When I was researching for this blog post.
I never made a dollar from this blog because when I started blogging back in 2011 my
only reward I wanted was meeting really cool people that would share information with
me about cancer. And a few years later other chronic dis`eases.
One of those amazing cancer survivors is Mallory Davenport. When we met i was so touched by her spirit when we first chatted on Facebook, I knew I had to visit her in Alabama, being our Birthdays were only 4 days apart. Mine on June 14 and hers on
the 18th 0f June. Search Results for Mallory Davenport | Cancer Quick Facts (solitarius.org)
I still remember my trip down to the Gulf Coast in 2017 to celebrate our birthday’s in Daphne, Alabama. I took away an amazing amount of information about a cancer survivor mindset. One of the main keys was when we were walking the trail when Mallory told me you have to overcome your fear of cancer by loving life.
And Mallory told me I love my husband Jack and the Gulf Coast so much that I don’t
want to leave it. But when I was living in Shelby County, Alabama. I was sick all the time.
But when they relocated to the Gulf Coast it changed the outcome of her health situation.
How the Mind Heals the Body
Andrew Goliszek Ph.D.
More than twenty years ago, the American Cancer Association
asked the question, is there a cancer-prone personality?
At the time, results were inconclusive and researchers needed much more information before they could put the debate to rest. Since then, studies have shown that there may indeed be a link between behavior and personality and the onset of and recovery from cancer.
We know that emotions such as depression, anger, and hostility make us more prone to illness and disease; and it’s been shown that positive attitudes such as hope, optimism, and happiness strengthens our immune system and protects us from disease.
Recent studies point to two personality types that seem to make us
either cancer-prone or cancer resistant.
Cancer-Prone Personality Types
• Represses both positive and negative emotions.
• Shows anger, resentment, or hostility towards others.
• Takes on extra duties and responsibilities, even when they cause stress.
• Reacts adversely to and does not cope well with life changes.
• Is negative or pessimistic.
• Becomes easily depressed or has feelings of hopelessness.
• Worries often and excessively about others.
• Feels the need for approval and to please others.
Cancer-Resistant Personality Type
• Expresses emotions in a positive and constructive way.
• Controls anger and resolves anger issues positively.
• Knows when to say no.
• Copes well with stress and feels in control of situations.
• Is optimistic and hopeful.
• Does not become easily depressed.
• Seeks out and maintains social support networks.
• Does not worry excessively.
• Likes to please but does not seek approval as an emotional crutch.
As with everything else, there are always exceptions: some of the most optimistic and positive among us will get cancer, and some of the angriest and most hostile will live to
be 100% cancer-free. But when a cancer patient is told that his or her disease is terminal, those who adopt cancer-resistant traits tend to live longer because their newly acquired behaviors will automatically boost immunity.
Mind-body techniques such a meditation and guided imagery can have a positive effect
on cancer treatment. A patient’s coping style, behavior, and recovery strategy are critical factors in five-year survival rates. Furthermore, mortality is typically reduced for those who have a social support network compared with those who are socially isolated; and patients who establish a recovery program that includes stress management and relaxation techniques have fewer relapses. So, there is, indeed, a link between mind and body when it comes to the effectiveness of cancer therapies.
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.
And that by strengthening and conditioning the mind part of the mind-body connection, we can extend life and optimize the chances of recovery.
In future blogs, I’ll discuss using self-healing images and other specific techniques from my book Mind-Body Health & Healing that anyone can use to boost immunity and help reverse cancer growth.
The Cancer Personality
Gabor Maté, MD – Search Videos (bing.com)
Is there such a thing as a “cancer personality”?
A 1984 study measured the physiological responses to stressful stimuli of three groups: patients with malignant melanoma (a potentially fatal form of skin cancer), people with heart disease, and a control cohort with no medical illness. Each person was connected
to a dermo graph, a device that recorded the body’s electrical reactions in the skin as the subject looked at a series of slides designed to elicit psychological distress.
The slides displayed unpleasant statements such as “You’re ugly” or “You have only yourself to blame.” Participants were asked to record their subjective awareness of how disturbed they felt on reading each statement and their physiological responses were registered. The researchers thus secured a printout of the actual level of nervous system distress each participant experienced. They also secured a simultaneous report of the subjects’ conscious perception of emotional stress.
Although physiological responses among the three groups were identical, the melanoma group proved most likely to deny any awareness that the messages on the slides upset them emotionally. This study demonstrated that people can experience emotional stresses with measurable physical effects on their system – while managing to sequester their feelings in a place completely beyond conscious awareness.
It was in relation to melanoma that the notion of a “Type C” personality was first proposed. A combination of emotional traits more likely to be found in those who
develop cancer than in people who remain free of it.
