2023-07-24 08:09:03
According to Santé Publique France, in 2018, 382,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in France. Supportive care occupies an increasingly important place in the care of patients, whatever the cancer. Among these treatments, the mindfulness meditation offered by various cancer centers. Explanations.
Cancer, supportive care and mindfulness meditation
Facing cancer, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy are deployed to destroy the tumor and achieve remission. At the same time, over the past few years, supportive care. Now an integral part of the cancer patient’s care pathway, supportive care brings together all the care and support needed by patients during and after the treatment of their cancer. Supportive care is adapted to the case of each patient and includes, for example:
Pain management; lifestyle advice; psychological support; Support from a social worker.
Around the patient, this support care mobilizes a group of professionals whose objective is to improve the health and quality of life of cancer patients. This supportive care also includes the mindfulness meditation. What are its benefits in the treatment of cancer?
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Multiple benefits for the cancer patient thanks to meditation
Mindfulness meditation is an approach that involves focus on the present moment, thoughts, emotions, sensations felt at the present moment, without passing judgment on their positive or negative side. In general, mindfulness meditation allows you to relax, and to better manage stress and complex situations. In cancers, mindfulness meditation is proposed to better manage the care, emotions and symptoms related to cancer and treatments.
In scientific studies conducted on breast cancer, mindfulness meditation sessions have been shown to a reduction in anxiety and depressive disorders. The underlying mechanisms, biological and neurological, must be the subject of additional research, but the observation of a positive effect is real. Other studies suggest a positive effect on:
Pain management; Cancer-related fatigue; Better stress management; A decrease in fear of cancer recurrence; An improvement in the quality of life.
According to the situations and the methods of meditation, the benefit is maintained between four weeks and three months after the cessation of the sessions.
Read also – What are the effects of meditation on the body?
Meditate for a better quality of life and a better cancer prognosis
In addition, mindfulness meditation could act directly on some side effects of cancer treatments, such as cognitive disorders induced by chemotherapy, sleep disorders or residual functional disabilities. All of these positive effects can have a positive effect on tolerance to cancer treatments, and thus contribute to a better prognosis for the patient.
Mindfulness meditation is now offered in several cancer centers in France and can also be practiced outside the hospital context. It does not change the disease or the treatments, but it helps the patient to manage them better by modifying his perception of emotions and sensations. Experts recommend to meditate as regularly as possible, with several sessions of 5 to 10 minutes per week. An approach to start as early as possible in the journey and to continue indefinitely, even after cancer! Other approaches are also interesting, such as yoga, qi-gong or sophrology.
Read also – Photobiomodulation, what interest in oncology?
Estelle B., Doctor of Pharmacy
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