Every year, over 54,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with oral or mouth cancer, and it leads to more than 11,000 deaths annually . These numbers are really concerning and demonstrate how common and serious this kind of cancer can be.
Dealing with mouth cancer can be one of the toughest experiences for someone. It presents a combination of physical and emotional difficulties. But what if something really simple, like meditation, could help make things a little easier?
Meditation is becoming more and more known as a useful way to help with both emotional and physical healing. In this post, we will look at seven ways that meditation can help mouth cancer patients feel better and recover more effectively.
Improves Breathing and Oxygen Flow
Treatments for mouth cancer, such as surgery or radiation, can make it hard to breathe. The area around the mouth and throat can get swollen or sore, and that’s why this happens. Deep breathing exercises during meditation can really help in this situation.
When you practice taking slow, deep breaths, it helps your lungs get bigger and lets in more oxygen. Having more oxygen can help hurt tissues get better more quickly. When you take some deep, slow breaths, you might see how it helps to calm your body and mind.
This is because it helps the oxygen flow better, which is really good for your recovery. Studies from the National Cancer Institute show that deep breathing can help you relax and get more oxygen, which is really important for healing. (source: NCI)
Helps Reduce Oral Pain and Discomfort
Many people who are getting treatment often feel pain and discomfort in their mouths. This type of pain can make it hard to eat and talk, which can really impact everyday life. Guided meditation can be really helpful in this situation.
Guided imagery is a type of meditation where you imagine something relaxing, such as a beach or a quiet garden. When you do this, your thoughts move away from the pain. This helps make the pain feel not as strong.
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center says that this kind of meditation can help lower pain and make treatment easier to handle (source: MSKCC).
Supports Speech Recovery
Mouth cancer and its treatment can sometimes make it hard for someone to speak clearly. Having surgery and other treatments can make it hard to talk. Using sound in meditation, such as chanting or humming, can be really helpful.
These exercises help the vocal cords work better, making them stronger and easier to control. As time goes on, these exercises help patients get back some of their speaking skills.
For example, gently humming a simple song can serve as a way to warm up your voice, helping it work better and sound clearer. The American Cancer Society says that doing vocal exercises like chanting can help patients build their vocal muscles and improve their speech recovery. According to the American Cancer Society.
Reduces Fatigue and Improves Energy Levels
Cancer treatment can make people feel really tired, which is called fatigue. It can turn even easy tasks into something that feels really hard. Meditation can help lessen this tiredness by reducing stress hormones such as cortisol.
Meditation helps your body relax a lot, which saves energy and makes you feel less tired. Even a short meditation practice of just 10 minutes can really help increase your energy levels.
Meditation helps people relax their minds and bodies, making them feel more energized and prepared for their everyday tasks.
Many patients said they felt more energetic and less tired after adding meditation to their daily routine, according to the ASCO Post.
Boosts Immune System Function
Cancer treatment can make your immune system weaker, which means it can be tougher for your body to fight off infections. Meditation can help improve how well your immune system works. Meditation is a way to relax and can really help lower stress levels.
When stress levels are lower, the immune system can function more effectively. Meditation has been shown to boost the production of antibodies, which helps the body fight off illnesses better.
This is really helpful for people with mouth cancer because their immune systems might be weakened by treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation.
The National Cancer Institute has found that lower stress levels from meditation are linked to a stronger immune response. This is really important for patients who are recovering from tough treatments.
Lower Anxiety and Depression
Getting a cancer diagnosis can make people feel really anxious and sad. Sometimes, these feelings can be really strong, and it can be tough to keep a positive attitude. Meditation helps us deal with these feelings by paying attention to what’s happening right now.
It helps you relax, making you feel calmer and more in control. Mindfulness meditation helps people notice their feelings without judging them. This can make those negative thoughts feel less strong.
Meditating regularly can help lower anxiety and really boost your mood, which makes going through treatment a lot easier. According to the American Cancer Society lots of research has found that regular meditation can help lessen feelings of anxiety and depression, making it easier for patients to handle their treatment process.
Improves Sleep Quality
Getting enough sleep is really important for healing, but cancer treatments can cause issues with sleep. Feeling anxious, in pain, or uncomfortable can really make it tough to get a good night’s sleep.
Meditation is a great way to relax your mind before going to sleep. When patients concentrate on their breathing or follow guided meditation, they can help their mind and body relax. This makes it simpler to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Meditation can help reduce heart rate and calm the mind, making it easier to get a good night’s sleep. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center discovered that cancer patients who did meditation had better sleep and fewer interruptions. This made them feel more energized during the day (source: MSKCC).
How to Incorporate Meditation into Recovery
Have you ever thought about how to begin meditating? You’ll be happy to know that you don’t need much time or any fancy tools. Just take 5-10 minutes every day to focus. Look for a calm spot, get comfortable, and pay attention to your breath.
If you haven’t tried meditation before, there are lots of free apps and videos on the internet that can help you get started. Begin with little steps, and keep in mind that it’s perfectly fine if your thoughts drift away.
It’s important to keep returning to your breath and to practice often. Meditation can become a really important part of your healing journey as time goes on.
Conclusion
Meditation might not take the place of medical treatment, but it can definitely help make dealing with mouth cancer a little easier. It helps with breathing better, lessens pain, aids in recovering speech, increases energy, strengthens the immune system, calms anxiety, and enhances sleep.
The benefits combine to help patients improve their physical and emotional well-being. If you are receiving treatment, you might want to think about trying meditation. This could be the relaxing and uplifting activity that you really need.
If you know someone who might find this helpful, please share this info with them. By working together, we can make the journey to recovery easier.
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Additional Source: American Cancer Society