A stress-busting play-shop to Love, Accept, Forgive your way to emotional freedom and health. Come understand the healing power of these themes in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Learn innovative meridian therapies and targeted affirmations and experience their multiplied effect when done in a supportive group setting.

• Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) establishes the link between stress-immunity-illness and is the science behind mind-body medicine.
• Breast Cancer has a strong co-relation with unresolved emotional stress around Love, Acceptance, Forgiveness and Letting-go.
• The purpose of this periodic workshop-cum-support group is to help participants regularly identify their stressful emotional issues and LAF & Let Go them to secure their long-term health.
• Mind-body medicine tools including EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and Healing Affirmations will be used to release the stressful emotions. Done collectively, the results are further amplified.
• Subtle shifts and deep healing are known to occur. Participants often resolve chronic stress and achieve a new level of peace and acceptance.
• The easy to learn techniques in this LAF & Let Go session have lasting therapeutic benefits and will support and enhance all round Wellbeing and Relationships.

Nilima conducts LAF and Let Go sessions widely. She was invited to conduct LAF and Let Go at the 6th World Conference on Breast Cancer in Hamilton, Canada, among other places.

In this article, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Founder of the Isha Yoga Foundation, shares how the yogic system views cancer and what can be done to avoid the disease. 

How cancer occurs as per yogic system

Cancerous cells are present in all our bodies. In the yogic system, we describe cancerous cells as being similar to, let’s say, criminals in a society.

If there are a few individuals here and there who commit petty crimes, it doesn’t really affect the society. But when they gang up together in one place, something begins to happen.

Similarly, having a few cancerous cells in your body is not going to affect your life or health in any way. Generally in yoga, we look at it this way: when certain kinds of blanks or gaps occur in the energy body, either because of a person’s attitude, food, lifestyle, or any other factor due to which the energy body gets affected, an atmosphere conducive to the growth of cancerous cells is created. So if the flow of energy is not good in a certain part of the body, cancerous cells choose that place to hide and fester.

Causes of breast cancer as per yogic system

Breast cancer is very rampant today, especially in societies where a lot of women never conceive. In today’s world, for most women child-bearing happens only once or twice and is over before a certain age.

So the next 15 to 20 years of their life that they still have the capability to bear children and the necessary hormones are still being produced – they are not being made use of. According to the yogic system, this is one of the main reasons for both breast and uterine cancer occurring among women.

The mechanism of the breast, which was mainly made to feed the offspring, is not made use of. Or, it is made use of at a very early age and not after that. If a woman went through the normal process of conception, from the age of 16 to 18 until about 45, she would be conceiving periodically which would have kept her whole system active and kept the energy flowing.

Because it is not made use of the way it should have been physiologically, that part of the body becomes low energy. Such an atmosphere always attracts cancerous cells, and it becomes a place for them to accumulate and do the necessary work that they do.

What is the solution

So does it mean to say we must produce more children? Please don’t. There are ways to find solutions for this.

1. Period fasting: One of the simplest solutions for curtailing cancerous cells in the system is periodic fasting. One aspect of these cells is that they need a lot more food than a normal cell, up to 30 times more. Just by denying yourself food on certain days, you could bring down the level of cancerous cells.
2. Spiritual practices: There are also certain types of sadhana (spiritual practices) one can do, to control one’s hormonal secretions. The Shakthi Chalana Kriya and asanas we teach help in correcting and balancing the system.
3. Lifestyle changes: We have seen many women with uterus-related problems, such as polycystic ovaries getting completely cured by simply practicing certain asanas and kriyas. The hormonal conditions inside the body can be regulated, rather than simply reacting to the kind of food you eat and atmosphere you live in.

To what extent these practices have helped patients suffering from cancer, we cannot document or confirm this. But we have definitely seen that they recovered quite well. The doctors who were treating these cancer patients were quite surprised at their response to chemotherapy.

We have seen a few people who recovered from chemotherapy very quickly after doing yogic practices. Whether their cancer went away because of the practices, there is no way to say that. I would say supplementing yoga with medical treatment could definitely benefit the patient.”

