Stress and Cancer

A sad soul can kill you quicker than a germ. – John Steinbeck

There has been no direct link discovered between stress and the development of cancer, but in my healing work with thousands of individuals, I have seen that link. Here’s how it happens: when children develop the habit of holding in their emotions, a traumatic event as an adult—like a car accident or divorce—can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back of your health. Anything that makes us feel that we don’t have control over our life can throw us totally sideways. A personal tragedy may result in an excess level of stress, which can create immune deficiency. Combined with underlying personality traits and a habit of suppressing emotion, cells can start proliferating in an unhealthy way. Western Medicine requires visible proof, so they haven’t seen a link since it is difficult to quantitatively measure stress. It is also impossible to separate stress from behaviors caused by stress, such as drinking, smoking, eating poorly, and more. These factors can cause cancer too.

Cancer is not just a physical disease. It is a disease of the mind and soul as much as it is of the body.

In our society, especially in the field of medicine, we tend not to believe something unless there is test after test and study after study attesting to its “truth.” Many believe that what happens in the body is strictly physical – there must be a reason why we get sick, why we hurt, and it can be explained by science. But recently, the mind and its influence over the body have become a topic of intense interest in the medical community. We are finally realizing what ancient cultures have known all along: that there is a strong mind/body connection and what we feel has a direct relationship with how we feel.

Stress has always been a part of life: it was a survival tool for our ancestors. When faced with situations like famine, war, or animal attacks, their bodies produced adrenaline and cortisol, which gave them the added “boost” they needed to deal with the threat. Today, our bodies do the same thing, but the stress response can get out of control. A certain amount is needed to deal with difficult situations, but many of us feel stress constantly. Many people experience intense stress even when there is no direct threat or triggering event. Chronic stress has been shown to be a major factor in several diseases, particularly those related to the immune system and heart. A new thread in medical research is whether stress can cause cancer. Can an affliction of the mind produce such a big impact on the body?

According to the National Cancer Institute, “Stress also can lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as overeating, smoking, or abusing drugs or alcohol, that may affect cancer risk.” But can stress be a cause in and of itself? Several studies seem to indicate a link.

• A study of 36,000 Swedish women age 30-50 who were followed over a 14-year period found that women in demanding jobs were 30 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who had less demanding jobs or who were not as stressed out about their work situations. Dr. Emma Pennery, of Breast Cancer Care, said of the results:  Previous studies have failed to provide any convincing link between breast cancer and stress. One of the difficulties is that it is hard to measure stress, it’s an objective thing. But if people are stressed, that can lead to unhealthy behavior. If women feel stressed, they may not eat as well, they may drink more and they may do less exercise. All these can increase the risks of breast cancer.
• A study conducted by Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia found that stress affected the body’s ability to fight HPV (human papillomavirus), which can lead to cervical cancer. Researcher Carolyn Y. Fang, said: An effective immune response against H.P.V. can lead to viral clearance and resolution of H.P.V. infection. But some women are less able to mount an effective immune response to H.P.V.
• A Swedish study followed 1000 women for 24 years. Those who reported experiencing “significant” stress in the five years before the study were found to be twice as likely to develop breast cancer as those who did not.

Studies have also been conducted into whether stress impacts the prognosis of people suffering from cancer. A study led by Barbara Anderson of the University of Ohio found that breast cancer patients who felt a high level of stress had fewer “natural killer cells.” Dr. Anderson said of her findings: Natural killer cells have an extremely important function with regard to cancer because they are capable of detecting and killing cancer cells. These results, although preliminary, suggest that psychological stress may play a role in how the immune system responds to cancer.

It’s clear from previous research that psychological interventions can improve the quality of life for cancer patients. The question is whether such interventions can have biological or health consequences. Psychological interventions might not only have important roles in reducing stress and improving quality of life, but also in extending survival. We need to examine this possibility more closely.

Studies done by Professor Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu of the Tel Aviv University Department of Psychology have shown that the release of stress hormones like adrenaline “underlie much of the devastating effects of surgery on immune competence.” In other words, it is not the surgery itself or the disease’s effect on tissue that compromise the immune system – it is stress. A weakened immune system often causes tumors to metastasize after surgeries. Professor Ben-Eliyahu suggests that blocking the release of these hormones and reducing stress immediately prior to, during, and after surgery will improve people’s prognoses and their chance for long-term survival.

These studies tell us that stress has a very real affect on our bodies.

Examine your lifestyle for sources of stress. Are there some stresses that you can eliminate? The best ways to clear stress from your energy field are: Get more sun; get more sleep; avoid people, places, and things that really bother you; utilize relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, prayer, and exercise; and laugh every day. De-stress in any way that works for you.