Tag Archive for: stress

Lung Cancer Biomarker Disparities | How Precision Medicine and Research Can Help

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Lung Cancer Biomarker Disparities | How Precision Medicine and Research Can Help from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can lung cancer research and precision medicine help with biomarker disparities? Experts Dr. Joshua Sabari from NYU Langone and Dr. Eugene Manley from SCHEQ Foundation discuss testing factors that need improvement, patient groups that show disparities, and how clinical trial participation can move research forward.

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“…we really have to more universally test everyone equally to really have an impact on outcomes.”

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See More from [ACT]IVATED NSCLC Biomarkers

Related Resources:

Hope Unleashed: Advancing Therapies for Defiant Mutations in Lung Cancer

Hope Unleashed: Advancing Therapies for Defiant Mutations in Lung Cancer

 Maximizing Biomarker Equity: Leveraging Partnerships to Close Biomarker Disparities in Lung Cancer

Maximizing Biomarker Equity: Leveraging Partnerships to Close Biomarker Disparities in Lung Cancer

 How Can We Leverage Lung Cancer Biomarker Data to Address Health Disparities?

How Can We Leverage Lung Cancer Biomarker Data to Address Health Disparities

Transcript:

Lisa Hatifeld:

So, how can advancements in precision medicine be made more inclusive and equitable to ensure that biomarker-driven treatments benefit diverse populations equally? Second part is, what do you see as the most pressing research priorities in understanding and mitigating these biomarker disparities?

Dr. Joshua Sabari:

So I think first and foremost, testing is key. I mean, educating clinicians, healthcare providers, that every single patient, no matter what clinical characteristic that may be, age, sex, ethnicity, race needs to be tested broadly with the same mutational sort of profile or same biomarker profile. Having somebody in your office who never smoked, those patients generally will have broad panel and next generation sequencing. If you have an 85-year-old patient who is a former heavy smoker, the rate of mutational testing comes down.

So I think we need to remove that bias, that those clinical biases that we have, that we carry with us on a day-to-day basis. We need to test all patients with lung cancer regardless of any clinical characteristic. And what I tell my fellows, my residents, and what I talk to patients about is really all you need is lungs to develop lung cancer.

We need to remove that stigma and when we remove that stigma, we will be testing more broadly in our practices. There are also a lot of systemic biases, a lot of racism that exists, that prevents clinicians, I believe, from doing the best thing for their patients. And if you look at clinical trial enrollment in this country and that’s something that we do need to improve in order to develop better treatment options for our patients, particularly our patients of Latin American descent or Black Americans in the United States.

We need to enroll more patients of more diverse backgrounds onto our trials. Otherwise, we’re only limiting our treatments to specific or small percent of our patient population. So to be honest, I don’t know how well our EGFR inhibitors work in Black patients. I know it’s approved and we utilize it, but we don’t have nearly as much data prospectively treating novel therapies.

A lot of our trials have inclusion rates as low as 2 percent to 3 percent. And we know that our Black patient populations make up 13 percent to 15 percent of our practices. So I think more needs to be done to align our enrollment on trial, I think from institutional policies as well as governmental. So the FDA has really made a forceful statement here to pharmaceutical companies that if your data is not inclusive of a U.S. patient population, this will have ramifications for approvals in the future.

So a lot needs to be done in the sense of education both from the healthcare provider and…but also from the patient, and to really motivate patients to enroll in trials. And one positive that I’ve seen from the patient support groups, the advocacy groups, particularly EGFR Resisters Group, for example, we’ve seen a tremendous sort of push for patients to enroll on trials, again, to benefit themselves as an individual patient diagnosed with EGFR mutant lung cancer, but also to help those who come before or after them in their journey with lung cancer.

Lisa Hatfield:

And, Dr. Manley, do you have anything to add to that?

Dr. Eugene Manley:

I think he hit most of it, but I will say that you have to test everyone because there are people that have risk factors for lung cancer and those that don’t. And like, one of the leading risk factors is history of smoking, but there’s a significant population of specifically Asian females that don’t smoke. Even recently, that have been showing that Black women that don’t smoke also have increased rates of lung cancer. And these are, we don’t know why.

So we still need to be able to test all these patients across all the indications and maybe cross-reference with stress income, socioeconomic status and really try to determine maybe if there are certain specific drivers and what we didn’t talk about. We know that there are some epigenetic changes that may occur due to stress. We also know that there are some changes in tumor mutational burden, some stuff out of MSK. And I think there is some stuff that even shows differences in the immunomarker frequency and response in Black populations. So, we really have to more universally test everyone equally to really have an impact on outcomes.

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Navigating Anxiety and Stress Following Follicular Lymphoma Treatment

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Navigating Anxiety and Stress Following Follicular Lymphoma Treatment from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What are some ways for follicular lymphoma patients to cope with emotions after treatment? Cancer patient Lisa Hatfied shares coping methods and health lifestyle advice for dealing with stress and anxiety.

See More from START HERE Follicular Lymphoma

Related Resources:

What Are the Signs It Is Time to Treat Follicular Lymphoma

 How Can I Manage Anxiety After Follicular Lymphoma Diagnosis

 What To Do When Newly Diagnosed With Follicular Lymphoma

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

After you are done with your follicular lymphoma treatment (including stopping any maintenance therapy), you may feel anxiety or stress and ask yourself “Well now what?” This range of emotions is normal. One woman  shared, “After a year in remission, dealing with the aftermath of follicular lymphoma has been tough. Initially, the news of remission brought euphoria and excitement that lasted the whole day. However, soon after, I found myself feeling numb—and then grappling with guilt for feeling that way.

You may feel similar to this woman or you may feel like the other shoe is about to drop (i.e. concerned about recurrence in the future). Here are some tips to help manage this stress and anxiety: 

  • Manage your expectations. Give yourself a break and set realistic expectations. After you stop maintenance therapy, you may not feel 100% back to normal right away so give yourself grace 
  • Research has shown that fear of recurrence can be reduced when your healthcare team is able to give people statistics about curability or remission length. Ask your healthcare team if you find comfort in statistics. 
  • Talk to a counselor and seek antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications
  • Exercise and relaxation techniques like meditation and mindfulness may also help
  • Continue healthy lifestyle factors, just like you did during treatment, including good diet/nutrition, getting enough sleep, etc. 
  • Join a support group designed to help people who have completed treatment. It can be helpful to hear what other people do to manage their anxiety/stress and know you are not alone in feeling this way. 

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What Are Common Issues That CAR T-Cell Therapy Care Partners Face?

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What Are Common Issues That CAR T-Cell Therapy Care Partners Face? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

CAR T-cell therapy is a long process, but what can care partners expect? Expert Sarah Meissner reviews common issues that care partners face, and Adrienne, a care partner, shares the difficulties that she encountered as well as the lessons she learned that might help ease difficulties for other care partners.

Sarah Meissner, RN, BSN, BMTCN, is a Blood and Marrow Transplant and Related Donor Search Coordinator at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute. Adrienne is a Care Partner to her husband, who underwent CAR T-cell therapy.

See More from The Care Partner Toolkit: CAR T-Cell Therapy

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How Can a Social Worker Help CAR T-Cell Therapy Care Partners?

