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Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
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brendastarlet is on it
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
Yoga yes, but Pilates, even better.
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Tchotchke
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
I love her. While so many other designers or fashion figures seem to exist within these carefully constructed worlds in which beauty, luxury and glamour are all that matter, (I'm looking at you, Lagerfeld and Ford), Donna Karan seems so gracious and human. It's nice that she's using her resources to help others in a tangible way.
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ihateyourescalade
04/02/09

@Tchotchke: While simultaneously enjoying a shitload of free publicity and a whopping tax write-off, all during a time when the luxury retail sector is in the toilet! Ka-ching!
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ihateyourescalade
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
I know I'm supposed to be behind this, but having known someone who died a miserable death from cancer (despite doing yoga and living an exemplary, healthy life) I would like to slap Donna Karan a little. And don't know why.
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kapoosta
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
This makes sense to me. My mother is a nurse. Back in Russia, patients weren't allowed to look at their records, but one woman sneaked into her medical charts and discovered she was dying of cancer. She was expected to have something like one year to live. My mother saw her on the bus many years later and she was cured...she said it was because after she found out, she got very determined to live and battled the cancer by taking good care of herself.

Another woman was diagnosed but it was in the early stages and it wasn't that bad yet. She just sort of accepted it and lay around. She died pretty quickly.

My mom has good stories.
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Maritsa
04/02/09

@kapoosta: Really? Gee, I guess my dad just didn't fight hard enough.
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kapoosta
04/02/09

@Maritsa: I'm sorry, are you offended? I'm not saying you can be magically cured by taking care of yourself or through perseverance, but it does give you a better chance of surviving than if you give up.
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portia_sue
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
In the thumbnail pic, I thought she was doing an awesome split. How disappointed am I to see it's just the couch?

Though on the other hand, OUCH
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J.D.Regent
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
Why on earth are some people acting as if Donna Karan is suggesting yoga supplant traditional treatment? Nobody is calling it a cure all. But guess what. Chemo's not a cure all either.
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bluebears
04/02/09

@J.D.Regent: you can say that again. I reacted initially about her thinking yoga can give cancer patients the strength to survive which is mildly condescending but then I went back and re-read and actually she never says that. so...
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MarissaExplainsItAll
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
It's lovely what she's doing but I don't think it's a cure-all. At best, all yoga will do is ease the stress that comes with diagnosis and treatment. I also think it would depend on the person. My daddy has prostate cancer and if I ever suggested yoga to him, he would look at me as if I was losing my mind. Sitting in the same place for too long stresses some out!
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ihateyourescalade
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: Ditto. Glad you're with us, Ketchup.
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girl.of.your.dreams
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
i think this is a lovely idea. i've been doing yoga for about two years and the change i've seen in my body and my mood is amazing. of course it's not going to cure cancer, but anything that focuses on the relationship between mind and body can't be bad.
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KetchupFiend
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
As a cancer survivor, I think this is a *great* idea. In fact, I have been trying to start something up grassroots like this myself. I continued to go to the gym and do low-impact exercise /stretching all through my chemo. Admittedly I have always been into fitness, but I felt it to be extremely stress-relieving and energizing. Of course, some days you don't feel up to it and that's fine. But at a time when so much of your body seems out of control (both in terms of tumors riddling your body and the at-time dehumanizing treatment)having control over some small part of yourself is very reassuring.
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Samanthrax
04/02/09

@KetchupFiend: I'm glad you're doing well. :)
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J.D.Regent
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
Having 2 cancer survivors (so far -- so far 2 and so far survivors) in my immediate family, I think there needs to be a LOT more attention on holistic care. I don't know why I was shocked that there was not more support from social workers, nutritionists, etc. Cancer wreaks havoc on your entire life. The psychosocial effects can be as devastating as the cancer. Chemo kills cancer but it almost kills you in the process. I don't think people should underestimate the need for complementary medicine and support systems. A lot of people don't have the resources and wherewithal to seek this stuff out on their own and traditionalist families like mine will frequently only have access and only accept such interventions when they come from the hospital.
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bluebears
04/02/09

@J.D.Regent: I said somewhat the same thing elsewhere. Also, perhaps this facility will be available to family member as well. Immediate family suffer the most horrible depression and anxiety, but they don't feel able to "indulge" in it so to speak because they (rightfully) want to be there for their loved one.
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sybann
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
I got tired of my Wii Fit telling me my leg was shaking.

I KNOW my leg is shaking you asshat! I'm standing like a freaking stork holding on to my toes with my arm bent backwards!
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jennytea
04/02/09

@sybann: And that tone..."Your leg is shaking a little." Like they're about to laugh at you. Damn smug wii fit trainers.
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brendastarlet is on it
04/02/09

@jennytea: when it asks me, "Would you like to hear a fitness tip?" I always click no.

