Kathrin Milbury on the Importance of Spousal Self Care

Kathrin Milbury, PhD, assistant professor of Integrative Medicine Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the importance of spouse and caregiver self care when tending to someone with lung cancer.

Milbury said that when a person becomes a caregiver to his/her husband or wife, the individual tends to neglect their personal health and care, which ends up being very detrimental.

Getting back into a spousal relationship, where both partners support one another, proves very beneficial, Milbury emphasizes. Not only does it relieve stress, but when the patient is supporting his or her spouse in whatever ways possible, he/she feels empowered and useful, which can have a huge effect on quality of life.