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Yoga For Fatigue, Insomnia Among Cancer Survivors

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Yoga for fatigue, insomnia among cancer survivors is the poster child for a remarkably beneficial non-conventional therapies that does not get the respect if deserve.

I am a long-term cancer survivor living with a host of long-term and late stage side effects from my conventional therapies in ’94-’94. Research and experience has taught me that there are a number of inexpensive, non-toxic, non-conventional therapies that can help me manage my side effects such as yoga.


How can yoga improve the lives of cancer survivors?

Physical Benefits

  1. Enhanced Physical Strength and Flexibility: Yoga helps in rebuilding muscle strength and improving flexibility, which may be reduced due to cancer treatments.
  2. Reduced Fatigue: Regular yoga practice can help decrease the chronic fatigue often experienced by cancer survivors.
  3. Improved Balance and Mobility: Gentle yoga poses can aid in improving balance and mobility, making everyday tasks easier and safer.
  4. Pain Management: Yoga can help in managing pain through gentle stretching and relaxation techniques.

Emotional and Mental Benefits

  1. Reduced Anxiety and Depression: Yoga incorporates breathing exercises and meditation, which can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.
  2. Improved Sleep Quality: The relaxation techniques in yoga can promote better sleep, helping survivors feel more rested and energized.
  3. Enhanced Mood and Emotional Well-being: The practice of mindfulness and meditation in yoga can lead to a more positive outlook and improved emotional health.
  4. Stress Reduction: Yoga encourages relaxation and reduces the body’s stress response, helping survivors manage stress more effectively.

Social and Psychological Benefits

  1. Sense of Community: Participating in group yoga classes can foster a sense of community and support, reducing feelings of isolation.
  2. Improved Self-Esteem: Achieving new yoga poses and milestones can boost confidence and self-esteem.

Overall Quality of Life

  1. Holistic Healing: Yoga promotes a holistic approach to healing, addressing the mind, body, and spirit.
  2. Empowerment and Control: Yoga empowers survivors by giving them tools to manage their symptoms and improve their health.
  3. Mind-Body Connection: Yoga enhances the connection between the mind and body, promoting a sense of overall well-being and harmony.

Specific Studies and Findings

Research supports these benefits, with studies showing that yoga can significantly improve quality of life for cancer survivors. For example:

  • A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that yoga reduced fatigue and improved quality of sleep in cancer survivors.
  • Another study in the journal Cancer highlighted that yoga reduced distress and improved overall quality of life in women with breast cancer.

Are you a cancer survivor? What type of cancer? Are you struggling with fatigue and insomnia? If you’d like to learn more about evidence-based non-toxic cancer therapies email me at david.peoplebeatingcancer@gmail.com

Hang in there,

David Emerson

  • Cancer Survivor
  • Cancer Coach
  • Director PeopleBeatingCancer

Hospitalized for Multiple Myeloma ASCT? Try Yoga-

“Hospitalized patients receiving treatment for hematological cancer (MM) were provided a 40-minute individualized yoga therapy session…

The key to managing multiple myeloma (MM), especially if you are having an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is to think/act outside the box. Yoga during your ASCT is definately outside-the-box thinking/doing…”

Yoga improves cancer-related fatigue, insomnia among survivors

“Key takeaways:

  • Yoga and cognitive behavioral therapy improved insomnia and cancer-related fatigue over placebo.
  • Researchers advise clinicians should prescribe these interventions for survivors.

CHICAGO — Both yoga and cognitive behavioral therapy helped alleviate insomnia among cancer survivors and led to improvement in cancer-related fatigue, results from a randomized phase 3 study showed.

“A significant portion of intervention, in fact between 37% and 60%, are attributed to the early improvements in insomnia at mid-intervention,” Po-Ju Lin, PhD, MPH, RD, assistant professor in the department of surgery at University of Rochester Medical Center, said during a presentation.

Background and methodology

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) can often occur simultaneously with insomnia, both of which are frequent toxicities related to cancer treatment. Both can persist for months or years after treatment completion, according to background information presented by Lin.

Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia have shown promise as behavioral approaches in improving CRF for this population, but research on the influence of changes in insomnia from the implementation of these interventions is lacking.

Lin and colleagues conducted a mediation analysis on data from a multicenter phase 3 trial of 550 cancer survivors (93% women; 75% breast cancer survivors) randomly assigned to either 75-minute sessions of YOCAS twice a week for 4 weeks, 90-minute cognitive behavioral therapy sessions once a week for 8 weeks or a behavioral placebo of ASCO-recommended survivorship education via 75-minute sessions twice a week for 4 weeks.

Researchers used Brief Fatigue Inventory and Insomnia Severity Index to assess both CRF and insomnia before, during and after intervention; causal mediation analyses estimated the influence of change in insomnia at mid-intervention resulting from each of the three interventions after treatment.

Results, next steps

Researchers noted that YOCAS, when compared with placebo, significantly improved both CRF and insomnia at mid-intervention (CRF: 0.38 ± 0.16; insomnia: 1.15 ± 0.35) and after intervention (CRF: 0.35 ± 0.17; insomnia: 1.43 ± 0.41).

Among cancer survivors who received YOCAS, improvement in insomnia at mid-intervention significantly influenced the subsequent reaction in CRF (0.14 ± 0.06) and accounted for a 37% (95% CI, 0-78) of the total reduction in CRF after intervention.

Additionally, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia significantly improved CRF and insomnia at mid-intervention (CRF: 0.32 ± 0.18; insomnia: 2.64 ± 0.0) and after intervention (CRF: 0.59 ± 0.18; insomnia: 4.95 ± 0.46) compared with placebo.

Among cancer survivors who received cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, the improvement in insomnia at mid-intervention also appeared to influence the subsequent reaction in CRF (0.4 ± 0.09) and accounted for 60% (95% CI, 21-99) of the total reduction in CRF after intervention.

The results suggest that oncologists should seek to implement such activity for cancer survivors within their institutions, Lin said.

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