We have a scientific breakthrough in treating brain tumors: Vorasidenib, an experimental drug produced by Servier Pharma, has shown success in slowing down the regrowth of low-grade gliomas or brain tumors, according to the results of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week. These growths are the hardest to reach as they are protected under the “blood-brain barrier,” a layer of tissue and vessels around the brain, making their recurrence after removal very likely, the Wall Street Journal says. However, the new treatment reduced the risk of the tumor from growing again or returning by 61%. The impact on quality of life was so significant that patients on the placebo were notified and given the experimental drug.

How does it work? The drug is able to bypass the blood-brain barrier to stop the protein that stimulates the tumor to grow, unlike other medications. The impact of this slowdown is that patients can avoid undertaking chemotherapy or radiation to reduce the cancer’s growth — a move that avoids suffering from memory loss, among other ailments due to the hard cancer treatments.

Therapists are wary of the sensitivity surrounding mental health and how it meshes with upholding religious faith, medical professionals wrote in the Washington Post. Some people, the medical professionals say, feel uncomfortable with seeking professional psychological help or other treatment for mental illnesses, and are concerned that resorting to these treatments could undermine their commitment to their faith. These individuals are also typically concerned that treatment is tantamount to a refusal to accept God’s will, or as weakness in the face of life’s inevitable challenges. This perception is known as spiritual bypassing, or “the use of religion or spirituality as a coping mechanism that contributes to the repression of unresolved personal and emotional problems, instead of assisting individuals to overcome them,” according to a study.

Several faiths actually have mandates for self-care: In Islam, for example, Prophet Muhammad is believed to have said “O servants of God, seek treatment. Verily, Allah did not send a disease but that He also sent its treatment or cure,” the article’s authors note. In that sense, seeking help is part of being proactive in caring for one’s body and mind — much like going to a dentist or general practitioner when suffering from a physical ailment.

The key, therapists say, is for patients to be in the driving seat — which means that therapy should be shaped around their religious beliefs, rather than allowing treatment to undermine or in any way threaten faith. Reluctant patients are often empowered to seek help when they realize faith and science are not only not mutually exclusive, but even complementary, they say.

Tags: