(Health-NewsWire.Net, December 09, 2015 ) Research studies have proved that cancer patients can improve their overall health and increase their survival chances through simple gardening. Cancer patients have been advised not to do any heavy work and they normally experience psychological distress which can have a very bad impact on their disease and even survival. Small indoor gardening activities will create feelings of positivity, control and meaning to their life and thus help the cancer patients in managing their stress.
A lead researcher Dr. Ceri Phelps from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea in Britain and his colleagues prepared a feasibility study of a simple ecotherapy-based intervention in breast cancer affected women. Seven women suffering from breast cancer were given indoor ‘garden bowls’ for three months. They started tending with the bowl, compost and tree starter plants daily at home. These women made diary entries on their feelings and findings. They felt a drastic change in their approach towards the daily life which was in a very positive, healthy and distressful manner. All these findings appeared in the journal ecancermedicalscience.
You might be suffering from cancer for years or might have diagnosed recently, that doesn’t matter. Cancer patients are not supposed to do any extensive physical exercises and even every light workout should be planned accordingly. But the researchers have found that if the cancer patients indulge themselves into an activity like indoor gardening, it will improve their psychological health. The breast cancer patients who have been an active part in the research studies wherein everyone was given a garden bowl for mentoring has given comments like:
“The garden bowl could help you deal with whatever you have left behind."
"I think it doesn't matter whether you've just been diagnosed or whether it's been ten years down the road - it could be beneficial."
Cancer patients’ longevity is really an unknown factor. If the stress is managed properly, their lifespan can be increased. Nature’s curing mechanism is always a wonder. If garden bowls can create positivity and longevity in cancer patients, the researchers can really explore how we can create an engagement with the natural world so that we can have a powerful and therapeutic effect on an individual experiencing distress.
