How do you deal with finding out you have cancer? Common reactions to the news of a diagnosis can include shock, anger, grief and an overwhelming sense of losing control over every aspect of life.

But after the trauma of a diagnosis, people say their first impulse is often to find out more and try and tackle the disease head on.

Penny Brohn Cancer Care, which used to be the Bristol Cancer Help Centre, is based in Pill and one of the UK's leading providers of complementary care for people with cancer.

The charity, which pioneered and specialises in the renowned Bristol Approach, gives people the practical tools needed to improve their quality of life and help manage their fear of cancer.

The Bristol Approach to cancer care is a package of physical, emotional and spiritual support, which acts as a natural partner to people's medical treatment.

It is based on the science of psycho-neuro-immunology (PNI), a relatively new field of neurobiology that shows how changes in our thoughts, emotions and beliefs can bring about changes in our physical health.

PNI shows that emotions such as fear, anger or shock can result in increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body, which can stop the immune system – which is our body's first line of defence against cancer – from working at its best.

However, activating calming emotions is an immediate way to reduce stress levels.

There is an increasing and emerging body of research in the field of PNI showing the psychological and physiological benefits of the techniques and therapies used in the Bristol Approach to cancer care.

The centre itself costs around £3 million a year to run, with the helpline answering around 6,000 enquiries each year and more than 1,200 people benefiting from its courses.

So knowing that I'm helping raise hundreds of pounds to help the Bristol charity carry on its work was definitely an added motivation for me in last Sunday's race.