Holistic
How To Naturally Keep A Cancer Patient Comfortable
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Cancer isn’t just a physical condition. It also significantly affects one’s mental and emotional health. In fact, cancer patients often feel overwhelmed by emotions such as anger, anxiety, loneliness, and even hopelessness. All of these can easily affect how the body heals and recovers during treatments, and 2022 data from the NIH even finds that chronic stress may lead to the release of steroid hormones called glucocorticoids. These may inhibit tumor cell death (apoptosis) and increase resistance to chemotherapy and other treatments.
It's important that cancer patients learn to cope with emotions by expressing their feelings and finding ways to help them relax. Thankfully, there are different ways that we can naturally keep cancer patients comfortable to help them cope with emotions and recover faster without the need for invasive methods.
Practice aromatherapy
Different scents are known to stimulate positive physical and emotional responses. In a 2022 study published in Frontiers, aromatherapy showed potential as a complementary medicine to cancer after successfully relieving anxiety among patients. Here, lavender oil was proven to be the most effective in producing anti-anxiety benefits, compared to chamomile oil, mandarin oil, and tea tree oil. Otherwise, other studies have shown that the inhalation of lemon and ginger essential oil can increase saliva secretion, which can relieve patients with thyroid cancer of pain in the salivary glands.
Cancer patients who are sensitive to scents, however, can opt to invest in a simple air purifier with a HEPA filter, such as the Rabbit Air MinusA2. These can improve air quality by filtering allergens, pollutants, and irritants from the air—which helps to protect the severely immunocompromised bodies of cancer patients from airborne stressors and diseases.
Invest in comfortable, ergonomic equipment
Many cancer patients experience chronic body pain due to changes to the nerves from cancer treatment or chemicals produced by a tumor. Muscle pain can then be aggravated by other external factors, such as bad posture. Investing in comfortable ergonomic furniture can greatly increase the comfort of cancer patients by adhering to the natural shape and movement of the human body.
For instance, bad sitting posture can put pressure on your posterior muscles, leading to neck strains and tension headaches. However, if you can't afford expensive options, regular office chairs can be easily transformed into ergonomic furniture by including an adjustment mechanism. The patented Kinemat tilt of the Herman Miller Aeron desk chair helps naturally pivot your neck, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles into the proper posture, and its T-shaped suspension can even support the base of your spine and sacral region. This, alongside an ergonomic hybrid mattress to help with hot flashes or night sweats, can allow for more productive downtime for cancer patients when resting in between treatments.
Listen to music
Music is known to have therapeutic effects that can support emotional and spiritual healing. That’s because music allows you to return to your natural state of wholeness by restoring harmony to the physical body, as explained by Dr. Martin Brofman in his audiobook, Healing Vibrations CD. Brofman himself healed from terminal cancer through a consciousness shift, and it was through this that he was able to develop his body/mind relationship.
You can choose to simply relax on your ergonomic chair or mattress and play any of the CDs and DVDs we’ve suggested for spiritual healing. Gregorian chants, for example, can be uplifting and deeply relaxing, as well as support meditation and restful sleep. Meanwhile, Theta Healing Brainwaves has theta frequencies embedded with the calming tones of Tibetan Singing Bowls. We suggest listening to this music without any other distractions. Simply take the time to immerse yourself in the different tracks, focus on your breathing, and allow yourself to feel the different emotions drawn out by the music.
There are many more ways that you can naturally keep a cancer patient comfortable, from displaying more artwork in the room, praying with them, or even introducing a furry companion! Don’t hesitate to communicate with them on any preferences or requests, and with patience and genuine care, you can ensure a more comfortable environment for cancer patients.
Article written by Rose Jennings
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