The document discusses how mindfulness meditation can be an effective treatment for cancer patients and survivors by reducing stress and improving mental and physical health. It summarizes research finding that meditation changes the structure and function of the brain in ways that improve emotion regulation and reduce stress and depression. Specifically, studies have found that regular meditation increases cortical thickness in areas related to decision-making, attention, and awareness and decreases reactivity in the amygdala. The document concludes that while mindfulness should be used as a supplement to cancer treatment, it can help patients better manage the physical and emotional effects of the disease.

1. More Than Medicine: Mindfulness Meditation as Cancer Treatment
by Sarah Daxton
Imagine you are a solid and ancient mountain able to withstand the storms of thoughts,
intense feelings, and painful sensations.
Imagine you are a deep and still lake with waves on the surface that do not disrupt the
stillness below.
You may want to close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in, through your nose. Exhale fully through your mouth.
Breathe in…and slowly out.
In…and out.
Simply note that your thoughts are there without encouraging them to stay.
Keep breathing slowly like this, smooth…deep breaths. Allow your breathing to calm and
center you.
Feel relaxed yet? You should, because you just practiced meditation, the key component of
mindfulness.
Mindfulness Meditation: Just Breathe
Within the last century, Western science has made a startling discovery: We are part of the
world we view. The very process of our observation changes the things we observe.
Eastern science has recognized this basic principle for a very long time.
Meditation seems to be more popular than ever. This is great news, as meditation does so
much for the body, mind, and spirit. It can help to reduce stress in the body, assist the mind
in feeling peaceful and less attached to the outcome of things, lift our spirits, and make us
feel connected to the larger world.
“Meditation is participatory observation: What you are looking at responds to the process
of looking. In this case, what you are looking at is you, and what you see depends on how
you look. Thus, the process of meditation is extremely delicate, and the result depends
absolutely on the state of mind of the meditator,” explains Dr. Bhante Henepola
Gunaratana, Buddhist monk and founder of the Bhavana Society, in his book Mindfulness in
Plain English.

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New scientific evidence shows that meditation,
especially when associated with some other mental
disciplines derived from Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT), can improve mental and physical
health. This has given rise to a new group of
psychological therapies called mindfulness-based
therapies.
Figure 1 showcases the various health benefits of
regular meditation in a helpful infographic.
Meditating directly affect the brain, heart, skin,
stomach, and joints.
“This is a very exciting development – showing how
ancient wisdom combined with modern science can
improve mental health. In particular this new
treatment can tackle recurrent depression but the
principles have a much wider application to our
lives,” says Dr. Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of
the Mental Health Foundation in a recent report from
Living Mindfully UK.
Mind and Body: Multidimensional Healing
The mind and body are not separate. The healing
process is complex both physically and emotionally.
People dealing with serious illnesses carry their scars
with them long after they’ve left the hospital. A
strong mind and a strong body are essential for
continued survival.
The emotional side of healing is traditionally not as
prominent in Western health care. Treatment options
addressing emotional issues are not as readily
available, even though it is equally essential to the
continued survival of patients.
Regular meditation enhances one’s ability to be aware
of their bodies, externally and internally. It becomes
easier to pinpoint discomfort, as well as correct it. “It
is being recommended by physicians as a way to
prevent, slow or at least control the pain of chronic
diseases like heart conditions, AIDS, cancer and
infertility,” according to Time Magazine.
Figure 1. Source.

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Mindfulness & The Brain
Becoming more in tune with your mind and body through mindfulness is so beneficial
because it changes your brain chemistry.
Neuroscientists have studied the effects of meditation on the brain, and some suggest that
Mindfulness practices can foster sustained neural changes.
“We’ve come to appreciate the value of physical training but we have not given the same
kind of attention to the mind. In our work, we now view happiness and compassion as skills
that can be trained,” says Richard Davidson, Director of the Laboratory for Affective
Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin and one of the world’s leading experts on the
neuroscience of meditation.
The studies in neuroplasticity suggest that the adult brain is much more malleable than
previously thought, which is a significant shift in the prevailing view – it used to be thought
that traits such as attention span and emotion regulation were fixed properties that could
not be greatly altered.
The Living Mindfully UK Mindfulness Report explains in detail which parts of the brain are
most affected by regular meditation and mindfulness:
 Compared with non-meditators, it has been shown that people who practice
Mindfulness meditation for 40 minutes a day have greater cortical thickening in areas of
the right prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula. These areas have been associated
with decision-making, attention and awareness.
 There is a proportionate relationship between the increase in cortical thickness and the
relative meditation experience of the subjects. People undertaking mindfulness training
have also shown an increase in activation of the left pre-frontal cortex, an area of the
brain associated with positive emotions that is generally less active in people who are
depressed.
 People who have meditated regularly for more than five years seem to have increased
brain size in areas linked to emotion regulation, such as the hippocampus, the orbito-
frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal lobe.
 When presented with threatening emotional stimuli, more mindful people seem to
show less reactivity, as measured by reduced activity in the amygdala and more activity
in the pre-frontal cortex.
Figure 2 showcases a visual representation of the brain, offering greater detail.