 Are You a CAR T-Cell Therapy Care Partner_ Why You Should Ask for Help

Are You a CAR T-Cell Therapy Care Partner? Why You Should Ask for Help

Transcript:

Katherine:

Sarah, I wanted to ask you, “What are some of the common issues that care partners face?”  

Sarah Meissner:

I think this is a very stressful time here. Your loved one is not feeling well, and there are these potential side effects. And so, that can cause a lot of stress on caregivers that they’re kind of the one in charge. They’re looking for these things. Of course, they want the best for their loved one. So, it can be a very stressful time. 

Frequent appointments. Here in Denver, we have terrible traffic. So, if people live far away from the center, it’s fighting rush hour every morning to get here. That can add a lot of stress as well as if you have other things going on at home, too, other family members who need you, it’s a lot to take on. 

Katherine:

Adrienne, what experiences or issues did you have in taking care of your husband? 

Adrienne:

Well, we do have a child. She was 2 at the time. So, I did have to plan childcare pretty much every day for two weeks, which I am fortunate to have lots of friends and family here in Denver, so I was able to get that covered.  

Katherine:

It’s a lot of responsibility for you. 

It’s a higher level of responsibility, I guess, right, because you’re taking care of your child and now, your husband is very sick. And you want to make sure that everyone’s needs are being met. 

Adrienne:

Right. And driving, like Sarah had said, the driving was an issue, because it was so far for us. There are potholes and with the little bit of change in mood and not feeling well, it was hard for him to be in the car so long and not getting to drive himself. So, I think that was not the best experience. I think if we did it next time, we would try and just be closer to the hospital.  

And for me to take care of everybody else, I did make sure that I would try and work out and not being able to leave the house with him. So I work out in the living room just to get some of my own stress out, or I would have somebody come and watch him if I really wanted to go to a class to work out. And like I said before, we were very lucky to have his parents that live in town and then my mother and my sister. So, that’s something that is important to have a network of people to help you because I don’t know, depending on what you have on your plate. I think it would be almost impossible to do it all by yourself, especially if you have to work or you have children to take care of.  

So, that’s some advice or what I’ve learned from this experience. 

Katherine:

Yeah. Was it hard for you to take time for yourself? Did you feel guilty? I know a lot of people think “Oh, I need to focus all of my attention on my child or my sick spouse.” It can be difficult to say to yourself, “I really need to take half an hour or an hour,” and then, find somebody to help you out with the caregiving.  

Adrienne:

Yes. I did find it difficult. And you just know that there is going to be an end in sight. You think, ”If I can just last through the month so I did sacrifice.” But at the same time, my main concern was that my husband would get through this. So, I did feel a little guilty. And I would get a little bit of time.  

But me, personally, I just wanted to push through that month and especially that first two weeks. And then, I knew that I would be back to doing the things I love. 

Katherine:

Yes. Rather than looking too far forward, I guess it’s trying to get through every day each day. Yeah. I’m going to switch back to ask Sarah a question. Sarah, why is it so important that care partners communicate any issues with their healthcare team?  

Sarah Meissner:

So, those side effects that we talked about, there are drugs that we can use to treat them, but they work best when we can get those drugs in as soon as possible. So, if we’re starting to see signs of cytokine release syndrome, we want to get that tocilizumab (Actemra) infused in the patient within two hours. 

So, it’s really important that we know that these side effects are popping up so that we can treat it appropriately. 

Why Should People With Prostate Cancer Share Emotional Issues With Their Team?

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Why Should People With Prostate Cancer Share Emotional Issues With Their Team? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Prostate cancer expert Dr. Tanya Dorff explains common emotional issues that arise during treatment and monitoring, and why it’s important for patients to speak up about any feelings that may be causing distress.

Dr. Tanya Dorff is Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research at City of Hope. Learn more about Dr. Dorff.
 
 

Related Resources:

How Can Palliative Care Help People With Prostate Cancer?

 Strategies for Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer Symptoms

 What Is Personalized Prostate Cancer Medicine?

Transcript:

Katherine:

Beyond treatment, another large part of thriving with prostate cancer is dealing with the emotions that come along with the diagnosis, like fear and anxiety. Whether it’s the stress of being in active surveillance or worrying about progression, many patients need help coping emotionally. Why do you feel it’s so important for patients to share these emotions with their doctor or their healthcare team? 

Dr. Dorff:

I think it’s a conversation that’s not held enough between patients and their physicians, and if we don’t remember to ask our patients, we will just focus on the medical because that’s our main wheelhouse, that’s what we’re best at. So, if a patient brings forth that they’re having some emotions related to the cancer, it is helpful to us in remembering – we ought to do everything 100 percent all of the time, but let’s face it, we’re physicians with time pressures and certain areas of comfort and expertise. So, if a patient brings it up, that is super helpful because then we know someone’s needing assistance, which probably every patient is, whether they tell us or not, but that triggers us to then offer appropriate referrals. 

And also, it tells us they’re open to it. If we have to ask every patient, “Are you having any emotional distress?”, even if someone answers yes and then we make a referral, they may not have actually been ready for it or open to it. So, having the patient come forth and raise that, I think, is really helpful and important. 

How Can Palliative Care Help People With Prostate Cancer?

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How Can Palliative Care Help People With Prostate Cancer? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Some prostate cancer patients may receive palliative care, but how is it used exactly? Expert Dr. Tanya Dorff explains research studies about palliative care and how it can be used to improve quality of life for patients.

Dr. Tanya Dorff is Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research at City of Hope. Learn more about Dr. Dorff.
 

Related Resources:

Managing the Side Effects of Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment

 Strategies for Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer Symptoms

 What Is Personalized Prostate Cancer Medicine?

Transcript:

Katherine:

What is palliative care, and how can it help men with prostate cancer? 

Dr. Dorff:

Palliative care is something that we think about more towards the end of life, where we’re focusing on cancer symptoms more than treating cancer. However, some studies have shown – very prominent studies – that early palliative care in some malignancies is associated actually with better survival, meaning that paying attention to the patient’s symptoms is actually a really important part of keeping them well and keeping them alive as we treat the cancer. 

So, more and more, we’re starting to integrate palliative care earlier in the disease.  

I think that can sometimes signal a little alarm for patients – “Oh, I’m being referred to palliative care, that means my doctor doesn’t really think they can treat my cancer anymore” – and it’s gonna take some education to really help people transform their thinking about palliative care as a strategy that’s not for the end, but something that really should be part of our treatment all along. 

So, our palliative care team, or what we call supportive medicine at City of Hope, uses treatments to manage pain. They have a broader spectrum, they’re more focused on all the different modalities to treat pain, so an oncologist or urologist can treat pain, but when we refer to palliative or supportive medicine, you get just that extra expertise, especially if people are having a lot of side effects from pain medicines, but our supportive medicine doctors aren’t only pain management doctors. 

They help with other symptoms, like nausea or constipation, to some extent urinary symptoms for my prostate cancer patients, although we rely heavily on urology for that, and also just the existential, or spiritual, or emotional components. 

Our supportive medicine team typically includes not only an MD, an advanced practice provider like an NP, but also someone from psychology, someone from social work, because dealing with cancer is really stressful and challenging, and in an ideal world, palliative care is not only taking care of the symptoms of the cancer that are physical, but also helping the whole being, the whole family unit that’s going through this experience have less emotional distress as well. 