And then there's that "ooooo" if you step on the Wii board wrong. I want to slap that little thing silly.
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Rare Affinity
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
Doing yoga for its own sake sounds like a good idea. Thinking that it gives you "the strength to survive" cancer is just wistful thinking.
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Samanthrax
04/02/09

@Rare Affinity: Yeah, that statement almost trivializes cancer. Meh.
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Trulymadlyme
04/02/09

@Rare Affinity: @Samanthrax: Exactly. I find it troubling. People who are dying of cancer shouldn't be burdened with thinking they aren't trying hard enough or fighting hard enough to live. Yes, a good attitude matters. But there are some things beyond are control.
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Trulymadlyme
04/02/09

@trulymadlyme: are =our? I haz grmr plz.
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bluebears
04/02/09

@Rare Affinity: its why I feel sort of conflicted about this. A close family member has been struggling with brain cancer for the last 9 months and the chemo has done so much damage that he can't even walk anymore. so my initial reaction was, yuk. But thinking about it more I sort of feel like there is probably more to it than yoga, perhaps just a calm non medicinal environment patients can go to say after chemo, with things like massage and aromatherapy etc...also it would be great if family members could partake as well, as they often suffer from debilitating depression and anxiety that yoga could probably help with.
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Samanthrax
04/02/09

@trulymadlyme: Yeah, I'm fairly certain that if I told all of my grandparents, who all died of cancer, to do yoga, I just don't think they would have survived.
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tscheese
04/02/09

@trulymadlyme: Well, I think as long as it's promoted as something optional and just as a means of managing emotions and finding calm, it could be pretty positive.

If it's promoted as this thing that you "OMG HAVE TO DO because IT WILL PROLONG YOUR LIFE FOR REALS and OMG YOU'RE NOT CALM ENOUGH, GET CALMER!!1" then...that's really bad. People who have cancer have enough to worry about. They don't have to be told that they're not "calm" or "strong" enough.
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Rare Affinity
04/02/09

@trulymadlyme: I second that. I sometimes feel people with serious medical conditions often have to mask their true thoughts to spare the feelings of those around them.
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Rare Affinity
04/02/09

@bluebears:Sorry to hear about your relative's plight. I am all for patients receiving alternative therapies (if they want it) such as aromatherapy if it helps to make them feel better about themselves. Indeed I gave my terminally ill mother a small case of such oils and did the same for a dying friend. I am sure yoga could provide some comfort in certain circumstances but I would not want to give patients false hope that yoga might cure them if everything else had failed. As for your comment on relatives, I took up having massages when my mother was dying as it helped to ease the tension. The nature of her illness was such, I felt I could not leave the city in over a year as she could have slipped into a coma at any moment. (In the event I took her out for the day on a Saturday and on the Sunday she died in her sleep).
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bluebears
04/02/09

@Rare Affinity: Sorry about your mom. I don't think people realize just how bad it will be until they are smack in the middle of it. Its why I'm willing to give Donna Karen the benefit of the doubt here and just assume she worded that poorly. I think there's A LOT of room to grow in how modern medicine treats the terminally ill.
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Trulymadlyme
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: I'm sorry to hear that. It didn't do my father much good either, if that's any consolation.

@tscheese: I do think there is a role for yoga and other therapies that help deal with the anixety and depression cancer patients and their family feel. I found it extremely helpful, just as a caretaker.
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Maritsa
04/02/09

@tscheese: It's a nice thing to offer if it's offered in the spirit you mentioned. Cancer patients and their families are bombarded with so, so much shit from people trying to be helpful, it's honestly exhausting and at some point it's almost infuriating. One of my mom's friends seriously told me my dad might benefit from blueberries, because they have a lot of antioxidants. Yeah, chemo and radiation didn't work, but a blueberry smoothie - CURE!!!
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bluebears
04/02/09

@Maritsa: its fucking infuriating. i know people are trying to be helpful the best way they can, but seriously, think.
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Samanthrax
04/02/09

@trulymadlyme: Thanks. There is so much cancer in my family it's insane, so I'm incredibly (overly) negative about the whole situation- even I'm having a spot of melanoma removed shortly. Hell. Cancer just sucks.
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Trulymadlyme
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: For serious. Cancer needs to shut the hell up.
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Trulymadlyme
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
It all makes sense now! That's why she's charging $595.00 for a pair of jeans. Um. Not.