Reflection

• How do you manage the flow of energy in your body, particularly if it feels blocked, stuck or stagnant?
• In addition to physical postures (Asanas) and breathwork (Pranayama), the Yogic approach also emphasises periodic fasting and regular spiritual practice. How can you incorporate these into your daily routine?

Article courtesy: The Isha Blog <blog.ishafoundation.org>

The mind is the “invisible body”; if there is a bodily breakdown, the origin can invariably be traced to the mind. If one subscribes to this view, then any illness can be understood using the same logic i.e. a negative, thought-emotion pattern leads to disease.

What causes Cancer according to Hypnotherapy?

The predominant view suggests that the primary emotions involved in cancer are ‘Guilt’ and ‘Anger’. When combined, they give rise to the need for ‘self-punishment’, which can manifest as cancer.

Guilt and anger

Guilt can emerge from the perception of “not having done enough” as well as “having done wrong” which then leads to anger and a consequent need to over-compensate.

For example, it has been found that breast cancer is correlated with a perceived sense of guilt for not nurturing/not feeling nurtured, which then turns into anger. This anger (towards self/others), when suppressed for an extended period, finally manifests on the physical body as breast cancer.

Unproductivity or inability

Another view proposes that cancer results from a feeling of ‘un-productivity’ or ‘inability’ to do something in a particular area of life which then gives rise to deep regret, resulting in cancer in the corresponding physical organ.

For example:

• Inability to nurture: linked to breast cancer (4th: Heart chakra)
• Inability to speak-up: linked to throat cancer (5th: Throat chakra)
• Inability to “digest” life: linked to stomach cancer (3rd: Solar plexus chakra)

Complementary, not Alternative

Hypnotherapy seeks to support and complement (not replace) mainstream medical treatments. When illness occurs in the physical body, it is important to recognise that it has been present in the “mental plane” as a negative thought-emotion pattern for a long period of time.

This repetitive pattern, which has led to a bodily-breakdown, most definitely requires a combination of interventions, through

• Mainstream medicine to address the “hardware” (i.e. the physical body).
• Complementary approaches like Hypnotherapy to address the “software” (mental and emotional aspects).It is important to note that even if the same “software” continues to run on a new “hardware” (healed physical body), recurrence is likely.

How does Hypnotherapy address cancer?

At the emotional/mental level, Hypnotherapy would focus on:

1. Tracing the origin of the Guilt-Anger axis and resolving it through ‘inner-child work’ i.e. releasing the residual emotional charge of traumatic memories.
2. Re-igniting the mind’s capacity to guide the individual’s own healing through guided-imagery.
3. Improving ‘quality’ of life (even if ‘quantity’ of life cannot be enhanced) by coaching the individual to reach a place of acceptance in the here and now.

At a physical level, Hypnotherapy can work on mitigating the side effects of chemo and radio therapy, such as hair-loss, weight-loss, nausea, etc. Managing pain is another area where Hypnotherapy has proved hugely beneficial.

Case study – Naso-pharyngeal cancer

Ms. Rohini Gupta (name changed to protect privacy), who was diagnosed with naso-pharyngeal cancer, sought help from a Bangalore-based hypnotherapist. Here is Rohini’s feedback, in her own words:

The diagnosis

It all started off with a trismus in my jaw which made it difficult to open my mouth. Slowly the pain spread through the right side of my face, all the way up to my head. It took about six months before my cancer was correctly diagnosed. It has been about a year and a half since my last chemotherapy.

The treatment

• Mainstream treatment: I was given a combination of chemo and radio therapy. The treatment was very intense, leading to new side-effects each day.
• Family support: My main asset through the cancer experience was my ever loving family. We are a joint family and everyone offered me great support, love and strength. They kept me calm … and sane.
• Alternative therapies to complement mainstream treatment: I also used a number of alternative therapies to help me keep up my strength: Homeopathy, Yoga, Meditation and also some Hypnotherapy sessions. Hypnotherapy was very new to me and the reality turned out to be very different from what I had expected.

How hypnotherapy helped in cancer treatment

I must confess that I was a bit hesitant about the whole concept as I had imagined that the therapist would somehow control me totally! It turned out to be very similar to the deep relaxation that I was familiar with, in my Yoga and Meditation.