8 Tips For Coping With Christmas When You Have Cancer

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Christmas is traditionally a time of celebration, feasting on festive foods and drinks and gathering with family and friends. However, if you have cancer, this may also be a time of overwhelming emotions, exhaustion, or physical discomfort. Add in concerns about the current coronavirus pandemic, and you’ve got a recipe for a stressful holiday.  “As our second COVID Christmas is fast approaching and with our world so desperately wanting to return to normal comes a lot of holiday festivities, says Marissa Holzer, who has been living with metastatic breast cancer since 2014.  “Some of these parties and gatherings may bring unnecessary stress and anxiety, even during normal times, or they may make an immunocompromised individual feel unsafe.”

Let’s take a look at some ways we might reduce the stress of the festive season.

1. Plan Ahead

Consider what aspects of Christmas may be difficult for you, and plan ahead of time for what will help you cope.  You may find it useful to write a list. For example, keep snacks, hand sanitizer, and masks in your bag when traveling away from home.

2. Listen to Holiday Music

This tip comes from two-time breast cancer survivor, Terri Coutee, who finds listening to holiday music lifts her spirits. “It can be in the form of quiet instrumental when I am feeling peaceful and reading or resting,” she explains. “When I am cooking or decorating I might put on a favorite artist with a little jazz or swing to it and dance a bit while preparing for the holidays.

3. Ask for Help

The run-up to Christmas is a hectic time filled with food shopping, gift wrapping, decorating, and extra household jobs. Now is the time to call on the assistance of those who offered to help when you were first diagnosed.  Reach out to them and ask for practical help with Christmas chores. Also, do as much of your grocery and gift shopping online as possible.

4. Schedule Rest Time

Don’t expect to be able to do what you could do before cancer. Know your limits and don’t expect too much of yourself. You may find it helpful to think of your energy reserves as your ‘energy bank’. Whenever you do an activity you make a withdrawal. And when you rest you make a deposit. It’s important to balance withdrawals with deposits. If you keep doing too much whenever you feel like you have energy, you’ll run out completely and not have any reserves left for the things that are important.

Cathy Leman, who works with post-treatment survivors of hormone-positive breast cancer, says that “one thing that helps my clients cope during the holidays is being deliberate in creating space for themselves; ideally before they start their day. As little as ten minutes devoted to setting an intention, doing deep breathing or journaling can help you feel grounded and balanced.”

5. Adjust Your Expectations

Arising out of the previous tip, Jennifer Douglas, who was diagnosed with DCIS, suggests keeping expectations flexible. “Since our energy fluctuates so much during and after treatment it can be really difficult to know how much to put on one day,” she explains. “I found that giving myself grace to do a lot, or a little, with regards to holiday preparations, enabled me to feel more at peace. Some days I felt good and could do a lot, and other days I didn’t have the energy. Either way, I listened to my body and did what I could. Having flexible expectations of myself helped me get through the busy season while preserving my precious energy.”

6. Set Firm Boundaries

When you visit with friends and family the subject of your diagnosis and treatment may come up at some point. It’s perfectly acceptable to tell someone that you don’t want to talk about cancer if you don’t. It can be helpful to plan ahead of time how you will respond to these questions.

Rod Ritchie who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 (followed in 2016 with a diagnosis of prostate cancer), steers clear of cancer conversations as much as he can. “Because I don’t want to turn a Christmas party into a pity party, I don’t mention the ‘C word’ unless it comes up for discussion,” he says. “ It doesn’t hurt me to have a day off the topic as well!”

7. Feel What You Feel

Christmas is a time of high expectations and the reality of our experience doesn’t always match these expectations. Tell yourself that’s ok. Let yourself feel whatever it is that you are feeling. Even if how you feel doesn’t correspond to what others expect, your feelings are still real and valid.

Breast cancer survivor, Nancy Stordahl, still grieves the death of her mother from breast cancer and finds Christmas can be a challenging time. “There is nothing wrong with honoring your grief by feeling it,” she says. “No one should feel guilty about grieving during the holidays or during any time of year, for that matter.”

Prostate cancer survivor, Gogs Gagnon, who lost his sister to ovarian cancer says he finds “comfort in sharing stories at family gatherings. Reliving my favorite memories and allowing myself to cry without fear of judgment is incredibly healing and therapeutic.”

8. Prioritize What is Best For You

You get to decide the kind of Christmas you want. It’s ok to say no to certain things, such as not visiting friends or family. Discuss your needs with friends and family, but remember that it’s ok to prioritize what’s best for you, even if others don’t seem to understand. In the words of Marissa, “My motto this season:  If it doesn’t bring peace, joy and love to your heart it is absolutely okay to say no.”

My wish for you this holiday season is that it will be a time filled with an abundance of peace, joy and love, and that the new year will bring good health and happiness to us all.

Merry Christmas.

How Does Stress Correlate to Our Physical Ailments?

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How Does Stress Correlate to Our Physical Ailments? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What are the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression on physical health? Dr. Nicole Rochester and Dr. Broderick Rodell discuss how personal experiences and environmental conditions can impact patient health and a prostate cancer study that examined prostate cancer cells in Black patients.

See More From Rx for Community Wellness

Related Resources:

Advice From Cancer Survivor to Better Whole Person Care

Why Is It Important to Address Whole Person Care?

Why Is It Important to Address Whole Person Care?

Transcript:

Dr. Nicole Rochester:

We know that stress and anxiety and depression and all of those things impact your physical health, and as I said earlier, I think traditionally, there’s been this ridiculous disconnection between our minds and our bodies, and we know a lot more now, in fact, there’s a study, there are many studies, but there’s a study specifically looking at prostate cancer by Dr. Burnham, a researcher. And what they found in this study is that they looked at prostate cancer cells from African American patients and white patients, and when they treated these cells with stress hormones, they saw that the Black patient’s prostate cells would begin to up-regulate the genes and the proteins that are known to make that cancer more resistant to therapy. And so it starts to look at the role of stress and stress hormones, and we know that there’s increased stress among minority communities, among… sorry, urban communities, those who are otherwise disenfranchised, so from your perspective, can you just share a little bit about the connection between stress and physical illness and maybe how you approach that in the work that you do?

Dr. Broderick Rodell:

So, these various patterns we don’t operate, we have a framework that we all operate from, and it’s beneath the surface of our conscious awareness. And so our subconscious mind operating system is there, but that operating system comes from our conditioning, we’re conditioned by our families, by our local communities, our societies. And so, the various structures that are in place are facilitating our conditioning and from our conditioning we…that our conditioning creates our perspective, the framework that we operate from, that’s determine…that’s going to determine how we relate to our experiences. And how we relate to our experiences can be gracefully, or it can be stressfully, just to put it in those two different terms, and so that stress that is created based on how we’re relating to our experiences has a historical perspective, and so we have to address those issues. We can address our familial issues that has a historical relationship and say that maybe the relationship that my mother and father or grandparents had towards their own health is not necessarily to be the most optimal way to do that. And they may have had those ways of relating to their experience, based on their conditioning, based on the suffering that they’ve experienced, environmental conditions that were conducive for that mental framework that they’re operating from, and so we have to work towards transforming that, and again, the place where we have the most power in ourselves, “How can I change myself?”

