Breast Cancer Treatment Surgeon Knoxville, TN - Dr. Aaron Margulies  FACS
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Rss
Passionate. Committed. Your Captain.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Dr. Aaron G. Margulies
    • About Director of Clinical Genetics Services: Imelda G. Margulies MSN, FNP-BC
  • Schedule Appointment
    • Download and Print Patient Forms
      • Dr. Aaron Margulies
        • Breast Care Consultations
        • General Surgery Consultations
      • Imelda Margulies
        • Genetic Counseling and High Risk In Office Consultations
        • Genetic Counseling and High Risk Telehealth Consultations
  • Leave Review
    • Contact
  • Patient Resources
    • Patient Portal
    • Cancer Risk Quiz
    • Dr. Margulies Explains Cancer
    • 5 Questions to ask the Radiologist About Breast Cancer Checklist
    • Hidden Scar Surgery
  • Patient Forms
    • Dr. Aaron Margulies
      • Breast Care Consultations
      • General Surgery Consultations
    • Imelda Margulies
      • Genetic Counseling and High Risk Genetic Counseling and High Risk In Office Consultations Consultations
      • Genetic Counseling and High Risk Telehealth Consultations
  • Cancer Risk Quiz
Search the site...
Home» Breast Cancer Treatment » #1 Summer To Do: Exercise to Prevent Breast Cancer

#1 Summer To Do: Exercise to Prevent Breast Cancer

Posted by Dr. Aaron G. Margulies - April 23, 2015 - Breast Cancer Treatment
0

#1 Summer To Do: Exercise to Prevent Breast CancerIt was a beautiful summer day, but Laurie could feel the tension in the air as she anticipated her opponent’s next move. Whack! She sprinted towards the net, stretched out her racquet, and smashed the ball, sending it past her sister for the final winning point. She smiled, red-faced and out of breath. I’m only 34, she thought as she chugged her bottled water. I shouldn’t be this exhausted from a pick-up tennis match! Her older sister, Patricia, gave a knowing smile and shook her head as she dried the sweat beads from her neck with a towel. “We are so out of shape!,” she called from across the court.

At age 43, Patricia had been diagnosed with breast cancer a few months earlier. It was a shock to everyone. She never had any major health concerns and from the outside, appeared perfectly fine. She and Laurie had been blessed with skinny genes and had never experienced weight problems. However, numbers on a scale don’t tell you much about physical fitness. Even though both women had perfectly normal BMIs, they were both extremely out of shape. They were too busy with life: kids, dinner, homework, dishes, laundry, etc. Exercise was not a priority; there was too much important stuff to do! When “me” time did occur, it only lasted long enough to shave half a leg before it was interrupted by tiny knocks on the bathroom door. Exercise? Please.

When Patricia was diagnosed with breast cancer, perspectives on exercise  changed for both sisters. Patricia’s doctor told her that by maintaining an active exercise regimen, she would lower her risk of cancer recurrence. He also mentioned that Laurie might want to increase her physical activity as well, seeing as how exercise has been proven to lower the risk of the initial diagnosis. As summer approached, Laurie and Patricia made a conscious decision to do the hard thing and improve their health. Taking advantage of the warm summer weather, they laced up their tennis shoes and hit the courts.

So, you may be wondering: How exactly does exercising prevent breast cancer? Estrogen is a hormone with many functions. It stimulates breast growth during puberty and pregnancy, and in the same way, it can simulate breast cancer to grow. However, after estrogen does its intended job, enzymes it down into healthy and unhealthy by-products. An unhealthy bi-product of estrogen, 16α-hydroxyestrone (16α-OHE1), increases the risk of breast cancer. For reasons we have yet to discover, women who exercise produce less of this harmful estrogen by-product and more of the benign, 2-hydroxyestrone (2-OHE1).

Production of this benign by-product is most commonly seen in non-obese, premenopausal women.  who are not obese. e un-harmful by-product is particularly pronounced in the non-obese premenopausal woman not obese.  Women who are obese produce large amounts of estrogen. Such a large amouth, in fact, that even if they were to exercise, the benefits of such exercise would still not outweigh the harmful effects of 16α-OHE1 released during estrogen breakdown.

