In this blog, you will learn: (1) about the experience of anxiety, depression and stress among cancer patients and survivors; (2) how cancer patients describe those emotions in response to diagnosis, treatment, or long-term care; (3) how these ... [Read More]
Defy Cancer with Stress Reduction
In this section, you will learn how stress promotes cancer development and progression. You will also learn how stress reduction can improve quality of life and possibly cancer outcomes, as well as evidence-based techniques that can help.
Dr. Lawenda’s Interview on Integrative Radiation Oncology: Today and The Future
Listen to my interview with host, Karolyn Gazella, of Five To Thrive Live (on 11/12/12) We discussed a variety of topics including: What is integrative oncology Why and how I chose to become an integrative radiation oncologist I discuss what ... [Read More]
Inflammation 101: The Fuel That Feeds Cancer
I think most of us typically think of inflammation as our body’s protective response to injury and infection. Without it, we’d be in serious trouble (unless we lived in a sealed bubble.) If it were only that simple… Inflammation comes in two ... [Read More]
What If Living An Anti-Cancer Lifestyle Only Reduces Cancer By 1%?
Try this on for size. If there was a mere 1% reduction in the incidence of U.S. cancer mortality (e.g. lung, colon, breast, leukemia, pancreatic, brain), researchers estimate that this would save between $230-$308 BILLION dollars each year due to ... [Read More]
Healing touch and guided imagery work for severe stress symptoms.
Wow...a short 2-week regimen of healing touch and guided imagery treats the most severe form of stress, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.) In a recent study, researchers found that by adding a short course of healing touch and guided imagery ... [Read More]
Yoga for Cancer Recovery
I'm sure you've heard that Yoga, a 5,000+ year old practice, can help in your cancer recovery. Yoga combines exercise (postures, called asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation...a system that has been scientifically proven ... [Read More]
Get To Bed! How getting enough shut eye fights cancer
Check out our most recent article on SLEEP here ... [Read More]
Depression and Cancer 101: Depression May Shorten Survival After a Cancer Diagnosis
Depression affects up to 50% of patients with cancer...and unfortunately many go undiagnosed and suffer in silence. The problem is two-fold: Oncologists often feel too busy or not qualified to be able to diagnose and treat this condition, ... [Read More]
Stress and Cancer 101: Why Stress Reduction Is Essential
One of the key pillars of integrative oncology is stress reduction. The majority of us intuitively recognize the link between stress and the immune system. How many times in your life have you come down with a cold or other viral infection ... [Read More]
One of our Favorite Videos on Integrative Oncology: The Anti-Cancer Way of Life
Dr. David Servan-Schreiber was one of the most influential physicians in our field of integrative oncology, and in this wonderful lecture you will learn why. His book, Anti-Cancer: A New Way Of Life, remains an international best-seller and one that ... [Read More]
12-minute yoga slows cellular aging, improves cognitive function and reduces depression
This remarkable study explored the effects of a convenient 12-minute, daily yoga practice on a group of psycho-emotionally taxed caregivers. What they discovered is truly amazing. In their study, the researchers compared two groups of study ... [Read More]
Would you change your lifestyle if you knew you had silent (occult) cancer cells hiding in your body?
I ask this question based on the fact that we know that cancer cells often spread early in the course of disease and they can remain silent (occult or hidden) for years. The Background: Among women with the earliest stage of invasive breast ... [Read More]
Cannabis and Cancer: prescribe 5 different drugs or simply one botanical…your choice
This is a completely non-political blog entry on the science of the medical efficacy of Cannabis (marijuana) in oncology. Cannabis is plant that is classified in the U.S. as a controlled substance with an "increased potential for abuse and no known ... [Read More]
Relaxation gizmos: Rapidly reduce stress & improve emotional balance with these palm-sized biofeedback devices
Chronic stress (via prolonged stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and inhibition of the parasympathetic nervous system) is toxic to the body and mind, and is causally linked to a wide-range of deleterious conditions (examples): Anxiety ... [Read More]
Chronic stress increased the risk of cancer metastases (spread) by 30-fold!!
In a study (published in Cancer Research, September 2010), investigators from UCLA demonstrated the biological effects of chronic stress leading to a 30-fold increase in the rate of breast cancer metastases in a mouse study. This study adds the the ... [Read More]
Massage is an excellent therapy to help relieve pain, anxiety and stress for anyone with a diagnosis of cancer
Numerous, high-quality studies have been published over the last decade demonstrating the effectiveness of massage in reducing pain, stress and anxiety in individuals with cancer. These studies have included patients of all ages (infants to elderly), ... [Read More]
Anxiety & stress can be reduced with a simple, 5-minute acupuncture treatment
A study published, in March 2010 (in Acupuncture in Medicine/British Medical Journal) reports a 50% reduction in measured anxiety scores following a single, 5-minute acupuncture treatment. All enrolled patients had a history of severe anxiety prior ... [Read More]
Relaxation & stress reduction counseling reported to reduce breast cancer recurrence and improve survival
In a study (published in June 2010, in Clinical Cancer Research), investigators update the results of a fascinating experiment in which 227 breast cancer patients were randomly assigned to two groups: group 1 (received psychological interventions ... [Read More]
Yoga significantly reduces fatigue and improves sleep quality after cancer treatment
In a study (abstract published online in May 2010, Journal of Clinical Oncology; to be presented on June 5th, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2010 annual meeting, in Chicago) investigators, from the University of Rochester Medical ... [Read More]
Social interaction (even over the phone) reduces the body’s response to stress
In a study (published in May 2010, in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.) investigators have demonstrated that social interaction (over the telephone) after a stressful event significantly decreases amount of stress hormones (cortisol) ... [Read More]
Post-traumatic stress disorder in cancer survivors
In a study (published in May 2010, in Pediatrics) investigators found that in a population of over 6,500 adults, who were survivors of childhood cancers, there was high percentage who reported signs and symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of ... [Read More]
Severe stress causes genetic changes that lead to a weakened immune system
In a study (published in May 2010, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) investigators have discovered that individuals who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have 6-7 times as many changes to genes that ... [Read More]