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If you have finished all your conventional cancer care treatment completely, this program is for you. We know that when it comes cancer you are never fully “free of cancer”, rather you are in remission (temporary diminution of the cancer). Which is why this program will help you lower your risk factors and help you stay in remission after your cancer treatment.

Common fear during remission is cancer recurrence. We offer a unique “Cancer Recurrence Prevention” program that helps maximize body’s ability to slow and counter cancer’s return over the long period.

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Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person, or even a better person. It’s about training our mind in awareness and getting a healthy perspective of situations around us. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You’re learning to observe them without judgment. And eventually, you may start to better understand them as well.

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Importance of Meditation in Cancer Treatment

What do we understand by Meditation?

You’ve likely heard the phrase “mind over matter.” It typically describes when a person is able to control something physical with her/his mind.

Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person, or even a better person. It’s about training our mind in awareness and getting a healthy perspective of situations around us. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You’re learning to observe them without judgment. And eventually, you may start to better understand them as well.

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.

Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind.

In mindfulness meditation, the goal is to quiet your mind and be present at the moment without intruding thoughts. Meditation may include focusing on a sensation, such as your breathing, and simply observing that sensation without judging or analyzing. Some people recite a verse or repeat a mantra, while others let their mind go blank to achieve a meditative state.

Most often, meditation is done while sitting quietly, but may also be done with light activity (for example, walking meditation). Meditation may be self-directed or guided.

Mindfulness refers to the psychological process of intentionally bringing one's conscious attention and being mindful to experiences occurring in the present, without the sense of judgement or dwelling in what-ifs and .

Why Meditation is important to cancer patients - 

One of the main reasons people with cancer use meditation is to help them to feel better.

Meditation can reduce anxiety and stress. It might also help control problems such as:

pain

difficulty sleeping

tiredness

feeling sick

high blood pressure

It can take time to feel the benefits of meditation. At first you might feel more stressed as you see how busy your mind is. But if you keep trying to meditate for even a short time each day, you will find that it gets easier. Gradually you'll feel calmer and less stressed. Regular practice is key.

Taking regular, slow, deep and quiet breaths helps to calm your body and mind. It’s believed that this type of breathing will help lower blood pressure and help reduce stress and anxiety.

Benefits of Meditation 

Meditation has many benefits for general health and well-being. It has been found to decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure, ease muscle tension, and improve mood. Emotionally, the practice of meditation has helped many people restore a feeling of calm by centering their thoughts and closing their minds to fears about the future and regrets about the past. But meditation may also have specific benefits for people who are living with cancer. Some of these include:

Depression and Anxiety

One study found a decrease in symptoms of depression for people with cancer after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. And unlike some alternative treatments that only have short-term benefits for cancer patients, these effects were still present three months later.

Stress

Several studies have found meditation to significantly improve the perception of stress in people coping with cancer. This benefit may go beyond the subjective feeling of well-being when stress is reduced, and contribute to a healthier immune system as well. Stress hormones — chemicals that are released in our bodies when we experience stress — may play a role in how well someone responds to cancer treatment, and even affect survival. One study found that meditation decreased the levels of stress hormones in people with breast and prostate cancer and that the effects were still present a year later. Meditation may also lower the levels of Th1 cytokines, which are inflammatory factors produced by the body that may affect how we respond to cancer and our healing from cancer.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a common and very frustrating symptom among people with cancer. The cause may be due to cancer itself, due to treatments for cancer, or secondary to other causes. Whatever the cause, it’s estimated that roughly 90% of people with lung cancer experience some degree of pain. Meditation appears to help with this pain and may lessen the number of pain medications needed to control pain.

Sleep Problems

Difficulty with sleep is a common problem for people living with cancer. In studies, meditation is associated with less insomnia and improved quality of sleep.

Cognitive Functioning

Difficulty with cognitive functioning is common and may be due to cancer itself or treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy (chemo brain). At least one study has found meditation to improve cognitive functioning with cancer.

Fatigue

Cancer fatigue is one of the most annoying symptoms of cancer and cancer treatment. Studies suggest that meditation may improve energy levels and lessen fatigue for people living with cancer.

