EMOTIONS AND CANCER
A person’s mood and attitude has a tremendous bearing on the function of their immune system. It has now been significantly proven that the emotions of anxiety and chronic stress negatively affect the function of our immune system and lower our body’s immune resistance, leaving it open to developing cancer.
Other negative emotions such as depression, repressed hostility, resentment, anger, feelings of helplessness and grief also weaken the immune system and enhance the development of illness, cancer and tumours. It has been proven in countless studies that the loss of a spouse, one of the deepest emotional grieving periods in one’s life, causes a depressed immune system and opens the body to an array of illnesses, including cancer.
In the past, stress, also known as the ‘fight and flight’ response, was automatically developed by humans as a method of survival in a ‘wild, primitive world’. When faced with danger during battles, man’s metabolism would increase and his senses would become more acute and alert, allowing him to survive in perilous situations. In those days, stress was short lived and once the danger was past, the body readapted and returned to normal.
The difference in today’s crazy world is that we don’t have the occasional caveman chasing us around with a club but, rather, a continuous onslaught of daily stressful situations to cope with- Rather than being able to release the stress and relax, our bodies stay in ‘stress mode’> constantly on edge. No wonder health has declined so rapidly in today’s society and the occurrence of more serious health conditions such as cancer, high blood pressure, insomnia, strokes, heart attacks, chronic depression, nervous twitches and ulcers have become an almost normal and accepted part of life.
It would be fantastic if we could all just move to the country and build a tepee up on a mountain top to escape our stressful society. However, for most people this is definitely not an option. The key to maintaining optimal health in today’s fast-paced society lies in natural relaxation techniques and stress reduction. Now, this doesn’t mean quick fixes either, such as smoking, drinking five cups of coffee a day, grabbing a sweet or a chocolate for a quick energy burst or excessive eating. It may make us feel better while we are doing these things but in the long run, they place added stress on the body and will actually make us feel worse as time goes by. A good example of this is bingeing on sugar. While it might give us a temporary boost of energy, it also depletes valuable  vitamins. This can lead to our nervous system weakening, which leads to more susceptibility to stress, a weaker immune system and thus opening the doorway to sickness, and more chronic conditions, such as cancer.
So what is the answer? To release our negativity and emotional stress we need to learn holistic relaxation techniques such as yoga, deep breathing, tai chi, positive affirmations, meditation, laughter, exercise and a healthy, nutrient rich diet. By giving your body these beautiful gifts you will not only treat the immediate effects of stress but you will also make your body and mind stronger and more able to cope with the pressures in your everyday life. A stress-free mind that is free from negative emotions will ensure that you remain healthy and cancer-free.
At the other end of the scale, positive emotions such as love, playfulness, bliss, joy, contentment and self-mastery seem to have a beneficial effect on good health and promote healing. It is believed that laughter can heal many chronic conditions including cancer. When we are happy and optimistic, our immune system functions much better. In addition, guided imagery, hypnosis, positive affirmations and meditative states all enhance our immune system and our ability to cope with stress.
When we are stressed, our body increases its production and release of adrenal hormones including Cortisol, cortisone and adrenaline, to cause internal bodily changes that allow us to cope with stress. ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) is released from the pituitary gland and thymosin (a group of thyroid hormones) is also released to increase our coping mechanisms.
If our body is continuously bombarded with these ‘stress hormones’, white blood cell formation and function is inhibited and our thymus gland (the ‘maestro’ gland of the immune system) shrinks. Stress can also decrease lymphocyte count, specifically natural killer cells (‘the front-line soldiers of the immune army’) and T helper cells (‘the commanders of the immune army’), and reduce the body’s ability to produce interferon. This is an obvious suppression of the body’s immune system, leaving a person open to illness and cancer.
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