Medication Side Effects and Lifestyle Treatment Options

Lifestyle Changes for Prostate Cancer Dr. Kevin Zorn, MD, FRCSC, FACS, Urologist

If you have prostate cancer, hormone therapy, active surveillance, surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy may be a part of your treatment plan. But there are also certain lifestyle changes you can make that may help:

Prostate cancer treatments can have several side effects. For example, men who are undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) may experience a reduction of muscle mass, unwanted weight gain and an increased risk of osteoporosis. Certain prostate cancer medications, radiation therapy or chemotherapy can cause fatigue. Exercise can help you manage or reduce these side effects.

Even if you aren’t experiencing side effects from prostate cancer treatment, exercise can still be beneficial for your physical and mental health.

Depending on your situation, your physician may refer you to a qualified clinical exercise physiologist. Using exercise as a tool may help you:

● Reduce fatigue ● Improve heart health ● Increase strength, flexibility and balance ● Improve muscle mass ● Lose weight ● Decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety

During the initial consultation, the clinical exercise physiologist will collect your medical history. They’ll ask questions about your prostate cancer treatments, current activity level, musculoskeletal limitations, and comorbidities. The clinical exercise physiologist may ask you to perform exercise tests, including balance and strength tests. They’ll use that info to create your exercise prescription that focuses on strength training, aerobic exercise and flexibility and balance:

● It’s recommended to perform strength training 2 to 3 times per week, on non-consecutive days. Use traditional weights or your own bodyweight to target the major muscles of the body. This will help you maintain strength and lean muscle. ● Aerobic exercise is crucial in any exercise prescription. Most clinical exercise physiologists suggest 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week. Focus on activities you enjoy, whether that’s dancing or cycling. ● Maintaining flexibility and balance can reduce joint pain and potential injury. Work with your clinical exercise physiologist to devise a stretching routine that decreases muscle stiffness and bad posture. Yoga and Pilates can be great ways to improve flexibility and balance through gentle movement.

Staying active and participating in resistance training can be very effective. Working with a clinical exercise physiologist in a supervised setting helps ensure that you’re exercising safely and effectively.

Presenter: Dr. Kevin Zorn, Urologist, Montreal, QC

Local Practitioners: Urologist