Yoga can promote a greater sense of well-being, peace of mind and help cancer patients sleep more soundly, according to previous studies. Can Tibetan yoga relieve the side effects of chemotherapy? The National Cancer Institute, NCI, is interested in finding out and has awarded the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston $2.4 million dollars to continue research to determine if practicing Tibetan yoga can minimize chemotherapy side effects for  breast cancer patients as they undergo treatment. Tibetan yoga involves practices like controlled breathing, mindfulness and visualization. Once shrouded in mystery and considered a secret yoga practiced only by Tibetan monks, it is less known in the West than yoga practices from the Indian tradition, such as hatha yoga.

According to Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., director of the Integrative Medicine Program at M. D. Anderson, while the study is designed to look at improvements in quality of life, it could be that Tibetan yoga offers health benefits as well. "Theoretically, if the Tibetan yoga intervention is found to decrease the patient's stress level, it could have an impact on their immune system," Cohen says. "There is extensive evidence showing that stress suppresses cell-mediated immunity, a component of the immune system involved in tumor surveillance. Tibetan yoga also might have an impact on a patient's hormonal activity."

A new computer game, Protect Life, does not fight invaders from space or thugs on the street, but blasts away at cancerous cells using the immune system as the weapon. The inventors believe the new game will boost survival rates for cancer patients by improving their morale and preventing a sense of hopelessness in the face of cancer.

"The idea is derived from image therapy and visualization, which are valuable complementary treatments for cancer," said Hiromitsu Kikuchi, the psychotherapist who developed the game. "But we found that it was difficult for a lot of people to envision something that is going on inside their bodies. This game draws the picture for them."

In the final testing phase for the last year, Protect Life, has been played at Japan's Nikko Kinen hospital in Muroran. Sapporo Digital computer school, who created the software with the hospital, is now finalizing the game for sale in Japan and possibly overseas.

Some children, while undergoing conventional treatments for cancer, are taught to use visualization and imagine the tumor being destroyed by a superhero or other animated character able and strong, with the ability to conquer formidable enemies. At first, you might think this a way to busy the young mind as a distraction from the grueling ordeal of cancer treatments.

In The Psychosomatic Network: Foundations of Mind-Body Medicine, by Candace B. Pert, PhD, Henry E. Dreher, and Michael R. Ruff, PhD, the three authors set out to make a case, based on research, for the real probability that the mind and body are inextricably linked, with emotions being the bridge between the mind and body. The report asserts the human organism is a psychosomatic network, of dynamic mind-body unity. The report seeks to demonstrate that mind-body interventions, which facilitate emotional expression, can result in physiological healing. I am not suggesting that anyone can simply think themselves well, but I am suggesting, that to ignore the power of the mind-body connection, is ignoring a valuable modality for healing.

Kylie Minogue, 37, diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer in May 2005, is reported to be in full remission. After eight months of surgeries and chemotherapy, she is said to be gaining weight and feeling optimistic about the future. In addition to the conventional medical treatments for breast cancer, Minogue used a variety of alternative therapies, including visualization practices, nutrition, massage and Reiki. Minogue is spending time with her family in Melbourne, Australia, tending to the garden and possibly writing a book for children. She plans on touring later this year.