Interested in learning how to prescribe personalized exercise programs tailored to your patients' unique health conditions? Talk to us!

‍

‍

I became a full blown patient long before I was a fully trained doctor.

I graduated as a medical doctor in 2009 and received my medical license a few years later. Though received is probably not the right word since it was a real struggle, especially in the aftermath of surgery and an intensive radiation treatment. But I am still alive. Never could I have imagined feeling such gratitude for these forty-plus years, or that they would feel like a long life, though my memories of the day that changed my life forever are still painful.

I woke up early that morning and cautiously opened my eyes. A sudden flash of lightning struck me and there was an explosion in my head. The slightest light was like sharp laser beams burning my eyes, while it felt like my brain was bursting. My stomach rumbled, and I started vomiting. Everything I tried to swallow just came up again.

I went to the emergency room. All blood tests were normal. The doctor examined me carefully but found nothing abnormal, so she decided I needed a brain scan. After the scan, I lay in a room and waited for the results. I thought I would be told that everything looked normal and that I could go back home.

I will never forget the message the doctor gave me a few hours later.

"It didn't look good on the CT scan", doctor Karin explained.

Her gaze. It contained an unpleasant pity.

"Really?" I said in a voice that didn't quite carry.

"There was a lesion."

Heavy silence.

"A ... lesion?" I finally managed to say.

"Mm."

The most uncomfortable silence ever.

"A tumor."

When I was first diagnosed in April 2006, the doctors had found a brain tumor the size of a lime. The shock was profound and made me want to know more. Was there anything I could have done? Is there anything I could do now? I ploughed through all the information I could find on brain tumors, followed blogs, read books written by sufferers and relatives, thumbed through all the patient folders on the ward. Some of it was uplifting but most of it was painful and left me feeling hopeless. 

The first question - was there anything I could have done - was simple. The answer was simply to ignore the question because if there was, it was a little bit too late for that. The second question - was there anything I could do now? - I actually had the answer to. I had already understood how vital a strong body and a powerful mind were. How these parts work together to create something greater than just the sum of the parts. I had considerable inner resources but lacked external support and hadn’t come across any information on how I could enhance the treatment effects or alleviate the problems they caused on my own. I didn't even think it was possible. 

Already by the second day after being admitted to the neurology department with frequent neuro checks, the headache disappeared and I didn’t need any medication. It was determined that there was no hemorrhage in the tumor and no swelling of the brain, hence there was no need for acute surgery. Instead, I spent 10 symptom-free days in the hospital waiting for the life-changing and brutal treatment by the brain surgeons.

During those ten days I did not exercise once. 

Several studies have shown that most people are paralyzed by the cancer diagnosis itself and experience a period in their lives that is less active than before. My reason for not exercising was probably about fear. Fear of ruining something, of doing something that would benefit the tumor. I had accepted the diagnosis as best I could and had the fitness and strength, but I lacked the courage. Above all, I lacked the knowledge that would definitely have shown me the way to motivation. I already saw it as a struggle and would have gladly accepted the extra challenge. Physical activity was something I was really good at, something I had spent thousands of hours on.

I needed to hear how positive it would be. I needed someone who could explain to me how important it was and that it wasn’t dangerous.

Since no one gave me this information nor pushed me in the right direction I decided to write a book about it, which 16 years later became one of my greatest achievements so far. As I started my research for the book, I was amazed by how much good evidence there was, how many studies had been conducted, and how much was actually known in 2006 when I was diagnosed. 

What I found was extraordinary. Not only that the knowledge had been around for such a long time, but also how it is not yet known to the public. As early as the 1980s, researchers saw that cardio and strength training can reduce the pain, tiredness, fatigue and other symptoms that cancer patients are at risk of experiencing. Researchers later found that quality of life and well-being improved, as well as endurance and physical strength. But the remarkable findings didn't stop there. 

In addition to fewer side effects and improved well-being, it has been shown that patients who have been randomly assigned to physical activity programs – in addition to the traditional one of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy – are more likely to be able to undergo all treatments. This in itself paves the way for a greater chance of achieving the treatment goals. There is also evidence that physical activity can enhance the cancer-killing effects of chemotherapy and radiation, and that exercise has tumor-inhibiting properties in itself.