That said, I do think Yoga can be extremely helpful.
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Samanthrax
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
I would love to do yoga, but I fear I have the flexibilty of a 2x4.
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happysquid
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: Me too, but that's why I watch Rodney Yee and try to emulate his actions, even if I need 3 or 4 foam yoga blocks... Thank goodness i can attempt yoga in privacy.
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tscheese
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: I don't have the patience for it either. I know, I know, there's many different kinds, some high-impact that provide a lot of cardio, some very slow and graceful that provide lots and lots of time and space for mind-clearing calm, but man, I do not have mind-clearing calm. I have shit to do.
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Kivrin
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: I have incredibly tight hamstrings. (Remember the sit-and-reach test in high school? Yeah, I failed that one badly.) Still, I can generally manage to follow along with the yoga program on FitTV. My forward fold will never be too deep, but I do notice incremental flexibility improvements! You should try it sometime. :)
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Rare Affinity
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: I gave up yoga after the teacher tried to force my limbs into position. I am not designed to be flexible and never have been.
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bluewine
04/02/09

@tscheese: I also lack the patience. I tried yoga for the first time recently, and I felt like I was just staring at the clock the entire time. I know a lot of people love it and it really works for them, but I feel better if I just run a few miles.
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tscheese
04/02/09

@bluewine: I do best when my mind is cluttered and a little grumpy, actually. I don't really feel like clearing my mind. I take brisk walks while grumpy because then I move faster.
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clevernamehere
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: You don't need to be crazy flexible to do yoga. I think this is part of the problem with yoga DVDs, they often only show highly skilled, naturally bendy people.

I'm very bendy naturally and several of the yoga teachers I've had weren't nearly as bendy.
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Maritsa
04/02/09

@tscheese: I don't like "clearing my mind" either. I can't go for one-hour massages because I get bored and antsy. And I just don't like yoga. I much, much prefer Pilates.
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LittleLolly
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: To borrow from Cindy Lee, not doing yoga because you lack flexibility is like not taking tennis lessons because you don't know how to play.
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RisaPlata
04/02/09

@Samanthrax: I started doing yoga a little less than a year ago, and at first I was very resistent because I'm not flexible and I have hip problems. But the point is not to do it because you're good at it. You do it because you're NOT good at it, or because it helps you in some way. Just recently, I was able to touch my toes for the first time in my life. I never thought it would happen.
@bluewine: The class I go to is called "Active yoga," meaning we're constantly moving. Your mind clears not because you've found inner peace, but because you're so insanely focused on what you're doing right now because it's hard. There's a cardio component and an ab component. And
@OldEnough2BYourMama: we listen to pop songs. One of my friends took me to her class once and when I told her about mine, she said she thought the music would drive her crazy and she prefers silence. I said, "this isn't silence! This is listening to 20 people breathe really loud!" THAT was what would make me crazy.
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Samanthrax
04/02/09

@LittleLolly: Or maybe it's because I have osteoarthritis and the idea of pain is unappealing to me.
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beatrice2000
04/02/09

@RisaPlata: Worst time was being in a Pilates class and some guy making groaning sounds, like painful orgasmic sounds. It really annoyed me, but I didn't have the guts to tell him to keep it down.
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RisaPlata
04/02/09

@beatrice2000: Oh, that's obnoxious! I probably wouldn't say anything, I'd just freak out later and kill him. And no one would ever know why...

I don't like listening to other people's bodies. I doubt it's just me. But have you ever noticed it's almost always men making all the noise? What's up with that?
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tscheese
04/02/09

In reply to Donna Karan Gives Cancer Patients New Hope With Yoga
Yoga probably can't magically shrink cancer cells, and it can't ward off secondary infections brought by a lowered immune system, but it may give some sufferers some low-impact exercise and flexibility, and something rewarding and enjoyable to do, which makes just about EVERYONE feel better.

Normally I'm pretty pro-scientific medicine, but if you're worried sick about your prognosis and unable to do lots of heavy cardio due to weakness, it would probably be nice to learn ways to clear your mind and feel calm and peaceful and graceful.
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jigglyball
04/02/09

@tscheese: Yeah, her language gets dangerously close to, "Yoga beats cancer!", which is a wonderful sentiment, but not particularly realistic.

I agree completely that it has the possibility to calm scared minds and tired bodies, though.
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tscheese
04/02/09

@jigglyball: In the article, it mentions that someone close to Ms Karan was given several months to live, and went on to live for 4 years while doing yoga everyday. I am very, very glad her friend was able to beat the odds for so long, and I hope she didn't suffer at the end, but it's almost like "Here's someone who did yoga and lived longer! COINCIDENCE!?!!1"

I am very, very skeptical of her assertion in the article that anyone "needs" alternative/eastern medicine. If people would LIKE to try yoga or aromatherapy or herbal teas or what-not because they make them feel better, that's fine; it won't shrink cancer cells or cure MRSA, but it might make life a little happier. However, I think it could be misread as OMG YOU HAVE TO DO THIS OR YOU WON'T LIVE AS LONG! and...I just don't think that there's much scientific rationale behind that.
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