Category: Integrative

Mindfulness, Meditation, and Kicking Cancer’s Butt


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We have all heard that “Mind Over Matter” is a great phrase to remember while getting through tough times. Well these days, that theory is based in scientific fact. In 2014, Canadian researchers published a study that documented the overall benefits of using meditation in Cancer treatment. Those who used the practice had higher levels of telomeres than those who did not.

Telomeres are protein caps at the end of our chromosomes. The shortening of these chromosomes correlates with an increased Cancer risk. Therefore, the more you have, the better. Those who did not participate in the meditation in the study had lowering numbers of Telomeres. Interesting, right?

The mind is a powerful thing, and that’s why in the most difficult battle of our life, you should learn to utilize it. You’re not only soothing your mentality and soul with meditation, but as we now know, you’re also healing your physical body. The body works best when it’s working with the mind. The more connected you feel to yourself and to your inner strength and peace, the more your body feels it.

Here are a few other benefits to practicing meditation:

  • Increased awareness, including self-awareness
  • Improvement in emotions
  • Improvement in focus
  • Improvement in relaxation
  • Improvement in anxiety
  • Improvement in relationships (with self and others)
  • Improvement in confidence
  • Improvement in pain management
  • Increase in meaning and peace in your life

At the end of the day, you have two options when dealing with this fight. You can let the fight overcome you, or you can put your foot down and say that you will try. Whether you are trying meditation, trying positive affirmations, or simply trying to think positively, you are trying. With trying, you have already won.

If you or someone that you love is interested in giving meditation a try, here are several online links where you can listen along:

Cancer Healing Visualization/Guided Meditation

Healing Cancer Guided Meditation

Cancer Wellness Meditation

A few others can be found at:

https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/guided-meditations-help-fight-cancer

Thank you for reading and please take a moment to check out our website at http://answersforangels.com/ to see how we help Cancer patients fight their battles. If you know anyone who needs help, please direct them to us. You’re not in this fight alone!

You can also find us on our Facebook Page.

 

Article Sources:

Macdonald, Fiona. “World-first evidence suggests that meditation alters cancer survivors’ cells”. Science Alert. http://www.sciencealert.com/world-first-evidence-suggests-that-meditation-alters-cancer-survivors-cells. Accessed 6/27/2016.

Linda E. Carlson PhD, Tara L. Beattie PhD, Janine Giese-Davis PhD, Peter Faris PhD, Rie Tamagawa PhD, Laura J. Fick PhD, Erin S. Degelman MS, and Michael Speca PsyD. “Mindfulness-based cancer recovery and supportive-expressive therapy maintain telomere length relative to controls in distressed breast cancer survivors”. Wiley Online Library. Published November 3, 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29063/full. Accessed 6/27/2016.

Dr Tomislav Meštrović, MD, PhD. “Telomeres and Cancer”. News Medical. Published November 19, 2015. http://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/Telomeres-and-Cancer.aspx. Accessed 6/27/2016.

Penny Widmaier, RN. “How meditation can benefit cancer patients”. Botsford Hospital. Published December 19, 2011. http://www.botsford.org/blog/index.php/2011/12/19/how-meditation-can-benefit-cancer-patients/. Accessed 6/27/2016.

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Have a Minute to Save a Life?


Tara Hill cancer came backThis young 20 year old from the Chicago-land area, is in the fight of her life. She is determined not to use the conventional methods of chemo and radiation to treat her cancer.
Her name is Tara Hill.  She is a sophomore honors student attending St. Xavier University in Chicago. Her education has always been important to her, but now her focus is on healing from cancer.
Tara has Ewing’s Sarcoma, which is a bone and soft tissue cancer. The surgeon she visited at a respectable Chicago hospital told Tara that the mass in her breast is benign; she chose to remove it. After surgery, Tara woke up to the alarming news that the tumor is cancerous and it is in her chest wall. The surgeon expressed to her that they removed the entire tumor; but after reviewing the surgical reports, it was confirmed that they did not.
Tara reasoned to cure herself without the help of conventional doctors by changing her diet to a completely raw, organic diet. After she began college, she ate as any college student does; she ate a lot of sugar and less veggies. Regrettably, 18 months later the cancer came back. It continued to grow quite large and measures to be 8-1/2″ x 6″. It is located in and around her right breast and chest wall. The recommendation of the doctors are to remove her breast, part of her chest wall and part of her lung, along with high doses of chemo and radiation. “Without these treatments”, they say, “You will surely die”.
“I knew for sure that I could not poison myself with the harsh drugs and devastating side effects from chemo and radiation[1]“, Tara says. “Because I saw many family members die horrible deaths due to conventional methods, I want to give myself a better chance at survival”.
Faced with this situation, what would you do? How much are you willing to do to save the life of your young daughter?
Tara and her family’s decision to do what is best for her survival comes at an extremely high cost. Her parents have taken out loans, emptied 401k plans, and any retirement and savings accounts. They are working around the clock at multiple jobs and still are not close to what Tara’s treatments cost.
The whole medical and financial situation is frightening to Tara. However, through faith, the power of natural treatments, and her supportive family, Tara is determined to use alternative methods and is willing to fight for her life before agreeing to chemo, radiation, and more surgery.
First on Tara’s list is to choose a natural doctor to assist her and her family and provide them with resources that empowers her to participate in this healing journey.

Continue reading Have a Minute to Save a Life?