I have to advocate for myself, and so how do we increase that by increasing our education and learning about ourselves and learning about our mental models that we’re using to relate to our experiences and transforming those mental models to reduce unnecessary stress and tension? Because when we’re under unnecessary stress, we have our epinephrine cortisol, these hormones that are increasing in our body, that’s going to suppress our immune system. It’s going to cause damage in our blood vessels, organs are not going to function optimally, and I think that we’re going to keep finding out more and more about this. I was interested, as you hear that about the prostate, prostate cells in African Americans, why would that be the case? You’ve got generations of hyper-vigilance for historical reasons, cultural reasons, or social reasons. Then, of course, that’s going to get passed on from generation to generation, a sense of hyper-vigilance, a sense excessive amount of stress hormones was floating around in the bloodstream, and it’s going to have a significant influence on how the body is capable of dealing with various illnesses – be it cancer, be it cardiovascular disease, or any other disease that’s associated with, or probably all disease that’s associated with stress these days.

In particular, with cancer it’s very interesting, that relationship and why are these cells dividing and rapidly producing in the way that they’re doing, and how is that related to stress? I don’t think it’s…no, simple relationship there. You can’t just say, “Stress causes cancer.” I’m not saying that at all. But there is a correlation, there is a relationship, and if the thing that we can tackle, we can’t change our genes, but what we can do is change our relationship to our experience. Transform that to reduce the amount of stress or suffering and maximize well-being, and that’s the kind of work that I try to focus my attention on and what comes out of that is, “Okay, I need to work on how I relate to my experience,’ but also “How do I create favorable conditions in my internal system, in my body through the food, in through the exercise that I do, through the literature and I expose myself to, etcetera?”

How Stress Can Play a Role at the Time of a Cancer Diagnosis

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How Stress Can Play a Role at the Time of a Cancer Diagnosis from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

MPN Network Managers Jeff and Summer share how they’ve overcome and continue to overcome the stresses that follow a cancer diagnosis. 

Although, surprised at the time of her diagnosis Summer remained positive. As a care partner at the time of diagnosis, Jeff was fearful because he knew very little about myelofibrosis. To counteract this stress, he armored hisself with knowledge from various resources. Both Jeff and Summer use their hobbies as an outlet whether it’s nature photography or teaching improv classes to further relieve stress. 

Want to connect with Jeff and Summer? Email them at question@powerfulpatient.org or text EMPOWER to (833)213-6657. 

How Does Stress Correlate With Your Prostate Cancer Diagnosis?

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How Does Stress Correlate With Your Prostate Cancer Diagnosis? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo. 

How do stress and cortisol levels contribute to prostate cancer incidence and aggressiveness in Black men? Dr. Leanne Burnham explains her research studies where they looked specifically at the role of stress in prostate cancer, tumor aggressiveness, and Black men — and also shares research about cortisol levels in African American children.

See More From the Prostate Cancer TelemEDucation Empowerment Resource Center

Related Resources:

 

What Are Some Hereditary Factors Impacting Prostate Cancer Patients?

Top Tips and Advice for Prostate Cancer Patients and Caregivers Navigating Treatment

Should Prostate Cancer Screening Happen at an Earlier Age for Certain Patient Populations?
 

Transcript:

Dr. Leanne Burnham

I have a few publications that look at the role of stress and prostate cancer, tumor aggressiveness, and Black men. And so, I looked at Black men specifically, because I have wondered if Black men who maybe were exposed to more stressors in their lifetime if that had any correlation to Black men getting prostate cancer earlier in their life and getting a more aggressive disease. And so, there were very realistic ways that we were able to look at that in the lab and then also in collaboration with public health colleagues that I have. Because what we know there are studies that show that African American children experience more stress, and their cortisol levels in their bodies are effective much earlier than any other race, and their studies that show the distress begins in the daycare setting based on discrimination that they may have from the adults that are taking care of them in that setting. And so, imagine cumulatively how that looks, and so we have ways that there are validated scales to assess levels of stressors that people have been exposed to. So that could be…what are your finances looking like? Have you been affected by incarceration yourself or anyone in your family? Have you experienced the death of a loved one? Has your home been broken into recently?

There are all kinds of, there are hundreds and hundreds of questions, and we can get to the root of how much stress has somebody been exposed to. And we know that unfortunately, African Americans in this country are exposed to more of these stressors than other demographics, and so what we did was look at the elevated stress, we could look at the cellular level and see, now if we’re growing prostate cancer cells, so that’s what I did. I was growing cancer cells in the lab that were from Black patients and white patients, and I would expose them to stress hormones in the flask, or maybe you like to think of it as kind of like a petri dish, but in the flask where the prostate cancer cells were growing. I would treat them with stress hormones, and then I would look and see do the cells grow differently, do they express genes and proteins differently based on race? And what I found very surprisingly, disturbingly, whichever adverb you want to use, that the African American prostate cancer cells, when they were exposed to stress hormones, the tumor cells became more aggressive, and they up-regulated genes that we know prime a patient to resist therapy.

So, the genes that were up-regulated in these prostate cancer cells are genes that we know, let’s say if a patient were to get chemotherapy, that patient would be more likely to fail that chemotherapy early, which is a terminology we call chemo resistance. And so those are studies right now that have just sort of, they’re newer to the forefront looking at stress and tumor aggressiveness. But there are studies going on nationwide right now involving thousands of African American men participants, where we are looking at the role of stress and what that does in terms of prostate cancer, aggressiveness in Black men specifically, and seeing what we can do to address it. But first we have to acknowledge that the problem is even there, a lot of people don’t think the problem is there, but we are scientists, we think the problem is there. So, we have to get the data to show the public that the problem is there, and then we need to really address the systemic racism that leads to this elevated and chronic stress that other demographics don’t have to deal with, because it’s literally leading to increased disease and increased health disparities. And if that’s something that we can change at some very basic levels, then that will improve health overall.

Empowerment Tools for Nurturing Your Health During Stress

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The pandemic has distorted our livelihood and forced many of us into teleworking whether we were willing or unwilling. We’re plastered to our computers not just in the home office, but at our kitchen tables, or on the bed. We find ourselves having to make adjustments on a regular basis. Responsibilities may have been added to your already hefty plate. Your new work environment may not be favorable. Maybe you simply can’t concentrate. We just can’t seem to escape the pings and alerts from work colleagues. Working from home is new to many of us. However, the concept of work-life balance is not. Yet, instead of home being a sanctuary, it has become a boundless environment for work and stress. Through this journey, we can relearn what work-life balance is, and how intervening factors like stress meddle with our body and mind. We can learn the value mindfulness has in creating boundaries that benefit our health and productivity, and be empowered with tools to build and sustain our immunity.

In the moments we’re experiencing stress we don’t stop to think about the effects it can have on our mind, body, and soul. Being overworked, getting familiar with remote working conditions, or trying to make child-care arrangements can be awfully difficult during a pandemic (Harnois & Gabriel, 2002). Stressors such as these can drive workers into depression, cause sleep disorders, body aches and headaches, and lead to other short- and long- term effects. Job-related stress can affect our immune system by lowering our resistance to infections. Brace yourself, we’re about to hop on the science train, but only for a few stops so you’ll be fine.

Who turned off the lights?

Stress flips the switch on the central nervous system causing it to go into defensive mode (Han, Kim, & Shim, 2012). The body reacts in efforts to regain homeostasis or regain balance. As previously mentioned, stress has the ability to cause depression, sleep disorders, body aches, and a lower immune system. Did you know that stress, sleep, and immunity are related (Han, Kim, & Shim, 2012)? Small immune signaling proteins called cytokines aid in regulating sleep. When these proteins fail to perform properly due to stress, this interrupts phases of sleep. When experiencing this stress, an irregularity in the secretion of the hormone Cortisol occurs.

