A novel study suggests that giving patient’s relaxation and stress respite advice could pace recovery and improve long-lasting survival. The researchers advised that stress management techniques like exercise, deep breathing and concentrating on relaxing mental images could help in all types of surgery.
In a new study researcher from the University of Texas examine men with early stage of cancer who were having their prostate removed and were divided into three groups. The first group had given stress management therapy, second was provided two sessions of supportive care and third had give standard care without stress relief advice.
The stress management therapy occupied two sixty to ninety minutes of individual session with clinical psychologist, which cover relaxation and coping abilities. These were carried out two weeks prior to surgery. The patients were also provided information regarding prostate cancer and drastic prostatectomy, counting management of side effects. The patients were encouraged to focus on scenes found relaxing.
In their second session, patients were trained to imagine the day of surgery, to prepare them for what to expect during their time in hospital. Psychoanalyst also heartened them to converse their worries or fears about the cancer and surgery. They were also given an inoculation chat on the morning of the operation.
The second group with supportive care was also provided two sessions with a psychologist one to two weeks prior to surgery, to converse any worries. But unlike the second group third group was not offered stress management techniques. The results showed two days prior to surgery, patients practiced stress management had considerably higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines, which encouraged healing.
They also had higher movement of natural killer cells, which help protect the body from infection. The natural killer cells play vital role in identifying and annihilating rogue cancer cells. The patients in the other two groups had no change in their immune systems. The mood of first group patients, on the morning of surgery was most positive in comparison to other two groups.
This is one of the first studies to demonstrate proof of the benefit of this type of support. Not only might the positive mental approach that results from stress management inspire patients to get back to normal sooner, but now they have proof that it may improve the immune system response, explained Raj Persad, consultant urologist from Spire Bristol Hospital.