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Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Myeloma?
Mindfulness and Tai Chi for myeloma patients and survivors? The study linked below documents a study for cancer patients in general. I am tailoring the results specifically to myeloma patients and survivors- a group most in need of mind-body therapies.
I am a long-term MM survivor. I’ve struggled with short-term, long-term, and late-stage side effects resulting from aggressive FDA-approved, “safe and effective” conventional therapies. While there may be conventional or non-conventional therapies identified for side effects such as nerve damage, chemobrain, fatigue, etc., there are few, if any, therapies promoted to help the mental challenges that MM survivors face.
Mindfulness Tools for Living with Cancer
Tai Chi helps cancer patients calm body and mind
Email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com to learn more about managing your MM with both conventional and non-conventional MM therapies.
Good luck,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Cancer Health (MATCH) Study: Primary Outcomes of a Preference-Based Multisite Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Trial
Purpose
Many cancer survivors have high levels of distress and psychosocial symptoms. Two mind-body interventions for treating these problems are Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) and Tai Chi/Qigong (TCQ).
However, while both interventions show efficacy compared with usual care, they have never been studied together. This trial was the first, to our knowledge, to incorporate innovative design features including patient choice while evaluating two interventions to treat distressed cancer survivors.
Methods
A preference-based multisite randomized comparative effectiveness trial design with broad pragmatic inclusion criteria was used. Participants with a preference for either MBCR or TCQ received their preferred intervention, while those without a preference were randomly assigned 1:1 into either intervention. Furthermore, participants were all randomly assigned 2:1 into immediate intervention or waitlist control. Total mood disturbance (TMD) on the Profile of Mood States after intervention was the primary outcome.
Results
Five hundred eighty-seven participants provided baseline data, 75% were female, with an average age of 60.7 years. Of 12 cancer types, the most prevalent were breast (40.7%), prostate (11.2%), and GI (9.7%) cancers. Most had stage 0-II (50.1%) diagnoses, with 17% having more advanced disease. Approximately two thirds had a preference, with 57% of those choosing TCQ and 43% choosing MBCR. The remaining 36% were equally randomly assigned. Choosing a specific program or choosing to be randomly assigned had no significant effect on outcomes. Both the combined random assignment and preference MBCR and TCQ groups improved more than their respective waitlists on TMD scores with small to medium effects. The largest improvements occurred for MBCR on subscales of tension, anger, and vigor and in TCQ on anger, depression, and vigor.
Conclusion
This large, pragmatic trial demonstrated both mindfulness and TCQ interventions improved mood in distressed cancer survivors, whether they chose a program or chose to be randomly assigned.
Mindfulness and Tai Chi for myeloma Mindfulness and Tai Chi for myeloma