Blue Cure

HOW CHRONIC STRESS SABOTAGES HEALTHY HABITS

You may be eating better, trying to exercise, and working on your sleep, but chronic stress can make every one of those healthy intentions harder to maintain.

Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, explains that stress can affect our food choices, disrupt sleep, reduce our interest in exercise, and interfere with the relationships and social support that help keep us healthy.

Stress management is not something we can multitask. We have to make time for it. The encouraging part is that you do not need to begin with an hour-long routine.

Start with five minutes.

Slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing can help activate the body’s relaxation response. Like exercise, stress management is a practice. The more consistently you do it, the easier it becomes to bring moments of calm into your day.

This is not about eliminating every source of stress. It is about giving your body regular opportunities to recover.

For a deeper look at the connection between stress, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, social support, and environmental exposures, read Anticancer Living: Transform Your Life and Health with the Mix of Six, co-authored by Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, and Alison Jefferies, MEd.

Learn more at anticancer-living.com.

Dr. Cohen is the Richard E. Haynes Distinguished Professor in Clinical Cancer Prevention and Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

This interview was recorded in 2020 by Blue Cure founder Gabe Canales and is being shared from the Blue Cure archives because its core message remains relevant today.

Try five minutes of slow breathing today. Save this clip and share it with someone who may need the reminder to pause.

For educational purposes only. Evidence-based lifestyle and stress-management practices can be important parts of supporting health and well-being alongside appropriate medical care. Seek professional guidance for persistent or overwhelming stress, or before making changes to your treatment plan.

CAN LIFESTYLE LOWER CANCER RISK?

When it comes to diet, sleep, stress, and daily habits, a lot of people wonder:

Can lifestyle changes actually lower cancer risk?

I asked Johannes Fahrmann, PhD, Cancer Prevention Researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center, how we should realistically think about lifestyle and cancer prevention.

His answer is important.

It is not about guarantees.

It is about reducing risk and likelihood.

Dr. Fahrmann provides an analogy with speed limits. Following the speed limit does not guarantee you will never be in a car accident. Breaking the speed limit does not mean a crash is inevitable.

But speed limits exist because they reduce the likelihood of something going wrong.

Lifestyle habits work in a similar way.

Eating healthier, sleeping better, reducing chronic stress, staying active, avoiding to***co, and limiting harmful exposures when possible cannot guarantee that a specific outcome will not occur.

But they may help reduce risk and likelihood of it occurring.

That distinction matters.

Some people develop cancer despite living healthy lives. No one should be blamed for a diagnosis.

But focusing on what we can control may help shift the odds in a better direction.

Dr. Fahrmann also makes an important point about timing. Lifestyle and dietary changes may have the greatest benefit earlier, before abnormal cells have fully transformed or disease has become aggressive.

Starting today, focus on what you can control:

• Nutrition
• Physical activity
• Sleep
• Stress management
• Avoiding to***co
• Regular checkups
• Knowing your numbers

Johannes Fahrmann, PhD
Cancer Prevention Researcher
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Learn more about Dr. Fahrmann’s research:
https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/johannes_fahrmann.html

Educational only. Not medical advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about your personal risk factors and recommended screenings.

EXERCISE AFFECTS ERECTIONS TOO

A lot of men think erectile health is only something to worry about later in life.

But erections are connected to blood flow, vascular health, hormones, sleep, stress, metabolic health, and overall fitness.

In this clip, Amy Pearlman, MD, urologist and men’s s*xual health specialist, explains why exercise is one of the key pillars of men’s health.

Many men ask: should I focus on cardio or weights?

Her answer: both matter.

Cardiovascular exercise supports heart and blood vessel health, which plays an important role in erectile function. Strength training supports muscle, metabolism, hormones, and long-term health.

Dr. Pearlman also notes that research suggests aerobic exercise can meaningfully improve erectile function.

That does not mean exercise replaces medical evaluation or treatment. Erectile dysfunction can be connected to blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, medications, low testosterone, stress, sleep issues, relationship factors, and other health conditions.

But it does mean this:

If erections are changing, pay attention.

Your body may be telling you something about your overall health.

About Dr. Pearlman:
Amy Pearlman, MD is a board-certified urologist specializing in men’s s*xual and hormonal health. She is co-founder of Prime Institute in South Florida and co-hosts Fertility and Other F Words with Larry Lipshultz, MD. She also hosts Pearls & Perspectives with Urology Times.

Learn more: https://pearlmanmds.com/

If you are dealing with erectile changes, low libido, low energy, or s*xual health concerns, talk with a urologist or qualified healthcare professional you trust.

Share this with a man who needs the reminder: exercise is not just about looking better. It is about living better.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your individual health situation.

CAN CANCER BE DETECTED BEFORE SYMPTOMS APPEAR?

Many people think cancer begins when symptoms appear or when a tumor is discovered.

But according to Johannes Fahrmann, PhD, Cancer Prevention Researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center, cancer is often a process that develops over time.

In this clip, Dr. Fahrmann explains how an abnormal cell can gradually change into a pre-cancerous cell and, in some cases, eventually become cancerous.

One of the most important points he makes is that many cancers do not cause symptoms in their earliest stages.

By the time symptoms appear, a tumor may have already been growing for some time.

That is one reason researchers are studying signals in the blood that may appear long before symptoms develop.

These signals can include proteins, metabolites (small molecules produced by normal biological processes), and fragments of DNA that may raise a red flag that something is wrong.

The goal is not simply to find cancer.

The goal is to identify potential problems as early as possible, when intervention may be most effective.

Johannes Fahrmann, PhD
Cancer Prevention Researcher
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Learn more about Dr. Fahrmann’s research:
https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/johannes_fahrmann.html

This Men’s Health Month, schedule a checkup, know your numbers, and ask questions until you understand what those numbers mean.

Educational only. Not medical advice.