Depression is a common and complex disorder with the ability to affect your daily life including work and productivity (National Institutes of Health, 2016). The hippocampus, amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex are three parts of the brain that seem to have major roles in depression (Cirino, 2017). When we experience depression, Cortisol secretion increases causing chemical imbalances which can lead to the reduction of brain cells (neurons). In a Korean study published in Stress and Health, individuals who experience work-related stress are at a higher risk of experiencing major depressive issues (Lee, Joo, & Choi, 2013). Symptoms associated with work-related stress include a reduction in the ability to concentrate, fatigue, insomnia, and feeling counterproductive.

An increase in proinflammatory cytokine levels can cause inflammation within the body (Leonard, 2010). This can lead to major depression followed by type 2 diabetes and other inflammatory diseases. Cytokines are involved with adaptive immunity and have been linked to COVID-19 infections (Costela-Ruiz, Illescas-Montes, Puerta-Puerta, et al, 2020). Weakened immune responses have been linked to patients with comorbidities. While the available information regarding COVID-19 is ever changing, what we do know is severe pre-existing conditions, including pregnancy, are linked to weakened immune responses placing these individuals at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

Road to Redemption.

Now that we have a better understanding of stress, learn to set your boundaries to alleviate it. Establish boundaries in all aspects of your life, especially with work. This ensures that your needs and your health are placed at the forefront. Think of them as safeguards for yourself. As difficult as it may be to establish them, understand that they are without question essential for your efficacy in and out of work. Working without boundaries is when stress raids the mind, body, and soul creating an imbalance. Here are a few practices to reclaim your balance: be mindful, create a workable workspace, listen to your body, reevaluate your time, say no.

Being mindful is having that ability to find calm in times of chaos. Be conscious and aware of the moment, relax, and BREATHE. Only you are in control of you. This is a type of meditation that can be implemented in your daily life at any moment. Let’s take a few moments to practice. Stop what you’re doing, turn off the TV, put your laptop to the side, get comfortable, and gently close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, then slowly exhale. If you hear noises, leave them be, continue to breathe. Do this for about 5 minutes. This practice is to help you find your calm, clear your mind, and become hyperaware. This method of nurturing your mind and body has the ability to mitigate stress, anxiety, improve sleep, and improve attention (Mayo Clinic, 2018). There are many practices for mindfulness which can be found on the Complete Guide to Mindfulness.

We are no longer in our offices or confined to our cubicles so we must create workable workspaces, and implement our boundaries. Yes, your new comforter was just shipped from Amazon, but allow the bed to be a place for rest not work. Create a space to enhance productivity yet allow comfort. Here are tips to transform a section of your home into a conducive workspace:

1. Invest in a quality chair and desk/or small table

  • Maintain good posture. If you feel yourself slouching, readjust or move around We want to avoid body aches, so listen to your body. Be aware of its needs.

2. No desk?

  • Use the kitchen table or counter, a coffee table (make sure you have some sort of back support).
  • If you must use your bed because your room is the only place of silence, ensure your bed is made. Sit on top of your new comforter with your back against the headboard

3. Good lighting is a must.

 

4. Keep your workspace organized using bins and folders

  • Disorganization is distracting, limits movement, affects motivation, reduces your performance, and shows lack of control (Roster & Ferrari, 2019).

5. Do not let work leave your workspace. The rest of your home should be designated a non-working area.

Listening to your body is an aspect of creating boundaries. Do not let work interfere with your health. Know when to get up to stretch, grab water, have a snack, or take lunch. If you must, inform your team of the time you will take lunch daily. Having good nutrition is the first thing that will ensure we’re energized and healthy. Instead of ordering something to go for lunch, try meal prepping. Use Sunday as the day to prepare and organize your meals for the week, including your snacks.

Restock on the elderberry! Since we’re all being hyperconscious of where we venture in the world, incorporate things to boost your immune system such as Emergen-C and elderberry. Elderberry is a substance extracted from the elder tree which many use as a dietary supplement to help boost their immune system. It can be consumed in the form of syrup or even gummies. Disclaimer, before the use of any dietary supplement it is best practice to consult your healthcare provider.

Reevaluate your time. You may find that during this time you have accumulated more than 40 hours a week. It’s fine to work additional hours sometimes, but this takes away time from caring for yourself. It interferes with your work-life balance. Although we’re home, this shouldn’t equate to extra time to tap on computer keys. Reevaluating your time takes a level of mindfulness to understand the importance of taking care of you: your mind, your body, your soul.

Saying no can be difficult, especially to a loved one or your boss. However, you should listen to your mind, be aware of what you are capable of, and respect your time. Knowing when to say no in some respects may be less difficult than others. Saying no is powerful. It is the ultimate boundary we can create for ourselves and it is okay.

Our fight with this global pandemic has yet to near the end. If we are equipped with the tools to tackle our stress and adjust as needed, we may be equipped to continue our lives teleworking. We have learned to understand the deteriorating effects stress has on our health. It can disrupt sleep patterns, make us susceptible to depression, and weaken our immune systems. Each one of these conditions are tightly tied together by stress which we must keep unbound. However, the tools to reclaim our balance will aid us in this situation. Being mindful, creating the awareness we need to breathe and focus for productivity in work and life, will assist us in creating needed boundaries. Whether these boundaries are centered around a conducive workspace, listening to our bodies, reevaluating our time, or simply saying no, it is a necessity to properly control and lessen the amount of work-related stress we experience in these crucial times.

References

Cirino, E. (2017). The effects of depression on the brain. https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/effects-brain#1

Costela-Ruiz, V. J., Illescas-Montes, R., Puerta-Puerta, J. M., Ruiz, C., & Melguizo-Rodríguez, L. (2020). SARS-CoV-2 infection: The role of cytokines in COVID-19 disease. Cytokine & growth factor reviews, S1359-6101(20)30109-X. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cytogfr.2020.06.001

Han, K. S., Kim, L., & Shim, I. (2012). Stress and sleep disorder. Experimental neurobiology, 21(4), 141–150. https://doi.org/10.5607/en.2012.21.4.141

Harnois, G. & Gabriel, P. (2002). Mental health and work: impact, issues, and good practices. https://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/712.pdf

Lee, J., Joo, E., & Choi, K. (2013). Perceived stress and self-esteem mediate the effects of work-related stress on depression. Stress and Health, 29(1), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2428

Leonard B. E. (2010). The concept of depression as a dysfunction of the immune system. Current immunology reviews, 6(3), 205–212. https://doi.org/10.2174/157339510791823835

Mayo Clinic (2018). Mindfulness exercises. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356

National Institute of Health (2016). Depression basics. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/index.shtml

Roster, C., & Ferrari, J. (2019). Does Work Stress Lead to Office Clutter, and How? Mediating Influences of Emotional Exhaustion and Indecision. Environment and Behavior, 1391651882304–. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916518823041

5 Yoga Poses That Reduce Daily Stress

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We all deal with stress in our own way. 

Personally, I’ve been set on a downward spiral from something as simple as a negative thought. And although I still have hard days, I can say yoga has made these stressful times far easier to manage and few and far between. 

