As an oncologist with years of experience, I have witnessed firsthand the impact of cancer on individuals and their loved ones. Cancer is a complex disease that not only affects physical health but also takes a toll on emotional and mental well-being. In the pursuit of combating cancer, it is imperative that we emphasize the significance of wellness. Integrating wellness into cancer care not only enhances the overall quality of life but also complements medical treatments, leading to better outcomes and empowering patients on their journey toward recovery. 

In this blog, we will explore the profound importance of wellness in the context of cancer care.

Holistic Approach to Care:

The concept of wellness encompasses more than just physical health. It encompasses a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit. In cancer care, this holistic approach becomes even more vital. By addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of patients, we create an environment that fosters healing and resilience. 

At 4CancerWellness, a holistic approach is at the foundation of our company. We call it our 4Cornerstones: Activity, Nutrition, Mindset, & Support. 

Physical Well-being:

Maintaining physical health during cancer treatment can be challenging due to the side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. However, incorporating strategies to promote physical well-being is crucial. Regular exercise, tailored to an individual’s capabilities, can help reduce treatment-related side effects, improve energy levels, and boost overall endurance. A balanced diet, rich in essential nutrients, supports the body’s healing process and helps combat treatment-related weight loss or gain. Adequate rest and sleep are essential for the body to recover and regenerate.

To emphasize, maintaining a healthy weight through proper nutrition and activity is crucial for cancer patients. Significant weight loss can have a significant impact on treatment effectiveness, treatment tolerance, and quality of life.  Obesity is a risk factor for cancer recurrence and/or a risk for developing other types of cancer. By working with healthcare professionals, patients can receive guidance on achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, promoting better treatment outcomes, and reducing the risk of cancer recurrence.

Nutritional Wellness:

Proper nutrition plays a pivotal role in supporting the body’s ability to heal and recover during treatment. Cancer treatments can sometimes cause appetite loss, taste changes, vomiting, or difficulty swallowing, making it challenging for patients to meet their nutritional needs. However, by working closely with an oncology dietitian, patients can receive personalized dietary recommendations to help manage treatment side effects and maintain optimal nutrition.

A balanced plant-focused diet rich in nutrients, including lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats – and avoiding processed foods and sugars – provides the necessary fuel for the body’s immune system, aiding in its ability to fight against cancer and minimize treatment-related complications. In some cases, specific dietary modifications may be recommended to address specific treatment side effects, such as incorporating high-fiber foods to manage constipation or consuming a softer diet to improve nutritional intake when experiencing a sore throat.

Emotional and Mental Well-being:

The emotional and mental well-being of cancer patients often gets overlooked, but it plays a fundamental role in their overall wellness. Cancer diagnosis and treatment can trigger a range of emotions, including fear, anxiety, depression, and uncertainty. It is essential to provide a supportive environment that addresses these emotional challenges. Incorporating counseling, support groups, and psychotherapy can help patients navigate their emotional journey, cope with stress, and build resilience.

Spiritual and Mind-Body Connection:

Nurturing the spiritual aspect of wellness can have a profound impact on patients’ coping mechanisms and overall well-being. Engaging in activities such as meditation, mindfulness, or connecting with one’s faith can provide solace, inner strength, and a sense of purpose. The mind-body connection should not be underestimated. Techniques like yoga, tai chi, and deep breathing exercises can help reduce stress, improve relaxation, and enhance overall mental and physical well-being.

Quality of Life and Survivorship:

Cancer care should aim not only to treat the disease but also to optimize patients’ quality of life during and after treatment. Integrating wellness strategies throughout the cancer care continuum contributes to enhancing the overall patient experience. Promoting wellness not only helps patients manage treatment-related side effects but also empowers them to actively participate in their care, fostering a sense of control and hope. Additionally, addressing survivorship concerns by promoting ongoing wellness practices supports patients in their transition from active treatment to a new chapter of life.

Collaboration with a Multidisciplinary Team:

The incorporation of wellness strategies in cancer care requires a collaborative effort. Oncologists, nurses, psychologists, dietitians, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals work together to provide comprehensive patient support. By integrating wellness into cancer care, we create a team-based approach that addresses the diverse needs of each patient.

Wellness should be an integral component of cancer care, as it profoundly impacts patients’ physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. By adopting a holistic approach to cancer treatment, we can improve outcomes, enhance quality of life, and empower patients on their journey toward recovery. Through the integration of physical health, emotional support, and spiritual connection, we can truly provide comprehensive care to individuals fighting cancer. Let us recognize the importance of wellness and work together to make it an essential part of cancer care across the globe!