Think about it: How much do you exercise? Do you know how much exercise you need to keep your body healthy?

Any cardiovascular activity that raises your heart rate, such as walking quickly, playing tennis, or vigorous house cleaning, will greatly improve your overall health. A tip to remember: If you’re breathing heavier than normal, but not panting or short of breath, you are in your target heart range. Your body should be in this active state for 150 minutes a week– that’s only 2.5 hours! If you find moderate exercise a bore, challenge yourself. Vigorous exercise may lower your risk of breast cancer even further and you need only 75 minutes/week when exercising at that rate.

(Read more on how to estimate your target heart rate and prevent breast cancer: Target Heart Rates by the American Heart Association)

At first, Laurie began taking evening walks with her husband after dinner for 20 minutes. Her pace was slow, but after a few weeks, she could walk much faster and increased her time to 45 minutes. She and her husband used this time to re-connect and became closer in their relationship. Laurie and her sister also took up tennis and scheduled time to play a couple times a week. Laurie noticed that her stress began to improve.  One morning, after zipping up her favorite dress, she noticed that it didn’t fit the way it used to. She stepped on the bathroom scale, and to her surprise, she had lost 20 pounds!

Laurie, by virtue of starting an exercise program, strengthened her relationship with her husband, made up for lost time with her sister, lost weight, looked and felt better, and reduced her risk for breast cancer. What a great way to start the summer!
  • Share
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
American Heart Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Body mass index, Breast cancer, Cancer, Feinberg School of Medicine, International Prevention Research Institute, Lyon, Physical exercise, Stanford University

Dr. Margulies practices sees patients in West Knoxville at Turkey Creek Medical Center, in Powell just off of Emory Road​ adjacent to North Knoxville Medical Center in Powell, at Jefferson Memorial Hospital and Newport Medical Center.

Dr. Margulies performs surgeries at Tennova’s Turkey Creek Medical Center and North Knoxville Medical Center, at Jefferson Memorial Hospital, at Newport Medical Center and at Parkwest Medical Center.

Learn more about Dr. Margulies here.

Hidden Scar Provider

Click here to learn more about Hidden Scar Surgery.

Schedule an Appointment

If you need to request an appointment, please call (865) 692-1610 and ask for Dr. Aaron Margulies.

Connect with Me

  • (865) 692-1610
  • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Linkedin
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Youtube

Patient Testimonials

Thank you for the excellent care I received as a patient under your care. I appreciate the kindness, utmost consideration and prompt treatment. I would definitely spread the word to friends and family.
Jessica

“Thank you for all you’ve done to teach me along this incredible journey.”

Kaitlin

“Thank you for the excellent care I received as a patient under our care. I appreciate the kindness, utmost consideration and prompt treatment. I would definitely spread the word to friends and family.”

Lola


“Thank you for your excellent care.”

Samuel

Thank you for being the exceptional doctor. By this I mean your thorough explanations, your caring manner and your hugs! I felt completely relaxed in your hands!

Jane

Recent Articles

  • DCIS Treatment – What Are My Options?
  • What Is Actually Considered “Family History” Or “High Risk” Of Breast Cancer?
  • How Accurate Is Genetic Testing, And When Should You Consider It?
  • How Telemedicine Can Help With Breast Cancer Concerns During COVID-19 
  • What You Need To Know About Surgeries During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Search Articles

Topics

  • Breast Cancer Diagnosis
  • Breast Cancer Research
  • Breast Cancer Surgery
  • Breast Cancer Treatment
  • Cancer Survival
  • Genetic testing
  • Knoxville Community
  • Patient Stories

Resources

  • Abercrombie Radiology
  • American Board of Surgery
  • American College of Surgeons
  • American Society of Breast Surgeons
  • Breast 360
  • Breast Cancer Statistics
  • Breast Cancer Terms
  • Breast Connect
  • Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center
  • Mastery of Breast Surgery
  • Society of Surgical Oncology
(c) 2020 Dr. Aaron Margulies - Web Design by Baker Labs
  • Home
  • About
  • Schedule Appointment
  • Leave Review
  • Patient Resources
  • Patient Forms
  • Cancer Risk Quiz
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.