at patricia.sheehan@postgrad.wit.ie You can also find the MedEx program in Waterford here: https://www.wit.ie/schools/health_sciences/medexwit. Find me on twitter at @CiaranFairman or go to reachbeyondcancer.com to find out more about what we do. This episode doesn’t have an intro, I came down with a devastating case of the man-flu over the weekend, so I’m not able to speak to put one up. This episode is sponsored by Lampstrong.com. The LampStrong Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Major League Soccer Goalkeeper and Stage Four Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivor Matt Lampson. The mission of The LampStrong Foundation is to provide difference-making financial, emotional and motivational support to cancer patients and families in all the stages of cancer treatment and recovery as well as to fund proven cancer researchers. For more information and regular updates on the LampStrong Foundation follow the LampStrong Foundation on Facebook or visit LampStrong.com. 1.00 – What is Cancer Related Fatigue, what are the symptoms, how long does it last, what causes it etc. 5.00 – Where should exercise advice for cancer patients/survivors come from? 7.00 – Different dimensions of cancer-related fatigue, whether its emotional, cognitive or physical fatigue, and how those patterns fluctuate during treatment. 11.29 – The transition from active treatment to survivorship and how patients/survivors can feel lost and isolated. 15.35 – Patricia’s study looking at physical activity and cancer-related fatigue. 28.45 – Fit and active cancer patients – dealing with exercise tolerance going down. 36.00 – Turning her research into a public service program at Waterford Institute of Technology. 44.00 – State of cancer rehab in Ireland. Where the field is and what is available for patients/survivors. 51.00 – The influence of policy on establishing exercise oncology as a standard of care.