Healthy diet, exercise and positive thinking have been shown to play a crucial role in the recovery phase of this disease. If you are in the process of beating it, here are some things you can do to feel even better

Although most women on the road to recovery from breast cancer may describe their foremost emotion as elation rather than sadness, statistics show that 30 per cent of women with this disease develop anxiety or depression within a year of diagnosis. And according to the charity Breast Cancer Care, a national organisation offering support and information to those affected by breast cancer, after surgery, 20 to 30 per cent of patients develop persisting problems with body image and sexual difficulties.

'Even when treatment is finished, women may still find it hard to adjust to what has happened and be worried that the cancer may come back,' says Bernie Gardiner, an information nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Care.

Indeed, beating the actual cancer is only half the battle. 'Results of the treatment itself - such as losing a breast - may lead to a loss of confidence or self-esteem that can impact sexual relationships. And side effects including menopausal symptoms, hair loss, weight gain, or loss of fertility may have an emotional as well as a physical effect,' says Gardiner.

Overcoming physical hurdles
If you've had breast surgery or radiotherapy, there is often tissue damage which can restrict arm movement. However, specific post-surgery or post-radiotherapy exercises can help you improve your range of movement as your chest area heals. 'Exercise can help relieve and control pain and aid tissue repair because more oxygen is being supplied to the mobile area,' says Gardiner. 'You should do the exercises until you have the full range of movement you had before or, if you've had radiotherapy, continue them for up to two years.' Useful exercises include shoulder circles, hair brushing, back scratching and various arm lifts. For full descriptions of the moves, see www.breastcancercare.org.uk. Your breast cancer nurse or physiotherapist will advise you when it's okay to take up sporting activities again.

Complementary care
To deal with the emotional aftershocks of breast cancer, many people turn to complementary therapies such as diet, meditation and visualisation. The Bristol Cancer Help Centre offers two- or five-day courses where people learn a range of self-help techniques to support them at all stages following their diagnosis. Complementary - not alternative - is the crucial word. The methods used are not alternatives to medical or surgical treatments, but work as an adjunct to them. The centre is considered the 'gold standard for complementary care in cancer', according to Professor Karol Sikora, the former director of Cancer Services with the World Health Organisation. And according to HRH The Prince of Wales, the approach pioneered at Bristol has influenced the development and improvement of cancer services all over Britain during the last decade.

The programme at Bristol involves nutritional therapy, relaxation, meditation and visualisation, psychoneuroimmunology (the practice of positive thinking, which is believed to affect your immune system), massage as well as creative therapies such as art, music and dance.

A healthy diet
Nutritional therapists at Bristol believe that a dairy-free, plant- and vegetable-based diet helps the body heal itself. Neither sugar, salt, refined or processed food nor any animal or dairy products are used in the centre's nutritional programme. However, although much research has been done on the relationship between diet and cancer, there's no strong evidence to show a direct correlation between a healthy diet and cancer prevention or recurrence. 'There's nothing conclusive to say that once you've got cancer you can improve the prognosis by eating healthily,' confirms Janine Drennan, an information nurse from the Cancer Research Campaign, a leading UK fundraising and research organisation. But a healthy diet that's high in fibre, low in fat and includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, does improve your overall health, which could in turn help boost your body's ability to recover.

Think yourself better
Positive thinking can improve mood in breast cancer patients as well as help them overcome self-image problems and face the future with more confidence. Some therapists also believe that by influencing a person's state of mind, it's possible to significantly affect their immune system's ability to fight disease and restore a healthy balance in the body.

'Thinking positive thoughts when we are ill removes us from the role of victim and empowers us, changing the energy within and assisting the natural healing process,' says a spokesperson from the Bristol Cancer Help Centre. One way to create positive thoughts is through relaxation, meditation and visualisation. 'If you have ever enjoyed listening to a story and pictured the scenes vividly then you have had some experience of visualisation.' Using directed creative thought and images is a way of choosing to be more responsible for the way we think about ourselves. Some people like to imagine their body fighting the cancer cells - while others imagine themselves being simply well and strong.

According to Breast Cancer Care, women who have access to coping strategies early on in their diagnosis experience an improved quality of life and have fewer symptoms and side effects from treatment. For example, as a result of chemotherapy or tamoxifen treatment (a medication that slows or stops the growth of cancer cells), some women experience menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, night sweats, palpitations and mood swings. This is due to a fall in the level of the female sex hormone, oestrogen. Some women find that imagining themselves in a cool place, such as by the sea, helps ease these flushes - a perfect example of visualisation and the power of mind over body.

However, Drennan says that while relaxing therapies such as meditation can help calm the mind, reduce anxiety and boost your self-image, there is no conclusive evidence to show that they can affect the physical progression of the disease. However, she lauds the special facilities many hospitals have, including aromatherapy massage for patients, as part of their cancer treatment. 'We can't promise that aromatherapy will help you recover, but if it helps you relax, improves your state of mind, and helps you cope with the treatment regime, it can only be a good thing,' she says.

Next page: contact information for cancer organisations

For further information on breast cancer, contact the following organisations:

· For a free Breast Cancer and You - Coping with a Diagnosis booklet or for any breast cancer concerns, call Breast Cancer Care's free helpline: 0808 800 6000 from Mon-Fri, 10am to 5pm, and Saturday, 10am to 2pm.

· A new self-help CD-Rom You Can Live With Cancer (£12.99) is launching this month. It uses state-of-the-art technology to present moving images, text, music and exercises for cancer patients who are looking for ways to help themselves. Ring CanHelpNow 0117 980 9500 to order.

· Bristol Cancer Help Centre was founded in 1980 and has pioneered the holistic 'Bristol Approach' to cancer. The centre offers a fully integrated range of therapies, healing and support services aimed at strengthening those with cancer and their carers, in body, mind and spirit. Tel: 0117 980 9505 or see www.bristolcancerhelp.org.