Exercise recommended in post heart attack, cancer therapy

Exercise and weight training after a serious illness such as a heart attack or cancer is often recommended as part of recovery therapy even when the patient is old or not athletic. Though it can't entirely replace medicine, it can result in the need for smaller dosages. "All people who have had a tumour profit from physical activity," said Freerk Baumann of a research institute in Germany's sports college in Cologne dedicated to circulation and sports medicine. Activity can reduce fears and restore confidence in one's physical condition, he added. In patients who have had heart and circulation disease, research indicates the positive effect of physical activity. In a study conducted at the University of Leipzig, a team led by Professor Rainer Hambrecht showed that people with a minor type of cardiovascular illness who used physical activity in their recovery did just as well as people who relied on common treatments such as stents or angioplasty - Earth Times