Mind-body Therapy for Cancer
Yesterday, I began a series of blog posts about Maria Claudia White, a breast cancer patient, as reported by Erin Quinn in Natural Solutions magazine. Prompted by her integrative oncologist, she began several selective complementary therapies in parallel with her conventional treatments. Her first appointment was with a mind-body therapist at Duke Integrative Medicine. Dealing with cancer treatment demands emotional efficiency. Decision-making, discipline, and determination must be at their peak during the treatment. In many ways the body responds to the mind and heart. Being in the most positive and responsive psychological state can enhance the body’s healing processes as well as the toleration of the treatment. This can reduce the duration of treatment significantly.
Maria Claudia received art therapy exercises. She practiced meditation techniques. At one point, she listed everything that could go wrong with the cancer, put the list in a box, and gave it to someone for safe keeping. She said that the therapy helped her quiet all the noise that constantly bombarded her mind and kept her worried.
Recently, increased interest in mind-body therapy has led to more testing that has confirmed its efficacy. It has proven to bolster the immune system, enhance chemotherapy, and extend life. It lessens the level of pain and eases the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Much more research and testing need to be done. It is a key aspect of integrative oncology and deserves more attention.