Type C personalities have been described as extremely cooperative, patient, passive, accepting, and lacking assertiveness. These same traits have now been found in studies
of many other cancers as well.
In 1991, researchers in Melbourne, Australia, investigated whether personality traits were a risk factor in cancer of the colon. Over 600 people, newly diagnosed, were compared with a matched group of controls. Cancer patients, to a statistically significant degree, were more likely to demonstrate elements of denial and repression of anger.
They appeared to be “nice” people who suppressed reactions to avoid conflict.
The characteristics associated with the Type C personality all represent emotional repression, a pushing down of necessary emotions. In contrast, self-assertion is important to having our needs met. Avoiding conflict and wanting to be liked lead to the denial of these needs.
How do emotional traits translate into cancerous skin lesions or other malignancies?
The answer is that biology and psychology are not independent; each represents the functioning of a super system with components that can no longer be thought of as separate or autonomous mechanisms.
The past quarter century of scientific inquiry has supplanted the traditional Western medical view of a split between body and mind with a truer, more unitary perspective.
Our mind and body are one and our physiology, including our immune system, is directly affected by our emotions.
Thus the repression of emotions threatens not only our psychological health but also our physical well-being. It does so by suppressing our immune response. In turn, immune suppression leaves us susceptible to bacterial or viral invaders, or to malignant changes from within.
1. Overcoming fear with faith – Search (bing.com)
2. Joyce Meyer overcoming fear with love – Search (bing.com)
3. Joyce Meyer Overcoming Fear with Love Living Life – Search (bing.com)
Here’s a perspective that might resonate with you:
Overcoming fear with love is a powerful concept that resonates across various philosophies and spiritual teachings. The idea is that love, as a profound and positive emotion, has the capacity to diminish the hold that fear can have on an individual’s mind and actions.
Love as a Guiding Force Love can act as a guiding force that encourages individuals to face their fears with compassion and understanding. When one approaches a situation or a fear with love, it can help to see beyond the immediate threat and understand the underlying causes or concerns.
Love in Action Acts of love, such as kindness, empathy, and support, can create a sense
of safety and trust that helps to alleviate fear. For example, a supportive friend or family member can provide the reassurance needed to face a challenging situation.
Spiritual Perspective From a spiritual standpoint, many believe that love is the ultimate antidote to fear. Scriptures often mention love as a powerful tool to overcome fear.
For instance, 1 John 4:18 from the Bible says,
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”
Practical Steps To practically overcome fear with love, one can:
Acknowledge the fear: Recognize and accept that the fear exists.
Understand the fear: Try to understand why the fear is present and what it signifies.
Respond with love: Choose to respond to the fear with acts of love, both towards oneself and others.
Remember, it’s a process that takes time and often requires patience and persistence.
But many find that approaching life with love leads to a more fulfilling and less fearful existence. If you’re looking for more specific advice or strategies, feel free to ask!
Joyce Meyer, a well-known Christian author and speaker, has written extensively on the topic of overcoming fear with faith and love. Her teachings emphasize that fear is a tool used by negative forces to keep people from fulfilling their God-given potential. She encourages believers to combat fear by focusing on God’s love and promises, which can lead to a fulfilling, satisfying, peaceful, and joyful life in Christ 1.
In her article “The Key to Overcoming Every Fear You Face,” Joyce Meyer discusses how fear begins with a thought and can create emotions that rule us. She advises that by renewing our minds with the Word of God, we can gain revelation that sets us free from fears holding us back 1.
Another piece, “The Secret to Defeating Fear,” highlights the importance of worship and trust in God as means to defeat fear. Meyer suggests that understanding God’s perfect, unconditional love for us can deliver us from fear and help us to live courageously 2.
Joyce Meyer has also authored books like “Living a Life You Love: Embracing the Adventure of Being Led by the Holy Spirit” and “Living Courageously: You Can Face Anything, Just Do It Afraid,” which further explore these themes providing guidance
for living a life empowered by faith rather than hindered by fear 3 4.
If you’re interested in these teachings, you might find it beneficial to read her works or listen to her sermons for more in-depth insights and practical advice on overcoming fear with love and living life to the fullest. Joyce Meyer’s approach is about embracing a bold identity in Christ and using one’s faith to conquer fear and embrace the life God has planned for each individual.
While fear suppresses your immune system love for life boost it – Search (bing.com)
You’re absolutely right; emotions can have a significant impact on our immune system.
Research indicates that chronic fear can suppress the immune system by reducing the number and function of immune cells, making individuals more susceptible to infections and illnesses1. This is due to the body’s stress response, which, when activated over a long period, can lead to immune system dysfunction and other health issues2.
On the other hand, positive emotions like love and happiness can have beneficial effects.
