Your Cancer Survival Plan: “Life After Treatment” Programs That Help You Cope

By Britta Aragon on March 11, 2011 | 4 Comments

Once we have been declared cancer free, we may think that we’re all done. It’s over. Yay, right? In a way, it is, but only one part of the journey. I know from my own experience, from having watched my father go into remission five times, and from the stories I’ve heard from other survivors that “surviving” isn’t an ending—it’s really a new beginning. After all, cancer leaves us with a body we no longer understand. We may have scars, missing parts, swelling, unexplained aches and pains, numbness, and fatigue. Emotionally we feel like we’ve been through a war. The rush of treatment is over and suddenly all the fear, sadness, and loss bubble to the surface. “Who am I now?” and “What just happened to me?” are some of the questions I asked myself after surviving cancer at 16 years old.

Fortunately, there is help. Many cancer centers, realizing that the struggle doesn’t end once the radiation stops, are creating survival programs that help people cope with the changes they face after treatment is over. The Cancer Wellness Center at Piedmont Health Care is one of them, helping survivors cope with programs like yoga, music and art therapy, social events, and massage. Doors are open to all cancer patients and survivors, no matter where they received treatment. Georgia Cancer Specialists, a Top 10 private cancer practice in the U.S., has implemented a “Life After Treatment” program to help patients cope with post-treatment doctor’s visits, tests, and concerns like fatigue and hair loss for months to years after treatment is over.

The Winship Cancer Institute is working on a similar program to offer follow-up care. They plan to implement a volunteer program that will match newly diagnosed patients with survivors, as well as offer treatment for the various long-term side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. “It is important to understand that it takes time to recover and adjust to life after a cancer diagnosis,” Winship’s site says. “Determining what is the new normal may take some time.”

The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska offers a survivorship program that “helps address the physical and emotional challenges the cancer survivor experiences.” The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston provides the “Perini Family Survivor’s Center” to help survivors “access post-treatment follow-up care, including counseling and monitoring of long-term side effects of treatment.” They even include a specialized survivor program for children.

The list goes on. In fact, these programs are becoming so popular that you’re likely to find one at a cancer center or hospital near you. The point is that experts around the nation, from doctors to counselors to oncologists to survivors themselves, all realize that surviving cancer is a task best tackled with help and support from others.

“Far too many distressed cancer survivors are left to suffer alone,” said Mike Hobday, head of Macmillan Cancer Support. “It’s great that people are surviving cancer, but we cannot dessert them after their initial treatment is over.”

Fortunately, more survivor programs are in the works. Whether or not you have one available to you, realize that your journey doesn’t end when treatment stops. Seek support from counselors, support groups, nutritionists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, financial counselors, or whatever you need.

“Whether you are coping with the debilitating effects of therapy or you have no external physical evidence of the disease, research validates what you already know: cancer causes change,” writes Sherri Magee and Kathy Scalzo in Picking Up the Pieces. “Once your cancer treatments have ended, you face the challenging task of picking up the pieces of your life and putting them back together again.”

http://cincovidas.com/your-cancer-survival-plan-%E2%80%9Clife-after-treatment%E2%80%9D-programs-that-help-you-cope/

Study Emphasizes Sun Protection over Water Consumption for Beautiful Skin

We’ve all heard that drinking 8 glasses of water a day keeps your skin glowing and dewy. However, a recent investigation by the British Nutrition Foundation found that protecting your skin from the sun along with maintaining a healthy diet is much more important in achieving a healthy complexion and fighting the signs of aging.

While drinking water is important as part of adequate nutrition, forcing down 8 glasses a day to keep your skin hydrated may not be necessary. According to the BNF, “There currently appears to be very little scientific evidence relating to the effects of water consumption on skin hydration, and whether drinking more or less water actually has any impact on skin appearance.” Instead, eating a healthy range of fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins A, B, C, and E and wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day are better actions to prevent wrinkles and fine lines.

Unprotected sun exposure is a proven cause of skin cancer as well as wrinkles andhyperpigmentation. This is one reason that legislation in California was recently passed that banned teens under 18 from tanning salons even if they had their parents’ permission. Sun exposure breaks down the support structures in the skin speeding up the aging process and producing fine lines and sunspots.

While it’s still important to regularly drink water, Dermatology Associates of Atlantaencourages our patients to take further measures to ensure the health of their skin and postpone the signs of aging from appearing.

For more information on anti-aging, skin cancer prevention or treatment, skincare, or dermatology contact us.  You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter with the latest in dermatology news and updates!

http://www.dermatlanta.com/Blog/2011/12/06/study-emphasizes-sun-protection-over-water-consumption-for-beautiful-skin/

The Survivor's Nest - Five Tips for Yoga At Home

Submitted by Debbie 

on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 07:49

Yoga doesn't take time, it gives time. - Ganga White

About two years ago, I took my first yoga class. I had no idea what to expect, but figured a class called "Stress Management Yoga" would move slowly enough for me to keep up. I've been going to this class ever since and love it.

With the basics under my belt, I was ready to create a home yoga practice. Yoga at home is different from yoga in class. For me, 20 minutes on the mat at home can be more intense than an hour class. I tend to move more fluidly into poses, because I am more focused and not not waiting for direction. Alone with my mat, I can pay more attention to my breathing and my body.   

