4 Healthy Habits That Are Beneficial To Lung Cancer Patients

Medically reviewed by Dr Johann Tang, Senior Consultant Radiation Oncologist

Fighting lung cancer can take a heavy toll on you physically and mentally. Treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy have side effects that include fatigue, anaemia, bruising, loss of appetite, nausea, and difficulty breathing. To keep your body in optimal shape, it’s important to adopt certain lifestyle changes.

While these healthy habits may not cure your cancer, they can empower you to cope better with the illness and the side effects that come from the treatment. Some cancer treatments even work better when you are getting all the nutrients you need, and have cut out bad habits that may be hampering your progress.

1. Quit Smoking

Long-time smokers might feel that there is no point in quitting after a lung cancer diagnosis. However, there are many other health effects related to smoking. Smoking raises your blood pressure and increases your heart rate, putting you at risk of developing heart disease and hypertension. Smoking also impairs your respiratory system and decreases lung function.

During this time, it can feel difficult to make a major life decision. Having a cancer diagnosis and facing the prospect of cancer treatment in Singapore can induce stress, and smoking may become an unhealthy coping mechanism. One solution is to build a support system of friends and family to lean on for help. They can provide the emotional support you need to get through your cancer treatment and commit to new permanent lifestyle changes.

2. Maintain A Healthy Diet

Having a well-balanced diet is useful at all stages of life, but it takes on a new importance in the face of lung cancer treatment. Fighting cancer strains the body and you need to keep yourself replenished with the right nutrients for treatment tolerance, warding off infections, maintaining strength, and enhancing recovery.

The foods you should eat will depend on what treatment you are having, which stage of cancer you are at, and your own dietary requirements. Protein intake is essential for tissue repair, while fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants to combat cell damage. Carbohydrates will likely make up your main energy source, and you should look to eat whole grains like brown rice and wholemeal bread if possible.

Finally, healthy fats are an often underlooked part of a balanced diet and food items like nuts, seeds, and olive oil should also be included. Instead of overhauling your diet, the aim should be to slowly introduce better eating habits into your daily meals.

Regular exercise has many well-established benefits for the body. When undergoing lung cancer treatment in Singapore, the physical fatigue and mental exertion can make it hard to engage in physical activity. Counterintuitively, physical activity can actually help relieve fatigue and has been shown to boost mood as well.

Even though you might not feel like having a vigorous exercise session, even going for a walk or stretching lightly during the day can help you feel a lot better and enhance your physical health.

4. Don’t Neglect Your Emotional Health

Cancer treatment is stressful and overwhelming. There are financial concerns, anxiety over health and quality of life, and some patients may worry about being a burden to their family.

One of the best things you can do when faced with a cancer diagnosis is to embrace honesty about how you are feeling, especially with those closest to you. Share with them your mental burdens and let them help you in any way they can. Building a support system based on the people around you can make it that much easier for you to overcome the disease. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a therapist or join cancer support groups to help you get through rough patches.

Getting a cancer diagnosis is life changing. It affects every aspect of a person’s life and it can be a challenge to adopt new habits or even maintain old ones. Finding the strength to take charge of your health provides you with a better chance of keeping your quality of life as you go through the lung cancer treatment cycles.

With scientific breakthroughs, lung cancer today can be managed and even cured. Patients also have to do their part to adopt the right habits to keep them healthy and positive throughout the treatment period for the best possible outcomes.

Learn More: Why Radiation Therapy Is Becoming An Increasingly Common Cancer Treatment Procedure

With over 20 years in the medical field, Dr Johann Tang has extensive experience in treating cancer patients. Dedicated to providing personalised care to every patient, he believes in using evidence-based treatment modalities to achieve the best outcomes. Contact us today to learn more and set up an appointment at our clinic.