Category Archives: Stress Management

Cancer Research, Stress Management

6 Things to Do If You Are Diagnosed with Cancer

Steps for Dealing With Cancer
Steps for Dealing With Cancer

If you are diagnosed with cancer, take a deep breath and follow these 6 steps:

1. Don’t panic. Cancer is not the death sentence it once was. Amazing advances are being made in cancer treatment that offer real hope. With the right treatment, your chances of beating cancer and living a long and happy life have never been better.

2. Knowledge is power. Learn everything you can about the type of cancer you have and the treatments available. While traditional Western medicine is beginning to embrace the benefits of integrative immunotherapy and other alternative cancer treatments, many physicians still cling to the old surgery-chemotherapy-radiation treatment trio. There are non-toxic treatment options and advanced targeted therapies available today that, for many patients, have proven to be more effective than traditional treatments.

3. Get a second opinion. Misdiagnosis and false positives have contributed to a culture of cancer overtreatment in the U.S. Get a second opinion to confirm your diagnosis and explore the complete range of treatment options.

4. Find the right cancer team. Choose a cancer team that takes a holistic approach to cancer treatment and will care for your physical, mental and emotional well-being.

5. Ask questions. The more you know and understand about the progress of your cancer and treatment, the more prepared you will be to cope with necessary changes to your daily life.

6. Strengthen your immune system. Your body’s natural defense against disease, your immune system plays a vital role in fighting cancer. Keeping your immune system strong with a healthy diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep and attention to other medical conditions can give your body the strength it needs to battle cancer. Issels integrative cancer treatment further boosts the immune system and has proven effective in fighting advanced and standard therapy-resistant cancers.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Living with Cancer, Stress Management

Pet Therapy – Improving Your Quality of Life

Pet Therapy
Pet Therapy

Is there anything more adorable and heart-warming than a four-legged friend who offers unconditional love? Pet therapy has become an increasingly popular means of providing physical and emotional support for cancer patients and others dealing with serious health problems. Mayo Clinic oncologist Dr. Edward Creagan has referred to it as “medication without side effects”.

Sigmund Freud was known to use dogs as relaxation aides for his psychotherapy patients, but it’s only fairly recently that pets have been used to “treat” those suffering from cancer. Therapy Dogs International and Pet Partners, the two earliest animal-assisted therapy groups, date back to the mid-1970s.

Cancer patients who receive visit from therapy pets have demonstrated emotional benefits such as lowered stress levels and improved moods. Interacting with the pets can help relieve the loneliness and isolation that often accompanies medical treatment. Some patients have even demonstrated a reduced need for pain medication.

While pets have been known as good companions since the dawn of mankind, researchers have tried to find the specific reasons that pet therapy has proven to be so effective. Studies have shown that visits with pets can reduce the levels of cortisol in the bloodstream. Cortisol is a hormone that produces the “fight or flight” response during high-stress situations. In addition, it can raise the level of endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain-relieving hormones.

Pet therapy can provide a valuable boost to your quality of life during cancer treatment. It’s a good complement to the integrative approach used at Issels alternative cancer treatment centers. Please contact us for more information.

Cancer Care Tips, Stress Management

Cancer Takes Toll on Patients’ Mental Health

You Are Not Defined by Cancer!
You Are Not Defined by Cancer!

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a traumatic event. Many patients experience extreme stress and anxiety and may succumb to depression as they struggle to deal with their diagnosis and subsequent treatment. While the effect cancer can have on the mental health of cancer patients is known, such issues seem to be considered peripheral and may be paid scant attention by many traditional practitioners.

Western medicine’s cancer treatment model has been criticized for having too narrow a focus that concentrates medical attention and resources almost entirely on the cancer treatment protocol while ignoring as secondary other important aspects of the patient’s health. Cancer patients pay a greater price than previously believed for this attitude.

Mental Health Can Play a Role in Recovery

A patient’s mental health can play an important role in cancer treatment outcomes and recovery. At Issels Integrative Oncology, we believe in the body, mind and spirit connection. Our holistic approach to immune therapy includes addressing our patients’ mental and physical health. At our alternative cancer treatment centers in Tijuana, Mexico and Santa Barbara, California, we provide psychological guidance and relief of emotional stress as part of our comprehensive cancer treatment program.

The Real Value of Holistic Care

The value of taking such a holistic approach to patient care by addressing the patient’s mental health during cancer treatment is the subject of a broad new study being funded by the National Cancer Institute.