Studies have found that falling in love is associated with increased activity of genes involved in antiviral defenses3. Moreover, being in a loving, supportive relationship has been shown to strengthen the immune system, potentially making individuals more resilient against infections4.
9 Ways to Boost Your Body’s Natural Defenses
It’s fascinating how our emotional states can influence our physical health, isn’t it?
Prioritizing sleep, staying hydrated, and eating nourishing foods are just a few ways to support your immune system and reduce your risk of certain illnesses.
If you want to boost your immune health, you may wonder how to help your body fight
off illnesses. While bolstering your immunity is easier said than done, several dietary and lifestyle changes may strengthen your body’s natural defenses and help you fight harmful pathogens, or disease-causing organisms.
Here are 9 tips to strengthen your immunity naturally.
1. Get enough sleep
Sleep and immunity are closely tied.
In fact, inadequate or poor quality sleep is linked to a higher susceptibility to sickness.
In a study in 164 healthy adults, those who slept fewer than 6 hours each night were more likely to catch a cold than those who slept 6 hours or more each night (1Trusted Source).
Getting adequate rest may strengthen your natural immunity. Also, you may sleep more when sick to allow your immune system to better fight the illness (2Trusted Source).
Adults should aim to get 7 or more hours of sleep each night, while teens need 8–10 hours and younger children and infants up to 14 hours (3).
If you’re having trouble sleeping, try limiting screen time for an hour before bed, as the blue light emitted from your phone, TV, and computer may disrupt your circadian rhythm, or your body’s natural wake-sleep cycle (4Trusted Source).
Other sleep hygiene tips include sleeping in a completely dark room or using a sleep mask, going to bed at the same time every night, and exercising regularly (3).
SUMMARY Inadequate sleep may increase your risk of getting sick.
Most adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
2. Eat more whole plant foods
Whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes are rich in nutrients and antioxidants that may give you an upper hand against harmful pathogens.
The antioxidants in these foods help decrease inflammation by combatting unstable compounds called free radicals, which can cause inflammation when they build up in your body in high levels (5Trusted Source).
Chronic inflammation is linked to numerous health conditions, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and certain cancers.
Meanwhile, the fiber in plant foods feeds your gut microbiome, or the community of healthy bacteria in your gut. A robust gut microbiome can improve your immunity and help keep harmful pathogens from entering your body via your digestive tract (6Trusted Source).
Furthermore, fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients like vitamin C, which may reduce the duration of the common cold (7Trusted Source).
SUMMARY Several whole plant foods contain antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C, all of which may lower your susceptibility to illness.
3. Eat more healthy fats
Healthy fats, like those found in olive oil and salmon,
may boost your body’s immune response to pathogens by decreasing inflammation.
Although low-level inflammation is a normal response to stress or injury, chronic inflammation can suppress your immune system (8Trusted Source).
Olive oil, which is highly anti-inflammatory, is linked to a decreased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Plus, its anti-inflammatory properties
may help your body fight off harmful disease-causing bacteria and viruses (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
Omega-3 fatty acids, such as those in salmon and chia seeds, fight inflammation as well (11Trusted Source).
SUMMARY Healthy fats like olive oil and omega-3s are highly anti-inflammatory. Since chronic inflammation can suppress your immune system, these fats may naturally combat illnesses.
4. Eat more fermented foods or take a probiotic supplement
Fermented foods are rich in beneficial bacteria called probiotics,
which populate your digestive tract (12Trusted Source).
These foods include yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and natto.
Research suggests that a flourishing network of gut bacteria can help your immune cells differentiate between normal, healthy cells and harmful invader organisms (13Trusted Source).
In a 3-month study in 126 children, those who drank just 2.4 ounces (70 mL) of fermented milk daily had about 20% fewer childhood infectious diseases, compared with a control group (14Trusted Source).
If you don’t regularly eat fermented foods, probiotic supplements are another option.
In a 28-day study in 152 people infected with rhinovirus, those who supplemented with probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis had a stronger immune response and lower levels of the virus in their nasal mucus than a control group (15Trusted Source).
SUMMARY Gut health and immunity are deeply interconnected. Fermented foods and probiotics may bolster your immune system by helping it identify and target harmful pathogens.
5. Limit added sugars
Emerging research suggests that added sugars and refined carbs may contribute disproportionately to overweight and obesity (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).
Obesity may likewise increase your risk of getting sick.
According to an observational study in around 1,000 people, people with obesity who were administered the flu vaccine were twice as likely to still get the flu than individuals without obesity who received the vaccine (18Trusted Source).
Curbing your sugar intake can decrease inflammation and aid weight loss, thus reducing your risk of chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).
Given that obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease can all weaken your immune system, limiting added sugars is an important part of an immune-boosting diet (18Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).