Cautions

In general, meditation is a very safe practice for people living with cancer. That said, some people may feel anxious, and others may become disoriented as they meditate. It's important to note that this is for people who are using meditation as a complementary or integrative treatment along with conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and more. At the current time there is no evidence that meditation or any other therapy can treat cancer itself, and using these therapies to the exclusion of traditional treatments has been linked to a much higher risk of death for people with cancer.

Let’s do it together!!

The traditional way to meditate is to sit cross-legged on a mat on the floor, but you can meditate while sitting in a chair or lying down. In walking meditation, you walk slowly through a maze or along a special path designed for meditation. Other complementary therapies, such as tai chi and yoga, combine deliberate movement with meditation.

Many people try different types of meditation to see what works best for them. You may find it hard to meditate at first, but most people get better with practice. You can practise meditation once or twice a day for short time periods of 10 or 15 minutes or for longer periods of time.

Ready to give meditation a try?

If you’re just starting out, keep in mind that there’s more than one way to meditate. The key to success is finding, through practice, what works best for you. You may want to begin by seeking out a group class, or using a guided meditation of which there are unlimited options on the Internet, most of which are free of charge.

You can start to meditate for as little as two minutes and gradually increase your time as you gain experience. To get you started, here are some basics:

1. Sit tall

The most common position for meditation is sitting on the floor, in a chair or on a stool, but comfort is key, so find a position that works for you and focus on keeping your back straight. Imagine a thread extending from the top of your head that holds your torso and head erect in a straight line. Roll back your shoulders if that helps you to maintain a straight position.

Note: If sitting is uncomfortable, you can lie down in a straight position on your back. Support your back by putting a folded blanket or small pillow under your calves if necessary

2. Relax

Close your eyes and focus on relaxing every part of your body, beginning with your toes and feet, and working your way all the way up to your neck, jaw, face, eyes, and forehead.

3. Be still

This is often a difficult step, because most of us aren’t used to it. Just sit quietly. Be in the moment, aware of your surroundings and your place in it. If you are distracted by thoughts, allow them to enter and then release them. (You can always reclaim them later!)

4. Breathe

Breathe quietly, deeply, steadily. Ideally, breathe in and out through your nose, but if this is difficult, do what feels comfortable for you. Take your time and take notice of how your breath feels in your nose, throat, chest and belly, and then all the way down to your toes and back up again.

5. Repeat a mantra

This is a personal preference. For some people, having a word or phrase in their mind helps to remove distractions. For others, just noticing their breath will suffice.

6. Don’t worry about doing it “right”

Just do it right for you. Meditation is not a test. Your mind may wander, but simply notice, pause and return to your gentle breath.

7. Return for more!

Persistence pays off. To reap the benefits of meditation, try to practice on a daily basis. Just like exercise, meditation will be most effective if you include it in your daily life. When you feel that you don’t have the time to practice, remember that you are deserving of the benefits – which may include better sleep, pain relief, better focus, reduced stress and anxiety, more clear thinking, increased optimism and improved mood and that even two minutes can help improve your life.

 More References - 

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We offer personalized fitness counseling that are designed for your needs, your cancer, or for your prevention of it.

Our fitness experts curate a customized fitness and exercise regimen to make your body stronger to undergo your ongoing cancer treatment strongly. Our fitness plans take into account your level of comfort with regard to exercises, and are modified over time to make your body more resilient to cancer treatment.

As with everything we do, our exercise recommendations are individualized to your needs, which we investigate with our unusually thorough assessment and testing. It is the rare cancer center that even considers this as being essential to personalized care. We  have a lot of knowledge and data about how to best integrate activity into your life and your comprehensive plan for living a high-quality, vitally engaged life equipped with the physical and emotional stamina needed to overcome cancer.

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Effectiveness of Cancer Prehab and Rehab

Prehab and rehab are two important phrases of cancer treatment. Cancer treatment is very harsh on your body so to cope with it you need to prepare your body physically and mentally. Prehab and rehab help the body recover from pre and post-treatment.

