<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2zs979_0w3bBPe600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2zs979_0w3bBPe600" width="1528" height="800" ><p>Key points</p><ul><li>Cancer diagnosis diminishes quality of life and sleep and increases anxiety and depression. </li><li>Traditional karate is a holistic training activity that can improve physical and psychological function.</li><li>As part of cancer therapy, karate improves overall quality of life and moderates anxiety and depression.</li></ul><p>A cancer diagnosis has widespread negative effects that persist well beyond treating the tumor itself. Detrimental outcomes occur in emotional, physical, and psychological health and well-being, with a pervasive impact on quality of life. Exercise and mindfulness practices are known to have beneficial moderating effects, but what if you could combine both?</p><h2>Karate improves health in oncology patients</h2><p>Based on some earlier observations that martial arts training might be useful in side effect management in oncology patients, a key research study was recently performed in Sassari, Italy. Francesco Burrai, Salvatorico Ortu, Shideh Rafati, and Valentina Micheluzzi studied 22 oncology outpatients (age range 44-70 y/o; 21 women diagnosed with breast cancer and one man with a GI tract tumor) before and after six months of twice weekly 60-minute sessions of traditional karate training. This training emphasized authentic physical movement along with philosophical and psychological aspects found in traditional karate. As the authors point out, "Karate is rooted in the concept of mind-body connections, emphasizing the integration of mental and physical."</p><h2>Traditional karate gives a side kick to side effects</h2><p>Before and after training, they assessed multiple dimensions of physical and psychological health. Overall quality of life and sleep quality improved significantly after six months of training. While still evident, anxiety was reduced after training. Most notably, a large effect on depressive symptomatology was found. Prior to the karate training intervention, 10 of the participants scored in the "mild" to "moderate" categories. Changes in ratings of nausea, appetite, and shortness of breath were reported. Importantly, in terms of adherence, all participants gave the study the highest satisfaction rating. </p><p>This is admittedly a small sample size and future replication including a randomized control trial will be welcome, but this is a very important dataset showing clear benefits for traditional martial arts training as useful adjunct therapy in cancer recovery.</p><h2>Traditional martial arts have broad meaning</h2><p>Echoing many of the themes previously addressed here, the authors suggest some benefits of karate include "controlled breathing, meditation, and mindfulness, which help reduce stress and anxiety." Further, the community approach to martial arts training helps us "function as supportive communities...that foster social connections and emotional well-being." I reached out to the lead author, Francesco Burrai, to ask what the research team considers to be the most important outcomes of their work. He shared that they think it's critical to introduce "interventions into care that are complementary to pharmacological ones and that help people achieve a better state of well-being. This study highlights the profound connection between the mind and the body. Mental states produced by karate influence the body system and vice versa. Karate is an intervention to humanize care, which is based on a global vision of the person."</p><p>For me, the big picture takeaway here is that the more dimensions of health that an intervention can address, the larger any potential benefits might be. Accessible, interesting, and engaging martial arts practices have significant multi-dimensional meaning and should be encouraged therapeutically as well as recreationally. While many consider activities like karate to be sports, martial arts are sports that support and restore holistic health.</p><p>(c) E. Paul Zehr (2024)</p><p>References</p><p>Burrai F, Ortu S, Rafati S, Micheluzzi V. Effectiveness of Karate in Oncology Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Holist Nurs Pract. 2024 May-Jun 01;38(3):151-163. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000644. Epub 2024 May 6. PMID: 38709131.</p></div></body>

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Can Karate Give Depression a Kick After Cancer?

Cancer diagnosis diminishes quality of life and sleep and increases anxiety and depression. Traditional karate is a holistic training activity that can improve physical and psychological function. As part of cancer therapy, karate improves overall quality of life and moderates anxiety and depression. A cancer diagnosis has widespread negative effects...

Can Karate Give Depression a Kick After Cancer?

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