A recent study has found that just 20 minutes of mindful breathing can quickly reduce the intensity and unpleasantness of cancer-related pain, as well as ease the anxiety that often accompanies it.
This discovery, published in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, highlights the potential of mindful breathing as a complementary treatment for cancer patients, offering an additional option alongside traditional pain relief methods.
Cancer pain affects 30-40% of patients worldwide, often resulting from the tumor pressing on surrounding tissues, nerve damage, or side effects from treatment.
Despite advancements in pain management, many cancer patients still struggle with inadequate pain control.
While various complementary therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, massage, acupuncture, and exercise are available, mindfulness-based interventions are gaining recognition for their ability to alleviate pain.
Previous research on mindfulness for pain relief has mainly focused on short programs lasting several weeks or brief sessions of just 5-10 minutes, often excluding cancer patients.
However, this new study aimed to explore whether a single 20-minute session of mindful breathing could effectively reduce pain in cancer patients.
To test this, researchers recruited 40 cancer patients from a hospital, all of whom had reported moderate to severe pain with a pain score of 4 or higher on a scale of 0 to 10. The participants were randomly divided into two groups.
One group of 21 patients participated in a guided mindful breathing session led by a trained doctor.
The session involved four steps, each lasting five minutes: recognizing the in-breath and out-breath, following the breath’s entire length, bringing the mind back to the body, and relaxing the body from head to toe.
The second group of 19 patients received a 20-minute supportive listening session, where a doctor asked about their experiences with illness using semi-structured questions.
The intensity and unpleasantness of each patient’s pain were measured before and after the interventions using the Numeric Rating Scale (0-10).
Additionally, their mood was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), which rates anxiety and depression on a 4-point scale.
The results showed that the mindful breathing session significantly reduced both the intensity and unpleasantness of pain in the cancer patients, as well as lowering their anxiety levels.
This study suggests that mindful breathing could be a valuable tool for cancer patients, providing quick and effective relief from pain and anxiety, and enhancing their overall well-being.
These findings underscore the potential of mindfulness practices in managing cancer pain and highlight the importance of exploring alternative approaches to improve the quality of life for patients battling this challenging condition.
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