What is Prehabilitation?

Prehabilitation is the period of time that’s between cancer diagnosis and the beginning of treatment. In this time, you can prepare your body and mind psychologically and physically to be in the best shape to face the upcoming challenges of cancer treatment. This process establishes a functional baseline and provides interventions that promote physical and psychological health.

What are the Prehab Program/Techniques?

Dr. Julie Silver MD, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and a cancer survivor suggested certain prehab practices that can be valuable to the patients regardless of the kind of cancer, these include:

Coping skills- For pain management, coping with anxiety and inevitable fear after the diagnosis. It involves taking classes in deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation.

Evaluation of caregiving needs- Personnel at the prehab will advise you to take assistance during your treatment to help coordinate the practical aspects of care. You have to decide on questions such as- To stay at the rehab or to go home after surgery? Does your home require some temporary changes (such as ground floor bedroom) to facilitate easy navigate during healing? Who will assist you with meals? Resolving these small issues now will save you from a lot of doubt and stress later on

Targeted physical exercise- Physical exercise can be quite beneficial in dealing with cancer. Also, it’s good for your overall health and strength. Dr. Silver noted, “Exercise may help someone to tolerate cancer treatment, or with some types of cancer, it might reduce the risk of recurrence. So a prehab program that gets patients to be more active may increase the quality even the length of their life.”[i]

Normally the cancer treatment centres don’t publicise cancer prehab. However, some cancer clinics and centres do. Ask your oncologist if they would provide or refer to prehab services.

Normally the cancer treatment centres don’t publicise cancer prehab. However, some cancer clinics and centres do. Ask your oncologist if they would provide or refer to prehab services.

[i] Boom Line Inc: Julie Silver, MD Cancer Prehab: The First Thing You Need After a Diagnosis

What is Rehab?

Rehabilitation is medical care that should be combined throughout the oncology care. Trained rehabilitation professionals deliver them, who have the capability to diagnose and treat patient’s psychological, physical, and cognitive impairments.

What are the rehabilitation services?

Cancer treatment causes physical problems that include fatigue, pain, and muscle weakness. These problems may hamper your life in physical, emotional, and practical ways.

How to make a rehabilitation plan?

For making a healthcare plan for you the team needs a list of concerns that you have before meeting them. Members of the rehabilitation team will work with you to develop a plan for his/her area of expertise. Like the physician (physiatrist or osteopathic doctor) will decide which tests should be done and what treatment should be prescribed. A physical therapist will aid in the recovery of strength, flexibility, endurance, and mobility. Mental health counsellor who helps to adjust your psychologically. A dietician will figure out the nutritious diet for rehabilitation.[i]

[II] Livestrong: Rehabilitation After Cancer

Please refer:

https://bcct.ngo/integrative-cancer-care/integrative-approaches-to-treatment/building-resilience-cancer-prehab-and-rehab

https://www.livestrong.org/we-can-help/healthy-living-after-treatment/rehabilitation-after-cancer

Pls follow above to write this content. Beginning needs to be changed.

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A proper diet may be possible to prevent cancer, an article in Harvard’s health journal says. The report in the article is based on combined research by World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research. It emphasizes the importance of proper eating habits to prevent one of the most feared groups of illnesses. The research was conducted in a group of individuals in the United States Of America. The research was part of a study of the association between dietary habits and the health of individuals.

Researchers conducted the study on 42,000 cancer-free individuals over the age of 40 for eight years. The participants had to record every part of their diet in a day in three records every six months. They had to record the portion, time, and even with whom and where they ate during the period. The dietary plans of the individuals were compared with various nutrition charts. The World Cancer Research Fund and America Institute for Cancer Research had prepared a diet plan that was supposed to prevent cancer. The recordings of the participants in the study were compared with the diet plan. Results show that those who followed a diet similar to the organizations’ had a 12% lower chance of getting cancer. The diet plan is especially protective of certain kinds of diseases like prostate cancer and colon cancer.

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If you have just finished conventional treatment (radiotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy) or in between treatments, this program is for you. After your conventional treatment, we will use our complementary therapies to help you regain physical and mental strength to be ready for the next step in your cancer care.

