Mind-Body Therapies in Medical Conditions

Mind body therapies in medical conditions.
Introduction.
The definition health includes both physical, emotional mental and spiritual well-being
(WHO,2016). The progression of a disease, though pathological may have some mental and
emotional components that influence its advancement. Most of the conditions that are associated
with long periods of pain and extended hospital stay always have some adverse effects on the
emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. Some need different approaches to solve resolve.
Body mind therapies are techniques that used as complementary or alternative to conventional
medicine. They are important in management of pain in chronic conditions and enable the patient
to cope with their conditions. The emotional wellbeing of these patients has been found to have a
vital bearing in the prognosis.
Cancer.
According to Siegel, Miller and Jemal (2018), cancer has been on the increase in the
recent past. It has been associated with a high numbers of fatalities that in one way or the other
has caused some fear in everyone. The progression of the disease causes so much pain and
disturbance to both the patients and the family members. The interventions are also very painful
to bear. Both physical and emotional pain are a components common in many patients.
In a cancer patients’ life history, they are hard hit by the reality of knowing that they have
been diagnosed with cancer. It becomes hard to accept and some enter a state of denial. They
may undergo all the stages of grief before they can come to terms with the reality. The severity
of the cancer is dependent on the organs affected and past medical records on the prognosis.
Some cancers have a proper prognosis when treatment is commenced at its early stages. For

those whom the disease has progressed significantly, emotional instability is likely to be more
compared those whom it was discovered at early stages (Halter, 2017).
Patients are always uncertain of the changes that are likely to occur in their bodies. There
is a feeling of loss. They feel deprived of health and to some extent they feel that their life has
been cut shot. When they are made aware of the staging of the cancer and the past medical
records of prognosis of similar stages, they may have a sigh of relief or further break down. It is
usually a very trying moment for the patients and they need emotional support to take on the
options available.
Depending on the severity, chemotherapy may be recommended. These sessions bring so
many changes to the patients. They physically emotionally and mentally affect the patient.
According Stroebe, Schut and Boerner, (2017) pain is both physical and emotional. Most have
concerns of the losses the expect. Physically, fatigue is experienced due to anemia that results
from bone marrow suppression. Loss of hair and other changes due to chemotherapeutic agents
may be alarming and stressful. This stress will need to be managed in order better prognosis
during treatment
Mind-body practices are those techniques that help modify biological, physiological, or
psychosocial processes as well as improve QOL outcomes (Boyle and Bower, 2016). These are
ways to relax in a stressful situation. Cancer patients would have better outcomes if these
methods are used. These practices are dated back from ancient forms of medicine where they
believed that emotional and spiritual wellbeing had an impact on physical wellbeing. Some of
the practices are relaxation, meditation, tai chi and qigong, and yoga. According to the research,
these practices help avert the negative effects of stress and improve the QOL. They affect the
neurotransmitter and neuromodulators release in the brain and hence has an effect on the balance

between sympathetic and parasympathetic system. This is a crucial step in managing stress since
it results from the imbalance between the two systems. Managing stress in cancer patient is a big
stride in the management of the disease.
According to Hussain and Bhushan (2010) meditation involves a deliberate effort to think
about the events that have occurred. One may concentrate on a particular thing, other than the
disease, and this will inhibit the stressful thoughts. One may think about the exact disease and by
this, they acknowledge the diseased and accept the turn of events. These two approaches in
meditation achieve the same purpose, avert the effects of stress.
HIV
HIV is a dreaded disease that emerged in the late twentieth century. It was dreaded for
causing a high number of mortalities before scientists could study it well and understand its
natural history. It is a sexually transmitted virus which leads to AIDS. Until recently there were
no antiretroviral drugs the more reason to be anxious
Anxiety anger and depression are a common phenomenon among these patients when
they learn of their conditions (Vos, Craig and Cooper, 2015). They are anxious of the changes on
their body. The body immune system is destroyed and they patients become immune
compromised in the process. They are susceptible to opportunistic infections, most of which are
said to be the main causes of these deaths. A patient may be anxious even when they catch a flu
since they are not sure if that would be the cause of their demise. They may feel angry of their
partners and the condition they are in. they end up becoming depressed and stigmatized.
They withdraw from people and do not want their conditions known by other people.
They fear that many people might be so judgmental. In the society, the disease has been in the