Local hospital one of eight pilot

cahjah75 · October 2010

Survivorship Programs nationwide. My Sunday paper had a whole section titled, "Faces of Cancer, Faces that Care". The article talked about helping cancer survivors adapt. I thought I'd share some comments:

Who needs chemo? Oncotype dx helps. It analyzes tumors.

When you buy pink, know where your green is going. This was an eye opener to me as I've been a consumer and a donater for many years. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation was listed #1. For every $100 raised from fundraising only $7 is used by the organization, the rest for research. Compared to #10 Breast Cancer Research Relief Foundation which uses $76-86 of their dollars!

Optimism can help, hinder patients: Evidence is mounting that positive feelings can influence good health outcomes. Optimism, however, has become a common theme in the current culture of cancer care.

The effect of all this positive thinking is to transform breast cancer into a rite of passage - not an injustice or tragedy to rail against, but a normal marker in the life cycle, like menopause or grandmotherhood.

The sugarcoating of cancer can exact a dreadful cost. First it requires the denial of understandable feelings of anger and fear, all of which must be buried under a cosmetic layer of cheer. A positive outlook can address helplessness and return some control to a patient. That can help alleviate conditions such as anxiety, depression and despair that often accompany cancer.

So, what I gleened from all the articles is that a healthy positive attitude helps but we shouldn't bury our fears. Seek out help. It's out there. We are not alone. We are survivors.
Char

CypressCynthia · October 2010

Thanks for sharing. I
Thanks for sharing. I generally agree with the positive thinking info (probably because I am a fairly positive person ;-). We all have days where we are afraid, depressed and anxious. I am a little anxious today because I will probably get my marker results tomorrow. We all feel that kind of anxiety I think.

But, if the blues and anxiety are interfering with our lives--whatever life we have left--that is not good and may keep us from making healthy choices. When I found out I had the mets, I asked for help because I felt like it was more than I could handle alone. I also talked Danny into getting support because I want him to have support if the going gets tough(er).

I am a little confused about "evidence is mounting that positive feelings can influence good health outcomes" though as some of the more recent studies seem to indicate there is not a good correlation between positive outlook and outcomes. I do believe that if someone feels very depressed, they may be less likely to be compliant. But the studies that I have seen recently are not finding that link:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/5780.php

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2007/10/does_a_positive_attitude_prolong_cancer.php

http://www.cancerresearchinformation.com/does-a-positive-mental-and-emotional-outlook-improve-cancer-survival-questioning-a-study-which-said-it-doesnt/

Mama G · October 2010

CypressCynthia said:
Thanks for sharing. I
Thanks for sharing. I generally agree with the positive thinking info (probably because I am a fairly positive person ;-). We all have days where we are afraid, depressed and anxious. I am a little anxious today because I will probably get my marker results tomorrow. We all feel that kind of anxiety I think.

But, if the blues and anxiety are interfering with our lives--whatever life we have left--that is not good and may keep us from making healthy choices. When I found out I had the mets, I asked for help because I felt like it was more than I could handle alone. I also talked Danny into getting support because I want him to have support if the going gets tough(er).

I am a little confused about "evidence is mounting that positive feelings can influence good health outcomes" though as some of the more recent studies seem to indicate there is not a good correlation between positive outlook and outcomes. I do believe that if someone feels very depressed, they may be less likely to be compliant. But the studies that I have seen recently are not finding that link:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/5780.php

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2007/10/does_a_positive_attitude_prolong_cancer.php

http://www.cancerresearchinformation.com/does-a-positive-mental-and-emotional-outlook-improve-cancer-survival-questioning-a-study-which-said-it-doesnt/

cynthia, please let me know what they suggest for you
Xanax is not cutting it for me anymore. i need something to make me smile... PLUS NO energy at all, depression has set in big time. How do I send private messages? any help???

Local hospital one of eight pilot

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