I never lost control during my sessions and felt very relaxed. The Past Life Regression angle simply didn’t work in my case; my therapist said that perhaps I was not ready for it, yet.

The guided imagery was good though, it brought to the surface the stuff that was hiding inside and had been worrying me for a while. Much of it was not new, but now I could give these issues some focus and energy, and to begin to really deal with them. That was important for me.

I cried a lot in the first session, and a little more in subsequent sessions which lightened me quite a bit. I would also listen to the guided imagery every night for some time. This helped me sleep a lot better as well. I am sure that Hypnotherapy played a great role in supporting my healing journey.

Reflection

• What is the recurring chatter that goes on in your mind? How strident is your inner critic?
• Are you carrying or holding on to emotions like deep hurt, resentment or grief? In what way are they serving you? How can you let them go?
• Everyone has insecurities and vulnerabilities. How can you open yourself and find the right guidance and support?

Source

We are grateful to Dr. Yuvraj Kapadia and Dr. Neeta Yuvraj, Directors, of EKAA (formerly called California Hypnosis Institute of India) for their inputs. EKAA is a non-profit organization which offers certification courses in Integrated Clinical Hypnotherapy, thereby integrating Hypnotherapy with other healing modalities. For more information, please visit their site.

Author

After obtaining a degree in Psychology, Vidya Ramaswamy felt her subject learning had been limited since it stopped with the study of the mind. Believing that humans are “whole” beings, she decided to pursue a discipline which appreciates the inter-connection between body-mind-spirit. She qualified herself as a Clinical Hypnotherapist from the California Hypnosis Institute of India (CHII). Vidya now works with cancer patients on a daily basis as a Treatment-Coordinator/ Therapist at the Ojus-Sampurnah Integrative Medicine Clinic in Bangalore and practices as an independent Hypnotherapist as well.

During his brilliant career as a world champion cyclist, Lance Armstrong seemed invincible. Until he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Otherwise an extremely healthy 25 year old, Lance ignored the early signs of the disease and by the time it was diagnosed, the cancer had spread to his lungs, brain and abdomen, leaving his chances of survival dim. Armstrong however, had no intentions of becoming a ‘cancer victim’. Instead, he was determined to educate himself about the disease and underwent rigorous treatment until he overcame it.

He is now an international spokesperson for the cancer community, with the Lance Armstrong Foundation providing education, funds, support and inspiration for people with cancer.

Recently, Lance Armstrong has been stripped off his many cycling titles, after having admitted on the Oprah Winfrey show, that he is a doping cheat, a liar, a bully and a deeply flawed human being. The icon has fallen!

Does this make him any less of a ‘cancer thriver’? It is not an easy question to answer … and we would love to hear your views!
buy kamagra online
To know more about the Livestrong Foundation, click here

Source

Lance Armstrong Cancer

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What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is based on the Law Of Similars (Latin: Similia similibus curanter), which says that those substances, which in large amounts can cause the symptoms, can also cure the very same symptoms if given in minute doses. Very much like how vaccination works.

Founded by a German doctor Samuel Hahnemann in the 18th century, Homeopathy is a system of medicine which is widely practiced around the world by certified practitioners and has a dedicated following of users who rely on Homeopathy as their only medical treatment.

What is particularly interesting is that Homeopathy often achieves excellent results in condtions where mainstream medicine (Allopathy) may have diminishing returns. For example, chronic disorders like asthma, sinusitis, arthritis, colitis, migraine, hormonal imbalances and skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis, etc.

Addressing the ‘whole’ person

In Homeopathy, health is the maintainence of a harmonious equilibrium between the mind, body and vital force (life principle or Spirit).  This vital force animates, guides & balances the human organism in health and in disease.

Under stress i.e. physical, mental or emotional, this equilibrium is disturbed and disease ensues. Also the response and reaction of each individual varies according to the  stimulus or the stressor.

