Create Your Wellness Plan

Are you interested in making healthy lifestyle changes moving forward after cancer treatment?

The resources listed under For Cancer Survivors, will help explain why lifestyle choices are important, plus you’ll find suggestions and tips to create an overall wellness plan. Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing is a site from the University of Minnesota’s E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing and offers a Wellbeing Assessment, which consists of 13 questions to help you identify “… where you are in each aspect of wellbeing and point to areas where you might want to make changes.” If you are looking for a more structured plan, check out the Anticancer Lifestyle Program, which “… offers free tools, tips, and information to help you improve your diet, increase your fitness, decrease your stress, and reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals in your home environment.” I believe that making just one small change today is all you need to begin a new path that will lead to a long-term commitment to your health and well-being.

Below are a few suggested articles that offer beneficial advice on adopting a new lifestyle practice no matter what time of year you decide to start.

• Anticancer Lifestyle Program - 5 Keys to Lifestyle Change

• Kelley Vargo, MPH, MS, CSCS, American Council on Exercise Health Coach - Adopting a New Habit: 6 Steps for Action

• Tuft University - How to Keep Those Resolutions

• Plant-Based Life Foundation - Changing a Habit? What You Might Be Doing Wrong

Achieving lasting change can be challenging and I can definitely vouch for that! A few of the above articles discuss the SMART formula and if you aren’t quite ready to take on a structured program, consider the below steps as an option.

• Specific - Pick one goal and really narrow it down to make it specific as possible

• Measurable - Make sure you can easily measure your progress

• Attainable/Achievable - Is it a goal you really think you can make happen

• Realistic or Relevant - Set a realistic goal and/or does this goal align with the new lifestyle you want to create for yourself.

• Timeline - Decide on a specific timeline to accomplish your goal

UCSF Patient and Family Cancer Support Center

Online virtual classes are open for cancer patients regardless of where they're being treated. Registration Required

Core and More Class For People with Cancer

Fridays, 10am - 11:30am PT / 1pm - 2:30pm ET
The Core and More class includes Pilates-based mat exercises to work on core strength and stability.

Meditation and Guided Imagery Class

Tuesdays, 1 - 2pm PT / 4 - 5pm ET
The Core and More class includes Pilates-based mat exercises to work on core strength and stability.

Laughter Yoga

Thursdays, 6 - 7pm PT / 9 - 10pm ET
Laughter exercises warm up the mind-body and silent meditation helps facilitate a gentle deepening of mindful awareness.

Anticancer Lifestyle Online Course

Anticancer Lifestyle Foundation

A comprehensive self-paced online course featuring tools, tips, and information to make sustainable lifestyle changes in the areas of Diet, Mindset, Fitness, and Environment. This lifestyle transformation course will help you create healthy habits and can also work as a supplement to your current medical treatment plan.

This is a free, self-paced course!

Integrative Medicine at Home Membership

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Online classes include meditation, chair or mat yoga, dance therapy, tai chi, core strength, and they offer a number of specialized workshops as well.

Monthly membership: $25 | Three-month membership: $60
Six-month membership package: $120, plus one free workshop

They also offer a Free Seasonal newsletter
Integrative Medicine Newsletter: Your Guide to Self-Care and Support

Healthy10Challenge.org
American Institute for Cancer Research

"A 10-week, free, interactive, online program to help users improve their diet, nutrition, physical activity and weight for lower cancer risk and better overall health."

SIO Knowledge Center - Features a number of resources to gain a better understanding of what Integrative Oncology is and what it can offer including:

• Don’t Believe Everything you Read - This article will help you navigate the digital world to find accurate information.

• SIO YouTube Channel - Offers access to SIO webinars

• Apple Podcast - Integrative Oncology Tal‪k‬

Facing Forward: Life After Cancer Treatment  - NCI
Covers the physical and emotional challenges faced after cancer treatment.
Page 6, “Changes You May Want To Think About Making” offers lifestyle modifications to consider.

June 8, 2022 - New study associates intake of dairy milk with greater risk of prostate cancer - Loma Linda University Health
Men with higher intakes of dairy foods, especially milk, face a significantly higher risk of prostate cancer compared to men with lower intakes, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Loma Linda University Health. The study found no such associations between increased prostate cancer risk and intake of non-dairy calcium, suggesting substances other than calcium play a role in the risk dairy foods poses for prostate cancer.

Dec. 28, 2021 - Survival odds higher for breast cancer patients with access to integrative therapies - Journal of Oncology
”Breast cancer patients treated at hospitals and health systems that educate patients and provide integrative health services have a better chance of survival compared to those treated at institutions with few of these resources, according to a new study published in the Journal of Oncology. Integrative health services include complementary and lifestyle therapies, such as nutrition and exercise counseling, in addition to medical cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and surgery.”

Nov. 18, 2020 - Vitamin D Supplements May Reduce Risk of Developing Advanced Cancer - Brigham and Women's Hospital
The VITAL study was a rigorous, placebo-controlled study, which concluded in 2018. The reported results found that vitamin D did not reduce the overall incidence of cancer, but hinted at a decreased risk of advanced (metastatic or fatal) cancer deaths. Now, in a secondary analysis of the VITAL study, a research team led by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital "... reports that vitamin D was associated with an overall 17 percent risk reduction for advanced cancer. When the team looked at only participants with a normal body mass index (BMI), they found a 38 percent risk reduction, suggesting that body mass may influence the relationship between vitamin D and decreased risk of advanced cancer."

