Presentation Information
[P-31-02]A case report-yoga therapy for refractory fear of cancer recurrence with discomfort in the oral cavity.
*Sachiyo Morita (Shiga university of Medical Science Hospital, Cancer Center(Japan))
Keywords:
Yoga therapy,the refractory anxiety,the fear of cancer recurrence,the discomfort in the oral cavity
We experienced a case in which refractory anxiety of malignant tumor recurrence and discomfort in her oral cavity disappeared with the addition of yoga therapy.
<Case>Woman in her 40s, full-time housewife living with her husband
<Chief complaint> I want the discomfort in my mouth to go away, I want to change my constant fear of cancer.
<Diagnosis> 300.82 (F45.1) Somatic symptom disorder, persistent, moderate
<Present illness> The originally active patient developed soft tissue sarcoma with her right knee in her 20s. Despite the success of treatment, she felt the fear of recurrence whenever her health deteriorated. In her mid40s, she was diagnosed with "cancer phobia" and one year later, she began to feel discomfort in her tongue and other parts in her mouth. She also had hyperventilation attacks, and her symptoms did not improve sufficiently with oral lorazepam and regular outpatient treatment, so yoga therapy was started.
<Method> 5 sessions/ 8 weeks of Yoga therapy(30-40 minutes, isometric exercises and breathing techniques) and only active listening in outpatients counseling, and 10 minutes of practice at home (2-4 times/week) were done.
<Results> At week2, she felt relaxed and from week4 onwards, she began to observe herself, such as "I keep thinking about things that there's no point in thinking about them," and was able to implement yoga therapy on her own as a way to deal with anxiety. She gained the insight that she was creating her own illness, and she realized she could control how she directed her feelings. The discomfort in her mouth and anxiety disappeared, and lorazepam was discontinued.
<Discussion> Yoga calms the mind and brings about various realizations by syncing breathing with movement and focusing on the interocception that arises. Yoga therapy using isometric stimula could develope metacognition and improved anxiety in a relatively short period of time.
<Case>Woman in her 40s, full-time housewife living with her husband
<Chief complaint> I want the discomfort in my mouth to go away, I want to change my constant fear of cancer.
<Diagnosis> 300.82 (F45.1) Somatic symptom disorder, persistent, moderate
<Present illness> The originally active patient developed soft tissue sarcoma with her right knee in her 20s. Despite the success of treatment, she felt the fear of recurrence whenever her health deteriorated. In her mid40s, she was diagnosed with "cancer phobia" and one year later, she began to feel discomfort in her tongue and other parts in her mouth. She also had hyperventilation attacks, and her symptoms did not improve sufficiently with oral lorazepam and regular outpatient treatment, so yoga therapy was started.
<Method> 5 sessions/ 8 weeks of Yoga therapy(30-40 minutes, isometric exercises and breathing techniques) and only active listening in outpatients counseling, and 10 minutes of practice at home (2-4 times/week) were done.
<Results> At week2, she felt relaxed and from week4 onwards, she began to observe herself, such as "I keep thinking about things that there's no point in thinking about them," and was able to implement yoga therapy on her own as a way to deal with anxiety. She gained the insight that she was creating her own illness, and she realized she could control how she directed her feelings. The discomfort in her mouth and anxiety disappeared, and lorazepam was discontinued.
<Discussion> Yoga calms the mind and brings about various realizations by syncing breathing with movement and focusing on the interocception that arises. Yoga therapy using isometric stimula could develope metacognition and improved anxiety in a relatively short period of time.