U of C study: mindfulness and tai chi ease cancer patients' pain, fatigue and sleep struggles
University of Calgary researcher Linda Carlson is testing whether breathing and movement practices offer cancer survivors relief medications can't fully provide.
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University of Calgary oncology professor Linda Carlson is investigating whether mindfulness, tai chi, and qigong can help cancer patients manage symptoms that persist months or years after treatment ends — fatigue, sleep trouble, pain, anxiety, and depression that are notoriously difficult to treat with medication alone.
Cancer treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapies often leave patients with lingering physical and psychological symptoms. Some pain and sleep medications can become addictive, and many carry side effects that interfere with ongoing treatments. Carlson points to a deeper problem: "They've had enough medications. They don't want to take more. A person is not just a body that you feed treatments and medication to."
Mindfulness and tai chi both combine breathing techniques and gentle movement, but they work differently. Mindfulness incorporates self-reflection and group discussions focused on stress reduction and psychological outcomes. Tai chi emphasizes physical movements and may better support balance and strength. Both practices downregulate heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones, and both relieve muscle tension that can exacerbate pain. By helping patients stay present rather than dwell on worries about recurrence or death, the practices address anxiety that directly impacts physical well-being.
Carlson is conducting a large comparison study testing mindfulness, tai chi, and qigong against a control group of patients doing neither. The field of psychosocial oncology — addressing the emotional, family, and social dimensions of cancer — has been established for decades, yet these gentle practices remain understudied as recovery tools.
The study design recognizes that cancer affects far more than the body: it shapes emotional state, psychology, and social life. Anxiety and fear themselves trigger physical symptoms; addressing the mind is inseparable from treating the person.
The facts
Who is leading the study on mindfulness and tai chi for cancer patients?
Linda Carlson, an oncology professor at the University of Calgary, is investigating whether mindfulness, tai chi, and qigong help cancer patients manage persistent symptoms like fatigue, sleep trouble, pain, anxiety, and depression.
What symptoms does the study address in cancer survivors?
The University of Calgary study focuses on fatigue, sleep trouble, pain, anxiety, and depression — symptoms that often persist months or years after cancer treatment ends and are difficult to treat with medication alone.
How do mindfulness and tai chi differ?
Mindfulness incorporates self-reflection and group discussions focused on stress reduction and psychological outcomes, while tai chi emphasizes physical movements and may better support balance and strength. Both combine breathing techniques and gentle movement to downregulate heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones.