“We can give people the best chemotherapy (and other treatments) in the world; but if we’re not checking in to see how they’re doing as people, we may not get the best results,” Georgia Anderson of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Institute, one of 18 facilities participating in the study, told USA Today.

For more than 60 years, Issels has taken such a holistic approach to cancer treatment. You are more than your cancer at Issels.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Stress Management

Improving Your Quality of Life When Living With Cancer

Positive Mind Set
Positive Mind Set

When living with cancer you may find yourself too preoccupied to take part in activities you normally enjoy. It’s important to focus on taking time for yourself and improving your quality of life. Even small pleasures can make a big difference in maintaining a positive mental attitude.

Defining quality of life is highly personal. Only you can say what factors go into your ideal blueprint for living. Are you a social butterfly who loves spending time with family and friends? Maybe you’re more of a homebody who enjoys curling up with a good book.

No matter where your bliss lies, taking care of your emotional and physical well-being boosts your quality of life. Here are some helpful ideas that can be easily incorporated into your schedule.

  • Stress can greatly impact your health. Find a method that helps you relax and free your mind. Meditation is particularly effective because it teaches you to live in the present rather than deal with regrets of the past or fears of the future.
  • Keep your energy level up by including some moderate exercise in your daily routine. Walking and bike riding are fun activities that won’t even feel like a workout.
  • Challenge yourself to become educated about nutrition and try out what you learn in the kitchen. The Internet makes it easier than ever to find healthy, simple-to-prepare recipes. Take some cooking classes at a local community center and make some new friends along the way.

No one else’s story is the same as yours. Write it however you choose and continue finding joy in every day of the journey

Living with Cancer, Stress Management

Improving Your Quality of Life While Living with Cancer

Improving Your Quality of Life
Improving Your Quality of Life

Cancer treatment and recovery are highly personal experiences – no two patients living with cancer have exactly the same physical or emotional response, even if their treatment is identical.

But beyond the scope of the purely clinical approach to fighting off the disease, another factor enters into the equation: quality of life. People living with cancer can take steps during and after treatment to help create a better sense of normalcy. In fact, a recent study conducted by the May Clinic confirmed that quality of life programs helped people with advanced cancer.

* Counseling for patients and their families can go a long way toward easing the burdens of worry regarding treatment cost, approaching workplace issues, supporting healthier relationships and more.

* Physical activity contributes to a stronger body, a clearer mind and improved self-esteem during and after treatment. Even something as simple as a daily walk can deliver physical and emotional benefits. Your oncologist or physician can help design a workout appropriate for every portion of your treatment and recovery.

* Mental stimulation creates a “buffer” that takes the mind off some of treatment’s more distracting or distressing elements. Anything from online courses to computer games and art classes can provide a mental workout that may improve your overall outlook.

* Spiritual approaches can lift the inner self. While living with cancer, you may find your religious beliefs fortified, which provides comfort and consistency. You may choose this time of life to investigate other spiritual paths, such as meditation or yoga, to deliver enhanced peace of mind.

At Issels we are here to help by providing information and treatment options for cancer patients and families who want to know more about non-toxic cancer treatment and how to improve your health while being treated for cancer.

Cancer Research, Stress Management

Stress Gene Linked to Spread of Cancer

Man squeezing stress ball.
Stress genes may lead to cancer.

Stress can be a killer. Considered a contributing factor to many chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes, a new study reported on eScienceNews.com has discovered a direct causal link between stress and the ability of cancer cells to metastasize and kill.

Researchers at The Ohio State University have linked the activation of the stress gene ATF3, a component of the body’s immune system, to the spread of breast cancer to other parts of the body. Researchers believe the stress gene may also trigger metastasis in other types of cancer and could be a major cause of cancer fatalities.

The study emphasizes the critical link between cancer and the body’s immune system.

“If your body does not help cancer cells, they cannot spread as far. So really, the rest of the cells in the body help cancer cells to move, to set up shop at distant sites. And one of the unifying themes here is stress,” explained Tsonwin Hai, OSU professor of molecular and cellular biochemistry and the study’s senior author.

A normal stress response that occurs in cells of all types, activation of ATF3 triggers cell death, a therapeutic immune system response used to eliminate irrevocably damaged cells. However, the new study indicates that cancer cells are somehow able to co-opt ATF3, throwing the body’s normal immune system response into chaos which allows cancer cells to escape the tumor area and spread.

When cancer attacks, Issels integrated immunotherapy brings the immune system back into balance so it can more effectively protect the body against cancer stressors and prevent the activation of cancer triggers.