By: Penny B. Block, Ph.D.
Increasingly, science and medicine, as well as the general public, recognize the powerful role that stress plays in our physical health. For people dealing with cancer, this is a component of care that cannot be brushed aside.
Recent research out of Ohio State University (Hai, et al.) published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation isolated a stress gene called ATF3, which is expressed in response to stressful conditions. When activated, this gene triggers an abnormal response in immune cells, allowing cancer cells to work their way out of the primary tumor site and travel to other organs or parts of the body. This is but one example of research indicating the link between chronic stress and the spread or metastasis, of cancer. In addition, a continued sympathetic nervous system activation (the familiar ‘fight-or-flight’ response characterized by shallow breathing, increased heart rate, muscle tension, and a release of hormones such as adrenaline) caused by unrelieved stress and distress seems to have the potential for protecting certain cancer cells, making them more resistant to front-line chemotherapies, and for promoting tumor growth. It was discovered in this and other research that a continual flood of adrenaline in the body can turn an existing cancer into a more aggressive disease in ways that cancer specialists and science are only beginning to understand.
For more than three decades, we have recognized the connection between the body’s stress response and the impact on relevant cancer factors. Our Biobehavioral team works individually with patients to develop stress care strategies in line with their own goals, beliefs and values. Helping your body and mind to elicit the relaxation response (RR)—a term first coined by Herbert Benson in the 1970s – can not only bring increased ease and peace of mind to your daily life, but can also help your body become less hospitable to the disease process and cancer growth. In fact, a study conducted by Harvard researchers found that by eliciting the RR as a daily practice, participants produced an actual change in gene expression that down-regulated the NF-kappaBeta inflammatory cascade, oxidative stress, and up-regulated those genes linked to apoptosis and insulin response, thereby countering those factors that can promote cancer.
There are countless ways to ‘practice’ purposeful relaxation: breath work, guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, prayer, and various forms of meditation are all primeexamples (and, there are countless variations on these practices). Contrary to popular belief, one does not need to ‘learn’ how to meditate, as the crux of many types of meditation or relaxation practice can simply be an awareness of, and focus on, the present moment. This is best exemplified in children: as busy as their minds are at any given moment, they are able to immerse themselves completely in the most minute details in the world surrounding them. No training or education required! Of course, those who are inclined to join a workshop or seminar to develop their meditative practice are encouraged to do so, but it is not a prerequisite to incorporating this healthy practice into your life.
As with anything new, the biggest challenge can be starting! Try to set aside some time each day for yourself to developing a practice that relaxes your body and mind. One way to help you on the path toward a more relaxed mindset is relaxed abdominal breathing, which we will cover in detail in our next blog post.