Palliative care is a specialized form of care that alleviates pain and other symptoms. The goal of palliative medicine is not to cure the disease nor prevent death, but rather, to keep the patient as comfortable as possible, while offering support to the patient and their family. Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for patients with life-threatening diseases, such as mesothelioma, at any phase of the disease.
For the patients who are undergoing life-prolonging therapies, palliative care includes symptom management and therapy aimed at restoring function. For the dying patient, it addresses the traditional roles of the hospice movement. During the course of a serious illness, patients and their families should realize that the goals of care can, and do, change, sometimes rapidly. An open line of communication is essential to optimize patient care.
Symptoms Managed through Palliative Care
Some of the common symptoms managed through palliative care include:
- Pain
- Shortness of breath -dyspnoea
- General Fatigue
- Dry Mouth
- Loss of appetite
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Skin problems
- Anxiety/Depression
Pain
Pain management is one of the most important aspects of palliative care. Because it is now considered a medical specialty, you may wish to consult a physician well versed in pain management if your physician seems unable or unwilling to provide adequate pain control.
Many people with cancer experience pain. Statistics show that 30 to 40 per cent of patients in active cancer therapy, and 70 to 90 percent of patients with advanced cancer report pain. In most cases, pain can be controlled through medications prescribed according to the World Health Organization's Analgesic Ladder, an approach using various levels of medication based on the severity of pain. This type of pain treatment, using drugs, is calledpharmacological therapy. Medications may include innon-opioid pain relievers, opioid pain relievers, adjuvant medications (those whose primary purpose is not for pain, but for other conditions), and topical treatments such as a patch, gel, or cream.
Non-pharmacological therapies, those that do not rely primarily on medication to achieve effect, include therapeutic exercise and cognitive behavioral techniques such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, imagery, meditation, biofeedback therapy, and distraction.Complementary and/or alternative approachesinclude acupuncture and massage therapy. Integrative medicine is the combination of traditional conventional treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation with complementary therapies proven to have sound scientific evidence as to their safety and effectiveness.
Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, affects 20 to 80 percent of palliative care patients. Other causes of this symptom may include, lung disease, fluid in the lungs, infection, anemia, or emotional factors such as anxiety. While medications or oxygen may be used to treat shortness of breath, sometimes measures such as changing position, using relaxation techniques, or improving air circulation may help.
Mesothelioma victims need to know about all the available alternative treatments to be able to benefit maximally from the use of complimentary medicine.
