Dealing with the revelation that you or a loved one has cancer can be particularly hard. Worrying about proper treatment of cancer should not add to the stress of the diagnosis, but often times this is the case. With leukemia, it is important to treat the cancer as soon as possible for a better prognosis in the long run. However, you may be more interested in a holistic treatment approach to dealing with leukemia rather than harsh chemotherapies and other kinds of treatments.
Holistic Leukemia Treatment
Holistic approaches to leukemia involve treating not only your body, but your mind and spirit as well. By treating all three, there may be a better chance of recovery from the cancer. These techniques are recommended by the Cancer Treatment Centers of America as part of its Mind-Body Medicine treatment program, and similar programs can be found throughout the country.
As with any kind of treatment, talk with your physician to see what would be the best course of action for you. If your physician agrees that holistic medicine may be beneficial, you can talk with him about your personalized holistic treatment, or alternately, your physician may recommend a doctor that has more experience with treating cancer patients holistically.
Once you find the right doctor, you will then formulate a personalized holistic treatment. One major aspect that will need to be dealt with when trying to recover holistically will be stress management. Stress is often times thought to exacerbate illness, and while it may be hard to relax during treatment, it is necessary. Breathing exercises can help with stress management. For example, try rhythmic breathing to relax and calm down. Take slow, relaxed breaths in and inhale slowly until you feel more at ease. Similarly, breathing in and out while tensing and relaxing your muscles can also help. Upon breathing in, tense all of your muscles. Hold your breath for a couple of seconds, then exhale and relax all your muscles.
Meditation can not only help with stress management, but also add a spiritual element to your healing. Set aside time every day to meditate in a quiet, distraction-free area. In a similar vein, you may wish to practice yoga. Yoga can bring about the same peace of mind as meditation, in addition to strengthening your body physically. There is also a technique of distraction, wherein you avoid acknowledging any pains or other ailments associated with leukemia. With the distraction technique, you simply find something else to focus on, such as a book, television, music, or any other hobby such as knitting. This technique works best in shorter bursts.
Hypnotherapy may also be part of your holistic treatment. With hypnotherapy, you will be put under hypnosis in an attempt to correct and cute any symptoms of leukemia and potentially try to shrink your cancer cells. In addition to trying to aid these symptoms, hypnotherapy can help boost positive thinking, which can aid in recovery and resistance to further growth of cancer cells. BioFeedback is another form of therapy that can be added to your treatment. With this therapy, you are hooked to a specialized machine in able to monitor and regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. By using this, you can learn to relax.
Other treatments that you can utilize are joining support groups, enlisting in therapy, and using humor therapy. With a support group, your mood can be lifted by knowing that other people are going through similar experiences as you and that you can rely on them for comfort. With therapy, you may choose to do individual, couples, or family therapy. It would work in the same way as a support group, but somewhat more individualized. Humor therapy is used to help patients relax and stay positive when dealing with cancer. Set dates for these according to what you and your physician decide would work best.
Tags: holistic treatment, your physician, stress management, your muscles, cancer cells