Cancer and Psyche
Stress can also Cancer - Stress makes you more susceptible to cancer - Fear, anxiety and stress fuel cancer growth - and it is becoming more and more clear why this is so.
Stress raises blood pressure and increases the risk of heart attacks. Researchers at University College London regularly recorded the stress levels of 160.000 subjects over a period of ten years. The results of this study have been official since 2017: subjects who were under a lot of stress had a 32% higher risk of cancer than those with "normal stress". In particular, leukemia was four times more common among the "constantly stressed" subjects.
Optimism and joy of life improve chances of recovery
Esoteric therapists still hold the view that cancer is a consequence of unresolved loss or grief. This view has now been clearly refuted by science.
When cancer patients are depressed, the Depression not the cause of cancer, but the consequence of this disease. Finally, the severity of the Disease and the often stressful therapy is not easy to deal with.
In truth, cancer can affect anyone. Many studies now show that the risk of cancer is no different between depressed patients and healthy people.
However, the psyche can have a positive or negative influence on an existing cancer once it has broken out. These connections are now undisputed, they are being medically researched in psycho-oncology and used therapeutically. It is known that optimism, joy in life and contact with friends and relatives significantly improve the chances of survival for cancer patients.
Stress hormones help cancer cells grow
The study by the University of London has clearly shown that psychological Diseases or certain personality traits do not play a role. It depends much more on stress. However, it has now been scientifically proven that stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline promote the formation of cancer cells and thus make it easier for them to spread in the body.
This is how stress hormones promote cancer growth:
- Important immune cells, such as T lymphocytes or natural killer cells, have receptors for stress hormones on their surface. However, if the stress hormones bind there in excessive quantities, this slows down the actual activities of the immune cells. They can then no longer fight cancer cells adequately.
- The stress hormones then promote inflammatory reactions in the micro-environment of a tumor and significantly stimulate tumor growth.
- Finally, the formation of new blood vessels is also promoted. These are how the tumor ultimately supplies itself with nutrients and oxygen.
Such processes in the body can be limited or even completely prevented by doing everything possible to reduce personal stress levels.
Rest and relaxation instead of stress – an effective cancer protection
- Delegate tasks and say "no" sometimes. Special service providers provide relief at work and at home. Not everything has to be done immediately or today. A lot of things can be done by "not doing them".
- Don't always want to perfect everything. The last 10% of perfection costs almost 50% of effort, attention and time. Serenity can also be a kind of Cancer screening .
- Not everything you are doing or want to do has to be useful. Daydreaming, following positive memories or just wandering around can often be very helpful in avoiding stress.
- Relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, yoga or qigong are good methods for balancing stress. Regular exercise (walking, running, cycling) also helps.
- Plan a 15-minute break once a day and treat yourself to it. Just do nothing, sit on a bench in the park or garden, or just watch the clouds in the sky. Breathe in and out calmly and deeply.
- Be outdoors as often as possible. Walks, leisurely hikes with friends or a short bike ride - this has a calming effect, takes you away from everyday stress and releases the body's own happiness hormones (endorphins).