Homeopathic treatments are therefore very individualistic and holistic. The trained homeopath considers not only the presenting symptoms but also the totality of the person’s life and lifestyle. The medicines prescribed help to restore the dynamic energy of the vital force, bringing back equilibrium to the organism and returning it to health.

Cancer and Homeopathy

According to Homeopathy, cancer is viewed as an out-of-control behaviour of cells and their resultant destruction (the technical term is a ‘syco-syphilitic miasm’!)

Hence the homeopath’s line of enquiry in cancer, is to understand and treat this ‘out-of-control’ behaviour, not only at the physical (cellular) level but also at the broader (mind, emotion, relationships, spirit) levels.

There are many examples and case-studies of how Homeopathy has been effective with cancer, by controlling tumour growth, relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life.

Using Homepathy in early stages is ideal

Since Homeopathy focuses on the manifested disease and its underlying cause, the homeopath would prefer if the patient comes to him/ her early i.e. soon after the initial diagnosis and with the original symptoms of the disease. That way, the prescribed homeopathic remedy can target the disease directly, even as they complement/ supplement other treatments.

Homeopathic treatment in later stages requires dual functions

Often though, patients seek homeopathy only much later and much after they have undergone allopathic treatments. By this time, either their condition is more severe and/or their original symptoms are masked by symptoms that may be side-effects of the surgery-chemo-radio therapy.

In this situation, homeopathic treatment becomes much trickier as the homeopath has to focus on both aspects simultaneously:

• The original symptoms/ underlying cause of cancer
• The side-effects: bio-chemical imbalances, compromised immunity, depression, anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, post-treatment nausea, etc.

Of course, the skill and experience of the homeopath and the active participation by the patient are both critical success factors in the healing process.

Reflection

• The holistic and integrated approach maintains that no single medical system has all the answers. How can you get the right kind of help to combine different systems for better results?
• As Homeopathy suggests, take a look at you mind, body and vital force (Spirit). To what extent are they in harmonious equilibrium?
• What aspects feel out-of-synch … and how can you align them better?

If you would like more details about how Homeopathy deals with specific types/ stages of cancer, please post your queries and comments below. We will be happy to respond.

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When Indo-Canadian actress and model, Lisa Ray, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare and relatively incurable cancer, she was determined to beat it.

She explains, “For me, it was a relief to hear what was wrong. The plasma cells in my bone marrow were rampaging, multiplying, squeezing out the red blood cells and it was time to begin doing something about it. I was also tired of being tired all the time. And you just know when something is not kosher with your body. So when I sat there with Bobcat — my life partner and reservoir of Yellow — and got the news I didn’t react and I didn’t cry. I’m an actress, believe me, I can be dramatic. Not just then though”.

Through her struggle, Lisa started a blog to share her journey through cancer with the world. She is now back on track and better than ever before. Shuttling between India and Canada for the cause of championing cancer, Lisa is working on her book, holding talks across North America and resuming her acting career.

To read the full article click here. To visit Lisa Ray’s blog, click here

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Traditional Chinese Medicine

In the second part of the series, Bill Moyers, with the help of his guide, David Eisenberg, (MD from Harvard Medical School), travels through Beijing and Shanghai, exploring Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and its approach to healing through ‘Qi’ (pronounced ‘chi’), the vital energy force.

TCM has been successfully practiced for thousands of years. According to TCM, the geography of the human body goes beyond the western medical system’s understanding of the human anatomical structure.

Qi, the vital energy force

TCM views health as based on energy balance:

• When Qi – the vital life energy – flows strongly and smoothly through our body, the energy is in balance and we are in health.
• When Qi either stagnates, is blocked or flows weakly, the body’s energy system is out of balance and this leads to various illnesses in a person.
• Healing involves diagnosing where the Qi is blocked, stagnant or weak and then working with the energy channels (meridiens) to get Qi to flow strongly and smoothly again, using a variety of techniques.

As Bill and David visit some of Beijing and Shanghai’s most reputed  hospitals, they try to come to grips with this subtle and intangible energy force called Qi. They learn that in China, patients can choose to be treated either by TCM or modern/ western medicine (Allopathy) and that a significant proportion of the population opts for TCM to cure even acute and chronic conditions.

The video shows a young woman undergoing surgery in a Chinese hospital for a very large tumour in her brain. In a Western hospital, this sensitive procedure would be conducted under general anesthesia but here it is done with the woman fully conscious and able to talk … the doctors had anesthesised her locally, using acupuncture needles! Using a combination of TCM and Western techniques, the surgeon successfully removed the tumor, with no pain whatsoever and using half the amount of drugs.

TCM treatments primarily comprises the following, all of which aim to balance Qi:

	1. Herbal Medicines These are prepared by boiling certain, carefully selected ingredients (herbs, tree-bark, roots, dried insects, animal parts, etc.) and are to consumed regularly for a period of time. Interestingly, the medicinal herbs are prescribed, not based on the chemistry of the core ingredients but more so on their ability to either increase/ decrease bodily heat and thereby address the flow of Qi.
	2. Acupuncture As described in the example above, acupuncture involves using very fine needles along specific meridians (energy channels) to reconnect broken energy circuits, and to restore/ balance Qi.
	3. Massage is another way to work with Qi (also called Acupressure), but this time by applying pressure to certain meridien points using one’s fingers and hands. Interestingly, research shows that a range of ailments can be successfully addressed through therapeutic massage including many that are apparently ‘incurable’ in the west, like fibroids and cysts.
	4. Chinese martial arts (Tai-chi ch’uan and Qi gong) These are widely practiced in both urban and rural China, once again with the aim of balancing Qi. TCM holds that body movement is as important for health, as eating or sleeping. Just like a door’s hinges if not swung open often, are bound to ‘rust.’, similarly the body’s joints are places where Qi can stagnate or be blocked, if not used properly or regularly. Interestingly, experienced TCM practitioners can also offer ‘external Qi Gong’ where the doctor uses his/her own Qi to restore and reactivate the patient’s Qi.
	5. Meditation/ Visualizations These focus on healing the mental/emotional patterns that could have resulted in disease. The TCM philosophy is ‘Don’t try and cure the disease; instead, find your centre and you will be cured.’ For the Chinese, health is not just the mere absence of disease, but an overall philosophy of life (and lifestyle). The Western world is also beginning to see the need to go beyond the physical body and understand how the mind and spirit can influence health. However, for the best results to emerge, the two approaches need to come together and find common ground. Why can’t the two systems go hand-in-hand?

Reflection

• In which situations do you feel energetic and full if vitality?
• When and where do you feel dull, dense or stuck?
• What patterns do you notice?
• How can you ensure that your vital energy force (Qi) flows smoothly and steadily?

Resources

‘Healing & The Mind‘ by Bill Moyers

Author

After obtaining a degree in Psychology, Vidya Ramaswamy felt her subject learning had been limited since it stopped with the study of the mind. Believing that humans are “whole” beings, she decided to pursue a discipline which appreciates the inter-connection between body-mind-spirit. She qualified herself as a Clinical Hypnotherapist from the California Hypnosis Institute of India (CHII). Vidya now works with cancer patients on a daily basis as a Treatment-Coordinator/ Therapist at the Ojus-Sampurnah Integrative Medicine Clinic in Bangalore and practices as an independent Hypnotherapist as well.

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My Story: Post-pregnancy cancer diagnosis

I was diagnosed with a very rare uterine cancer called Chorio-carcinoma which is the result of a pregnancy where the remaining cells of placenta in the uterus become cancerous.

Generally, if it is caught within three months of the pregnancy, it is curable with chemotherapy. However, if left untreated for more than 6 months, the prognosis is poor. In my case, it was almost a year since I had been pregnant and I had been hemorrhaging for two months.

I was intially diagnosed with a 4cm tumor in Oct 2009 at stage 4, with metastasis in my brain. These were diagnosed by ultrasounds and CAT scans at two different hospitals. Upon learning of my diagnosis – before any treatment – I gave up all sugar, wheat and animal products and started eating tons of cruciferous vegetables. Two weeks later (in Nov 2009), I was admitted to Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital in New York City.

Surprise, surprise

They gave me a new ultrasound and found that the tumor had shrunk by half: to 2 cm. A few days later, they gave me a new CAT scan and couldn’t find any metastasis! The oncologists suggested that the previous test results were incorrect but I put it down to dietary changes and some serious prayer and meditation (I have an active Sufi practice)!

Mainstream treatments

I underwent 14 weeks of chemotherapy, with a rapid response to the drugs. The normal course of therapy from diagnosis to cure is 18 months.

However, at 14 weeks, my cancer markers were close to normal and I was suffering from the chemo, rather than from the cancer.

Apart from hair loss, I had sores in my mouth and stomach so I could barely eat and my weight dropped to 98 pounds (45 kilos). My skin was also covered with sores, my eyes were bloodshot and swollen and my tongue started turning black.

To cope, I was consuming fresh vegetable and fruit juices regularly and also taking an amazing supplement called polyMVA which seemed to at least give me energy.

A difficult choice

I told the doctors I wouldn’t do any more chemotherapy. I also refused a hysterectomy because my research showed it did not prevent the return of this particular cancer. My oncologist – an authority in Chorio-carcinoma – told me that if I gave up my treatments, I would be dead in 12 weeks.

Turning to a holistic & integrated approach

I had made up my mind, so I left the treatment anyway. I started taking a series of dietary supplements as well as getting regular acupuncture and massage. Within one month, when I went back to the hospital for a check-up, my cancer marker was normal.

In four months, when I had a follow-up ultrasound, there was no tumor, though they could see a scar where the cancer was and a small cyst on one ovary, probably from the chemotherapy drugs. I continued to be monitored monthly for one year (until Feb 2010). At my annual check-up, I had another ultrasound; the scar in my uterus had totally healed.

Now what?

I moved to a raw food diet and continued juicing and supplements. In Oct 2011, my daughter had a crisis and my cancer markers jumped suddenly. I started infrared treatments, continued with the polyMVA and also started pancreatic enzyme therapy.

I also went to see energy healers of various kinds. In Feb 2012, at my 4-month check-up at Memorial Sloan Kettering, my results came in totally normal. They consider me “cured.”

I continue to sleep on an infrared mat (the biomat), take enzymes, large doses of vitamin c, d, turmeric and resveratrol and eat a mostly vegan, wheat, soy and sugar-free diet.

Hurray!

Not only am I now free of cancer, but I am convinced that my holistic and integrated approach had a lot to do with it.

Reflection

• How informed are you about your specific cancer, its treatment and side-effects?
• What are the best sources for the relevant information regarding your treatment?
• What are your various treatment choices and their implications?
• Who is the primary decision maker regarding your treatment? How can you reclaim your responsibility?
• What might be the best combination of medical and non-medical treatments that would satisfy your doctors as well as your own body?
• How can you prepare for the meeting with your doctors? What are your top 3 questions for your doctor?
• How willing are you to try out different options before settling on the combination that works best for you?

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What results have you experienced, in your role as a healer?

Tumours have vanished

I am often amazed at the quick paced shift in consciousness.  Some of the examples in the previous article clearly indicate that.  I think that is one of the most significant features of Tapping.

There have been instances where tumors have vanished. But I cannot say it was only because of Tapping. My clients were using a combination of various mainstream and complementary approaches. Tapping was one of them.

Uncover emotional stressors

Another feature that I find really amazing is that Tapping gently unfolds “layer-after-layer” that clients can work through and simultaneously uncover life-supporting insights.

Several diligent healers and observers have shown us that guilt and repressed anger are the core emotional factors in cancer. I have seen that is perhaps true.

Reduces stress

However, it is far easier and more natural to start by reducing the stress that is in the present moment and go with what unfolds during the process. At the onset, these underlying feelings may not be accessible. Over time, the deep-rooted feelings unfold naturally and effortlessly … so do the insights … it is an amazing thing to witness.

We are fortunate to be in an age and time where there are many gentle methods to help you through.

Reflection

Here are few things that cancer patients and survivors can reflect during their cancer journey:

• Cancer is an opportunity to heal, reconnect with yourself in ways that may not have been possible before.
  How can you respect the cancer as a gift?
• When people come together to support each other, the energy of the collective is hugely beneficial for each individual. When you are in your heart, and not just your mind, the collective energy uplifts the human spirit and makes the journey a magical experience. What can you do to find and connect with a support community where you can express your feelings and offer emotional support to others going through similar experiences?
• If you are feeling angry, frustrated and upset, don’t force gratitude and healthy thoughts. It will just add to the stress. Only when you acknowledge their existence can you release them and feel a natural sense of appreciation and gratitude. It will be easier then to gradually and consciously adopt healthier, life supporting thoughts and ways of life. How can you address those feelings of frustration honestly? What steps can you take to bring in appreciation, gratitude and healthy thoughts into your life?
• How can you involve your family in your cancer journey? Is there anything you can do to allow them to express and heal their fears and anxieties?
• If you become aware of getting too caught in ‘mistakes’ or ‘regrets’ of the past or how wonderful life used to be in comparison with the present condition. What can you do to gently bring yourself to the present moment?
• Don’t judge yourself too harshly if you slip back in self-care and compassion. Just bring yourself back to it and move on. It becomes easier and effortless when you begin to see the helpfulness. How can you be  gentle with yourself?
• Try and set a good sleep routine.  If possible and after checking with your doctor, adopt a comfortable, simple exercise routine (like walking). What can you do to switch to a healthier, more peaceful lifestyle?

Additional support resources

• EFT- Founder Gary Craig has retired. Useful articles and research information that were on his website are now available at http://emofree.com
• Dr. Patricia Carrington – https://patcarrington.com/how-to-do-eft-a-step-by-step-guide/
• Videos to tap along on Brad Yate’s website – http://bradyates.net
• Emotional Freedom Techniques by Sangeeta Bhagwat
• Free to be Happy by Robert Najemy
• You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay 
• Louise Hay’s affirmation cards – available on http://louisehay.com

Author

Jasmine Bharathan is a student of Transpersonal Psychology and has 14 years experience as a facilitator in the field. She shares EFT and TAT as intervention tools, and meditation and mindfulness practice to deepen awareness. EFT is often referred to as ‘Tapping’. She uses her own version of the procedure. In this article, Jasmine shares her experiences and insights on dealing with cancer. For more information, please browse her website: http://heal-empower.com. For more articles on EFT on Cancer Awakens, click here. To visit the official EFT website, click here.

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How else can Tapping be used for cancer?

After the early diagnosis, Tapping can also be used during treatment, for pain management, for emotional and energetic self-regulation on a day-to-day basis. It is helpful because it often results in feeling “in-charge” of one’s health considerations and one’s quality of life. A feeling of being reconnected to our vitality and inner strength is experienced. It can even be used during the last (palliative) stage when a dying person needs to reconcile and come to terms with himself / herself and make peace all around.

Case Study: Madan (Prostate Cancer)

Madan was unable to resolve the grief of losing his mother 23 years after her passing. He was burdened by guilt and resentment as his wife did not get along with his mother while she was alive.

When he was diagnosed with Prostate cancer, he believed it was a punishment for not having looked after her during her old age. He did not want to get treated.  He tried Tapping only when the pain in his hip and legs became unbearable.

The resolution of the emotions he had carried for so long – grief, guilt and resentment – helped him immensely to ease his relationship with his wife of 30 years. Their new-found closeness and trust motivated him to go for surgery. At 65, he now lives an active life.

When we last met, he said,

“In a strange way, I feel a deeper connection with myself and Existence. Every moment I am experiencing God’s presence”.

Case Study: Meenakshi (Breast Cancer)

Meenakshi was not surprised when a routine mammogram revealed a lump in her breast.  She “knew” this would happen, since her school days.  Twice divorced and with no family, she was known as the “angry old woman” at work.

She liked that because it kept people away. But the thought of losing her breast was scary and it touched a deep core in her as a woman, a feeling that she had alienated herself from after her first divorce. While waiting for the biopsy results, she explored EFT.

As she tapped for the anxiety, she had an insight.

“I think my problems are related to couples and pairs.”

