Breast Cancer| Caregivers Can Suffer from Stress

Breast cancer diagnosis affects the whole family as well as the patient. Caregivers are often thrown into an immediate situation that can be very stressful. According to a recent Los Angeles Times article “The rate of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer ad any kind of other diseases, morbidity and mortality are much higher in caregivers compared to non-caregivers,” said UCLA geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Helen Lavretsky.  Lavretsky experimented with a session that lasted about 12 minutes using the ancient practice of Kirtan Kriya Meditation. One group of caregivers participated in the yoga exercise once a day. The others listen to music that was relaxing. After eight weeks of practicing, the yoga group had much more success. Lavretsky also recorded symptoms including the mood and mental health of the participants. She concentrated on the positive effects Kirtan Kyria Meditation produced on the genetic expressions in the participants chromosomes.

Breast Cancer Caregivers Can Reduce Stress

“We looked at the gene expression on multiple genes and 68 genes showed change,” she said. The positive changes can reduce the body’s inflammatory processors which heavily contribute to the onset of many diseases including breast cancer. “I mean, 60 minutes of yoga would be better but if you don’t have time, 12 minutes of brief meditation during the day, especially in the morning would be great for your health,” she said. This advice is not only important for caregivers for breast cancer  patients but also women in general.

Breast Cancer Affects More than The Patient

Dr. Seify treats patients at various stages of their breast cancer diagnosis. He discusses the options of breast reconstruction with each patient and often the caregiver is involved in the discussion as well as the postsurgical care of the patient. As a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Seify offers both cosmetic as well as reconstructive plastic surgery procedures. In the warm comfortable environment of his Newport Beach plastic surgery practice, breast cancer patients as well as caregivers are reminded that taking care of themselves is an important part of mental as well as general health. Often breast cancer caregivers will take advantage of noninvasive procedures that are readily available including dermal filler injectables such as Juvederm and Restylane .  Botox is also an option for patients who would like to treat wrinkles on the forehead or crows feet on the outer corners of the eyes. These procedures are popular because they are effective and require no downtime. It is important for breast cancer caregivers to remember that they are most effective for the breast cancer patient, when they are at their best. Dr. Seify encourages breast cancer caregivers to freely discuss any questions they may have concerning procedures that are offered within his practice.