A recent study showing that people with cancer were more likely to survive when they had social interaction with other cancer patients during chemotherapy did not surprise Dr. Kaushal Nanavati, the medical director of integrative therapy at the Upstate Cancer Center.
He agrees with researchers who theorize that the body's stress response plays a role in improved survival, and that the treatment setting has an impact on how well a treatment like chemotherapy works.
In this interview, Nanavati discusses the effects of stress -- they are not all bad -- and explains the importance of what he calls the core four: nutrition, physical exercise, stress management and spiritual wellness. He also explains why medical students at Upstate are learning the concept of mindfulness.
Also on this week’s show: the importance of breast-feeding for both mothers and babies, and how precision medicine will change psychiatric care.
Tune in this Sunday, September 24 at 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. for "HealthLink on Air."