While yoga isn’t a cure-all, it can make a tremendous impact on how you deal with stress, where you store it in your body, and how happy you are throughout the day. If you haven’t given it a serious try, I strongly suggest committing to this simple, 5 pose routine and doing it every day for the next week. It only takes about 10-15 minutes and requires no prior yoga knowledge. 

Let’s have a look…

Why does yoga help with stress? 

Most of us store stress in our neck, upper back and shoulders. Many of us also sit at desks for the majority of our days. This leads to bad posture which further exacerbates the tension in our back, neck, and shoulders. 

Yoga helps you release tension and stress in those areas, strengthen your muscles and take a moment to focus on your breath. This is doubly important if you’re already experiencing burnout and overwhelm. 

When you perform a pose like forward bend or plank, you take deep breaths that trigger a relaxation response in your body. You also strengthen your core which leads to improved posture and physiology. 

If you had to picture a depressed or stressed person, you’d probably imagine them looking down, bad posture, and breathing shallow, etc. Something as simple as better posture actually improves your body’s response to stress. 

These are just a few ways yoga helps to reduce stress but, I encourage you to try it yourself and report back to us.

Do you need any special equipment?

The short answer is no. If you have a carpet or a soft surface, then you really don’t need anything. 

However, there are things that can assist in your practice. 

For example, a yoga mat may help you by improving cushioning on your joints as well as giving you a stable surface to practice on. Yoga blocks and straps can help you build form and give you something to hold onto. An anti-gravity yoga swing can help you maintain balance and stability in a number of poses. And a yoga wheel can help you with more advanced positions. 

However, none of these items are required, especially when you’re starting out. We encourage you to just focus on committing to this routine, every day, for the next week and see how you feel. 

5 yoga poses to perform each day

1. Forward bend

The forward bend is one of those classic, super simple poses that make a big difference in how you feel. This is an especially great pose if you work at a desk for most of the day. When you sit at a desk, your hamstrings are always contracted, your back rounds and your posture can start slipping. 

As a result, you breathe more shallow, your shoulders get tight, and the downward spiral begins. 

The forward bend relieves the pressure that’s been exerted on your spine, lengthens your hamstrings, and gives you a minute to just breathe. 

To perform the pose, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then hinge at the hips and bend forward placing your hands on the ground if you can. Draw in your belly button toward your spine to activate the stretch and feel the tension releasing down your back. 

You may notice your back cracks as the pressure releases. Hold the pose for as long as you like making sure that, if you still feel the tension in any specific areas (like your hamstrings), hold it longer until that tension begins to relax. 

It’s also okay to have your knees slightly bent if needed but work on straightening them out over time. 

2. Cat cow

This is actually two poses that work hand in hand. They’re an ideal combination for releasing tension along your entire back as well as building strength and flexibility in your spine. 

To perform the first part (cat pose), get on all fours on your yoga mat or carpet. Make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart and your legs are hip-width apart. 

From there, take a breath and then exhale as you round your back and lower your head, pointing your crown toward the ground. 

Now, as you inhale you’re going to move into the cow pose. From the cat pose, take a deep breath and move in the exact opposite way. You’re going to raise your head and point your gaze toward the ceiling as you round your belly toward the floor. 

As you’ll notice, you’re both breathing deeply throughout the pose as well as improving lower and mid-back mobility. 

You may feel a little tension in your upper back while in the cat pose. If so, focus on pushing your shoulder blades out and holding that stretch until it relaxes a bit. This can be 5 seconds or 5 minutes. 

3. Corpse pose 

At first glance, corpse pose seems intuitive. You simply lay on the floor and relax – just like you do when you’re taking a nap or going to sleep. And while it is somewhat natural, there are important distinctions. 

When performing corpse pose, it’s imperative to focus on breath and thought patterns. This is the key to relieving stress and putting in the intentional “me time” our busy lives crave. 

To perform the corpse pose, get a yoga mat or go to an area with soft carpet. 

Lay on your back with your feet shoulder-width apart and hands straight down at your sides. Lie there for a moment just letting your self breathe naturally and relax into the position. 

After a few breaths, become aware of the feeling of the ground beneath you, become aware of the sensations happening in your body, and notice the sounds and smells around you. Release all judgment and just observe. 

Now work your way from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head, releasing the tension in each area. Pay special attention to releasing tension in your back, shoulders, neck, and face muscles. Breathe deep, take your time, and relax in this pose for as long as you like. 

4. Plank pose 

Now that you’re nice and relaxed from the corpse pose, we’re going to perform a more active movement. The plank pose is incredible for building core strength and stability because it hits all of your abdominal muscles and your glutes. In fact, it works the abdominal muscles that crunches are unable to strengthen. 

Our posture affects how we feel. When you’re slumped over with a rounded back, it sends chemical messages throughout your body. 

These messages can trigger stress, lower self-esteem, and even cause issuue with sleep. By performing a few planks every day, you can fight these problems and more. The plank also gets your blood flowing which promotes stress-busting happy hormones. 

To perform the plank, get into a pushup pose on the ground. Now drop to your elbows while keeping the rest of your body elevated from the mat. Draw in your belly button to tighten your abdominal muscles and hold the pose for 30-60 seconds. Repeat this 3 times in a row giving yourself about 1 minute in between to rest. 

5. Childs pose 

This is the perfect pose to end your anti-stress yoga routine. It’s very relaxing, excellent for spinal flexibility and one where you can really focus on your breath.

To perform the child’s pose, simply kneel on your yoga mat or carpet with your legs together and sitting back on your heels. Now bend forward pulling your chest close to your thighs. Reach your hands above your head like you’re trying to grab the far wall. Feel the stretch along your spine and throughout your shoulders. 

You can hold this pose for as long as you like. It’s an excellent way to spend some time breathing, relaxing, and preparing your mind for a great day. 

Closing

When it comes to stress, yoga is the perfect way to beat the feeling and tension caused by it. By adopting yoga as part of your daily routine (it only takes a few minutes after all), you can build flexibility, improve posture, trigger happy hormones, and just feel happier more capable during the day. Give it a try today and let us know how you feel after. 

Can Diet and Exercise Reduce MPN Symptoms?

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Can Diet and Exercise Reduce MPN Symptoms? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo. 

What can YOU do to make a positive impact on your overall MPN care? Researchers Dr. Jennifer Huberty and Ryan Eckert review the latest research on how movement and diet can benefit people living with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).

Dr. Jennifer Huberty is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University. She focuses her research on the use of complementary approaches to manage symptoms and improve quality of life for patients living with myeloproliferative neoplasms. More about Dr. Huberty here: chs.asu.edu/jennifer-huberty.

Ryan Eckert currently works at Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. Ryan is the Research Coordinator for the MPN QoL Study Group and assists in research related to complementary health approaches in myeloproliferative neoplasms and other hematological disorders. More about Ryan here: mpnqol.com/research-team.

See More From the The Path to MPN Empowerment

Related Programs:

Am I Meditating Correctly? Getting the Most Out of Mindfulness

Expert Tips for Managing MPN-Related Anxiety

Improving Life with MPNs: The Latest Research and How to Get Involved

Transcript:

Ryan:

So, as far as the benefits of exercise for MPN patients, there’s many, and so, I guess starting with cancers as a whole, there’s a lot more research that’s been done in recent decades that looks at the effects of various forms of exercise and physical activity on other cancers. They just tend – researchers tend to do a lot more of that work in breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, et cetera.

