Many lung cancer patients are interested in complementary and alternative therapies for cancer symptoms. They often report anxiety and fatigue related to their cancer diagnosis.
Jun Mao, MD, MSCE, shared this patient story at the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2011 Focus On Lung Cancer Conference:
A woman had been healthy and active until her lung cancer diagnosis. She was treated with surgery and chemotherapy, and cancer-wise, was doing well. But she was suffering from anxiety and fatigue. She couldn't sleep and hadn't been able to resume her normal activities.
Dr. Mao asked each expert what he or she recommended to help this patient?
Dr. Mao heads the Penn Integrative Medicine Program, a remarkable multidisciplinary effort dedicated to addressing the many issues that affect the mind and body when people face a serious disease. The program combines real, hands-on interventions with research that seeks to advance this emerging field of medicine.
The panel members responded with both expertise and sensitivity.
Kimberly Fleisher, RMT, described the overall sense of balance that can come from the light touch of Reiki, its ability to move people away from anxious or negative thoughts.
Andrea Branas, MSE, MPT discussed the value of exercise in combating fatigue and insomnia, and how tailored exercise programs can meet the specific needs of this patient. She also discussed the importance of learning how to breathe deeply.
Dr. Mao thought that acupuncture could be useful because acupuncture for cancer symptoms may involve helping the brain release endorphins and regulate the autonomic nervous system. Michael Baime, MD, addressed the connection between mind and body, pointing out that by understanding that connection people could help themselves psychologically and physically.
The audience listened to the panel, and one woman who has been battling lung cancer for four years spoke:
"Things don't look the same to me since I got cancer," she said. “I'm different. People treat me differently. I don't even tell people anymore because they can't understand cancer if they haven't been through it."Several other patients spoke up and affirmed what she had said. In the most respectful of ways, they challenged the panel to dig a little deeper, to hear and respond to another level of pain that they shared.
The panel members conceded that there were no easy answers. The key, Dr. Mao said, is "redefining normal," in discovering a new level of life in which patients find positive meaning. It is a process, but one that many patients achieve.
"We are always moving toward balance in our lives," Fleischer added, “but the definition of balance changes all the time. We have to look deeply at what is happening to understand what balance means."
Joseph Carver, MD, said the discussion was a positive force. "No one knows what you are going through, but by talking to each other, learning, and listening, you can help each other and yourself."
Dr. Baime added: "Your body is smarter than any expert. Take some time to listen to it and be attuned to what is actually happening."
In the panel that followed, several patients offered their suggestions for coping with the ongoing physical and emotional challenges that are part of a lung cancer diagnosis. Their suggestions included tips like: talking to people, accepting help when it is needed or offered, participating in a support group, and staying as active as possible.
Some patients have also discovered that they help themselves by helping others. For many lung cancer patients, their journey begins with what they thought was bronchitis or pneumonia. It becomes a life-changing experience when a chest X-ray or scan reveals a lesion on the lung. By sharing their experiences they can help others cope with the challenges.
One participant summed up her commitment to working with newly diagnosed patients by saying: "No doctor can tell you what it feels like to hear the words 'you have lung cancer.' I can make a difference to someone by talking to them, and in the process, I feel better because I am giving something back."
The message from both patients and clinicians was clear: Cancer is a disease that affects not just the body, but the mind and soul as well. To be successful, treatment needs to address the whole patient, to heal the person as well as to destroy the cancer.
Learn more about lung cancer treatment at the Abramson Cancer Center.
Learn more about the Integrative Medicine and Wellness Program at the Abramson Cancer Center.
View presentations and more from this year’s Focus On Lung Cancer Conference.
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