There is evidence that spirituality can have a positive effect on your health; however, it’s likely impossible to scientifically test the impact of religion and prayer on healing.  Those of us that are religious already know that the effects of prayer can’t be measured, it goes against the basic idea of prayer—faith.  We engage in prayer because that is where we build a relationship with our God.   Simply put, we do not pray solely as a means to persuade God to have it our way.  So why the post? There is evidence from scientific studies that religiosity and spirituality are associated with lower blood pressure, less pain, even a higher likelihood of surviving heart surgery, for instance.  Prayer is the most widely practiced therapy on earth, and likely prayer helps the healing process in that it provides its partakers with the most important medicine—hope. 

I’d like to focus a little more specifically in this post on meditation.  I have found meditation a part of the puzzle in building my picture of health, and I am using a multi-faceted approach in my own healing. 

Some of the proven benefits of meditation are lower blood pressure, relief from insomnia, general relaxation and stress reduction.  If you’ve tried meditation, you know that it can balance your physical, mental, and emotional states.  There are various types of meditation, including prayer, and Transcendental Meditation, mindful meditation, Zen meditation, Buddhist meditation, and Taoist meditation.  What is common among the different forms of mediation is the focus brought to the mind.  Concentration is important to bring peace and eliminate stress and anxiety, keeping the mind in the moment.

If you’ve never tried meditation, how do you start?  One can sit quietly and focus attention on breathing.  By consciously slowing your breath, in regular deep intervals, you can create awareness and peacefulness of the mind.

Another approach is to be mindful in your meditation.  Keep track of images, sounds, ideas, feelings, smells.  Your attentiveness to your thoughts and feelings creates a calm mind.  Instead of narrowing your focus on breathing, you broaden your focus.

Research suggest that when we meditate, we are resting our bodies but making our minds alert. 

Most people that meditate do so to reduce stress--calming the mind, but meditation is definitely gaining popularity in Western culture with regard to healing.  The benefits can be delivered physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

What should you do to get started?  Find a comfortable, quiet place where you will not be distracted for the duration of your meditation.  As you become more practiced, you may find it easy to meditate wherever…  Posture is an important piece of many meditation techniques, but if you’re not practicing yoga or Zen Buddhist practice, you might choose to sit—lying down is okay, but you may find that you will fall asleep.  It might be important to note that keeping the spine straight seems to be common amongst meditative postures…  Next, you need to choose something to focus your attention on—it could be your breathing, or as in some meditation practices, a mantra.  You can create your own mantra, or you can simply choose a word that you find calming…  I like to concentrate on my breath for meditation—I breathe in at the same rate as I breathe out, concentrating on lengthening the duration of each breath.  Once I am breathing deeply, I keep the pace.  Now the trick is to keep focus—keep your awareness on your breath or mantra or word, mindfully relaxing your arms, legs, shoulders, etc.  Do not allow yourself to be distracted.  When your mind starts moving to your to-do list, bring it back to your object of awareness.  There you have it! 

If you’ve never meditated before, don’t get too hung up on the terminology.  Meditation is not quackery—there is significant research to support the health benefits associated with this awareness of the body and mind.  Meditation took on a new meaning to me when I was fighting cancer—some cancer patients actually visualize their cancer being eaten up by healthy cells when they meditate, and it may help them…   Let me know how it goes!

What is currently the most intriguing super food or supplement with regard to preventing cancer?  I think it may be reservatrol.  Reservatrol is an antioxidant that can be found in the skins of red grapes, as well as red wine, peanuts and a few other natural sources like Japanese knotweed.  Many supplements that you buy will likely be from the Japanese knotweed--take a peek at the label if you're interested...

In 1997, it was reported that topical resveratrol applications prevented the skin cancer development in mice treated with a carcinogen. Since that time, there have been several studies of the anti-cancer activity of resveratrol conducted in animal models. Clinical trials to investigate the effects on colon cancer and melanoma are currently recruiting patients.