Restore health and life after cancer treatment through our “Rehabilitation Care” program, which focuses on using evidence-based programs and supportive therapies to build emotional and physical strength and reduce side-effects of treatment. It is possible to improve a person’s health above their pre-cancer diagnosis baseline. Services under this program include supervised exercise, dietary counseling, stress management, massage, etc.

A cancer rehab program would be tailored to the special needs of cancer survivors, using evidence-based educational programs and supportive therapies to restore health, and quite possibly improve a person’s health above their pre-cancer diagnosis baseline.

We at ZenOnco.io believe that rehabilitation after cancer treatment should become a standard part of survivorship care. Our program is individually designed to restore health after treatment, sometimes to a higher level than before diagnosis.

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Gut connection with cancer

Cancer is common nowadays. The question is: Why is it so prevalent now? While the disease is generated due to mutations and other factors like environment and genes, but our diet causes the majority of it. Research reveals that improving our lifestyle, beginning from our food, inhibits cancer by thirty to fifty percent.

Evidence shows that each small habits in our daily lives can either increase or decrease the chances of getting cancer. Nutrition represents an essential role in our overall well presented.

It is not proven directly that particular food causes cancer, but the high consumption of those foods can trigger events leading to disease.

Foods that are processed and are high in sugar and low in dietary fiber show high chances for cancer risk. Due to the high amount of sugar, these foods increase glucose content in our blood. Research shows high glucose levels in the blood can cause stomach, blood, and colorectal cancers.

Glucose in the blood causes the excretion of insulin. High insulin levels are also linked with cancer. Insulin, by breaking down glucose, initiates the division of cells and can also help cancer cells to divide faster. Chronic high levels of both insulin and glucose cause inflammation of the body. That is the reason why people with diabetes are at a higher risk.

Overly cooking food can produce harmful components such as HAs (heterocyclic amines) and AGEs (advanced glycation end-products). High concentrations of HAs and AGEs in the body cause inflammation and increases the risk of cancer.

Similarly, with processed meat and dairy, the chances of getting affected by cancer are high.

What should you eat then?

Our gut has an extensive and indispensable rule over our wellness. By changing certain eating habits, one can recover from cancer and maintain good well-being. Mediterranean diets primarily include fruits, vegetables, and good fats, which reduces the risk of common cancers like prostate cancer. While a diet rich in dairy, processed foods and meat can increase the chances of getting colorectal cancer.

Antioxidants, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats are known to decrease the risk of cancers. Antioxidants increase the functionality of the immune system. Diet with high consumption of fruits lowers the risk of lung and stomach cancers.

Low starch diets reduce the chances of the esophagus and stomach cancer. Carotenoids found in carrots decrease cancer of mouth, lungs, and pharynx. Vitamin C rich food like strawberries.

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Cancer, a Trouble for the Nation!

Cancer, one of the most dangerous diseases, kills more than 1300 Indians, as claimed by the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s National Cancer Registry Programme. In India, for the last 26 years, the cancer rate has more than doubled. Out of which breast cancer has been found the most common in Indian women. It is quite shocking that out of more than 100 types of cancers, only four types of cancers, viz., cervical cancer, lung cancer, oral cancer, and breast cancer, constitute 41 percent of cancer in the whole country.

Oral cancer makes it to the top three types of cancers in India, as it is the most common cancer that can be seen in males and the third most common in females.

Currently, the most common cancer that can be seen in Indian women, no matter in terms of mortality as well as incidence, is breast cancer.

Facts About Cancer in India:

Cervical, lung, oral, breast, and colorectal are the top five types of cancers, which constitutes 47.2 percent of all cancers.

Cancer is the second most common factor of death in India, after cardiovascular disease.

There is a possibility of any part of the body to get affected by cancer as it is more than 100 types.

Tobacco-related diseases kill 2500 persons every single day in India. Therefore the use of tobacco is the most preventable factor of deaths all across the world.

In 2018, the use of tobacco was regarded as the cause of 3,17,928 deaths approximately in women and men.

