| Major religious traditions have known for millennia that | | | | in patients with cancer. |
| meditation can improve health. While some medical | | | | Most people feel much better after becoming regular |
| practitioners are still skeptical about its usefulness this | | | | meditators. They come to a greater sense of peace |
| is largely because they are not aware of the amount | | | | about their situation and their lives, have a greater |
| of evidence there is in the medical literature. | | | | sense of trust in the world, and improved coping |
| Meditation not only changes the electrical activity of | | | | capabilities. And each of these emotions not only |
| the brain but impacts on both the hormonal cascades | | | | make you feel better, but they have a positive flow |
| and the immune system. | | | | on effect to your hormones and immune system. |
| When I first started as a researcher I was told in no | | | | One of the issues surrounding self care in cancer is |
| uncertain terms that there was no evidence that | | | | the hope and expectation that some special pill, |
| stress contributed to ill health. Now it is known that | | | | potion or magic herb, or in this case, meditation might |
| stress suppresses the immune system through | | | | be the cancer equivalent of antibiotic use in tonsillitis. |
| multiple processes including encouraging the white | | | | Unfortunately there are no promises for recovery |
| blood cells to die off. They call this stress induced | | | | from cancer - not even from medicine and |
| "apoptosis of lymphocytes and development of | | | | chemotherapy. Chemotherapy contributes an |
| immune suppression by means of glucocorticoid | | | | average to only just over 2% to the 5-year survival |
| pathways". Please bear with me and put up with | | | | rate. This means that many survivors are recovering |
| some big words. I have found that most doctors and | | | | as a result of their own innate immunity. |
| many ordinary people won't believe it is effective | | | | Therefore anything that might increase one's innate |
| without these convoluted expressions. | | | | immunity and anything that can upregulate the cancer |
| Researchers have also been able to show how | | | | fighting cells should be considered. The wonderful |
| meditation can increase the relaxation response and | | | | aspect of natural cancer treatment is that there are |
| undo many negative effects of stress. It always | | | | no bad negative side effects. |
| makes me smile when a statement such as this is | | | | Meditation is just one of these upregulators of the |
| blithely disregarded by my medical colleagues. | | | | immune system. Meditation need not cost any |
| However, if I quote from a paper and say how | | | | money. It can be undertaken in a great many |
| stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal | | | | environments without additional resources and in my |
| axis, or that "cortisol is also a powerful | | | | opinion it should be in the front line of any self care. |
| immunosuppressant and this may undermine the | | | | Look out for other upregulators of the immune |
| capacity of NK (natural killer) and cytotoxic T-cells to | | | | system, such as good social support, enough Vitamin |
| eradicate tumor cells" then I can have a more | | | | D3, bright colored fruits and vegetables and exercise. |
| productive conversation with them. | | | | With cancer, and indeed with any chronic or terminal |
| In addition to these biological effects meditation has | | | | illness you need every possible assistance to improve |
| been shown in research to reduce negative moods | | | | your chances of improved short and long term |
| of depression, anxiety, anger, irritability and confusion | | | | outcomes. |