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Nanshan Science Popularization丨Fighting Cancer: Mental Health and Nutrition Strategies during Chemotherapy

On the sparkling stage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the story of Brazil flag bearer Cohern has inspired countless people. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and sternum cancer before the Tokyo Olympics, but underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy to not only overcome the disease, but also led the Brazil delegation to the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics as a flag bearer.

Cochern's experience is like a beam of light, illuminating the life path of patients during chemotherapy, showing us that even in the days of battling the disease during chemotherapy, we can maintain a positive attitude towards life and a healthy lifestyle through scientific methods.

1. Psychological support

Psychological support is the most important step in adhering to chemotherapy and ensuring the quality of treatment.

Chemotherapy is not only a physical challenge, but also a psychological test. According to research, anxiety and depression are common mental illnesses that accompany the progression of chemotherapy for lung cancer. As chemotherapy progresses, patients may experience symptoms such as pain, loss of appetite, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, as well as increased economic stress and decreased social functioning. Under multiple stresses, patients are prone to the above diseases if they do not receive reasonable psychological support.

Mental health, in turn, gradually affects the patient's physical well-being. Studies have shown that long-term emotional stress can activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system, impair the body's immune function, and promote the formation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

In this case, multidimensional psychological support is particularly important:

1. Self-regulation

When feeling stressed, patients should learn to take the initiative to express and release pressure externally to avoid emotional internal friction.

Nanshan Science Popularization丨Fighting Cancer: Mental Health and Nutrition Strategies during Chemotherapy

2. Family support

Family members should try to understand the patient's negative emotions and provide appropriate companionship and emotional support to help the patient digest the tension and anxiety of the patient's illness.

HEALTH

3. Professional help

Patients should try to receive professional help from outside sources. For example, medical staff will provide professional information and knowledge support at the time of patient visits, reducing the patient's sense of uncertainty. The community or hospital will also organize group interventions to provide effective psychological support to patients.

2. Dietary adjustments

1. Adjust the feeding structure

Cancer is a wasting disease, and maintaining adequate nutrient intake is one of the keys to prolonging survival.

"Three highs and one more" is a diet worth advocating, that is, "high calorie, high protein, high fiber, and drink more water". This can meet the normal physiological needs of the body, maintain a normal weight level, and promote the recovery of the patient's skin, hair, mucous membranes and muscles after chemotherapy.

Nanshan Science Popularization丨Fighting Cancer: Mental Health and Nutrition Strategies during Chemotherapy

According to the recommendations of "Dietary Care During Chemotherapy", the diet during chemotherapy should be light, less oily, nutritious and easy to digest, and you can eat a semi-liquid diet with less residue, and avoid greasy, spicy, pickled, smoked, and indigestible foods.

2. Adjust your eating routine

Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite may occur during treatment. Eating smaller, more frequent meals can help you adapt to these discomforts and improve your eating efficiency.

3. Improvement of living habits

Exercise rehabilitation is a very important treatment in addition to medication.

According to the "Core Science Knowledge of Cancer Prevention and Treatment in China (2024)", chemotherapy patients can carry out aerobic exercise, resistance exercise and flexibility exercise under the guidance of a professional medical team, and it is recommended to keep it 2~3 times a week. Exercise has the effect of reducing fatigue, improving cardiorespiratory endurance, reducing pain, etc., and is an adjunct that is worth advocating.

Nanshan Science Popularization丨Fighting Cancer: Mental Health and Nutrition Strategies during Chemotherapy

Fourth, the communication of the medical team

1. Follow your doctor's advice

Doctors and patients are always on a united front, and chronic disease treatment is not a "one-man show" for doctors. Communicate with the medical team to develop the most appropriate treatment plan to achieve better treatment outcomes.

Nanshan Science Popularization丨Fighting Cancer: Mental Health and Nutrition Strategies during Chemotherapy

2. Review regularly

Chemotherapy is a long-term process, and as treatment progresses, the body's indicators will continue to change. Regular check-ups are a reflection of one's own health, and common check-ups include:

Complete blood count: to assess the myelosuppressive effect of chemotherapy;

Tumor markers: dynamic monitoring of their changing trends to assess the disease;

Imaging tests: check for new nodules, inflammation, effusion, etc.

5. Summary

With the continuous advancement of medicine, remarkable achievements have been made in cancer treatment, and many cancers that were once considered incurable now have more treatment options and higher hopes of cure. The Olympic spirit of 'faster, higher, stronger' is not only the pursuit of athletes, but also an inspiration for us as we face health challenges.

To borrow a quote from Cochn to motivate everyone: "In the face of difficulties, if you can always keep your head high, always full of energy, and at the same time be surrounded by people full of positive energy, then everything is possible." ”

Nanshan Science Popularization丨Fighting Cancer: Mental Health and Nutrition Strategies during Chemotherapy

Author of this issue

Qin Yinyin

Professor, Doctor of Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University

He is engaged in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases and the teaching of the "Nanshan Class" of Guangzhou Medicine. He has undertaken a number of projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and provincial teaching projects, published nearly 100 high-quality papers, 2 invention patents, edited a number of textbooks published by the Human Health Society, and won the second prize of Guangdong Science and Technology Award, outstanding teacher in southern Guangdong, outstanding young medical talent in Guangdong Province and many other honors.

Bibliography:

1. Xiaoyun Ding, Huahua Liu, Wei Feng(Review).Research progress on anxiety and depression management in patients undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer[J].International Journal of Nursing,2021,40(1):182-187.)

2. Li Shufang, Wang Yan, Xin Shizhen, Cao Jiancun. Effect and analysis of chemotherapy on quality of life and anxiety of lung cancer patients[J].Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer,2012,15(8):465-470.)

3. Zhao Qian, Wang Xiaolan. Dietary guidance for cancer patients during chemotherapy[J].PLA Journal of Nursing,2003,20(4):22-22.)

4. Chinese Anti-Cancer Association. Dietary Care During Chemotherapy.

5. Chinese Anti-Cancer Association. Core Science Knowledge of Cancer Prevention and Treatment in China (2024).

Contributed by Rong Media Center

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