More cause of death of women in India is cervical cancer as compared to other countries. Women living in rural areas are more likely to develop cervical cancer than in urban parts.

In Indian cities, about a quarter of all cancers that can be seen in women is breast cancer. Also, it is the most common cancer that can be seen in Indian women.

In India, the average age to develop breast cancer is ten years lower than the west.

Every eight minutes, a woman dies in India from cervical cancer.

Major types of cancers like cervical, lung, oral, breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer are curable if it is detected early and treated well.

Region-wise Leading Cancer Types:

Leading Cancers in the Northeast Region: Stomach and Oral Cancer.

Leading Cancers in West Bengal Region: Lung, Urinary Bladder, Gallbladder, Head, and Neck Cancer.

Leading Cancers in South and Coastal India Region: Stomach Cancer.

Leading Cancers in Goa Region: Colon Cancer.

Leading Cancers in Gujarat and Rajasthan Region: Head and Neck Cancer.

Leading Cancers in Punjab and Malwa Belt Region: Kidney, Urinary Bladder, and Breast Cancer.

Leading Cancers in the Gangetic Plain Region: Gallbladder, Head, and Neck Cancer.

Leading Cancers in Madhya Pradesh Region: Oral Cancer.

Life and Health is a precious gift. We must maintain it well. Regular Checkups, good food habits, prevention of tobacco products, etc. can help us live a healthy and better life.

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Cancer and financial issues

The life of a cancer patient and a cancer survivor is not easy. The physical and emotional pain a patient goes through is excruciatingly painful, and a cancer survivor does live with the possibility that his/her cancer might return or spread. Some of them may develop secondary cancer.

Apart from this physical and emotional turmoil, comes financial issues as well. Be it the chemotherapy or after winning a battle with cancer, regular check-ups, and cancer screening examinations are needed to be done. Let us have a look at what financial impacts cancer can cause:

Economic challenges caused due to cancer:

Treatment of cancer can be costly, and even health insurances are not able to cover-up the entire treatment’s cost. Let us overlook the financial issues that a cancer survivor has to face:

●     As the treatment can be costly, even in the presence of health insurance. It has become even more expensive with increased effectiveness because new techniques like chemotherapy and immunotherapy have increasingly replaced radiotherapy. The survivor can get into a significant amount of debt even after the treatment is complete.

●     The survivors who have to leave their jobs or due to some other reasons could not lose the life, health insurance, and disability insurance given to them by their employers.

●     And when the survivor is out, it is going to be difficult for him/her to find a job that provides them health and life insurances.

●     The examinations done as clinical trials can be considered experimental by some of the insurance companies, and they might not add up that additional expense.

●     If any patient is getting his/her treatment away from home, to get the best cancer treatment from the best cancer hospital in a different city or country, they have to pay for their lodging, food, and some additional expenses which might pop-up anytime.

●     Recurrence Preventive care, rehabilitative care and preventive care can also be economically challenging for the survivor to bear.  

 The above mentioned can give you the primary financial impact of cancer on a cancer survivor. And now let us see some of the options available to ease them out:

●     Health insurance: Take a thorough analysis of Mediclaim and Ayushman Bharat, i.e., the National Health Protection Scheme to know more about the insurance coverage.

●     Life Insurance: Your insurance policy can be a source that can be either used to get a loan or cash. Having life insurance can be beneficial in case you leave your job. Some insurance companies offer an advance death allowance by providing a pre-death reimbursement. And not only this, but you can also sell a portion of your policies for its value.

●     Retirement Plans: The employee pension plan or retirement saving plans can be a way of covering up the medical funds. You can explore further about it once you are hired by a company that provides you with such arrangements for your future.

●     Cancer rehabilitation programs for cancer patients have become very active these days.

●     Indian government funds that you can avail.

 There are some additional plans you need to take into consideration apart from the insurances you own, like having some legal documents, e.g., medical power of attorney, living will, or last will for adults. Mental and Emotional Wellness of the patient is also very important for the patient who is fighting cancer. Your family needs to know about your wishes in cases when you are not able to make decisions about your health care.