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Cancer afflicts nearly 1 in 2 people in the Western world today. Why is it that, of all diseases, cancer produces the most dread, fear and negativity? People die of other life-threatening illnesses and traumas every day, yet when the diagnosis of cancer is pronounced, the patient, their friends and family undergo a strong emotional transformation. The patient feels as if a death sentence has been pronounced. Other people's attitudes and behaviour toward them change dramatically; whether it be sympathy, denial, helplessness, anger, over-protectiveness, doom and gloom, raising false hopes or taking away responsibility.
These changes in the people around a cancer patient can be very detrimental in their effects, even when they are well-meaning. Add the bombardment with information: just when an ill person needs to go within and deal calmly with their own reactions to their situation, they are plied with personal referrals, books, websites, products, stories, advice, treatments and techniques which they do not yet have the energy or clarity to digest and choose from. It seems that everyone, including the doctors, takes over and thrusts their perspectives and decisions upon the cancer patient, before the person has even had a chance to adjust, take control and make their own choices.
When the doctor says you or your loved one has X months or weeks to live, it is unwise to take that in and make it your reality. In fact, it’s best not to even put the doctor on the spot by asking. Virtually noone, including your doctor, is able to tell you when or if you will die. The fact that so many people live years or decades after estimated ‘expiry dates’ makes one wonder why this abusive practice of declaring the time-to-death is even allowed, as it does do harm.
If you've never had cancer yourself, just imagine being on the receiving end of such a judgment. No wonder the patient is shocked, becomes depressed and loses control of their own lives! The emotional reaction starts a downward spiral in the person's health. Negative emotions are bad for the immune system, which is the most important physical tool for fighting off cancer. The emotions stimulated by negative words, thoughts and energies are detrimental to immune function and this is scientifically measurable.
A master of the Ageless Wisdom said it best:
"It is most harmful to waver in thought and visualize a victory of the sickness .... when people speak of the fatal outcome of a sickness, they themselves bring it closer".
Cancer originates in age-old emotional wounds that have never been healed and that cause resentment, lack of self-love and repressed or excessive emotion. These produce imbalances in the energy centres nearest where the tumour develops. So what a person with cancer definitely does not need is to become a helpless victim all over again in an emotionally-charged environment. The physical expression of cancer begins with damage to DNA (from a variety of causes) leading to uncontrolled growth of the affected cells and breakdown of cellular communication. Cancer grows over a long period of time at the cellular level ‘below the radar’ of modern medicine; it is not just suddenly there one day. The problem is that by the time it is detectable, it is quite late in the process. This is partly responsible for the sense of panic and the pressure to immediately decide on treatments.
It's important however to realise this is your body, your disease, your life and your healing journey. You have a right to ask questions, look at wider options, take command of your situation and make the final choices about what treatments to take.
What would it be like if you could see the diagnosis of cancer as a fantastic opportunity to re-evaluate your life, to embark on a deep, personal healing process that creates a new life and a new way of being? What have you been doing, thinking, suppressing or ignoring for years? What do you know about yourself, deep down, that you have not been facing? This is not about self-recrimination, guilt or beating yourself up for how you've lived. On the contrary, it is about looking at your past choices, what you've been denying and what you need to change and then taking positive, self-loving steps forward.
It's been observed that the people who take responsibility for their own healing and who use a sensible, integrated combinations of modalities targeted to support different aspects of health from the cellular right up to the soulful levels, are the ones who have the best outcomes. Whether they choose to use these with or without allopathic treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone suppression) it's their self-empowerment and self-nurturing at all levels that makes the difference. Cancer can be a great opening, a great awakening. Be grateful for the opportunity! It's not about how long you live, it's about the consciousness, quality and love you express in your remaining life, however long that may be.
Many health practitioners will try to warn you away from using complementary support, for example, advising you not to take nutritional supplements. Consider this:
Most doctors are not qualified to advise you on this subject as they have had barely any training in nutrition or complementary therapies, especially the most recent scientific advances.
