HEALTHY LIVING


Reclaim Your Health After Cancer


Treatment is over. Now what? ::


BY VERA TWEED L


ifesaving as they are, today’s cancer treatments leave survivors with persistent fatigue, brain fog,


and other debilitating side effects. But there are ways to reduce these


effects and reclaim your health. “Having cancer and going through


treatment is not this sentence that you’re going to feel like crap for the rest of your life,” says Amy Rothenberg, a naturopathic doctor and author of You Finished Treatment, Now What? But it takes a shift in perspective. “The healing and the resilience


and the rebound afterward — that is not going to be done to you,” she tells Newsmax. “That’s going to be something that’s a little bit pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” In addition to being on top


of all the available research and practicing naturopathic medicine


80 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | APRIL 2025


for nearly 40 years, Rothenberg is a cancer survivor. Consequently, she has a unique understanding of the recovery process. She has identified four basic,


evidence-based steps to reduce side effects and restore health after cancer treatment. These also help to improve well-


being during both acute and longer- term treatment and to reduce risk of cancer recurrence.


REGULAR EXERCISE Studies show that exercise reduces common side effects, including fatigue that doesn’t resolve with sleep, and brain fog. An optimal exercise


program has three components. The first one is aerobic exercise — walking, dancing, swimming, kayaking, exercise classes


— anything that raises your breathing and heart rate. By increasing blood flow, it


helps to get rid of toxins and bring nutrients to organs and all other cells in your body. Exercise also reduces anxiety


and depression, enhances sleep and digestion, and improves focus and self-confidence. The second component is


stretching, to make joints and muscles more flexible and to improve balance. “I believe that when we are more


flexible physically,” she says, “we are also more flexible and agile in our thinking, and more emotionally resilient.” Strength training is the third part, with dumbbells, weight machines, or resistance bands. It helps to maintain muscle, preserve bone density, and enhance


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