And so, the research in exercise for MPN patients is actually really new, and nobody outside of Dr. Huberty in conjunction with Dr. Mesa and a few other researchers have done any research related to exercise specifically in MPN patients. Our yoga studies that we’ve done have been the first venture down that route for MPN patients. But, what we do know in general is that exercise has obviously systemic effects across the whole body.

So, you’re gonna get health benefits just in general from exercise, but as far as for MPN patients specifically, some of the things that we’ve seen with our yoga studies, which is obviously a form of physical activity, is that we’ve seen sleep improve in MPN patients, so we’ve seen a reduction in sleep disturbances or disruptions in their sleep, a quicker time to fall asleep, and then, less waking up throughout the night – so, just better sleep in general.

We’ve seen some reductions in fatigue that have been reported by MPN patients who have gone through our yoga studies, and then, we’ve also seen a few other reductions in some other symptoms, such as anxiety and reduced depressive symptoms, a little bit of reduced pain is another one we’ve seen. So, just in general, we’ve seen some of those effects on MPN patients through some of our yoga studies.

Dr. Huberty:

So, in terms of adding to what Ryan just said, I would just say that exercise – maybe yoga or walking – is good for your body. It’s good for your health. It’s a recommendation that we get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week. The more that MPN patients can be achieving that goal towards 150 minutes – yoga counting at that – the better off they’re gonna be, and it doesn’t have to be going for a run.

It can simply be going for a walk around the block. It can be standing at your desk when you’re working instead of sitting all the time. That’s not necessarily activity per se, but it is moving your body and less sedentary. So, I think just focusing on the more that patients can move their body every day, the better off they’re gonna be.

Dr. Huberty:                

So, yeah, the role of diet in MPN patients – so, this is the beauty about the quality of life study group, because we have all these wonderful investigators that are part of the team, and we do have Dr. Robyn Scherber, who’s at Mays with Dr. Ruben Mesa. She’s doing some work with keto diet right now, so it’s very new, so I don’t know if you’re familiar with the keto diet, but it’s very high-fat and very low-carbohydrate, extremely low levels of carbohydrates. I wouldn’t tell any patient to go start doing those things unless they’ve talked to their physician for sure, but we do know that based on how you eat does certain things to your body.

So, MPNs have high inflammatory markers, and so, we wanna decrease inflammation; we probably wanna eat foods that are going to be anti-inflammatory. So, berries, let’s say, is a good example of fruits that are anti-inflammatory, almonds are anti-inflammatory, and I’m not a dietitian by any means, it’s just that things that I know to be true for my own diet because everybody should be thinking about having an anti-inflammatory diet.

Processed foods are not healthy. They are higher-inflammatory. Breakfast foods, eating out, and the foods that you get when you eat out a lot are going to be more inflammatory than not. So, just those small things – lots of vegetables. Vegetables are very good. Lots of greens. But, there is research going on – again, just like exercise and yoga, it’s in its infancy because MPN has been an under-studied population for years, and we’re trying to power through and make that difference.

Am I Meditating Correctly? Getting the Most Out of Mindfulness

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Am I Meditating Correctly? Getting the Most Out of Mindfulness from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo. 

Dr. Jennifer Huberty explains how mindfulness, such as meditation and yoga, can have an impact on your overall health and well-being.

Dr. Jennifer Huberty is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University. She focuses her research on the use of complementary approaches to manage symptoms and improve quality of life for patients living with myeloproliferative neoplasms. More about Dr. Huberty here: chs.asu.edu/jennifer-huberty.

See More From the The Path to MPN Empowerment

Related Programs:

Can Diet and Exercise Reduce MPN Symptoms?

Expert Tips for Managing MPN-Related Anxiety

Improving Life with MPNs: The Latest Research and How to Get Involved

Transcript:

Dr. Huberty:    

If someone is wondering if they’re meditating correctly or not, or if two minutes of meditation is enough, if you turn to the science and the literature in terms of how much meditation you need, nobody knows. For every study that says five minutes, there’s a study that says 20 minutes, there’s a study that says an hour. I think it’s really important that the individual gets in touch with “what works for me.”

I think the most important thing is that if you’re sitting for meditation and you choose to sit for meditation, just simply listening to your breath – when you realize you’re off, thinking about what I’m making for dinner tonight or what’s gonna happen over the Thanksgiving holidays with my family, then you just say, “Oh, thinking,” and then you come back to, “Okay, where’s my breath? I’m breathing in, I’m breathing out. I’m breathing in, I’m breathing out.” So, it’s just being able to do that and not say, “Oh my God, I’m not doing this right, this isn’t working for me.” There is none of that. It’s supposed to be nonjudgment in the present moment.

“Oh, the present moment – I’m thinking. Now, in the present moment, I’m gonna go back to my breath.” So, it’s really understanding that, and I think it’s also important for people to understand that you don’t have to be seated in meditation. You can be standing in meditation, you can be laying in meditation, you can be kneeling in meditation. I think with MPN patients, not all sitting positions recommended in meditation might be comfortable. If you need a pillow under your tail, put a pillow under your tail. There’s no rulebook to say how you need to sit in meditation. I think that’s important.

And, there’s also other ways to be mindful. Coloring can be mindful. Walking and exploring the leaves and the landscape can be mindful. So, I think in our studies, yes, we’re encouraging meditation, using an app, but that’s to give people structure, education, and a background about what is meditation, but then, there is room for expansion to other things.

It’s pretty much the same thing with yoga. You’re quieting your mind; you’re focusing on your breath. There’s no rulebook that says you have to move a certain pace. You’re supposed to move with your breath, so if your breath is slow, your pace is slow. The other thing is that there is no right way to do a pose.

So, again, patients wanna know, “Am I doing this pose right?” Well, I can tell you that if you feel good in the pose, nothing is hurting you, your shoulder doesn’t feel like it’s doing something it shouldn’t, your head doesn’t feel like it’s in the wrong direction, and you’re watching the video and looking at what the instructor’s doing, you’re probably doing the pose just fine.

I think we get stuck on “Is this correct or not?” What we wanna be careful of is safety. You don’t wanna be standing on your head and wondering if you’re doing it correctly. You wanna have a basis, and that’s what we do in our programming, is it’s very basic, very foundational poses that you can learn the practice of meditating in the poses.

Stress Management

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This video was originally published on YouTube by The American Cancer Society on November 5, 2018 here.

Feeling overwhelmed and juggling multiple responsibilities on top of providing care to your loved one with cancer can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. You might feel as if the weight of world is on your shoulders. Four tips for coping are provided to help lower your stress level and better cope when times get tough. Learn more at: www.cancer.org/caregivers

Returning To Work During or After Cancer Treatment: Part 2

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This is the second part of a three-part series which deals with common concerns on returning to work after a cancer diagnosis.

In Part 1 of this series, I shared some tips with you on how to prepare for your re-entry into the workplace. In this article we will look at practical ways to handle issues such as fatigue and concentration, managing your workload, and dealing with stress.

Let’s start with some tips on coping with fatigue as it’s probably the biggest challenge you will face, regardless of whether you are working during treatment or returning to work after treatment has ended.

