By Francoise Bonhoure

The relation of stress and cancer is not absolutely clear although, how we handle the stress of our life can certainly adversely affect our health and harm our mind and body.

And there's clear evidence that overloading one's brain and nervous system with anxious thinking (and losing touch with one's body, especially breathing) is a recipe for poor health.

But actually, there is no official evidence that stress can be a direct cause of cancer, but there is evidence that some link exists between stress and developing certain forms of cancer and also that stress can impact on how the cancer progresses.

I remember a very interesting conference I went to in Cannes, held by a French doctor who had spent time in the US, learning a system from the work of a German, Dr Hammer, (barred from practice, as too unconventional!) and had come back with a new approach, called 'Be Happy'.

He was explaining that any psycho-somatic ailment is caused first and foremost by a situation perceived by the individual as being unresolvable, shocking etc. and was in fact a stress.

The part of the brain affected by this trauma (and associated with a particular organ) 'just had to' displace somewhere where it could be attended to and possibly resolved.

The illness manifesting in a particular organ certainly gets our attention and it is then up to us to find the cause, the upset, the stress, then unfold the solution to solve the problem, to cure the cancer. Once this psychological healing has happened the organ affected by the cancer/illness starts to cure itself, the cancer having been manifested to solve a problem originally located in the brain.

His program is/was called 'Be Happy'. The cure being to accept everything that came along.I know it looks fairly impossible at first glance, but the sessions he offered (I took one) were to teach that approach.

Very interesting indeed! The cancer appearing so we have to solve a stress in our life!

Stress and Cancer!

So if you come across someone teaching the 'Be Happy' system, take note!

My approach as a help to remain healthy or as a means to 'Be Happy' is to practise new habits that will make a major difference to how you deal with stress.

Using free Audios and Videos from Benefits to Exercise for Seniors would be a good place to begin: Deep relaxed Breathing Breathing and Relaxation techniques audio Shaking and Breathing (watch video on the page) Self Massage Free Exercise Program

By Henry Relfield

Stress is an imbalance between demands and resources. Anything that continually taps into your resources is depleting. This is why repetitive demands - especially without re-invigoration or a sense of "winning' - cause big health issues. And more than anything else, chronic stress-induced depletion is the predecessor of severe immune system dysfunction - the greater and more longstanding the relative depletion, the greater the risk of developing cancer. Even though all depletion and stress is negative, there are different types of stress. The two main types are current stress and legacy stress.

Current stress seems like an obvious thing: too much to do! But that is only a small part of it, because that is usually only about not having enough time. In fact, issues of self and spirituality are the most potent current stresses as they cut away at the very core of being (which is about you, rather than your activities). So losing sight of who you are, feeling fractured as an individual, losing faith or trust in "bigger things" or in others - these issues create infinitely greater demands and consume infinitely greater resources than having too much to do.

Consequently, in preventing and treating cancer, addressing issues of individuality and spirituality are very important. Although the value of ongoing exercise and system support through diet and supplements are appreciable, individuality and spirituality are the "longest levers" meaning they are the most powerful tools, exerting the greatest force for gaining and maintaining health. Having fun should delight you and light you as an individual, not just distract you from your worries.

However, even more than that there is legacy stress, which refers to all those demands and resources tethered to your emotional baggage and undesirable or adverse life experiences. I believe at least 80 percent of current stress has legacy attached to it. The problem with this is that the hormones and the immune system continue to be tilted toward disequilibrium by a mind anticipating, perceiving, creating, defending against, and reacting to threats that are real, huge, and current to the individual, but that in truth no longer exist.

You should view stress differently if you are trying to prevent or treat cancer. In prevention you can afford to set up your life, your personal focus, and your mind to maximally offset stress and constantly fill the bank with resources. This means minimal stress, rare adverse physical impact, and maximum biological bounce.

However, in people who have cancer and are receiving treatment, the equation is tilted - often drastically. Cancer itself can consume huge resources (including nutritional), the emotional stress of cancer can prove to be an enormous demand, and all forms of conventional treatment, while necessary, increase system stress. That being the case, it is important to clear as much legacy stress as possible as quickly as possible, with as little effort as possible, thereby rapidly tilting the imbalance back toward equilibrium by dramatically reducing demands and maximally increasing resources. This can be done through a combination of introspection, psychological therapy, counseling, and other activities. Professional assistance may be required.

By James Turner

Some human activities, such as smoking, are known to lead to cancer. Researchers have been trying to discover whether psychological factors can lead to the formation of malignant rumors, as well as other relationships between stress and cancer. It is worth asking whether stress can be linked directly to the development of cancer.

Stress affects the body in a specific way. When you are under stress due to something bad happening in your life or due to a busy lifestyle in general, your body produces more adrenaline and another type of hormone called cortisol. Both hormones work to increase the heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. This can be quite harmful. In addition, a person who is under stress can drink more alcohol, smoke more or start smoking and/or gain weight.

All these consequences are harmful for the general health. Various studies have shown that they may provide for the development of cancer. Despite this, evidence is inconclusive. Researchers have not discovered a direct link between stress and the development of any type of malignant tumor. Despite this, it is worth looking as some of the strongest results that support the thesis that stress can lead to cancer.

Numerous studies have shown that high levels of persistent stress can result in the weakening of the immune system. In turn, it has been suggested that the body may become more vulnerable to viruses that cause cancer. This means that it is possible for chronic stress to lead to virus-associated cancer, such as lymphoma.

The most recent studies in this field have involved the testing of animals having diseases similar to the ones in humans. The findings have led researchers to conclude that the release of stress hormones into the blood stream may lead to changes in processes in the cell that can prevent cancer. These changes occur in processes that repair the cell DNA after damage and ones that control the growth of cells. This means that it may be possible for stress to result in the reduction of the natural protection of the body against the formation of tumors.

Overall, it cannot be said with certainty whether stress can lead to cancer. The important thing to keep in mind is that this psychological condition affects negatively both the body and the behavior. For this reason, it is worth taking adequate measure for stress reduction. These may include mediation, yoga, aromatherapy, practicing of a kind of sport as well as more effective time management.