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October 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
Mindfulness for Cancer Survivors
By John A.
Patterson MD,
MSPH, FAAFP,
Mind Body Studio
The population
of cancer survivors in the United
States is growing rapidly and living
longer.
“Cancer survivor” refers to anyone who has been diagnosed with
cancer, from the time of diagnosis
through the rest of their life. Early
cancer detection and improved
treatments, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone
therapy, biological therapies, bone
marrow and stem cell transplants,
have led to a growing population
of cancer survivors, which now
exceeds 12 million, or one in 25
Americans
Though we do not have a clear
scientific understanding of the
exact mechanisms by which psychological stress may affect tumor
growth and spread, the National
Cancer Institute provides a fact
sheet recognizing that, for some
people, there seems to be a relationship between attitudes, emotions,
the immune system and cancer.
Psychological factors, especially
suppressing emotions and feelings
of helplessness and hopelessness,
seem to impact the growth or
spread of cancer in some cancer
survivors. Rather than labeling cer-
tain emotions as “good” and others
as “bad,” a better distinction seems
to be “welcomed and expressed”
versus “denied and repressed.”
Journaling about all emotions can
be especially therapeutic.
It seems prudent, therefore, to
recommend emotional expression
and stress management as part of
a cancer survivor’s personal plan
for managing cancer, maintaining
Mindfulness is a widely used
approach for managing the
symptoms of stress-related chronic
diseases, including cancer.
health and preventing recurrent
cancer and other medical conditions, including new cancers. Even
if there is no connection between a
given individual’s cancer and stress,
the many positive side benefits of
stress management can improve
overall physical, mental and emotional health.
Mindfulness is a widely used
approach for managing the symptoms of stress-related chronic diseases, including cancer. Mindfulness
programs are now offered to cancer
survivors and their families in
major medical centers worldwide.
Mindfulness-based cancer recovery (MBCR) is an empowering
mind-body approach that helps
cancer survivors reclaim their lives.
MBCR is a cancer-specific application of mindfulness-based stress
reduction (MBSR), which has
been used since 1978 to manage the
stress of a wide range
of physical, mental and emotional
conditions. Mindfulness-based educational programs can help cancer
survivors cope with the stress of
a cancer diagnosis, n ]