Coping With Cancer-Related Fatigue

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is increasingly recognized as one of the most common and distressing side effects of cancer and its treatments. It has been estimated that from one quarter to nearly all cancer patients experience CRF during and after treatment.  Although things generally improves after therapy is completed, some level of fatigue may persist for months, or even years, following treatment.

Commenting on the impact of CRF on her own work, Kate Bowles, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, says, “The main advice I give is that chemo related fatigue is real and lasting. And also that your priorities change, often in very empowering ways. I am very calm in my job, because I really know now that it’s just a job.”

A lot of cancer patients don’t report fatigue to their doctors because they think that nothing can be done for it. In fact, there are things that can be done to alleviate the debilitating effects of CRF.  If left untreated, fatigue may lead to depression and profoundly diminish your quality of life, so it’s important that you speak to your doctor if fatigue is an issue for you. Before you can address CRF specifically, your doctor needs to determine if there are any underlying medical issues which may be contributing to your fatigue.

Making some adjustments to your everyday routines can also help you cope with CRF.

Here are three ways to do this.

1. Make deposits in your ‘energy bank’

You may find it helpful to think of your energy reserves as your ‘energy bank’. Whenever you do an activity you make a withdrawal. And when you rest you make a deposit. It’s important to balance withdrawals with deposits. If you keep doing too much whenever you feel like you have energy, you’ll run out completely and not have any reserves left for the things that are important.

2. Plan your day

Planning is key when you have fatigue. Write a ‘To Do’ list each evening so you can prioritize the things you need to do at work the next day.

3. Do some regular light exercise

Try to get out in the fresh air for a walk at lunchtime.  Although exercising may be the last thing you feel like doing when you’re tired, if you don’t exercise, you’re more likely to experience fatigue.

I also recommend you download a free app called Untire, which contains a program that will help you track and improve your energy levels. The app uses theories and techniques from scientifically proven cognitive behavior therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, positive psychology and physical exercise interventions.

Time Management 

Managing your time at work is all about learning to work smarter, not harder.  It’s not about packing more tasks into your day, but about streamlining how you go about your work and prioritizing key tasks.

Here are seven tips to develop better time management skills.

1. Track your time and eliminate the non-essential

First things first. If you’re going to manage your time better, you need to figure out where you spend your time. Use a tool like RescueTime to track your activities for a week. This will help you determine how much you can realistically accomplish in a day, identify the time of day when you are most productive, and uncover daily timesucks, such as reading emails (unsubscribe from those e-mail lists you no longer need).  When we can clearly identify our daily time sinks and remove them, we become more focused and productive.

2. Do the most important thing first

Mark Twain once said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” The point that Twain was making is that you should take care of your biggest and most-challenging tasks first thing in the morning.

Each day, identify the one or two tasks that are the most important to complete, and get started right away on them. If a task is too big to complete in one day, divide it into smaller tasks to be spread out over several days.  When you have accomplished a task, mark it off your list with a pen. This provides a psychological boost as it gives you visual confirmation that you are getting somewhere.

3. Batch related tasks

Batching refers to the process of using blocks of time for specific repetitive tasks. Different tasks demand different types of thinking, so save yourself time and mental energy by focusing on one type of task before moving on to the next.

4. Focus on one task at a time

Finding it hard to concentrate is a common effect of having had cancer. To combat this, focus on one task at a time instead of multi-tasking.  Research tells us it can take up to 30 minutes to return your attention to whatever you were doing before an interruption. Put your phone away, close your email applications and any unnecessary browser windows on your computer. Concentrate fully on the one task you need to complete.

5. Take regular breaks

Allow yourself down-time between tasks.  Break for lunch and take additional short breaks throughout the day. Maintain your energy reserves with nutritious snack breaks. Pack nuts, fresh fruits and veggies, hummus, or low-fat cheese to take to work with you.

6. Set time limits for tasks

Give yourself a certain time by which you will complete a task. For instance, reading and answering email can consume your whole day if you let it. Instead, set a limit of one hour a day for this task and stick to it. The easiest way to do this is to assign a solid block of time to this task rather than answering email on demand.

7. Let go of perfectionism

Stop trying to be perfect. When you’re a perfectionist, nothing will ever be good enough. That means you’ll stick with a task long past the deadline. You’ll say yes to too many things and take on too much in an effort to prove to yourself, and others, that nothing has changed since your cancer diagnosis.

Sometimes you need to realize that good enough is sufficient and when you reach that point, then simply stop. This is not an excuse to do a poor job, but it is intended to give you permission to do a good job and then leave it there. Don’t waste precious energy and time polishing and perfecting something past that point.

Managing Stress

It’s normal to feel some stress on returning to work, so it makes sense to plan ahead for how to deal with stressful situations. Here are some tips to help you.

1. Identify your body’s stress response

How we experience stress is individual to each of us. Learning to tune into what happens in your body when you perceive a stressful situation is the first step in understanding your own individual stress response. Does your jaw clench? Is your breath shallow? Are your muscles tense? When you become more aware of your physical response to stress, it will help regulate the tension when it does occur.

2. Slow down and pay attention to your breathing

When stress hits, everything speeds up. Our thoughts race, our heart pounds and our breathing increases. This can make it difficult to think rationally. Consciously slow down your breathing. When we are stressed we tend to breathe more shallowly.  When you feel stressed, practice taking some slow deep abdominal breaths.  Deep abdominal breathing slows the heart down, lowers blood pressure and helps us feel calmer.

3. Come back to your senses

One of the best ways to stop getting lost in your thoughts is to come to your senses and ground yourself in the present moment. A simple exercise is to notice five things around you. Practice this periodically throughout the day, especially at those times you find yourself getting caught up in your thoughts and feelings.

  • Look around and notice five things that you can see;
  • Listen carefully and notice five things that you can hear;
  • Notice five things that you can feel in contact with your body (for example, your feet upon the floor, your back against the chair);
  • Finally, do all of the above simultaneously.

4. Take Some Exercise

Physical activity is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce stress and anxiety – providing a natural outlet for your body when you are exposed to too much adrenaline.

Research has shown that there are many benefits to exercise. Not only does it help reduce the symptoms of fatigue, exercise encourages your body to release endorphins – often called ‘feel good hormones’. When released, endorphins can lift your mood and sense of well-being.

Go for a walk, head to the gym or find a lunch-time yoga class. Throughout the day take short breaks to stretch or do simple exercises at your desk.

Wrapping Up

Handling your re-entry to the workplace after a cancer diagnosis is all about organizing your time better, prioritizing your workload, establishing boundaries and becoming more comfortable with saying no to unreasonable demands.

Above all, it’s about making your health your top priority. Get adequate sleep, eat healthily, take some exercise and incorporate stress-management techniques into your daily routines.

I know from personal experience it isn’t always quite as straightforward as I have laid things out here. There will be many ups and downs. Deborah Bowman, a Professor of Medical Ethics, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, urges self-kindness and patience. “Don’t be afraid to say if it becomes unexpectedly (or expectedly!) difficult,” she says,  “be kind to yourself and allow others to be kind to you too. Accept it may be up and down rather than a straightforward trajectory. Celebrate your good moments and forgive yourself the harder moments.”

Next month in Part 3 of this Returning To Work series, we will take a look at the opportunities and challenges of finding a new job after cancer.  Until then, if you have any tips to share with readers about how you coped on returning to work, please share them in the comments below.