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Figure 2. Source.

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These findings are supported by a study performed at Stanford which found that an 8-week
mindfulness course reduced the reactivity of the amygdala and increased activity in areas
of the prefrontal cortex that help regulate emotions, subsequently reducing stress.
Similarly, researchers from Harvard University discovered corresponding changes in the
physical structure of the brain with a similar meditation course; there was a lower density
of neurons in the amygdala and greater density of neurons in areas involved in emotional
control - evidence that meditation served as a realistic and maintainable stress
management technique.
Cancer Survivors: A Unique Kind of Stress
Cancer inflicts a unique set of physical, emotional, and psychological stressors on the mind
and body. Cancer patients and survivors sometimes find it difficult to relate to their
experiences, and to others who simply can’t understand exactly what they have gone
through. High levels of stress and depression are common among cancer survivors, as well
as symptoms like fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, hot flashes, and night sweats.
A 2014 study published in Cancer by a Canadian group analyzed how breast cancer
patients, under the age of 50, reacted to a regular meditation practice in order to regulate
the unique stressors of their treatment experience.
“Women diagnosed with premenopausal breast cancer are in need of strategies to help
them manage elevated levels of stress, distress, and physical symptoms over a potentially
long survivorship period. Results from the current trial suggest that a brief mindfulness
intervention may offer short-term benefit for these women and lead to improvements in
psychological, behavioral, and biologic outcomes. If these effects can be maintained over
time, then there is potential benefit for improving cancer survivorship,” states lead
investigator Dr. Julienne E. Bower.
The 6-week intervention led to significant improvements in perceived stress and a trend
toward improvement in depressive symptoms, both of which were high in this sample. In
addition, the intervention led to improvements in fatigue, sleep disturbance, menopausal
symptoms, and positive psychological processes.
Conclusion
For thousands of years, meditators have claimed many benefits of their practice. Now,
science and Western medicine are increasingly curious about these benefits and how the
mind and body are inexplicably connected. Mindfulness and regular meditation practice is
an effective treatment for stress, worry, and physical pain. Mindfulness can help cancer
patients, survivors, and families better handle the physical and emotional side effects of
serious illness.

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It is important to note that mindfulness and meditation are suggested as a supplement to
existing cancer treatment, not as a treatment in and of itself. The collaboration between
physical and emotional healing is the key to comprehensive healing.
Also, mindfulness works best when patients approach it with intentional, concerted effort.
Positive and long-standing benefits of the practice are most effective when performed
consistently. Fostering a successful meditation practice takes, well, practice. Meditation
may prove difficult for some, but the payoffs make it more than worth the effort.
So, just take it one deep breath at a time.
Audience Analysis
The target for this piece would be for a lay audience in an online publication, like Scientific
American. The piece would be of interest to anyone interested in alternative or integrative
medicine, mindfulness practice, cancer research, or neuroscience.

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References
Living Mindfully – Mindfulness Report
http://www.livingmindfully.co.uk/downloads/Mindfulness_Report.pdf
Mindfulness Meditation for Younger Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled
Trial
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29194/pdf
Changing Our DNA through Mind Control?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/changing-our-dna-through-mind-control/
Mindfulness-based cancer recovery and supportive-expressive therapy maintain telomere
length relative to controls in distressed breast cancer survivors
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29063/full
Reconstructing and deconstructing the self: cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661315001527
The psychology of meditation: research and practice
http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/76203/
Battling cancer with more than medicine
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2014/10/21/Battling-cancer-with-more-
than-medicine/stories/201409300015
Mindfulness Meditation: Finding Peace and Ease While Living with Cancer
http://www.cancerforward.org/survivor-resources/experts-speak/Micki-
Fine/mindfulness-meditation-finding-peace-and-ease-while-living-with-cancer
The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation
http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v16/n4/full/nrn3916.html
Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799354
Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20141305

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