Perhaps the best way to introduce the book Dr. Ananda and I wrote is by quoting the foreword, written by a great Yogi scholar, retired psychotherapist and our close Friend. Here it is in his own words: “This work has been written by two authors with a profound respect for both scientific validation and for the depth and complexity of the yoga tradition, beyond what science can measure. Lee...
Chemotherapy cont’d
During a recent yoga therapy class at the oncology clinic, I listened to a breast cancer patient talk about her chemo treatment experience. She said she was surprised at how little the treatments affected her. She said she felt fine, even right after treatment and that no one would have known about the chemo had it not been for her lack of hair. “I hope you realize how lucky...
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, also called chemo, may come in different stages for different cancers. For those like lymphoma and leukemia, chemo comes right after the diagnosis, as there is no surgery involved. For cancers that involve tumors – carcinomas and sarcomas – chemo typically comes after the surgery, as a preventive measure. However, in cases where a tumor may be too big to operate, chemo may be recommended before surgery to...
Post-Surgery cont’d
The time I call “post-surgery” is the time for healing after the surgery. Depending on the individual and the seriousness of the operation, it takes four to six weeks to recover. Recovery, in this case, means the time before going to the next step of the recommended treatment. Increasing levels of anxiety, fear of the unknown and physical pain mark this four to six-week period. We are surrounded by...
Cancer Journey – Post Surgery
The first few days after surgery passed in a fog – I was heavily sedated but comfortable at home. I was surrounded by love and friendship and took my time to heal the wound and recover from complete anesthesia. I didn’t realize how big of an impact complete anesthesia can have on a person. I was healing very quickly, so about three weeks after surgery, I felt well enough...
The time of Diagnosis
In this blog, we will consider the first stage of the cancer journey – diagnosis. We live somewhat balanced lives, with long and short-term plans and think that we know where we are going! However, a phone call from our doctor can destroy this balance with the news that “there may be a problem and we have to do more tests.” So, we now enter a new world where...
Cancer Journey from Patient’s Perspective
I am dedicating the next few blogs to the cancer journey from the perspective of a patient. There is extensive literature on traditional cancer treatments and on what is available. But so far, I have not found anything that would describe typically what a patient is going through during the cancer journey. When I say “cancer journey” I mean the time when we first learn that there might be...
Gap in Cancer Care
(Photo courtesy of Bryan Minear) There is a big gap in cancer medical care that I have recognized from my own experience. Typically, after surgery, cancer patients undergo chemotherapy and radiation, which may last from four weeks to a few years. Often, such intensive treatments result in severe mental and physical side effects. The allopathic medical system tends to take us to the point where all our chemical treatments...