The corresponding link between Cancer and Depression are very clear in the common sense understanding even without scientific evidence
We may not like it but it is here with us. In one way or the other we have to be depressed. Things that are happening around us often make us to be stressed up to the extent that stress is seen as a part of our lives. We need to be care full in dealing with it because the way we handle stress can have an impact on our health. It goes without mention that stress is a common occurrence to everyone, no wonder we hear more and more about the harm it is causing to our minds and bodies from heart disease to anxiety attacks. Now researchers across the globe are trying to determine if stress is also a factor in the development of cancer and we at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care are not left out. We are equally making effort to finding the corresponding link between cancer and depression to join in the fight of keeping our society free from cancer. It is true that currently there is no clear evidence that stress is a direct cause of cancer. However evidence is accumulating that shows the association between stress and development of certain kinds of cancer as well as how the disease progresses.
Several studies have measured how stress impacts on our immune systems and fights disease. At various higher learning institutions researchers have actually established that students under pressure have slower-healing wounds and they take longer to produce immune system cells that kill invading organisms. According to a renowned researcher Dr. Dean Ornish M.D. who has spent over two decades examining the effects of stress on the body, his findings indicated that stress-reduction techniques could actually help reverse heart disease. And Dr. Barry Spiegel, M.D., a leader in the field of psychosomatic medicine, found that metastatic breast cancer patients lived longer when they participated in support groups. In connection to that other studies have even gone as far as to show those women who experienced traumatic life events or losses in previous years had significantly higher rates of breast cancer.
Still, the National Cancer Institute reports that even though studies have shown that stress factors, such as death of a spouse, social isolation, and medical school examinations, alter the way the immune system functions, they have not provided scientific evidence of a direct cause-and-effect relationship between these immune system changes and the development of cancer. Nonetheless in the process of putting the corresponding link between cancer and depression into perspective, some medical experts have reported that the link between cancer and stress is that “if stress reduces the body’s ability to fight disease, then it is capable of losing the ability to kill cancer cells.”
Doctor Dalal Akoury says that every day, our bodies are exposed to cancer-causing agents in the air, food and water we’re exposed to. Typically, our immune system recognizes those abnormal cells and kills them before they produce a tumor. There are three important things that can happen to prevent cancer from developing and they include the following:
- The immune system can prevent the agents from invading in the first place
- DNA can repair the abnormal cells
- The killer T-cells can kill off cancer cells.
It has become very clear from the research findings that stress can lower the body’s ability to do each of those things. This now leaves us wondering that does it therefore means that there’s a direct link between stress and the risk of developing cancer? It may appear to be so but the bottom line is that it is not true in any way. Nonetheless the part of the reason that stress may be linked to cancer is simply that when people are under pressure they make very dangerous and poor choices like beginning smoking, discontinuing exercises and eating unhealthy foods all factors that are also linked to cancer. That is what makes people think that there is some iota of relationship between cancer and depression.
She adds that even if that’s not the case, there are a lot of things that have to happen for cancer to develop. In her opinion she thinks it’s fair to say that stress could be one of the many components in lowering immune systems and therefore making us more vulnerable to cancer and a faster progression of the disease. But stress might just be one piece of the puzzle what percentage is the question. I fall back on the fact that regardless of what percentage it might be, it’s a percentage we’re more in control of. We can’t control genetics, but we can change how we respond to stress,” she said, adding that it’s not necessarily the stress itself as much as the way people handle stress that may be linked to disease. That’s why it’s important that the public understand the connection between stress and cancer, despite lack of hard scientific evidence, according to Dr. Dalal Akoury the M.D and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Ideally when you take the scientific information available and pool it together with the common sense evidence, then the link becomes obvious. The problem we have in Western medicine is what we consider acceptable evidence.
As we near the conclusion of this article, I want to make certain emphasis for the good of your health. Evidence is very good however I wonder whether we need concrete or cemented evidence as a clearance to encourage people to start moving in the direction of better health. Good health can and should not weight for evidence and so feeding well on good food, engagement in healthy physical activities and being composed and calm to defeat stress are things you can do without waiting for scientific evidence. It will take science some time to get the evidence they are looking for but while that is progressing this will be very helpful for you. Now with this information you’re aware that stress will impact negatively on your health if not addressed. You’re also aware that it may not be possible to completely eliminate stress. Therefore, the key isn’t in doing away with all of life’s pressures but in how you handle them as they come. I want to make few suggestions to help you get through life pressures. When you visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, doctor Akoury and her team of experts have developed a group stress reduction class for cancer patients and survivors where proper management of the two is professionally dealt with. This will be very good for you and your loved ones if only you can schedule for an appointment with the experts at this facility today. We will take you through various techniques of reducing stress and by extension cancer in a much more relaxed environment. Some of the methods may include the technique of deep breathing, careful meditation, imagery and mindfulness. We will be very glad to be part of your solution, call doctor Akoury today.
