Traditional cancer treatments, like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, are important tools for managing breast cancer. But they're not the only ones.
Dawn M. Mussallem, D.O., a Mayo Clinic cancer expert and stage 4 cancer survivor, encourages her patients not to forget another important tool in the quest to treat cancer: A healthy lifestyle.
Learn why Dr. Mussallem says that lifestyle choices like eating healthy, managing stress and maintaining social networks can help with breast cancer outcomes.
We asked a Mayo Clinic expert: What does holistic care look like for breast cancer?
Dawn M. Mussallem, D.O., Center for Breast Health: As a 22-year, stage 4 cancer survivor, when I was diagnosed with cancer, I found it as a teacher of life.
I often use the analogy of the faucet is on, the drain is plugged, and water is going all over the floor. In conventional medicine, we're experts. We're very quick at mopping up the floor. And we need to do this to cure cancer. So that's our chemotherapy, our surgery, our radiation, our immunotherapies.
But we know that it's very important to help patients live a healthy life — with healthy eating, exercise, stress reduction, improving their quality of sleep and making sure that they embrace social connections.
When it comes to a breast cancer diagnosis, it's a very stressful time and integrative therapies like mindfulness and meditation can help women with things such as mood, quality of life and sleep.
Research has shown that meditation can help to not only reduce stress but also improve other variables like blood pressure and heart rate.
When it comes to breast cancer survivorship, new research has suggested that eating healthy really does matter. Foods like green, leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables and berries can help improve breast cancer outcomes.
Cancer for me taught me the importance of living life fully but also living life in a healthy way. Now is the time that you want to really focus on living your best life ever. It's achievable. You can reach it.
Dr. Mussallem has empowered thousands of breast cancer survivors to feel better through treatment and beyond.