Before you roll your eyes at the thought, remember that meditation doesn’t have to be a lengthy, drawn-out process to be effective. As Lillie Rosenthal, MD, explains, setting your intention for your day helps you connect your mind and body, allowing you to reset and reboot your central nervous system. “Upon opening your eyes in the morning, instead of racing to put on the coffee, take a brief pause,” she recommends. “Do some gentle breathing, breathing in for four counts in and breathing out for eight counts, taking in the ‘good’ and letting out ‘negative’ feelings.”

(more…)

A novel approach to more efficacious radiation therapy–combining a linear accelerator that delivers highly precise radiation therapy with MRI technology, commonly referred to as an MR-linac–has opened minds to what could be the next stage in the evolution of cancer treatment. MRI enables continuous imaging of soft tissue and creates a more sharply focused target for radiation therapy, allowing more precise monitoring of radiation dose and delivery. Still, with any new technology–as well as with any idea considered to be game changing–value needs to be demonstrated. So far, physicians who have hands-on experience with MR-linacs say the real-time view of a cancerous tumor’s shifts in response to a patient’s basic body functions is proving its value.

(more…)