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Family and friends can be wonderful support when we go through struggles. Breast cancer is no exception. Many Breast Cancer Survivors benefit from the gentle care of those around us. Yet to receive quality breast cancer support, most survivors need more.

4 Types of Cancer Support You Should Seek…

1) Support from Your Medical Team

It’s wonderful when a cancer patient feels a connection with their oncologists.  For when this does not occur, seek out someone else in the office to connect with – A nurse? Physician assistant? Office Administrator? This additional connection is also helpful since these other medical team members are typically easier to reach than the doctor when you have a question.

2) Support from Someone Who’s Been There

A person with a similar diagnosis Although all cancer patients have very different experiences, it can be comforting to speak with someone who has been in the same place you now stand.  Here are some suggestions of organizations to contact to get connected.

3) Support from a Faith Perspective

Facing serious illnesses often draws patients to consider reaching out to faith leaders or organizations.  Reasons cancer patients seek spiritual support includes:

• To reconnect with a comfort from their youth.
• To ask questions the diagnosis or prognosis has raised.
• To find local assistance or referrals.
• To continue an existing supportive connection.

Here is a list of places to find a faith organization near you

Interfaith Prayers:

• Health Ministries Network

Find a Christian Church:

• Church Finder
• Church.org

Find a Muslim Mosque:

• Database of Masjids, Mosques and Islamic Centers in the U.S.

Find a Jewish Synagogue:

• shiva.com

Find a Hindu Temple:

• shaivam.org

These are faith-based organizations focused on cancer

Christian:

• Cancer Companions
  • Find a Christian Cancer Bible Study Group Meeting
  • Cancer Prayer Partners (weekly phone call for prayer and connection)
  • Share your prayer request
  • Free Christian Cancer Toolbox (customized cancer devotionals and cancer prayers for you)
  • Download Free Cancer Devotional Booklet
• endurance.org – Christian Information Website
• Christian Parents of Kids with Cancer – Facebook group
• Christian Assistance – Love in the Name of Christ
• Christian backpack gift – Phil’s Friends
• Prayer for Cancer Patients
• Stronghold Ministry – Christian cancer hotline and gift basket
• The Lydia Project
  
• Find a Christian Counselor

Muslim:

• Find a Muslim Counselor
  • The Khalil Center
  • Institute for Muslim Mental Health
  • Muslim Family Services
• Canadian Muslim Cancer support
• Australian Muslim Cancer Support

Jewish:

• Find a Jewish therapist
• Sharsheret: The Jewish Breast and Ovarian cancer Community
• Chai Lifeline: Jewish Children Health Support Network
• Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics
• Find a Jewish Hospital
• Jewish cancer inspirational articles

Hindu:

• Indian Women Breast Cancer Foundation

4) Support from a Group of Cancer Survivors

Support groups have the ability to form a bond and connection with other people facing a cancer diagnosis in a very significant way. Not only can you discover tips and ideas for coping with cancer you may find a safe place to share and hear about the impact of cancer.

Here are some organizations to help you locate a group for your needs

• American Childhood Cancer Organization
• American Pain Society
• Cancer + Careers
• Cancer Companions – Christian
• Cancer Support Community
• Christian Parents of Kids with Cancer
• FORCE – Facing Hereditary Cancer
• International Myeloma Foundation
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• Go2 Foundation for Lung Cancer
• Malecare
• National Lymphedema Network
• Operation Lift Off – Teens/Child
• PINKK – Breast Cancer
• Reach to Recovery – Breast Cancer
• Sarcoma Alliance
• Pan Foundation – Patient Access Network
• SHARE Cancer Support – Women
• Prostate Cancer Network
• Bladder Cancer Network
• Kidney Cancer Association
• My Life Line – Cancer Support Community
• National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
• Next Step – Teen/Young Adult
• First Descents – Young Adult
• Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance
• Pregnant with Cancer Network
• Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation
• Thyroid Cancer Association
• Young Survival Coalition

Between the fatigue, chaos and frustration, cancer can bring plenty of reasons to NOT seek out these additional means of support.  But do it anyway.  This support is a wonderful way to manage the fatigue, chaos and frustration of cancer.

Join the 4CancerWellness FREE Community for more support resources! (CLICK HERE)

 

By Karen Tripp MS LMFT

A week after Joy was diagnosed with HER2+ Breast Cancer, her husband asked for a divorce.  The divorce did not deter the arrival of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and radiation treatment.

