Healing the Body by Using the Mind
A cancer diagnosis for you or a family member can be extremely frightening. Even more frightening sometimes are the side effects of medications used to treat this terrible disease. However, as with any disease but especially with cancer, it’s important to focus specifically on the positive and what you can do, not what you can’t do. No treatment course will work without your support, faith, and complementary efforts. Even the American Cancer Society supports the use of holistic care in order to get the best results from cancer treatment.
The biggest thing any cancer patient or family member can do to fight this disease is to place themselves in a state of spiritual well-being. This might mean joining a church, temple, or other organized religious group, or it might simply mean taking time each day to center yourself mentally and emotionally through meditation and/or prayer. Remaining calm and happy throughout the treatment process will help your body to heal itself as well as assisting the medications in doing their jobs properly.
Meditation is a fantastic way to relax and re-center at any point in your life, but is greatly beneficial during cancer treatment. Regular meditation can help treat the insomnia and chronic pain that come along with both cancer and the medications used to treat it, as well as simply giving you a chance to focus your thoughts on something other than the treatment for a short time. Meditation has also been shown to reduce anxiety responses to stress, and stress is of course something all cancer patients and their families face. Meditation is a trusted and proven method for relaxation, again recommended by such reputable organizations as the American Cancer Society.
Many people choose a mind-and-body approach to cancer treatment because they feel it gives them more control over their treatment plan. One study showed that men who chose complementary medicine for their prostate cancer treatment did so because it made them feel less like victims. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046021/) While fighting more aggressive forms of cancer, such as mesothelioma or bone cancer, without traditional medications is less likely to be successful, your treatment is about your body. You need to take an active role in maintaining a state of spiritual well being and a positive attitude. Mind and body healing can help you take that active role in a way that makes you more involved in your treatment plan and will allow you to do something to help yourself during this frightening time.
Learn more: Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance
