Last week, I lost my darling Silky to lung cancer. At age fifteen, she enjoyed running up and down the stairs, sunning herself, and stalking birds on the porch this past summer and early fall in Vermont. In New York she naturally became subdued in our small apartment. She had lost little more than one pound over a period of a year, had fairly normal blood tests, then suddenly stopped eating. Cats are able to hide their lung vulnerability, can seem fine until they suddenly start panting and stop eating. Seeming well is their defense against potential threats. People, being complex, may feel emotional pain in the body. We often transform feelings into illness; it may be part of the healing process. Once I met a woman who had broken off with her lover and developed a two week cold. Her pain had shifted from a deep place in order to leave.
Tag Archive for 'grief'
The emotional component is very important in preventing illness. I remember during one morning’s grand rounds many years ago asking an oncologist, the head of a medical school’s internal medicine department, whether there was a connection between grief and cancer. He answered, “Absolutely not.” We have learned a lot since then about the body/mind connection. The body is not a well-oiled machine that functions separately from the human heart. T cells drop, our natural immunity suffers, when we are shocked, grieved, or feel abandoned. I take special precautions against certain stressful activities. When dealing with something or someone very unpleasant, whether because of them or my own feelings, I take natural remedies to feel safe. Asian anticancer foods and herbs do no harm and may accomplish a great deal of good. They detoxify the body of poisons, enhance circulation, and reduce stress. Many increase beauty. Feeling protected is good. “Youth and age are partly a matter of habit and training.” Personal Renewal
Continue reading ‘Anticancer protection: Reduce Stress, Increase Beauty’
