If you or someone you love is going through breast cancer treatment, do not wait until treatment is over to ask what can be done to preserve strength, manage fatigue and pain, maintain mobility, and support recovery.

Cancer treatment can place tremendous demands on the body and mind. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy may all be essential parts of treating breast cancer. At the same time, these treatments may affect energy, sleep, appetite, mood, strength, and the ability to move comfortably.

This is where supportive integrative care may have an important role.

There is a clear distinction between treating cancer and supporting the person receiving treatment:

For more than 45 years, I have been deeply involved in longevity practices, meditation, Medical Qi Gong, Taoist exercises, Buddhist teachings, yoga, and the cultivation of internal energy. Throughout those years, I have learned that building energy is only one part of the practice. The greater challenge is learning how to retain it.

We may spend hours, days, or even years cultivating greater awareness, vitality, focus, and inner peace. Then one angry outburst, impulsive decision, or emotional confrontation can scatter much of what we worked so hard to develop.