According to the Society for Biological Cancer Protection, ongoing psychological stress increases the risk of cancer. A cancer diagnosis itself has a traumatic effect on people. Therefore, experts recommend psychotherapeutic assistance.
How does psychological stress affect cancer?
There are several factors that influence the development of cancer. The vast majority of patients are diagnosed with traumatic cancer, and almost half of them need psychotherapeutic help.
Hamburg oncologist Dr. Walter Weber uses the old technical term cancer for two in his book Hope in Cancer. From his many years of experience, he reports how people in relationships with a cancer patient soon become ill with a malignant tumor after his death.
Psychosomatic stress can obviously be a risk factor for cancer.
Clinical studies are hardly possible, and the area of causes is being investigated differently. The exact relationship between cancer and the psyche or stress is difficult to identify. However, clinical cases are common in the population.
Doctor and psychotherapist Dr. RudigerDalke said at the 2011 Biological Cancer Protection Congress that cancer is more common among widows and widowers after the death of a beloved partner.
Harvard Medical School in Boston found that 2 years after the death of a partner, "chronic mourners" were more likely to suffer from cancer, hypertension, and heart disease.
Harvard Boston Medical School studied deeply grieving people in the late 1990s. Two years after the death of a partner, mourners were more likely to experience cancer, hypertension, and heart disease.
Stress weakens the immune system.
Scientists agree that prolonged severe mental stress has an indirect effect on the risk of cancer. In stressful situations, many people eat junk food, drink more alcohol, move too little. They often sleep worse, deplete themselves, and have weaker immunity.
A weakened immune system can affect the development of cancer. One hypothesis is that a higher level of stress hormones causes biochemical changes in the cells. These changes contribute significantly to the development of tumors.
Doctors at Ohio State University have discovered that the ATF3 stress gene causes immune cells to spread cancer throughout the body. ATF3 is activated when other cells in the body are under stress.
In breast cancer patients in whom ATF3 was produced, the spread of cancer cells throughout the body increased.
For Professor Chongwin Hai of Ohio State University, these findings confirm that chronic stress poses a risk of cancer.
Change your lifestyle - and the risk disappears
Anxiety and stress negatively affect the disease.
It is important for patients to take responsibility for themselves and say: "I am not a cancer victim, but the creator of my life." This attitude changes the way we treat the disease, and helps to recover and improve the quality of life.
Changing the psyche takes time. The patient learns to better perceive his own emotions and pay attention to important needs. A healthy and informed life, especially mental balance, plays a key role in cancer prevention.
What psychotherapeutic methods to prevent cancer are effective?
Patients with severe mental trauma or mental illness are advised to consult a psychotherapist. The most effective treatment is recognized as “cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy”.
According to large-scale studies, psychotherapists from this area are making great strides in improving the well-being of patients.
A professional psychotherapist will correct the “wrong thinking patterns” and reduce the risk of a pathological reaction in the future.
If serious symptoms occur, consult a doctor. A visit to a specialist should not be postponed, as this is fraught with complications, including cancer. Timely therapy not only prevents cancer, but also improves the quality of life.
