Breast cancer survivors benefit from meditation
Friday 30th December 2011
While breast cancer is still a common killer in women, those in hospital doctor jobs have found that people diagnosed with the disease now have a higher survival rate than ever before.
However, 50 per cent of survivors are depressed but now researchers have found that some women who have won their battle with breast cancer have significantly benefited from a type of meditation known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The relaxation technique is aimed to improve the patient's emotional and physical well-being and doctors are already seeing the results of this unorthodox treatment.
The team at the University of Missouri found that breast cancer survivors’ health improved after they learned MBSR, which incorporates meditation, yoga and physical awareness to reduce the amount of stress on a person's mind.
A MBSR programme consists of group sessions throughout a period of eight to ten weeks. During the sessions, participants practice meditation skills, discuss how bodies respond to stress and learn coping techniques. Researchers found that after survivors had been on these programmes their blood pressure lowered, while their heart and respiratory rate reduced.
Jane Armer, professor of nursing at the university, said: "MBSR is another tool to enhance the lives of breast cancer survivors. Patients often are given a variety of options to reduce stress, but they should choose what works for them according to their lifestyles and belief systems."
According to Breast Cancer Care, nearly 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK with just over 12,000 people dying from breast cancer in the UK every year.
Ms Armer added: "Post diagnosis, breast cancer patients often feel like they have no control over their lives. Knowing that they can control something, such as meditation, and that it will improve their health, gives them hope that life will be normal again."
Written by Angela Newbury
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