How the Brain Slows Cancer Growth

Cancer is defined as a group of more than one hundred dis-eases in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and then invade other tissues. The term cancer is used to describe not a single disease, but many diseases in which cells begin to grow and then spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymphatic system. One of the main characteristics of cancer cells is that they’re immortal. The genetic material (DNA) of a cell becomes damaged or changed as a result of chemicals, X-rays, UV rays, or other factors and produces mutations that affect normal cell growth. When that happens, cells don’t die when they should and new cells form when the body doesn’t need them. The extra cells form a mass of tissue called a tumor.

According to famed German cancer surgeon Dr. Ryke-Geerd Hamer, who’s examined thousands of cancer patients over the past few decades, there is a chain of events that causes tumors to survive, grow, and spread to surrounding tissue. The stages are:

Stage 1: Some kind of stressful life event occurs a few years prior to the onset of cancer. During this stage, certain cells in the brain begin to break down, which leads to depressed immune function.

Stage 2: Continued depression of the immune system, usually due to cortisol fluctuations, causes increased infections and susceptibility to pathogens like bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Stage 3: Since cortisol depresses adrenaline and raises blood sugar levels, the excess sugar enters the cells and leaves less room for oxygen. This is the reason why Dr. Hamer believes so many cancer patients become weak and lethargic.

Stage 4: Pathogenic microbes like bacteria, viruses, and fungi infect healthy cells and feed on high glucose levels. As a result, “mycotoxins” are released, interfering with cellular respiration and creating an acidic environment. The lack of oxygen and low energy production triggers cell mutation that leads to cancer growth. Since cancer cells thrive in a low pH environment, tumors begin to grow more rapidly.

Stage 5: Newly formed cancer cells form a symbiotic relationship with pathogens, which continue to release the my-cotoxins that further interfere with cell respiration.

Stage 6: Elevated stress hormones depress immunity and stimulate tumor growth. Patients who don’t reduce stress hormone levels continue the cycle that leads to secondary tumors and a rapid deterioration of body functions.

Treatments for various cancers include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or newer procedures like gene therapy and angiogenesis inhibitors. During the past few decades, studies have found that the effectiveness of these therapies is enhanced when patients include stress management and other techniques like visualization as part of their overall recovery routine. That’s because hormones released during stress reactions not only help cancer cells travel through the bloodstream and spread to other tissues but they help keep those cancerous cells alive and growing by supplying them with vital nutrients. So, simply adding stress management to the mix stimulates the immune system and improves the healing process.

In the next decade, more than 500,000 people will die from some form of cancer each year, and nearly 2 million new cases will be diagnosed annually. That number may be far greater than we realize since we don’t know how many of us will actually develop cancer but then eliminate it from our system without even knowing it. A healthy cell mutates to become a tumor and is immediately attacked by specialized white blood cells whose sole mission is to seek out and destroy the cancer. As one immunologist once told me, “If the fight is between a cancer cell and a healthy immune system, the immune system usually wins.” The problem in many cancer cases is that the immune system is not able to keep up, in which event the cancer wins out.

With some exceptions, like breast and colon cancer, few cancers are inherited. Some are the result of defective genes or the environment. The majority, however, are the result of toxins, additives, diets high in sugar and saturated fat, industrial and household chemicals, radiation exposure, alcohol, and tobacco. Unfortunately, since the EPA does not test for combinations of chemicals, we really don’t know what the effect of exposure to two or more chemicals is on cancer risk compared to a single chemical exposure. Research done over the last decade has shown that most people would either not get cancer at all or would cut their risk significantly if they adhered to seven rules:

1. Don’t use tobacco products, including chewing tobacco.

2. Limit sun exposure, especially if you’re light-skinned.

3. Avoid food additives and environmental chemicals.

4. Maintain a low saturated fat, high fiber diet.

5. Limit alcohol consumption.

6. Limit sugar intake.

7. Watch your weight.

The one significant risk factor left off the researchers’ list is how a person views life events and responds to stress. Human experiments have shown that stress affects key pathogenic processes in cancer such as antiviral defenses, DNA repair, and cellular aging. Conversely, study after study has proven that individuals able to cope with stress are less likely to get cancer. And results from clinical trials have shown that patients who use a variety of stress management techniques and mind-body medicine are much more likely to recover from cancer.

Meditation and visualization exercises, for example, improve the quality of life and can actually enhance the effects of conventional treatment. When chemotherapy or radiation damages white blood cells, along with the cancer cells, the immune system is weakened, which can lead to infection and other diseases. This added stress only fuels the problem and makes stress management and positive reinforcement even more important.

Beating cancer is never easy. Avoiding the seven risk factors that trigger most cancers is; and simply following rules number one and five is a surefire way to eliminate some of the worst types of cancer such as lung, esophageal, throat, liver, pancreatic, and upper digestive tract. New research has also found that obesity is linked to a dozen types of cancers, including colon, kidney, esophagus, and thyroid, among others. For cancer cells that spring up suddenly without a known cause, maintaining a healthy immune system is the best way to make sure that they are detected, attacked, and eliminated. If researchers have learned anything it’s that even a disease like cancer is much more easily overcome when we use the mind-body connection to help fight it. The techniques found throughout the rest of the book will help you do just that.

From: Stress, Disease & the Mind-Body Connection: Using the Power of the Brain for Health and Self-Healing by Dr. Andrew Goliszek