Breast cancer survivor turned cancer coach Isabel Galiano shares how cancer patients can support their medical treatment and the preventative measures we can all take to stay healthy
From cancer caregiver to cancer patient to cancer coach, Singapore-based Isabel Galiano has seen the disease from all sides. Her mother passed away from colon cancer aged 53, and just five years later, at the age of 32, Galiano was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Two years after completing her breast cancer treatment, which included six months of chemotherapy and three months of daily radiotherapy, Galiano would hear the words that every former cancer patient dreads—it was back. A new tumour had appeared in her breast and a biopsy confirmed it was malignant.
The second time around, Galiano was determined to approach her cancer in a more active way, complementing traditional medical treatments with practices that would support her emotionally and physically.
Sixteen years on from her breast cancer recurrence, Galiano remains cancer free and since 2016 has been working as a cancer coach using her experiences to help others.
“I discovered that the way you think, breathe, eat, move, sleep and handle stress can all impact your outlook and recovery. This has been an extremely powerful revelation, which motivated me to find ways to empower those in a similar position,” says Galiano, who is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, qualified functional medicine practitioner, certified yoga instructor, reiki practitioner and a member of the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (UK). “Today, as a cancer coach, I strive to help others to thrive on their own healing journey.”
Here, she offers tips and advice to support the various stages of diagnosis, treatment and recovery that a cancer patient might face, as well as sharing preventative measures applicable to all.
On diagnosis
Get clarity around your diagnosis and treatment options: Uncertainty is often the most difficult aspect to cope with. Ask your doctors as many questions as you need to until you feel confident and informed about your choices and try to avoid searching online for information that may not be relevant or accurate for your case.
Set boundaries: It’s exhausting to tell your story over and over again and to have to answer that question you dread: How are you today? Consider sending everyone an email or WhatsApp message: ‘This is what is happening at the moment. I’m not very responsive right now. It’s not personal. I will update you.’
Express yourself clearly and find the courage to ask for help: The cancer journey doesn’t come with a manual. Help the people that genuinely want to help you but have no clue how to. Try and understand what you need and express it in a way that will be productive and constructive. When someone asks you how you are feeling, for example, work with percentages. You can say, ‘Today I’m really feeling only about 20 percent [well]’, so they know that today they need to be a bit more mindful. Then on days where you feel good, express that: ‘Today I feel 80 percent [well]. I have energy, we can do something.’
Complementing traditional treatments
Sleep: I made sleep a huge priority and I’m still very protective around my sleep. If you sleep better, you just do better. People ask me what supplements they can take to strengthen their immune system, and I always say that the first thing to do is to get good sleep. Being sleep deprived impacts your mental, physical and emotional health, your productivity, your creativity ... the list goes on. Most people understand the length of sleep that’s necessary, but what is most effective is the quality of sleep. Unfortunately, spending so much time on [screens] and falling asleep with them disrupts our circadian rhythm and our ability to produce melatonin and with that our ability to have good deep sleep. The other mistake is not sleeping early enough—you get the most out of deep sleep when it’s between 11pm and 3am. Implementing good sleep habits and being consistent can make a tremendous difference.
Exercise: Studies are very clear that for people undergoing treatment, particularly chemotherapy, those who keep physically active do much better in terms of side effects and recovery from chemotherapy, even if that’s just walking for 10 minutes [a day]. Do whatever you can.
Nutrition: Nutrition is key to well-being, especially when facing high stress situations and cancer treatments, and nutritional needs can vary depending on your individual condition and treatment type. It's worth consulting a professional to help make the right nutritional decisions as eating the right foods can affect how you cope with side effects and how you recover.
Self-talk: The way you talk to yourself makes a big difference. Listen to what you are telling yourself. Are you saying, ‘I’m exhausted. I really won’t be able to do anything today. I look horrible.’ Or, do you talk to yourself the way you would talk to a loved one that you want to support? Self-talk is there with you constantly and it impacts your mood, and your ability to look at things in a positive or negative way.
Breathe: Research shows that deep breathing can immediately calm the nervous system. It’s a powerful and effective tool that is easy to learn and free—you don’t need an app, you don’t need a teacher. Learn some easy breathing techniques and they’ll be with you wherever you go.
Connect with nature: For me, being outdoors is the best medicine. I love being around nature, hearing nature, touching nature. It gives me a lot of energy. Research shows that patients who have a plant or flowers in their room tend to recover faster than those who don't. And that if you have two people in the same room with the same diagnosis, the same prognosis, the one that is next to the window recovers faster. A connection with nature is very important in a healing journey.
Ground yourself: I love to talk about grounding—having your feet on the floor. You need to be careful if you are going through chemotherapy as you are at a higher risk of infection, but there’s scientific evidence to show that having your feet in direct contact with gravel, with mud, with grass can decrease levels of inflammation, regulate cortisol and bring you into a state of less stress.