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By Howard Wolinsky
I’m at a crossroads now. I’m determining my well being pathway for my remaining years.
I need to to comply with a path will enhance my longevity with extra energetic years,
Later this yr, I’ll be 79, reaching the age at which my father died from congestive coronary heart failure. That’s a symbolic date.
I need to enhance my well being standing, however not go overboard doing it.
First off, my coronary heart is in nice form. Heart-health is a key to this. I’m doing superb with this and know that heart-healthy can cleared the path. Prostate most cancers creates a fuss, however it’s not prone to kill any of the readers of the weblog; actually not these of us with low-risk PCa, but in addition these wih superior cancers.
I’ve already had a near-death from coronary heart illness. On Valentine’s Day, 2025, I celebrated the twentieth anniversary of after I survived a freak, probably lethal “widowmaker” STEMI (coronary heart assault).
After listening to my coronary heart final yr, my preventive heart specialist, Dr. S., at UChicago, instructed me it was as if I had by no means had a coronary heart assault. I had a powerful heartbeat. Everything was nice.
He blew me away when he requested if I used to be prepared for the following 20 years—age 98. Honestly, I hadn’t thought of that.
That’s the cardiac POV. But there’s extra to this story that’s not so good, that would get in the best way of what I name “Project 98.” Joining the super-agers, the old-oldtimers, who’re acing the sport of longevity.
I had a setback final yr after a bout of COVID-19. I had reminiscence lapses. My UChicago household physician, Dr. J, stated the reminiscence concern might need been brought on by COVID-19 or stress. He stated I wanted to decelerate or face a excessive prospect of “an early demise.”
So I in the reduction of on my actions. I dropped out of grad college. Launched Project Reduce Stress.
J. stated I used to be competing efficiently (all A’s) in opposition to college students 50 years youthful, however the stress was taking a toll. So I turned a 78-year-old school dropout. All the papers and studying stored me up at night time.
I additionally stopped moderating AnCan assist conferences. I had co-founded the digital assist group for males on Active Surveillance. Too a lot to do. I largely stop my different life as a contract medical author although I stored producing TheActiveSurveillor.com Substack e-newsletter, and its brother pub, ProstatesCores.com, protecting extra superior prostate most cancers.
(Why not subscribe? Why not receives a commission subscriptions? )
Lately, Project Reduce Stress has been having mission creep; I began getting actually busy once more. Writing an excessive amount of. Attending the American Urological Association’s intense Summit and affected person advocacy conferences in Washington, DC.
Back in December, a kidney stone received caught in my left ureter, inflicting extreme flank ache, AKA “renal colic.” They say—whoever they’re—these stones are as dangerous as labor ache.
I caught a break and prevented surgical procedure in January as a result of I heard about a Peruvian herb that smashed the 5 mm stone to “gravel.”
In the winter, I fell off the train prepare and commenced shedding sleep as I began really feel claustrophobic and stopped utilizing my CPAP. I’m nonetheless battling that.
Dr. J. stated I used to be packing on too many kilos. The physician urged me to go on a GLP-1 remedy to not solely drop a few pounds but in addition defend my coronary heart and reverse my Type 2 diabetes.
My inflammatory “lifestyle” was bringing me down, and I used to be reluctant to go on intestine jabs till I attempted to shed the burden myself.
I’m decided to get again on monitor for my newly launched Project 98.
I’ve misplaced 10 kilos up to now month or in order I attempted to reverse the inflammatory ways in which have been failing me and reverse my dangers from inflammatory illnesses, together with coronary heart illness, diabetes, and prostate most cancers.
I’m beginning again on the fitness center reasonably than simply paying dues to assist the fitness center’s house owners, the Sisters of St. Francis. I’ve joined a separate class on tai chi gong and plan to hit the path for my each day five-mile constitutionals.
What extra can I do? So much.
By likelihood, Rick Davis, founding father of AnCan, invited me to attend a gathering final week the place medical oncologist Dr. Rob Rutledge, of Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, outlined his complete six-month program for prostate most cancers sufferers—truly, anybody could make it work, not simply most cancers sufferers—to undertake an anti-inflammatory life-style (See story beneath and think about video.)
Rutledge, a really upbeat man, gave the AnCan group a PEP discuss on PC-PEP, the Prostate Cancer Patient Empowerment Program, an evidence-based intervention described within the medical literature as a “comprehensive daily six-month home-based” program for males with a prostate most cancers analysis.
You can undertake all or a part of this system, together with cardio train, weight coaching, a plant-based food regimen (the entire vegan (or a wholesome anyway) enchilada with vegatables and fruits to extend fiber), courses on vitamin and cooking, tapping into the advantages of the microbiome, biofeedback coaching to sort out stress, even pelvic flooring kegel workout routines, a month-to-month assist group, and extra.
I‘m exhausted just thinking about it. I’ve achieved most of this at numerous occasions—by no means all of it in a coordinated kind. I do have my doubts on kegels, apart from the bragging rights.
The 70-minute-per-day dedication looks as if lots. But you do what you may, not essentially all of it.
I’m going to present PEP a strive. I signed up yesterday.
Maybe you must, too?
I plan to write down about my expertise as I’m going alongside.
As somebody as soon as stated, although nobody is kind of certain who it was: When the scholar is prepared, the instructor will seem.
I’m prepared. We’ll see the place Project 98—or we’re— at in six months.
By Howard Wolinsky
Modern life is usually a fairly efficient irritation machine.
Too a lot sitting, too little sleep, an excessive amount of stress, and a gradual reliance on ultra-processed meals, excessive consumption of sodium, sugar, and saturated fats, a reliance on pink meat, and an avoidance of fiber from contemporary vegatables and fruits can lead to prostate most cancers, coronary heart illness, diabetes, and different inflammatory illnesses.