Chemotherapy, radiation and drugs are toxic by definition – they are poisons and place the body under great stress. They damage not only cancer cells but healthy cells including your immune system. A well-nourished, well-supported person has a much better chance of responding positively to these treatments and regaining health than one that is weakened and vulnerable throughout the process. A well-nourished body is less likely to suffer the hair loss, nausea, vomiting, malaise, depression, pain, rashes and burns resulting from the illness and the stressful treatments.
A stressed, unwell body needs even more nutritional supplementation than a healthy one, so just when you need more you could be told not to take any!
Find a doctor who is prepared to support you if you choose an integrated program for your healing journey. Remember that doctors are legally not permitted to deny you treatment if you choose to include complementary therapies and nutritional supplements in your program, and they are obliged to educate themselves and support you in your choices.
So how can friends and family help? We feel the need to take action when a loved one hears that dreaded pronouncement from the pathologist's report. Friends and family can be of immeasurable value in the initial shock stage. One of the best ways to help is to remember this is not about you; it is about the person with cancer. They are likely to be vulnerable and off-balance. So be strong for them by setting aside your own emotional reactions, fears, egos and desire to control or advise. As the process unfolds, give the person space to do what they need to. Avoid negative judgments of their choices no matter what your opinions of them. Support them in their healing by accepting and helping with their ‘odd’ diets, nutritional supplements, meditations, exercise programs and self development courses. Stay calmly in your own centre. Here’s your own chance to express love, quality and consciousness!
Cancer need not be a dreadful death-row experience. It can be an opportunity for a refreshing lifestyle change and a period of education, growth and acceptance for the whole family, including the patient. It can open everyone involved to what they've always wanted deep down: empowerment, co-operation, togetherness and love.
LIST OF OPTIONS
These have helped many people, especially when they are all used in combination
supporting the physical body
food and supplements:
- lots of fresh, raw, organic food especially fruit and vegetables
- complete range of nutritional supplements
- essential fatty acids (fish oils, flax oil blends, etc)
digestion – probiotics
herbs - check with qualified practitioners for possible adverse interactions with drug therapies
water – lots of good quality filtered water
regular exercise
cleaning up inside:
- minimize table sugar, coffee, “whites”, processed foods
- avoid partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils
- detoxification and parasite cleanses of bowel, liver and kidneys; removing heavy metals
- quit alcohol, smoking and drugs
supporting your inner world
drop emotional living - go into your centre and breathe through your nose instead of reacting
have fun, laugh a lot
learn to separate feelings (heart-felt direct knowing of the present) from emotions (gut/mind-felt reaction to a program that was written into your body by a past experience)
drop excuses, no more victim mentality
meditation, soulfulness
love yourself, trust yourself
self-mastery, self-development classes, positive mental attitude
self-responsibility - make it your healing; remember the doctors, the treatments and the methods are your tools - you evaluate and choose according to what your heart tells you is right for you.
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- 2. Ah D.V., Kang D.H., Carpenter J.S.
“Stress, optimism, and social support: impact on immune responses in breast cancer.” Research in Nursing & Health. 2007; 30:72-83.
- 3. Mary Bennett RN, DNSc, Indiana State University.
“The Effect of Laughter on Stress and Immune Function”, 1997
http://www.indstate.edu/mary/abst.htm
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Depression May Suppress Activation of the Immune Response -
“Depressive symptoms and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated in vitro”. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2007; 21:229-237
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“Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation”. Psychosomatic Medicine 2003; 65: 564–570
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"Stress and immune responses after surgical treatment for regional breast cancer". Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1998; 90 (1)
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"Psychological, behavioural, and immune changes after a psychological intervention: a clinical trial". Journal of Clinical Oncology 2004; 22 (17)
- 8. http://www.cancerfightingstrategies.com/index.html
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