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Original post on 03/11/2021 by Sophia Antipolis

An eight-week programme of mindfulness meditation improves quality of life and reduces fear of activity in heart attack patients, according to research presented today at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). “A heart attack is a serious life-threatening event and survivors can suffer from low quality of life,” said study author Dr. Canan Karadas of Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. “One reason is a fear of movement, called kinesiophobia, which limits daily activity due to concerns of another heart attack.” “Mindfulness refers to the mental state achieved by focusing awareness on the present moment, including thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations,” continued Dr. Karadas. “It has drawn increasing attention for treating chronic conditions such as high blood pressure. Our study examined its effect on fatigue, kinesiophobia, and quality of life after an acute myocardial infarction.”

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Original post on 03/10/2021 by Brielle Benyon

Cancer survivors and caregivers alike can use the practice of mindfulness to build resilience, and there are plenty of resources available that can guide users through the process, according to Loren Winters. Winters, an oncology nurse practitioner and associate director of breast cancer survivorship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center in Boston, recently discussed mindfulness and resilience at CURE®’s Educated Patient® Breast Cancer Summit. “In a nutshell, mindfulness is paying attention on purpose. It’s not necessarily about filling or clearing the mind, but it’s about being present simply to what is,” Winters said, noting that this is often more difficult that it seems, since people are conditioned to be in a stress state. People are often in what’s called a “fight-or-flight” response, which can have negative impacts on health...

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