Meditation and Mindfulness Can be Beneficial.

sandramj · March 2018

How Meditation and Mindfulness Can Be Beneficial for Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer can be emotionally draining and stressful for women. Depending on the consequences of the disease, the after-effects can range from minimal to drastic.

Many women who have more advanced cases end up getting breast alterations, and this can also have several psychological consequences as well. Losing the womanly figure and the fear of recurrence are among the many worries that feed the anxieties felt by millions of breast cancer patients around the globe.

How can breast cancer patients deal with the emotional stress of treatment and recovery?

Medical care often does a wonderful job of staying up to date with the latest chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapies available to fight off malignant cells. However, sometimes we don't pay as much attention to the whole patient, such as their psychological well-being, family support, and mental health. It's extremely important for patients and clinicians alike to address this, as depression and anxiety are extremely common in patients suffering from breast cancer. Especially if there is advanced disease with poor prognosis, there needs to be psychological ramifications addressed to help improve quality and life and provide better-coping skills for such a stressful time.

Mindfulness and meditation can help to relieve some emotional stress that breast cancer patients face

Practicing mindfulness techniques can be really helpful for general health and psychological well-being. This holds true not just for healthy individuals, but also those who suffer from serious illness as well. A recent study showed that women with breast cancer can benefit greatly from meditation and yoga practice by decreasing stress, limiting side effects of treatment, and even improving symptoms of their disease.

Research shows that meditation, yoga, and relaxation are beneficial to breast cancer

A study in New York, performed at the School of Public Health at Columbia University, investigated whether breast cancer patients benefited from integrative therapies and supportive care. Researchers analyzed many different clinical trials and alternative therapies over the past 25 years. Among the 80 therapies analyzed, meditation, yoga, and relaxation with imagery were found to have the strongest evidence for benefit to these women. These particular exercises were found to improve anxiety and other mood imbalances that affected patients with breast cancer.

In addition, they found that stress management, massage, and music therapy all helped to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Integrative therapies and supportive care overall helped to improve quality of life for these women. Their important findings were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs.

At the end of the day, the best therapies for you are unique to you. Everyone is different, and what works for someone else may not be good for you. So keep an open mind, and talk with your doctor about the different therapies that may be available to help you.

Most women with breast cancer are interested in alternate therapies

Women who have breast cancer are usually very interested in alternative, homeopathic therapies. About 4 out of 5 people who have cancer are interested in taking on an alternative therapy or following a special diet. This study went to great lengths to try and find which of these alternative therapies are best for breast cancer patients. Now, we are better informed as to what works and what doesn't. It seems that meditation, yoga, and relaxation practices have the highest benefit, with other mindfulness practices following close behind. However, the study also identified the lower benefit of using aloe vera for radiation skin reactions and healing touch for decreasing pain.

One harmful therapy

Hopefully, with this knowledge, patients can make better-informed decisions for what therapies to try out. One particular therapy was actually found to be harmful. Acetyl-I-carnitine is marketed to be a holistic medicine that can prevent the development of chemo-related neuropathic pain. However, studies found that its use actually increased the risk for the condition.

Alternative therapies are not meant to replace modern medicine

It's important to note however, these alternative therapies are only complementary to traditional chemotherapy and radiation. They are by no means replacements of modern medicine in treating cancer. The study did not look into the effects of these treatments on cancer itself, but rather on the difference it made on the patient quality of life such as levels of anxiety or fatigue.

The various benefits of meditation

Meditation has numerous benefits that can be reaped by everyone whether they are healthy or ill. There are almost no side effects or negative consequences so it's extremely safe. It's also very effective in helping to balance mood imbalances and manage stress. It's a great way to deflect anxiety and depression, which can commonly affect women who have breast cancer. It works by helping to relax the mind and nurture the mind-body connection. Many women suffer from pain and difficulty sleeping, which can also be improved with the practice of meditating. Mindfulness can be a powerful way to calm thoughts and feelings, especially anxieties about recurrence.

How mindfulness can help

Remember those sweaty and uncomfortable hot flashes that come from hormone-based therapies used in breast cancer? Turns out meditation can also help relieve these symptoms too. It's been used as a final resort in times when other methods fail, and special techniques and breathing exercises can also help relieve other symptoms associated with hot flashes. One such breathing exercise is called "paced respiration", which is a very slowly-paced rhythmic breathing that the patient initiates at the beginning of a hot flash. Canadian researchers have also found that meditation can help change activity of cells in cancer survivors. It does this by lessening stress and reducing cortisol, which helps to preserve the genetic material in our cells.

Meditation is easy to incorporate into any routine

A wonderful aspect of practicing meditation is how easy it is for anyone to adopt. You can do it anytime, anywhere. It isn't disruptive, and it's extremely discreet. You simply need to find a time and space to dedicate to you and only you! No matter if you're working, or on the train, or even relaxing before bed, you can practice mindfulness exercises! You can also choose to do it alone, or with a group as well. There are many free mindfulness communities out there that will bring like-minded individuals together to practice meditation techniques and relaxation. It's a great way to find a supportive community and manage stress all at once!

https://www.findatopdoc.com/Women-s-Health/How-Meditation-and-Mindfulness-Can-Be-Beneficial-for-Breast-Cancer-Patients?utm_campaign=email_breastcancer_20180303&utm_content=slideshow&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=email&utm_term=breastcancer

wendy55 · March 2018

I have been using mindfulness, my own version of meditation and also gratitude as well, these three things have certainly helped me,but the biggest change has come about through absolutely denying STRESS any time at all in my life, I will not let stress into my life, I do not have the time or energy for it, yes I know there are times when that can be really difficult and of late this has been the case, however through understanding my own mind, the power of positivity and utilising everything I can think of to throw at stress,I find that I AM winning the battle -
You have power over your mind -
Not outside events -
Realize this,
and You will find strength.

wendy55

Afraser · March 2018

It may help to distinguish stress that can be productive (to push yourself to achieve something, to be excited) and negative streets (continual worry or fretting, being overwhelmed). One is clearly bad for anyone, bc or no bc, but the other is sometimes necessary to help overcome debilitating negative stress. Many people here walk, run, meditate, exercise, do yoga, kayak - all to push themselves a little (or a lot) for a positive outcome. Music has always been important for me - the more minor chords the better!! And the best part of yoga for me is those few minutes of total stopping, after tying yourself in knots for an hour!