I didn’t even know this at the time, but I just had to disregard my doctor’s advice not to exercise during my radiation treatment. Now I know how wrong that advice was, and I’m so glad I followed my intuition. That said, if I had known then what I know now, I would have been even more motivated and likely would have worked out with more structure and sometimes even higher intensity. To boost the cancer killing effects of treatments through exercise, the general rule seems to be the more the better. At the same time, anything is much better than nothing. Every minute you move matters, so you should be satisfied with every single minute you get.

Most of my training was at the gym, where I also was doing a lot of cardio and core strengthening programs with a training instructor. I now discovered yoga and other meditative exercises which I earlier didn’t even consider to be exercise. Sometimes these often low-intensity exercises were the only thing I would manage. When going through treatment, the physical exertion is somewhat self-regulating.

I went through an intense radiation treatment five days a week for six weeks, and worked out either before or after each session depending at which time they were scheduled and how I was feeling. Whole-brain radiation applies radiation to the entire brain in order to kill tumor cells, and the side effects are mainly headache, nausea, tiredness and fatigue. I experienced all of these but am sure they were much milder than they would have been without the physical activity. Another thing I rediscovered was how rejuvenating walking outdoors can be.

‍

So, what are the positive effects you get from physical activity?

‍There are a lot which indeed takes a whole book to explain, but here are some of the benefits. Exercise will:

‍

• Boost the immune system by enhancing the function and number of T-cells
• Have anti-inflammatory effects
• Normalize the tumor-induced blood vessels, making it easier for chemotherapeutic agents to reach more distant parts of tumors
• Create an uncongenial microenvironment for tumor cells
• Enhance the enzymes repairing our DNA which is important both for preventing mutations and during cancer treatments

‍

The last part is about the many treatments that target DNA which affects all dividing cells in the body, but since tumor cells have a considerably higher division rate than normal cells, they are more exposed. In addition, they do not recover as well as human cells do between treatments. Here’s a chance to exercise the enzymes to make your cells recover even better.

These are some of the things that happen biologically, but there are more stuff that you will notice faster. Studies in exercise oncology have shown that exercise amongst a lot of other things can:

‍

• Mitigate all kinds of side effects from cancer treatments
• Make patients rate higher on quality of life.
• Give patients better resilience and a greater chance of completing all planned treatments, which in turn offers the best chance to beat the cancer

‍

Something that I always mention when I coach cancer patients who want to start exercising is that you need to start from your specific conditions and experience of exercise.

Maybe you know exactly how to proceed and just need to find the motivation to get started. Maybe physical activity is completely new to you and you have no idea where or how to start. The advantage of being unfamiliar is that almost anything you do in the movement department will pay off. Anyone who wants to start exercising should of course start from where they are, but this is especially important for those who are exercising with cancer. 

There is already so much around us cancer patients and our relatives that is beyond our control. It can feel both liberating and self-fulfilling to find something concrete to do, where you might experience improvement in both the short and long term. Trust me when I say that physical activity and movement can help you, trust the research that shows that every minute you spend moving is time well spent.

It's never too late. It’s about time.

‍

---

About the Author:

Anders Södergård is a Swedish medical doctor, author, and lecturer with a unique perspective on health and wellness. Diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2006, Södergård has since become a passionate advocate for the healing power of exercise as medicine. Drawing from his own experiences, he writes about the profound impact physical activity can have, even in the face of serious illness.

In addition to his medical work, Södergård is the author of three books:

• Så mycket friskare – en sjuk bok om hälsa ("WOrking it Out - in Sickness and in Health"): A comprehensive look at health and lifestyle changes for an improved quality of life.
• Strålmannen ("X-Rayman"): A personal story of Södergård’s journey through cancer treatment, particularly radiation therapy.
• CANCERKAMPEN – boosta dig med fysisk aktivitet ("Fight Cancer - with Physical Activity"): A guide on how exercise can support cancer recovery.

Södergård is also a contributing author to Sjuk doktor ("Sick Doctor") - an anthology, compiled by Jonatan Wistrand, that delves into the personal stories of doctors who have faced illness themselves.

Through his writing and lectures, Anders Södergård continues to inspire others to prioritize both physical and mental well-being in their own lives.

---

‍

‍

Interested in learning how to prescribe personalized exercise programs tailored to your patients' unique health conditions? Talk to us!

‍