Mindfulness is the practice of bringing your awareness and attention to your present moment experience in a non-judgemental way (Kabat-Zinn 2013). When you are mindful, you bring your awareness to what you are experiencing moment to moment via your five senses – physical sensations, sights, sounds, smells and taste – as well as to your thoughts, emotions, urges and behaviours. This inner landscape is ever changing and impermanent.

Many people with cancer and cancer survivors turn to integrative therapies, such as yoga and meditation, to help reduce stress and manage the side effects of their cancer treatment. Well-designed research shows that practicing yoga during and after treatment can improve a person’s quality of life by helping them get a better night’s sleep, reduce stress and distress, manage anxiety and fatigue, and boost energy and mood among many other benefits.

Health coaching is an integral part of integrative medicine. It is a uniquely self-empowering approach, supporting you to actively participate in your own care and to improve your health and wellbeing with sustainable lifestyle choices that are important to you. This article on health coaching for cancer support has been written by Dr Penny Kechagioglou, consultant clinical oncologist and health coach.

Integrative oncology (IO) is a patient-centred, evidence-informed field of cancer care that utilises psychological, nutritional, lifestyle and complementary interventions alongside conventional cancer treatments to support better quality of life, improve resilience, minimise the side effects of treatment and improve outcomes.