Here is something interesting that I learned in my reading. You may have heard that stress is a promoter of cancer growth. But, according to one study, stress itself is not a promoter of cancer. Instead, persistent feelings of helplessness (that can be associated with stress) is what affects the body's reaction to cancer in a negative way.
In this study, three groups of mice had the same amount and type of cancer cells grafted to their backs. One group of mice was subjected to inescapable electric shocks. The second group of mice was subjected to the same electric shocks, but they had the opportunity to learn to evade the shocks by pressing a lever. The third group of mice, the control group, did not receive any electric shocks. Which group of mice do you think was most successful at rejecting the tumors?
One might hypothesize that the mice in the control group would have the best success at rejecting the cancer. After all, they did not receive the stress of shocks at all. However, the group that was most successful at rejecting the tumors was actually the group who learned to reduce the stress of the shocks they received. In fact, 63% of the mice that learned to press the lever to alleviate the stress from the shocks rejected the tumor. 54% of the mice in the control group rejected the tumor. And, only 23% who had no way of escaping the shocks survived the cancer.
The reading goes on to explain that human patients who carry feelings of hope, serenity, and empowerment during their cancer treatments have slower growing tumors and have better chances for remission and long-term survival.
(For more information on this study and the mind-body link, see chapter 9 of "Anticancer: A New Way of Life".)
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