 

Learning that you have cancer is devastating, for you and your family.  The first time that I was diagnosed with cancer, I was 35 years old.  It was a surreal experienced.  I was faced with the decision to get a breast removed or go through radiation.  After lengthy discussions with my husband and several doctor's I hedged my bet and went with radiation.   In hindsight, I see that that was a mistake.  The cancer returned 3 years later, a few months after I delivered my first daughter.  I was 38 years old.  This time, the prognosis was worse. Cancer had spread to my lymphnodes, so mastectomy and chemotherapy were my primary treatment. 6 operations and 6 rounds of chemotherapy put me in the clear, or so I thought...

6 months after I had finished chemo, I scheduled a PET scan.  The PET scan showed several areas of lymph nodes that lit up--a bad sign.  Next, my doctor scheduled a CAT scan, and that brought results that floored me.  My oncologist was convinced that my cancer had returned to the lymphnodes right outside my lungs--NOT GOOD!  I wasn't able to get in for a biopsy for a week, and in that time between the "bad news" and the biopsy results, I made decisions that would change the course of my life forever. 

Bernie Siegel is clear that if you're not up for the fight, you likely won't be able to beat your cancer.  Well, I now know that I am up for the fight.  Upon learning that I potentially had, on the average, a year and a half to live, I began to research and read everything that I could about breast cancer and cancer in general.  The first thing I learned was that if the cancer spread to my lungs, I could expect more like 6 or 9 months left to live. I was shocked and upset.  How could this be happening to me? 

During this time, a series of coincidences began to occur in my life.  Somewhat randomly, from a contact with a parent of one of my students, I met and started to learn from a women who had beaten stage IV breast cancer.  There were several other coincidences that began happening that convinced me that I could beat my cancer; it was a choice of will.  I scheduled an appointment with a Chinese doctor that visits our country 3 or 4 times a year to practice Eastern medicine with cancer patients that aren't getting results with Western Medicine.  I literally changed my diet overnight.  I began the Budwig diet--kind of, and I put flax seed on everything that I ate.  I read Bernie Siegel, and How to Beat Cancer through nutrition.  I stopped eating sugar cold turkey, and I began taking AHCC and a variety of other supplements... and I meditated, and I prayed. 

Everyone I knew was praying for me and my family.  One week later, I completed the biopsy and the result were in.  I did not have cancer in my lymph nodes, I had sarcoids.  Now, I lean heavily toward scientific explanations, but even my doctor, in this instance, suggested that I had said a lot of prayers.  My cancer had not returned, but I was not out of the woods.  No one is ever out of the woods with regard to cancer.

I'm thankful for that experience because it taught me that I had more control over my health than I had realized.  I learned that most Western doctors pay very little attention to herbal and supplemental, alternative therapy.  I also learned that there are many documented studies that demonstrate that our diet can play a significant role in fighting cancer.  No one had talked to me about what I should be eating during my treatment for cancer the first two times, and ignorantly, I didn't ask questions.  I took what my doctor's had to say at face value.  As Oprah says, "When you know better, you do better."  And that is where I am at today.  I know better, and I want to share what I've learned in the hopes that others battling cancer will look toward a healthier lifestyle to help better fight off this terrible disease.   

There are no magic pills; you can't just take a few supplements and expect to ward off cancer.  Good health is a combination of many factors, one of the most important is reducing stress.  In fact, if all you take away from this site is the idea that stress causes cancer, than you have benefited.  STRESS causes cancer--there's no doubt.  Cancer is an immune system issue, and stress weakens our immune system. 

So I hope that you will peruse this site.  I'm just getting started, but over time, I hope to build a resource that works for the average American.  For those that are ready to start making changes that will benefit their health, and ultimately their families.

If you've never had cancer, it's time to begin living your life consciously--making decisions about your health that will keep this awful disease at bay.

If you have cancer, don't despair.  There were days that I thought I would lose my mind, but it is hope, hope for a longer life that will put you on a path of recovery.  My best advice from someone that has been there is "knowledge is power."  Read everything that you can about your cancer.  If you haven't picked up "How to Beat Cancer Through Nutrition," it's  a must read, as well.