7/21/2019 Dr

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dr5695d0771a28ab9b02929046 1/4

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Not just one, but two recent studies have concluded that watching TV can have

serious repercussions. If you're over the age of 25, every hour spent in front of the

TV cuts 22 inutes off your lifespan. That can e!uate to five years' worth if you

watch TV si" hours a day#which soe people actually do. $ccording to the %aily

&ail, the average riton spends four hours a day in front of the TV and $ericans

spend an average of five hours a day eseri(ed by television.

 $ccording to the authors)

"TV viewing time may be associated with a loss of life that is comparable to other

major chronic disease risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity." In another eta*analysis, published earlier this suer in the +ournal of the

 $erican &edical $ssociation +$&$-, researchers suggest that spending just two

hours a day in front of the TV raises your ris of developing type 2 diabetes and

heart disease by 2/ percent. $dd another hour to your viewing tie, and you also

significantly raise your ris of preature death fro any cause...

Now, when you consider that an astonishing 0/ percent of $erican childrenunder

age 2 watch TV regularly, then the daage can really start adding up over tie.

&any ids also have TV's in their bedroos, which adds to the proble. It's a no*

brainer that if your child has a TV in their roo, they're going to spend ore tie

watching it, but one study really ade that point clear , showing that having a TV inthe bedroo increased viewing tie by nearly nine hours a week.

I personally recoend not letting young infants watch TV, and strictly liiting

viewing tie for both children and teens#and banning TV's fro your child's

bedroo which would also reduce the aount of electroagnetic fields they're

e"posed to throughout the night-. ut the featured study clearly shows that TV

viewing will liely cut your life short regardless of your age.

TV Watching Takes a Toll on Your Health in Many Ways

This isn't the first tie we've heard about how TV watching can har your health.Nuerous other studies have lined health* and ental probles to even odest

aounts of TV viewing. 1ne researcher, %r. $ric igan, has identified a slew of

negative effects he believes can be blaed on watching television)

1besity

 $l(heier's disease

 $utis

7/21/2019 Dr

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dr5695d0771a28ab9b02929046 2/4

3atching TV also has a ajor ipact on your brain cheistry. In fact, the longer you

watch, the easier your brain slips into a receptive, passive ode, eaning that

essages are streaed into your brain without any participation fro you. This is

an advertiser's drea, and liely one of the reasons why TV advertising#particularly

ads directed at children and teens#wors so well.-

till, at the root of it all, you find that it's really about the dangers of living asedentary, 4couch*potato4 ind of life. The %aily &ail !uotes ally %avies, ngland's

6hief &edical 1fficer, as saying)

"Physical activity offers huge benefits and these studies back what we already know

 – that a sedentary lifestyle carries additional risks. e hope these studies will help

more people reali!e that there are many ways to get eercise." 

While Watching TV Takes Years Off Your Life, Exercise ADDS Years

7es, even a odest aount of e"ercise has been shown to add years to your

lifespan. $ study published just last onth in The 8ancet found that a ere 95

inutes of e"ercise a day can increase your lifespan by three years: Those who got

theselves oving for at least 95 inutes a day, or 0/ inutes a wee, also had a

9; percent reduced ris of all*cause ortality. <urtherore)

"#very additional $% minutes of daily eercise beyond the minimum amount of $%

minutes a day further reduced all&cause mortality by ' percent( and all&cancer

mortality by $ percent. These benefits were applicable to all age groups and both

sees( and to those with cardiovascular disease risks. )ndividuals who were inactive

had a $* percent increased risk of mortality compared with individuals in the low&

volume group." 

"ercise is nown to be effective in the prevention of disease of all inds, includingcancer, which, naturally, will allow you to live longer. ut e"ercise ay also be

iperative in the treatment  of serious diseases such as cancer. In fact, a new report

issued by &acillan 6ancer upport argues that e"ercise should be part of standard

cancer care. It recoends that all patients getting cancer treatent should be told

to engage in oderate*intensity e"ercise for two and a half hours every week , stating

that the advice to rest and tae it easy after treatent is an outdated view.

