Meditation Helps Cancer Patients

With the creation in 1998 of the Place of Wellness, the MD Anderson Cancer Center opened the doors to different kinds of mind-body practices, art and music therapy for all those people “touched” by cancer, that is, not only patients, but also their relatives and support persons.

That same year I had a family member who was diagnosed with cancer. Seeing that, in addition to the high oncological level, the center had begun to orient itself towards psychosocial support motivated me to volunteer and I started teaching Tibetan meditation classes at Place … of Wellness. In those early years, this place received about 2,000 people including patients, family members and caregivers. Shortly after, in 2001, the Integrative Medicine Program was created, with research and educational resources, mainly an Internet page so that both doctors and patients had access to information on the research and clinical evidence that was developed in this field. Patients and their families felt comforted by having a place where they could relax and learn psychosocial support techniques with practices such as meditation, yoga …

Meditation to fight cancer

The anxiety and stress that many cancer patients and their families feel often distract them from the present moment and lead them to abandon good eating and exercise habits that can help improve their quality of life and symptoms. Although events that cause us stress, such as a cancer diagnosis, cannot always be controlled, it is possible to work on the reactions we have to them. Meditation and other mind-body practices can be essential for a healthy balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems and thus replace the “fight or flight reaction” of stress with a “relaxation response”, as the doctor taught us. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School forty years ago.

We went one step further and launched research to better assess the possible benefit or not of these therapies in our patients. The pilot studies were on Tibetan yoga (Tsa lung Trul khor), first applied to people with lymphoma and later to women with breast cancer. Thanks to the encouraging results in the area of ​​sleep and quality of life, in 2006 we obtained a grant from the NCI (US National Cancer Institute) that allowed us to do a more exhaustive study – we are currently finishing analyzing the results to be able to publish them. We also began a study on Tibetan sound meditation, focusing on how this practice could help women with breast cancer who experience cognitive decline after chemotherapy. The pilot study showed that it helped improve memory and other cognitive functions. We have also conducted research with Indian yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi gong for people with breast and prostate cancer, respectively.

Integrative medicine in oncology plants

The center began offering integrative medicine oncology consultation in 2007, under the direction of a doctor who specializes in family medicine and integrative medicine. And in 2010, the Place … of Wellness was renamed the Integrative Medicine Center under the medical direction of an oncologist specializing in integrative medicine.

The objective was to create a comprehensive integrative medicine care plan with the cancer patient, in collaboration with the other medical teams, using an evidence-based approach to improve health, quality of life and clinical outcomes. Our model follows the proposal of George Engel, who in 1977 published, no less than in Science, an article on the need to create a new medical model beyond biomedicine: the biopsychosocial model.

So I started offering individual meditation sessions for patients (which their family members and caregivers can also attend). This is one of the first meditation clinics in a cancer center. Evaluating the benefits of these sessions, we have seen that one of the symptoms in which patients and caregivers feel the most improvement is anxiety. For this reason, we started a pilot study of guided meditation during the breast biopsy, to see if it helped reduce anxiety and pain. Also, observing that family caregivers also have their own symptoms (anxiety, sleep problems and depressive symptoms), we designed a study on Tibetan yoga and people with lung cancer and their partner, family member or caregiver (when they live in the same house ). The results show that, indeed, both patient and caregiver have high levels of these symptoms and that these practices help them to improve and feel better.

Stress Breathing and Other Techniques

What we learn in research we put into practice in the clinical setting. Today, in classes we offer meditation focused on breathing to reduce stress, with Tibetan sounds for cognitive problems after chemotherapy, and with movement for sleep problems. In this way, our assistance and our research nurture each other.

In the clinical area, we offer inpatient and outpatient services. In addition to the consultation with the medical oncologist specialized in integrative medicine, patients have access to cancer massage, acupuncture, music therapy, nutrition, exercise and consultation of physical movement, meditation and psychology. Two groups are also offered for children with cancer: Little Yogis and Making Music . Among patients in outpatient clinics, inpatients and groups, the Integrative Medicine Program had 15,000 visits in 2015.

These studies and the clinical results – not only ours, but from several hospitals and universities, for example those of Sara Lazar, from Harvard, and Richard Davidson, from the University of Wisconsin – and their dissemination have aroused the interest of researchers in the United States and Europe for meditative techniques to reduce stress levels.

There are many works that demonstrate the benefits of meditation. Among others, it reduces cortisol (stress hormone) levels and blood pressure, balances the immune system and even modifies gene expression, and reduces the deterioration of telomeres (ends of chromosomes). Knowing that brain neurons can adapt and regenerate (what we call neuroplasticity), meditation exercises can contribute to these tangible effects at the brain level.

Benefits of meditation for cancer patients

By meditating, people with cancer can …:

• Decrease your anxiety and the emotions that upset them.
• Improve your quality of sleep.
• Improve your memory and cognitive functions.
• Increase your spiritual awareness and sense of well-being.
• Regulate your blood pressure.
• Relax the body and mind.

Meditation pills: practical exercises

Deactivate your moments of stress. You may feel that these tips are like little “meditation pills” that you always carry with you. At any time they can help you refocus, re-find calm and peace with just a few breaths and feel connected again:

Stop and pause. Breathe gently focusing on your breath for a few moments.

Sitting or standing, stretch your arms forward and up. As you do this, stretch your back and breathe deeply through your nose, bring your breath into your abdomen, and breathe out again through your nose. Then lower your arms, let them rest on your thighs, and continue with long, soft, deep breaths, slowly and calmly.

Imagine your breath as a light that nurtures you. When you inhale, it inspires nurturing qualities like love, compassion, joy, and peace of mind. And when you breathe out, you can let go of tensions, pain, fear, anxiety, and everything else you don’t need. Repeat these breaths several times, feeling that you can relax, center, feel more connected.

Take advantage of breaks while driving. For example, stopping at a red light is a precious opportunity to connect with yourself. Don’t pick up your cell phone, put down the radio and take a moment to breathe peace and light, and breathe out thoughts and anxiety. You will be ready to continue on your way more calmly when it turns green.

When you wash your hands, wash your mind. Breathe and feel that by washing your hands you are also clearing your mind and, by releasing thoughts and anxieties, you are reconnecting.

Scientifically proven

–Helps replace the fight or flight reaction of stress with a relaxation response

–Has shown to be useful for improving memory and other cognitive functions after chemotherapy

–The practice of techniques such as meditation or tai chi increases the quality of life

–A good exercise is to stop in your breath and imagine that it is a light that nourishes you