Stress And Cancer

Stress And Cancer


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A cancer diagnosis is some of the most stressful news we can get. I’ve been lucky enough to not have been diagnosed with cancer myself, but I know from our dad’s diagnosis a few years ago just how much of an impact it has on life. Our parents were just getting ready to travel to Sweden for a few weeks. Due to the COVID debacle, they hadn’t been on vacation in a while and were looking forward to enjoying a bit of peace and quiet away from their sons. Despite minor issues like overweight, high blood pressure, and occasional joint pains, they were both considered overall healthy for their age by modern standards (which, granted, isn’t saying much). The idea of either of them dying soon seemed unreasonable. Dad was in early retirement and mum was soon to join him. Free from their jobs, they’d be free to spend their time travelling and living their best lives for another 30 years. That was the future we expected.

And then dad’s diagnosis struck. Pleural mesothelioma. Not only cancer, but a vicious type at that (1, 2). The doctor told dad that he had 6 to 18 months left if he did nothing. The future we’d been expecting suddenly evaporated and was replaced by fear and uncertainty. Chemotherapy would likely extend his life by a little. And because the cancer was discovered early, surgery was still a viable option. Not knowing what we know today, surgery seemed like his best shot at a longer life, so dad decided to go through with it. Due to the aggressive nature of his cancer, it was still uncertain how much longer he would be with us.

On top of this, no one informed dad about those things he could do to fight cancer himself. He was simply operated on, injected with some chemotherapeutics, and sent home to deal with it on his own. Thanks to our studies in molecular biotech, Merlin and I had enough education to dive into the scientific literature and help him in his fight, eventually developing the Mosaic Method (you can get full guide to it under [link]). This, together with the support of his amazing wife, our mum, significantly lessened the psychological stress of the diagnosis.

But most people aren’t that lucky. Most people are never informed about what they could do, how they themselves could take back some control and many might not have such strong support from their loving family. They are given the diagnosis of unstoppable doom, sent home, and left feeling powerless, stressed, and anxious. You might even have experienced a similar treatment yourself, if you’re a cancer patient.

The worst thing about this is, that the stress caused by the diagnosis can itself worsen patient outcomes (3-6). You may now wonder, how it does that and how you can avoid stress. I’ll tackle how stress helps cancer kill you first and then move on to some strategies of avoiding and resolving stress.

Is Natural Always Good?

Is Natural Always Good?

One very common claim when it comes to discussions about diets is that more natural foods or compounds are healthier for humans. Be it wholegrain bread, which is argued to be closer to the simple wheat corn and thus nature compared to white bread or natural sugar, which is any sugar that is naturally contained in for example fruits or dairy, being far better than processed sugar such as corn syrup or cane sugar. The claim is especially common in marketing of “health-conscious” foods, that appea


Cedric Leonhard Marquard

Cedric Leonhard Marquard