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CancerWishing you all a safe and heart-warming 2022!

Wishing you all a safe and heart-warming 2022!

It’s possible that 2021 has significantly increased stress and complexities to individuals who are already at risk for increased psychological distress following cancer treatment. If this year is compounding your stress or anxiety, the good news is there are plenty of coping strategies at your disposal, even if you are forced to stay at home.

One of the most accessible coping strategies during the pandemic is meditation, which can easily be practiced wherever you are and has garnered wide popularity across health care over the past couple of decades. Currently, mindfulness meditation is the most widely studied and utilised variation of meditation within medical settings. Mindfulness meditation is derived from Vipassana, the Theravada tradition of Buddhism and has been adapted into a secular format, allowing it to be a complementary approach to any religious or cultural background.

Mindfulness has been described as focusing attention on the present moment and adopting a stance marked by curiosity, openness and acceptance. In this form of meditation, participants are instructed to become aware of thoughts, feelings and sensations and to observe them in a nonjudgmental way. Contrary to common misconceptions, it is not aimed to stop thinking altogether or to block out unpleasantness in order to be relaxed – something that would be an impossible task for most people, especially cancer survivors. Instead, it is based on the philosophy that full and nonjudgmental experience of the present moment creates positive outcomes for wellbeing, even in the midst of health challenges.

Not surprisingly, there are a number of difficult aspects of the cancer experience that are well-suited for mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). The pervasive experience of a loss of control, uncertainty and constant change are often the most challenging aspects of coping with cancer. Accepting things as they are, turning towards rather than away from difficult emotional experiences, and embracing change as a constant can help in self-understanding and healing. Acknowledging these thoughts and feelings can also play a critical role in reducing overall stress and anxiety, thereby allowing people to live more fully in the present moment, regardless of the road ahead.

Mindfulness based interventions hold a great deal of promise for helping people with cancer cope across a broad range of symptoms and issues, both during and after the completion of active treatment . MBIs tailored for individuals undergoing cancer treatment have demonstrated moderate to large improvements in stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue and sleep problems. Others have even noted small, but significant changes on salivary cortisol, cytokines and blood pressure. In one study, even brief MBIs have demonstrated short-term efficacy in reducing stress, behavioural symptoms and proinflammatory signalling in younger breast cancer survivors.

Clinical trials have consistently found MBIs to be very safe with few adverse outcomes. Sometimes people may experience a transient increase in anxiety as they learn to meditate.

Such interventions have also been offered via online platforms and have yielded positive results for participants. After all, attempting to let go of the usual busyness and distractions of daily life can be challenging as the mind settles or reveals unpleasant thoughts and feelings. But creating space for discomfort is the key to freeing oneself from getting stuck in unhelpful thinking patterns.

So, while you cannot change many of the challenges that 2022 brings, you can practice mindfulness meditation to help you better handle the stressors that life is throwing your way. Being more mindful can also help you remain physically active and stick to a healthy diet – all key ingredients for successfully navigating cancer survivorship!

Wishing you all a safe and heart-warming 2022!

Manuela

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Cancer Fatigue

Cancer-related is one of the most common side effects of cancer and its treatments. Like fatigue, cancer fatigue is whole-body exhaustion that you feel no matter how much sleep or rest you get. Cancer fatigue takes exhaustion a step further: You feel physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted most of the time. Cancer fatigue may last a few weeks (acute) or for months or years (chronic).

To improve energy effectively, we provide modalities ranging from mindfulness-based cognitive therapy therapies, to herbal medicine and targeted nutritional interventions.

Pain Management

Providing quality care and services to our patients is our utmost commitment. Our approach prioritises a holistic and integrative method to health and wellness, ensuring that each patient receives personalised and effective treatment.

Our acupuncture services, including traditional acupuncture, medical acupuncture, and laser acupuncture, are designed to stimulate the body's natural healing processes, reduce pain, and improve overall health. In addition to acupuncture, we provide specialised physiotherapy services aimed at restoring movement, improving function, and alleviating pain Our commitment to quality care is reflected in our dedication to continuously improving our services and staying abreast of the latest advancements in medical and complementary treatments.

We are devoted to helping our patients achieve the best possible health outcomes through compassionate, comprehensive, and patient-centred care.

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Recovery

Helping you to thrive into enduring wellness after the conclusion of cancer treatments is our goal. At Vitawell Wellness we understand that an optimised immune system comes from a foundation of basics. Quality of sleep, exercise, enjoying nature, and practising meditation are incredibly important elements to aid in your recovery.