=esearch has shown that e"ercise can)

• =educe your ris of dying fro cancer 

• =educe your ris of cancer recurrence

• oost energy and inii(e the side effects of conventional cancer treatent

 $ccording to 6 News)

"Previous research shows that eercising to the recommended levels can reduce the

risk of breast cancer recurring by '+ percent. ,or prostate cancer the risk of dying

from the disease is reduced by up to -+ percent. owel cancer patients/ risk of dying 

from the disease can be cut by around %+ percent by doing around si hours of

moderate physical activity a week." 

6iaran %evane, chief e"ecutive of &acillan 6ancer upport is !uoted as saying)

7/21/2019 Dr

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dr5695d0771a28ab9b02929046 3/4

"0ancer patients would be shocked if they knew just how much of a benefit physical

activity could have on their recovery and long term health( in some cases reducing

their chances of having to go through the grueling ordeal of treatment all over again.

)t doesn/t need to be anything too strenuous1 doing the gardening( going for a brisk

walk or a swim( all count." 

Exercise as a ancer !re"ention Tool

This topic is very near and dear to y heart, as I went to edical school in large part

because I wanted to use e"ercise as a therapeutic tool to help people get healthier. I

strongly believe that without fitness, it is virtually ipossible to achieve optial

health. 8ac of e"ercise can also severely haper your recuperative efforts once

disease has set in.

 $ previous study by >arvard &edical chool researchers found that breast cancer

patients who e"ercise oderately for three to five hours a wee cut their odds of

dying fro cancer by about half, copared to sedentary patients. In fact, any aount

of weely e"ercise increased a patient's odds of surviving breast cancer. This benefit

also reained constant regardless of whether woen were diagnosed early on or

after their cancer had spread.

1ne of the priary reasons e"ercise wors to lower your cancer ris is because it

drives your insulin levels down, andcontrolling insulin levels is one of the ost

powerful ways to reduce your cancer riss. It's also been suggested that apoptosis

prograed cell death- is triggered by e"ercise, causing cancer cells to die.

"ercise also helps lower your estrogen levels, which e"plains why e"ercise appears

to be particularly potent against breast cancer. $nd if you're ale, be aware thatathletes have lower levels of circulating testosterone than non*athletes, and siilar

to the association between estrogen levels and breast cancer in woen,

testosterone is nown to influence the developent of prostate cancer  in en.

Then of course, e"ercise also iproves the circulation of iune cells in your blood,

whose job it is to neutrali(e pathogens throughout your body. The better these cells

circulate, the ore efficient your iune syste is at locating and defending against

viruses and diseases, including cancer, trying to attac your body.

Exercise Ti#s for ancer !atientsI would strongly recoend you read up on y ?ea <itness progra, which

includes high*intensity e"ercises that can reduce your e"ercise tie while actually

iproving your benefits.

Now, if you have cancer or any other chronic disease, you will of course need to

tailor your e"ercise routine to your individual scenario, taing into account your

staina and current health. 1ften, you will be able to tae part in a regular e"ercise

progra ** one that involves a variety of e"ercises lie strength training, core*

building, stretching, aerobic and anaerobic ** with very little changes necessary.

>owever, at ties you ay find you need to e"ercise at a lower intensity, or for

shorter durations.

7/21/2019 Dr

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dr5695d0771a28ab9b02929046 4/4

 $lways listen to your body and if you feel you need a brea, tae tie to rest. ut

even e"ercising for just a few inutes a day is better than not e"ercising at all, and

you'll liely find that your staina increases and you're able to coplete ore

challenging worouts with each passing day.

In the event you are suffering fro a very weaened iune syste, you ay wantto e"ercise in your hoe instead of visiting a public gy. ut reeber that e"ercise

will ultiately help to boost your iune syste, so it's very iportant to continue

with your progra, even if you suffer fro chronic illness or cancer.

<or even ore cancer*prevention guidelines, please see y previous article, The

=oot 6ause of 6ancer $lost @niversally Ignored by %octors.