[norkdo]

re: At this point, I'd like to point out that Bernie Siegel, a world-class author and onocologist, shares his views on mind-body connection, and how he has seen patients cure themselves, in SOME instances, by releasing anger, destressing and living a positive-minded life. Will it happen for me? Not sure, but it is more comfortable and serene to live life this way. I tend to believe that the scientists who display their findings above are accurate to a degree, after all, what are they saying? A neurotransmitter has been identified which stimulates breast cancer cells. Glad they found it. Most health-care professionals believe our mental outlook has much to do with our overall health. Our systems are so different. If I have one glass of wine, I'm tipsy. I'm sure that doesn't apply to all.

We don't usually beckon stress, it usually finds us.

As I look back, and re-evaluate the trip called My Life, I see so much emotional violence: the deaths of my dogs (train, steamroller, cars), the death of my horse when she slipped on ice and broke her leg, the deaths of my two nephews under the age of three, the death of my grandmother who was like my mother, the death of my lover of 13 years in just six weeks, of course, the World Trade Center catastrophe, plus all else I can't possibly write in a thread, and I wonder how much natural healing was I born with? How much will require extra effort on my part now? I have a theory that our immune system is our own ozone layer. Poke too many holes in that, look what happens...a complete meltdown. So the idea of detoxing, massage, self-love, de-stressing, a positive frame of mind and my faith will get me through.

Cancer may win in the end, but not today. I've already talked to it and we've agreed on that.

wow. thanx soooo much for this. Makes soooo much emotional sense. May I borrow the view of immune system as private ozone layer? you have nailed the whole issue well. I picture the relationship between stress and cancer in the context of the following: pls forgive incorrect science where it occurs. you get the drift.

1. Adrenal glands respond to stress. Produce adrenaline. Excess adrenaline mixes with aromatase-making proteins, etc. Converts adrenaline into estrogen hormone. Estrogen has X effect on all cells of body.

2. Progesterone is produced in response to stress. In pregnant women, for example, this excess progesterone causes havoc as it imbalances testosterone available for secondary male characteristics in developing male embryo...and has unknown effects on developing female embryo...

3. chain effect on all processes and cells used by all cells affected.

4. all living things, when stressed, choose either fight (they change internally to attempt some kind of survival, be it mutation or self defense of some sort like that) or flight (a baby in utero..... when u stress it with alcohol or other chemicals like thalidomide or other things doctors have claimed at one time or another were safe for the baby...cannot "fly" so must change somehow) or flight...so I tend to see mutation as some kind of flight or fight response...to a stress an ancestor was under..or that I have been under....

I love a thread that makes me grow in some way. all the comments here are wow level interesting and growthful.