Our holistic approach focuses on rebuilding all the components that form your unique profile, from weight and movement to mind-body connection; from good energy to healthy weight; from sleep to finding happiness in small things.  Recovery also depends upon restoring imbalances in your immune system, nervous system, neurotransmitters, gut health, adrenal and hormonal systems. At Vitawell Wellness we will provide you with the essential tools and the appropriate program to achieve and to maintain optimal health and enduring wellness.

Stress Management

The state of mind impacts health through the mind-body connection. We believe that  that body and mind are one, that the mind feeds the body just as the body feeds the mind. Since emotions, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, actions, and behaviour impact and literally shape wellbeing, we provide the necessary tools to  strengthen your mental and emotional inner life.

We strive to help you cultivate and maintain hope, calm, optimism, and inner-peace. We want to know how you feel; we listen and support you in regaining power with positive actions, step-by-step into wellness. 

Clinical Detox

After the conclusion of cancer treatments, we strongly recommend that you follow our clinical detoxification program. At Vitawell Wellness we are aware tht some common side-effects from chemotherapy or radiation therapy treatments can have lasting effects such as brain fog, loss of energy and gastro-intestinal dysfunction.

We strongly believe in the power of detoxification as a method of steadily reducing toxins` accumulation and regaining strength, balance, and imporve wellness. Our personalised program is sensible, gentle but effective, and includes stress reduction technique and lifestyle changes.

Personalised Diet

The relationship between cancer, diet, energy, muscle mass and optimal weight is extremely important. At Vitawell Wellness we focus on addressing your current nutritional status and develop the right diet for you.  "One size does not fit all" principle applies to your diet. Each person is unique and therefore variability exists between nutrient-sense diets.

We provide personalised and appropriate dietary plans before, during and after cancer treatments. We provide 7 day menu plan, shopping lists and recipes that reflect food preferences and sensitivities. The menu plans are easy to follow. Each food is selected for its specific content of nutrients. Healthy foods positively support your whole person wellness.

For some, reaching wellness means improving body weight, muscle mass, digestion, assimilation and gut microbiome. 

For some, reaching wellness means reducing body weight, improving muscle mass, digestion, bowel function and gut microbiome. Obesity and overweight have been shown to increase cancer risk.

Preventive Care

The Functional Medicine model is an individualised, patient-centred, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together and to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness.

Functional Medicine is gaining attention as a new approach to care in large institutions and Universities around the world. This is leading to new approaches to investigate ways to research outcomes of Functional Medicine designed to discover and remedy root causes of problems instead of suppressing symptoms. Random controlled trials are beginning to be conducted, and a new body of literature is beginning to emerge in this realm as a result.

Nutritional Medicine

Nutrition medicine is a personalised medicine that deals with primary prevention and addresses underlying causes instead of treating symptoms for serious chronic diseases. By shifting the traditional disease-centred focus of medical practice to a more patient-centred approach, nutritional medicine individualises the patient's nutritional needs based on genetic, environmental, and personal considerations.

Nutritional medicine focuses on shifting dietary habits to optimise personal health stimulating the powerful inert healing mechanism within each person by providing nutrient protocols and specialised diets for each individual need.

Herbal Medicine

Herbalism today is based on remedies and techniques tried and tested through generations of use, but increasingly re-evaluated in the light of modern medical refinements. A key feature of herbalism is that remedies are used to support and modify disturbed body functions.

Herbal medicine is the oldest and still the most widely used system of medicine in the world today. It is medicine made exclusively from plants. It is used in all societies and is common to all cultures.

Herbal medicine is increasingly being validated by scientific investigation which seeks to understand the active chemistry of the plant. Many modern pharmaceuticals have been modelled on, or derived from, phytochemicals found in plants. Increasing research on herbal medicine demonstrates that liquid botanicals play a critical role during, before and after a diagnosis of cancer.

Individualised Plans

Cancer requires negotiation and navigation. Decisions must be made. Directions must be pursued. The decisions and directions often occur in the middle of stress, fear, trauma, and many other challenging emotions. The skills with which people negotiate and navigate their cancer journey are better supported by combining conventional treatments with evidence-based natural medicine.

At Vitawell Wellness, we design individual programs to support you regardless of your diagnosis and the stage of your cancer. We collect all critical information about your state of health and help you in your decision-making process with the wisdom and the experience that comes from years of clinical practice. We work in alignment with what you think, feel, say, and do. In this way, we honour your self-awareness, your knowledge and views and integrate them in safe practices.