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Dr. Robert Rutledge, MD, FRCPC, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, stated males with prostate most cancers“often ask a vital question: What can I do to stay healthy and in control while living with prostate cancer?”
He has been tackling this concern with PC-PEP, Prostate Cancer Patient Empowerment Program, an evidence-based intervention described within the medical literature as a “comprehensive daily six-month home-based” program for males with a prostate most cancers analysis.
“PC-PEP is open to anyone with a prostate diagnosis of any stage diagnosed at any time,” stated Rutledge, Clinical Lead of this system. To take part, males can contact this system at [email protected] or name at 902-237-6277
(For extra on PEP’s science, To view a documentary on this system, go to www.pcpep.org/empower)
PEP’s aim is to assist contributors construct each day habits that will “lower inflammation, strengthen immunity, and improve overall well-being.”
Rutledge made his case on April 1 on the pre-meeting to the AnCan Foundation’s digital assist group for Active Surveillance. See the video right here: https://ancan.org/pcpep-the-prostate-cancer-patient-empowerment-program-040126/
For prostate most cancers sufferers, that anti-inflammatory life-style is about way more than what’s on the dinner plate.
PC-PEP combines cardio train, energy coaching, more healthy, largely plant-based consuming, higher sleep, stress discount, pelvic flooring work, and optimistic social connection into an organized routine. .
The program makes use of each day emails and quick movies over six months and asks males to work on cardio train, energy coaching, pelvic flooring workout routines, leisure with biofeedback, and steerage on vitamin, intimacy, sleep, communication, and reference to others. This full-scale behavior-change marketing campaign sometimes requires about 70 minutes each day, serving to males decide if they’ll decide to this manageable routine.
Participants can use the facets of this system they want.
When I used to be recognized virtually 16 years in the past, the very first thing I requested was whether or not there was a food regimen I ought to comply with. I used to be instructed no. And I do know many males nonetheless get that reply at present, though there may be rising proof of the advantages of food regimen, and, much more so, train.
(Dr. Gabriela Illie and Dr. Robert Rutledge.)
PCEP Principal Investor is psychology professor, Dr. Gabriela Ilie, Rutledge’s spouse, whose affect could be seen in its consideration to emotional coping, relationships, intimacy, communication, and the social facet of dwelling with prostate most cancers.
That issues as a result of prostate most cancers will not be solely a medical occasion. It can be a psychological occasion and, for a lot of {couples}, a relationship occasion, which is one cause PC-PEP feels broader and extra humane than an ordinary diet-and-exercise handout.
Illie additionally offers steerage on vitamin and meal preparation.
PC-PEP’s recommendation: Avoid ultra-processed meals and pink meat; in the reduction of on fried meals, soda, alcohol, and meals excessive in salt, sugar, and saturated fats.
PCEP could also be particularly related for males on Active Surveillance, a bunch that usually hears the phrase energetic with out being given a lot of a script for what to do between PSA exams, MRIs, and biopsies.
Rutledge framed that concern immediately: “Men on Active Surveillance often ask a vital question: What can I do to stay healthy and in control while living with prostate cancer?” PC-PEP is his reply, giving surveillance sufferers a option to be energetic in additional than identify solely.
PC-PEP converts “patient empowerment” right into a each day schedule of motion, stress management, more healthy consuming, pelvic flooring work, and social connection.
The analysis behind this system offers it extra weight than a good suggestion with a peppy acronym.
In the PC-PEP randomized scientific trial, 128 eligible males present process healing remedy have been included, with 66 assigned to early PC-PEP and 62 to a waitlist-control group that acquired customary care first, adopted by this system. The recruitment funnel was bigger: 171 males have been assessed, 140 have been randomized, 1 withdrew consent instantly, and 11 have been excluded for not receiving healing remedy inside 6 months, leading to a closing cohort of 128 males.
Then comes the element that actually stands out, particularly given how a lot the general program asks of sufferers. The investigators reported “no attrition” and “no adverse or serious adverse events,” though the intervention required greater than 70 minutes of prescribed exercise per day. For a program with this many elements, that’s putting, and it means that males discovered the construction manageable, significant, or each.
In the tip, what Rutledge and Ilie appear to know is that males on Active Surveillance want greater than reassurance. They want one thing helpful to do. PC-PEP gives a disciplined, evidence-based option to push again in opposition to the inflammatory habits of contemporary life and change them with a six-month plan that makes “active” imply one thing actual.
Movember, the lads’s well being charity, is funding the present research with US $350,000.
By Howard Wolinsky
‘Cancer-Proof?’ When Doctors Become Patients: Lessons from MDs with Prostate Cancer” is on faucet for the following free, month-to-month webinar hosted by Active Surveillance Patients International.
I received the concept for this program from a reader who puzzled whether or not medical doctors have been “bullet-proof” relating to prostate most cancers. I knew that dozens of readers of this Substack e-newsletter are medical doctors with PCa. There’s no proof that medical doctors are resistant to this widespread most cancers. So this system was born, that includes 5 medical doctors with prostate most cancers who will inform their most cancers tales.
The panel of docs, most on Active Surveillance, will share what they realized about analysis, decision-making, Active Surveillance and remedy, communication, self-advocacy, and what it means to dwell with uncertainty as each medical doctors and sufferers.
Saturday, April 25, 2026 • 12:00 PM Eastern Time
Patients are welcome to submit questions upfront at [email protected].
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you may go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://howardwolinsky.substack.com/p/project-98-can-an-anti-inflammatory
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