It's easy to create a home yoga practice: 

1.  Find a quiet place with enough floor space to set up your mat. My "yoga room" is a small family room we built off our kitchen last year. It's serene, full of natural light and uncluttered. I designed the room as a quiet space shut off from the public space of the kitchen and it's heaven with the doors closed.  

2.  Store your equipment within reach.  When I first started to think about doing yoga at home, my yoga mat was stored in my car. Like I said, "I thought about doing yoga at home." I didn't actually do it because I couldn't get myself to walk outside to get the mat out of the car. Now, I own two yoga mats. One is still in the car and handy for class and the other is stored in a large crock pot in the corner of the yoga room with my blocks and strap.  Seeing them in the room motivates me and I like that I can grab them right away and get started. Because yoga equipment is very reasonably priced, having two mats was an easy solution to my problem. (Amazon associates links.) 

3.  Make a music mix that moves you. My iPod is loaded with yoga playlists that range from serene to new age. Because I control the music at home, I can play whatever I want, as loud or soft as I want. I also enjoy doing yoga in silence, because you can never do that in class and silence focuses me that much more on the mind/body connection.

4.  Create sacred space.  In an earlier post, I shared five tips for creating sacred space. My yoga room surrounds me with my collection of souvenir plates and children's artwork. There are four pillows on the couch, each embroidered with a single word, "Peace," "Joy," "Love" and "Light." These words remind me of the chant learned from my yoga teacher, "Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu."Loosely translated, it means, “May the entire Universe be filled with Peace and Joy, Love and Light.” 

5. Show up, even if it's only for 20 minutes.  As Rodney Yee says, "The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind." The distractions of life and busy schedules can keep us from our serenity, but, if we remember to devote our bodies and minds to yoga for even a few minutes, those are minutes well spent.

Do you do yoga at home? If not, do you have another hobby or exercise activity that you practice at home? Have you made room for it in your home?

123RF Stock Photos and EJ Davis Photography. Thank you EJ for taking my photo, which will be used in a book she is putting together for the Pathway's Women's Cancer Teaching Project.

http://www.wherewegonow.com/debbies-blog/survivors-nest-five-tips-yoga-home

What is a Mammogram & How Does It Detect Breast Cancer?

BREAST CANCER PREVENTION | by April Zubko | December 26th, 2011

A mammogram, also known as a digital mammography, is a low dose x-ray which captures a picture of the breast tissue. The breast is carefully positioned on a film cassette and gently compressed with a special paddle so that the maximum amount of tissue will appear in the image. This flattening also helps spread the tissue in dense parts of the breast more evenly so that a clearer picture of these areas can be obtained. It also helps doctors determine which changes are noncancerous (benign) and which are cancerous (malignant). Unlike the standard mammography, the digital mammography captures the images electronically and allows them to be viewed on a computer screen. Although the test is administered the same, the digital mammography enhances visibility by up to 300% making it more likely to see lumps and other abnormal changes that may be present in the breast tissue.

Women should begin their first mammogram at age 35 (first mammogram is a baseline x-ray). If the results of this screening are normal, then begin annual mammograms at age 40. For all women regardless of age, the Maurer Foundation recommends a monthly breast self-examination and a yearly clinical breast exam with a doctor.

There has been much confusion about whether the importance of cancer screenings have been overstated. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has even recommended that women ages 40-49 no longer needed to undergo routine mammograms. We couldn’t disagree more! It is our firm position and that of our founder breast surgeon Dr. Virginia Maurer that screenings can only give you knowledge and knowledge saves lives. (See our official statement.)

Many women ages 40-49 have had their breast cancer caught in it’s early stages as a result of a routine mammogram. Had these same women waited until age 50, their survival rate would certainly be lower as a result of their more advanced stage of breast cancer. According to a 2010 Swedish study, breast cancer mortality was reduced 29% for women ages 40-49 who received mammograms. Sandra Palmaro, CEO, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Ontario Region explains, “Since 1-in-6 women who die from breast cancer are diagnosed in their 40s, we simply cannot afford to see missed opportunities for earlier detection.”

Until there is a cure for breast cancer, early detection must play a vital role in safe-guarding lives; mammograms are a significant part of a breast cancer early detection strategy.

Screening mammograms are the routine basic mammograms that most women receive annually. Diagnostic mammograms take longer, are usually performed to receive a proper diagnosis and involve more pictures from different angles and even the magnification of suspicious areas.

Discuss your plan to get a mammogram with your doctor if you are pregnant, have breast implants, or you are positive for the breast cancer gene BRCA1 or BRCA2; special mammography recommendations may apply in these situations. Review our mammogram tips to prepare for the day. There’s also some great mammogram videos that explain the process and will help you visualize the process and the mammography machine a little better.

These are some example mammograms. The one on the left is normal. The one on the right shows an abnormality that would require further investigation.

Mammograms are only one type of breast imaging. Other types include breast MRIs and breast ultrasounds. These two types of breast imaging are usually only performed if a routine mammogram is inconclusive or if the patient has a high risk for breast cancer, due to lifestyle, genetics, or other breast cancer risk factors.

[Photos by istockphoto]

http://www.maurerfoundation.org/what-is-a-mammogram-how-does-it-detect-breast-cancer/3117