Even the most amicable divorce can be debilitating. Add a cancer diagnosis to the mix and you have cancer patients whose quality of care and quality of life can be adversely affected.⁽¹⁾

Although oncology professionals may attain training to help others battle cancer, they often wonder what to do when their patient is also facing a separation or divorce. Or perhaps you reading are the one going through a divorce or maybe you have a loved one that is currently facing this reality. This information may be of help to you too! Here are three suggestions that the current cancer literature suggests.

3 Ways to Help When Divorce and Cancer Treatment is the Reality

1. Be Vigilant

Life does not stop just because a person is diagnosed with cancer. Recognize marital strife and taking actions to prevent a divorce is undoubtedly the best outcome. Therefore, begin by identifying which cancer patients are high risk for a divorce or separation after diagnosis.

Risk indicators for men and women:

• lower income
• younger age
• longer time since diagnosis

Risk indicators for women only:

• greater emotional distress
• employment and financial problems

Risk indicators for men only:

• fear of cancer recurrence ⁽²⁾

Patients and their partners may ignore, deny or disregard the notion that solving their couple and cancer-related problems may benefit them both through treatment and beyond. ⁽³⁾ Carol, a 6-year breast cancer survivor, had still not forgiven her husband for not coming to any of her chemotherapy treatments. These hurts do not disappear with the last treatment. During treatment, someone recognizing the patient’s discontent with this pattern and suggesting additional support or counseling would have been helpful to all involved.

2. Be Proactive

It’s easy to think “They just need to get through their cancer treatment and then they can deal with their divorce.” Unfortunately, studies show that the patient’s body does not wait to reveal the impact of divorce. Divorce makes cancer patients sicker and their lives shorter. ⁽⁴⁾

Compared with long-term married patients, newly divorced patients and long-term divorced were

• Most likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease.
• Least likely to receive curative treatment. ⁽⁵⁾

One study showed that newly divorced patients have the worst cancer-specific survival rate, followed by long-term divorced patients. ⁽⁶⁾

Just as obesity, alcohol and tobacco are serious cancer risk factors, divorce should be on this list as well.⁽⁷⁾ One study suggests that recent divorce should be seen as a risk factor for worse cancer outcomes, and encourages appropriate screening, treatment, and access to social and financial supports for recently divorced patients. ⁽⁸⁾

3. Be Supportive

It is no surprise that divorce represents an acute disruption of a patient’s social support network. ⁽⁹⁾ The disruption of a cancer patient’s social support can result in an increase in:

• anxiety
• depression ⁽¹⁰⁾
• hopelessness ⁽¹¹⁾

Of course, the burden of supporting a cancer patient undergoing divorce should never fall on one person. Joy received the additional support she needed from her sister, girlfriends and her faith. Remember to encourage your patient to seek additional support from not just family and friends but a support group and a counselor as well.

It is important to not just comprehend but remember that divorced or separated cancer survivors experience a heightened vulnerability compared to survivors whose relationships remained intact, ⁽¹²⁾ Although no one has a solution to alleviate their strife, compassionate care and awareness can make a difference.

Resources

1. Glantz, Michael J., et al. “Gender disparity in the rate of partner abandonment in patients with serious medical illness.” gov, National Insitute of Health, 15 Nov. 2009, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19645027/ .
2. Stephens, C., Westmaas, J.L., Kim, J. et al. Gender differences in associations between cancer-related problems and relationship dissolution among cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv 10, 865–873 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-016-0532-9
3. Ibid.
4. Dinh, Kathryn T., et al. “Increased Vulnerability to Poorer Cancer-Specific Outcomes Following Recent Divorce.” The American Journal of Medicine, Elsevier, May 2018, sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002934317312330
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. “Risk Factors for Cancer.” Cancer.gov, National Cancer Institute, 23 Dec. 2015, www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk .
8. Dinh, Kathryn T., et al. “Increased Vulnerability to Poorer Cancer-Specific Outcomes Following Recent Divorce.” The American Journal of Medicine, Elsevier, May 2018, sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002934317312330
9. Ibid.
10. Hu, Tinji, et al. “Relationship between resilience, social support as well as anxiety/depression of lung cancer patients: A cross-sectional observation study.” Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, Association of Radiation Oncologists of India, 8 Mar. 2018, cancerjournal.net/article.asp?issn=0973-1482;year=2018;volume=14;issue=1;spage=72;epage=77;aulast=Hu
11. Oztunc, G., Yesil, P., Paydas, S., & Erdogan, S. (2013). Social Support and Hopelessness in Patients with Breast Cancer. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 14(1), 571–578. https://doi.org/10.7314/apjcp.2013.14.1.571
12. Stephens, C., Westmaas, J.L., Kim, J. et al. Gender differences in associations between cancer-related problems and relationship dissolution among cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv 10, 865–873 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-016-0532-9