Psychological support, discussions with the patient through which he is encouraged to express his feelings and that supports him, plays an important role in the whole process of diagnosis, treatment, cure or aggravation of colon cancer and unfortunately, sometimes death.

You have to know that in the United States, patients have certain rights that are guaranteed by law. There are many organizations that can give you all kind of support, form legal to moral one. Patient Advocate Foundation, General Assistance programs, The National Cancer Institute, The National Patient Travel Helpline and Cancer Survivors Online are just some of the patient assistance programs for colon cancer.




In the United States there are also some Patients Assistance Programs, PAPs, partially subsidize or dispense free drugs to uninsured or underinsured individuals. Patient Assistance Programs are offered by some pharmaceutical manufacturers to help pay for medications. Through these programs dugs and assistance can be provided for colon cancer patients that are poor and can not afford the medication for this disease. People can actually have many benefits form these programs, like taxes deduction, discounts, and financial assistance and in the last years, the pharmaceutical industry has been much more aggressive in promoting Patients Assistance Programs and making the process easier for patients and providers.



In Canada, however, there is another method by which the patients learn to cope with the crisis, healing from within. In this program, patients are encouraged to help themselves, using the latent power of mind and their spirit. In the past 27 years, thousands of patients diagnosed with cancer and their family members attended the program at a major center for cancer treatment in Toronto, Canada. Here patients learn concepts such as the idea that much of the discomfort they feel is caused by reaction to the diagnosis than the disease itself. The program has five stages and is organized in steps, so that the patient can stop whenever he wants. The first module, called “Coping with cancer stress” includes four meetings of groups of half past one hour. At this stage, self-healing spells terrorists and two methods of deep relaxation are learned by every patient. The second module, entitled “Qualities for healing” has eight sessions in which patients are encouraged to keep a journal and meditate. In the next level, “Steps to spiritual healing” patients with psychologists examine universal tendency to judge themselves, the guilt, and the projection of blame onto others. In the fourth mode knowledge are consolidated by patients and in the last level spiritual texts are studied, for patients to realize that healing involves self-knowledge. This is just another type of patient assistance program for colon cancer, which some people decide to do, and for some of them it is a real support.