I have worked with cancer patients for many years and I have come to know this:
- The chemo and radiation therapies can have major side effects that adversely and dramatically impact their quality of life. Most clients are scared, stressed and suffer from side effects such as fatigue, nausea/vomiting, pain, neuropathy, radiation burns.
- Adding one or more types of integrative therapies helps to break that stress response, allows them to relax and stop the mind chatter. This alone helps with healing the body, mind, and spirit. Taking time to be quiet and receive someone’s full attention in a compassionate manner also raises spirits.
Healing Touch helps to open, balance and clear the energetic field of toxins, trauma, and fear.
It allows them to deeply relax so they get out of their head and ground to Mother Earth in order to feel more stable and calmer. I have found the first chakra is almost always comprised. After all the root (1st) chakra relates to overall health, survival, being connected to the earth, belonging to a community and the adrenal glands (stress response).
Breaking that stress cycle is crucial to healing and several healing touch techniques allow clients to relax and rejuvenate. After a session, the root chakra is usually open and flowing again. Clients say they feel deeply relaxed, have mental clarity and grateful to have taken time to address their well-being.
Frequently I will do imagery and help them find their safe, relaxing place which they can visit during chemotherapy to help pass the time and stop the stress response.
Another technique I like to use is having people envision the chemo going in and transforming the cancer cells into something else. People are very creative.
- One person saw it as a Pac man game with the chemo gobbling up the cancer cells.
- Another imagined it as cancer being a robber and the chemo was the police coming to subdue it and take it away.
- Another image was that of the cancer transforming from a vicious werewolf into a compassionate, loving dog. As you can see everyone’s imagination is very different!
Both of these therapies help clients to cope with the anxiety and physical side effects of the treatments. They say they feel less fearful and more at peace. Many experienced significantly fewer or no side effects after their cancer treatments.
Aromatherapy is also very useful for side effects of radiation and chemotherapy. Let’s look at just a few:
- Lavender diluted in coconut oil or Vitamin E cream helps to soothe skin burns as well as Helichrysum (Everlasting).
- Smelling ginger, peppermint or lemon can help in relieving nausea/vomiting related to chemotherapy.
Many people require less medication when also incorporating essential oils into their care regimen. In addition, all of the oils also have antibacterial properties to help keep the immune system strong. Lemon and peppermint are also very uplifting and assist in preventing/alleviating depression.
Bottom line is all of these therapies improve the quality of life for anyone going through cancer treatments. If you or a loved one is going through cancer treatment I encourage you to seek out integrative therapies, find what therapy resonates with you and use it to support yourself through this difficult time.
Please share this with anyone you feel could benefit from integrative care and anyone with an interest in learning more about integrative therapies. Thank you.
Ceaser