Guide to Survivorship Care for Healthy Living - The National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Free PDF Download

New eBook from Anticancer Lifestyle Program
Mindset 101: Learning to Manage Your Stress
”This ebook will introduce you to some simple yet powerful ways to cultivate an Anticancer Mindset to help you manage stress.”
Why it's important to manage your stress

Managing Stress - American Society of Clinical Oncology’s website Cancer.net
Offering tips for reducing stress and stress management strategies.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Guided Meditations
17 meditations combining breathing and focusing exercises along with visualization techniques to manage different circumstances.
Sample meditations include:
Breathing Exercises to Prepare for Procedures
Moving Forward Mindfully
Guided Imagery Meditation - Day at the Beach
Restful Night Ahead

CancerCare.org
Meditation Exercises
Exercises developed to help reduce stress and anxiety caused by cancer and to help you maintain a sense of calm.

Mindfulness & Meditation resources under Wellness Resources

Dec. 9, 2020 - Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Depression and Improves Related Symptoms of Fatigue and Sleep Disturbance in Breast Cancer Survivors - University California Los Angeles
247 women diagnosed at age 50 or younger with early-stage breast cancer were randomly assigned to one of three groups: survivorship education, mindfulness meditation, or a concurrent waitlist control group. "The team found that women in the mindfulness meditation group had significant reductions in depressive symptoms at post-intervention and at the three- and six-month follow-ups; over 50% of participants scored in the clinically depressed range before the intervention, which fell to 30% over the follow-up period. This group also had significant decreases in fatigue severity, sleep disturbance and hot flashes that persisted over the six-month follow-up."

Dec. 2, 2020 - Combined exercise, mindfulness training may help reduce fatigue in cancer survivors - Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology
40 women participated in the 7-day trial and were asked to fill out questionnaires about their perceived fatigue levels. “They were then divided into three groups where they were asked to either exercise or undergo mindfulness training or a combination of both.” The participants all reported a moderate level of self-reported mental fatigue at the beginning of the study. Researchers found that “Over the course of the week, the groups that took part in a combination of exercise and mindfulness training reported a drop in fatigue levels from moderate to mild. The other groups did not show a comparable degree of improvement.”

Dec. 2, 2020 - Stress may awaken dormant cancer cells - National Institutes of Health
Past studies have linked chronic stress with cancer progression and in this latest study a research team set out to investigate whether stress can awaken dormant tumor cells. According to researchers, “Our data suggest that stress hormone levels should be monitored in patients recovering from cancer and that managing stress to keep those hormones at bay would be beneficial to prolong remission,…”

December 20, 2019 - Study: Mindfulness Improves Sleep, Reduces Stress In Cancer Survivors, Caregivers - Ohio State University College of Medicine
"Cancer survivors and their caregivers who completed an eight-week mindfulness program experienced significant improvements in their sleep quality and resilience while decreasing their perceived stress, according to research led by The Ohio State University College of Medicine."

Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery: A Step-by-Step MBSR Approach to Help You Cope with Treatment and Reclaim Your Life 
Paperback on Amazon $20.95, Kindle - $9.99

In Roswell Park's Cancer Talk blog Importance of a Strong Support System, Associate Professor of Oncology Elizabeth Bouchard, MA, PhD, states "Patients who have a good social support system tend to have better outcomes" and thanks to the increasing virtual environment we live in, there are a number of options now available to connect with as well as find support from other cancer survivors.

CancerConnect.com
This social network currently contains over 60 groups and "...provides a safe and secure environment for individuals interested in cancer to learn, support, and connect with others who have similar issues and concerns."

Mayo Clinic Connect (connect.mayoclinic.org)
“… an online community where you can share your experiences and find support from people like you. You can also read Mayo Clinic expert blogs and take part in educational events.” Under the Groups tab, Click on “Group Directory” to search for established cancer groups of interest.

Reach to Recovery for Breast Cancer Survivors (reach.cancer.org) - American Cancer Society
A Free service where ”…you can have an online chat with a trained volunteer who has survived breast cancer and understands what you are going through."

SmartPatients.com 
Find a list of online cancer communities to share your story with other cancer survivors.

Find an Integrative Medicine & Health Practitioner specializing in Oncology
Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine
This directory lists graduates from the center’s Fellowship and IHeLp programs who have chosen to list their practice information and you can search by specialty for an oncology medical practitioner.

Cancer Patient Navigation Hotline - National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR)
A free resource which connects cancer patients with NFCR team of oncology navigators who can provide an understanding of a diagnosis as well offer guidance on possible treatment options.

Cancer Survivorship Checklist - National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
"The Cancer Survivorship Checklist is designed to be a simple, straightforward tool patients and caregivers can use as a guide for information critical to their care wherever they are on the cancer care continuum."

6 Things You Need To Know About Cancer and Complementary Health Approaches - NCCIH

Integrative Oncology: A Healthier Way to Fight Cancer - Experience Life Magazine
An overview which discusses how “… many practitioners, including medical doctors, have embraced the rapidly expanding field of integrative oncology, which fuses the best of conventional and alternative treatments.”

Finding Our Purpose After Cancer - CURE Magazine
William Ramshaw, Pancreatic Cancer Survivor offers 4 suggestions on how to move forward after a cancer diagnosis and connect with your purpose in life.

LivingWith® (Free App) - Pfizer Oncology
thisislivingwithcancer.com

• Connect Fitbit®, Apple Health or Google Fit™ to record sleep and steps

• Share personalized graphs and reports with your oncology healthcare team

• Read articles about nutrition, healthy living and more

• Find information organized by tumor type

• Search content on advocacy groups

NCI’s FREE booklet is available as a PDF download or accessible through Kindle.

My STORI (Free App) for Brain Tumor Patients - National Cancer Institute
(Available for iphone only)
This app was developed to help "… track your symptoms and their severity, manage your symptoms, track your self-care activities, track your treatments and appointments, view your tracked symptoms and self-care activities, and save and share your activities with others." This YouTube video has more info.
Find My STORI in the Apple App store, search by typing in “National Cancer Institute.”