The Bristol approach to living with Cancer
It has now been nearly four years since my diagnosis when I was told I had a 50% chance of survival. I was completely in shock, crying constantly for myself, my partner Richard and our three children.
I absolutely know that coming to the Bristol Cancer Help Centre made a fundamental difference to my ability to cope with the cancer, the treatment and to look forward with hope. Experiencing complementary therapies, changing my diet, and meeting knowledgeable Centre staff to whom my life and wellbeing as of importance and interest, has inspired me to make lasting changed. The people at the Centre helped me to save my life.
Michele Eve. Bristol.
One in three of us in the UK is likely to be affected by cancer during our lifetime. What does this statistic actually mean ? Cancer is the start not just of a medical, but also an emotional journey - one that can feel like a terrifying roller coaster in which you are losing control over every area of life that is important to you. Peoples common reactions to the news they or a loved one has cancer can include fear, anger and grief.
Following the shock of a diagnosis, medical treatment alone may not be enough, and that is where the Bristol Cancer Help Centre comes in. The UKs first and leading holistic cancer care charity was founded to provide physical, emotional and spiritual support that works hand in hand with medical services to care for the whole person and their loved ones.
The charitys two and five day and follow up residential theraohy courses are run by experienced teams of doctors, nurses and complementary therapists.
The therapy courses help people with cancer, and those close to them more easily manage the day to day challenges a diagnosis can bring. And the Centre also provides a community support service : . Cancer - point, offering over 2,500 one to one appointments a year for people living in the West Region affected by cancer, with its dedicated therapy team including nutritional therapists, massage therapists and counsellors and healers, so that people can find support they need that works alongside their medical treatment, close to home.
The charity was born directly out of the experience and vision of the late Penny Brohn - who searched the world in vain for the help she needed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer as a mother of three 26 years ago. Together with her great friend and co-founder Pat Pilkington, Penny started to devise the now world-famous Bristol Approach to cancer care.
Practical advice on nutrition and healthy eating, helping to build up your bodies vitamin, mineral and plant chemical army every time you shop, cook and eat. Supportive complementary therapies like massage and counselling that help people to release and express emotions like anger that are an understandable rresponse to diagnosis, but stressful and draining to suppress. Practical tools to regain a sense of control and reduce anxiety and fear, the charity teaches the claming self help techniques of relaxation, guided imagery and meditation.
People can access this Approach through contacting the Centres National Telephone Helpline team who can provide information, confidential support, and with no time limit on calls are there to offer a listening ear.
Penny and Pat were astonishingly ahead of their time. The package of care and support they intuitively put together is now endorsed by a growing body of scientific research.
Nearly a quarter of a century ago their nutritional recommendations that people add fresh vegetables, fruit and whole food into their diet to prevent cancers were often regarded with scepticism. Now leading experts and Government recommendations all emphasise the importance of eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The 2003 World Cancer Report by the World Health Organisation reveals that as many as one third of all new cancer cases worldwide are preventable through adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Science is also showing the effect that our thoughts, emotions and beliefs can have one the working of the immune system - which is our bodies vital first line of defence against cancer. Research shows that using calming self help techniques like guided imagery and supportive complementary therapies like massage can help people to regulate their bodys biochemical balance and to strengthen immune responses. This helps people to benefit more fully from their medical treatment.
As well as supporting people with cancer, the charity also runs a respected training programme teaching health professionals and complementary therapists how to integrate and use the Bristol Approach in their own work.
The Centre is set to celebrate its 25th birthday year in 2005 and determined to expand its services in future to support many more people living with cancer and their families and loved ones.
Adviser to the World Health Organisation Cancer Programme and Professor of Cancer Medicine, consultant oncologist Karol Sikora concludes.
If you are affected by cancer, for information and support including free nutritional guidelines please contact Bristol Cancer Help Centre.