You should strive to limit your sugar intake to less than 5% of your daily calories. This equals about 2 tablespoons (25 grams) of sugar for someone on a 2,000-calorie diet.
SUMMARY Added sugars contribute significantly to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, all of which can suppress your immune system. Lowering your sugar intake may decrease inflammation and your risk of these conditions.
6. Engage in moderate exercise
Although prolonged intense exercise can suppress your immune system, moderate exercise can give it a boost. Studies indicate that even a single session of moderate exercise can boost the effectiveness of vaccines in people with compromised immune systems (23Trusted Source).
What’s more, regular, moderate exercise may reduce inflammation and help your immune cells regenerate regularly (23Trusted Source).
Examples of moderate exercise include brisk walking, steady bicycling, jogging, swimming, and light hiking. Most people should aim for at least 150 minutes of
moderate exercise per week (24).
SUMMARY Moderate exercise can reduce inflammation and promote the healthy turnover of immune cells. Jogging, biking, walking, swimming, and hiking are great options.
7. Stay hydrated
Hydration doesn’t necessarily protect you from germs and viruses,
but preventing dehydration is important to your overall health.
Dehydration can cause headaches and hinder your physical performance, focus, mood, digestion, and heart and kidney function. These complications can increase your susceptibility to illness (25Trusted Source).
To prevent dehydration, you should drink enough fluid daily to make your urine pale yellow. Water is recommended because it’s free of calories, additives, and sugar (25Trusted Source).
While tea and juice are also hydrating, it’s best to limit your intake of fruit juice and sweetened tea because of their high sugar contents (26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source).
As a general guideline, you should drink when you’re thirsty and stop when you’re no longer thirsty. You may need more fluids if you exercise intensely, work outside, or live in a hot climate (28Trusted Source).
It’s important to note that older adults begin to lose the urge to drink, as their bodies do not signal thirst adequately. Older adults need to drink regularly even if they do not feel thirsty.
SUMMARY Given that dehydration can make you more susceptible to illness, be sure you’re drinking plenty of water each day.
8. Manage your stress levels
Relieving stress and anxiety is key to immune health. Long-term stress promotes inflammation, as well as imbalances in immune cell function (7Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).
In particular, prolonged psychological stress can suppress the immune response in children (29Trusted Source).
Activities that may help you manage your stress include meditation, exercise, journaling, yoga, and other mindfulness practices. You may also benefit from seeing a licensed counselor or therapist, whether virtually or in person.
SUMMARY Lowering your stress levels through meditation, yoga, exercise,
and other practices can help keep your immune system functioning properly.
9. Supplement wisely
It’s easy to turn to supplements if you hear claims about their ability to treat
or prevent COVID-19. However, these assertions are unfounded and untrue.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there’s no evidence to support the use of any supplement to prevent or treat COVID-19 (30Trusted Source).
However, some studies indicate that the following supplements may strengthen your body’s general immune response:
Vitamin C. According to a review in over 11,000 people, taking 1,000–2,000 mg of
vitamin C per day reduced the duration of colds by 8% in adults and 14% in children.
Yet, supplementing did not prevent the cold to begin with (7Trusted Source).
Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency may increase your chances of getting sick,
so supplementing may counteract this effect. Nonetheless, taking vitamin D when you already have adequate levels doesn’t seem to provide extra benefits (31Trusted Source).
Zinc. In a review in 575 people with the common cold, supplementing with more
than 75 mg of zinc per day reduced the duration of the cold by 33% (32Trusted Source).
Elderberry. One small review found that elderberry could reduce the symptoms
of viral upper respiratory infections, but more research is needed (33Trusted Source).
Garlic. A high quality, 12-week study in 146 people found that supplementing with garlic reduced the incidence of the common cold by about 30%.
However, more research is needed (35Trusted Source).
Selenium and glutathione for the immune system as an essential component of selenocysteine–containing protein is involved in most aspects of cell biochemistry and function. As such, there is much potential for selenium to influence the immune system.
While these supplements demonstrated potential in
the studies mentioned above, that doesn’t mean they’re effective against COVID-19.
Furthermore, supplements are prone to mislabeling because they aren’t regulated by
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Thus, you should only purchase supplements that have been independently tested by third-party organizations like United States Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF International,
and ConsumerLab.com
SUMMARY Though some supplements may fight viral infections,
none have been proven to be effective against COVID-19. If you decide to supplement, make sure to purchase products that have been tested by a third party.
The bottom line
You can make several lifestyle and dietary changes today to strengthen your immune system. These include reducing your sugar intake, staying hydrated, working out regularly, getting adequate sleep, and managing your stress levels.
Although none of these suggestions can prevent COVID-19,
they may reinforce your body’s defenses against harmful pathogens.