Incidentally, she was not aware of the theory from Traditional Chinese Medicine that an illness of a paired organ (like breasts, lungs, ovaries, kidneys, etc.) is often related to unresolved conflicts in one’s close relationships.

After some more Tapping sessions, Meenakshi was able to bring up some unhealthy beliefs that she had learned during her early years. She went on to reframe and then reinforce some healthy beliefs. Her attitude began to change and she could relate to herself with compassion.

The lump turned out to be benign. However, she was convinced that it was a wakeup call for her to get emotionally healthy. She changed two jobs thereafter. Fell in love with a wonderful man. They got married 2 years later. It has been 8 years since.

Case Study: Rohan (Leukemia)

Baby Rohan (3 years of age) was diagnosed with leukemia. His family simply could not come to terms with the “God’s cruelty”. As they began Tapping their feelings of hurt and betrayal, each parent’s perspective began to change.

They began to see and feel that little Rohan had come to help them grow spiritually. During the process of care-giving, some of them were able to resolve conflicts they had with each other and found ways in which they could come together for the larger good.

Case Study: Asha (Uterine Cancer)

Asha did not want to disclose her recent diagnosis of uterine cancer with anyone other than close family. When she began Tapping, she realised it would be beneficial for her to reach out to a support group that meets regularly.

Studies have shown that care and compassion release neurochemicals that help balance and restore our system. This insight occurred naturally for Asha during the process.

Reflection

• What guilt are you carrying, for things you did or didn’t do? How does it affect your state of mind or your relationship with others?
• When do you find yourself putting up walls and shutting yourself to love? What emotional wounds might be driving this?
• How open are you to talking openly about your illness instead of hiding it? What are your reasons … the pros and cons?

Author

Jasmine Bharathan is a student of Transpersonal Psychology and has 14 years experience as a facilitator in the field. She shares EFT and TAT as intervention tools, and meditation and mindfulness practice to deepen awareness. EFT is often referred to as ‘Tapping’. She uses her own version of the procedure. In this article, Jasmine shares her experiences and insights on dealing with cancer. For more information, please browse her website: http://heal-empower.com. For more articles on EFT on Cancer Awakens, click here. To visit the official EFT website, click here.

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What is EFT^®?

EFT^® (Emotional Freedom Technique) was developed from Dr. Roger Callahan’s TFT (Thought Field Therapy) by Gary Craig, who simplified and popularized EFT as a ‘Do-it-yourself’ method. EFT works on the understanding that emotional trauma contributes greatly to disease.

Scientific studies are now showing that EFT is able to rapidly reduce the emotional impact of memories and incidents that trigger emotional distress. Once the distress is reduced or removed, the body can often re-balance itself, and accelerate healing.

EFT involves tapping with our finger tips on certain acupuncture points on our body and saying some statements, while being tuned into a physical/ mental/ emotional discomfort. I use my version of it.

Gary Craig explains the principle behind EFT: “The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.”

How and why does it really work?

I experience tapping as a circuit-breaker where old energetic patterns seem to get short-fused, allowing for new connections to emerge. One can witness a shift in consciousness, if I may say so.

How can EFT be used in cancer therapy?

Many of us use tapping not as an alternative, but as a complementary tool. There are several ways in which it can be used.

For example, when someone has been newly diagnosed with cancer, it is experienced as a crisis. The stress tolerance level becomes low from the initial shock and emotional pain.

At times the shock is so intense that the system shuts off and we become numb to feelings. Tapping can be used to help clear the shock-overload on the nervous system.

Case Study: Shreya

Shreya (name changed), a cheerful, bright chartered accountant and mother of two college-going teenagers had lost considerable weight recently, was generally feeling exhausted and had intermittent pressure in her abdomen, which she attributed to work schedule and erratic eating habits.

But on the insistence of her mother-in-law and to please her family, she saw her doctor who ordered some tests.

“You have ovarian cancer …”  The rest faded into the background as Shreya’s head began to pound with all sorts of questions.

“How can that be? I have always looked after myself. It is just these past couple of months that have been crazy.. There is no history in my family.. I have to help Nikhil with his GMAT in a couple of years.. How will they manage without me?

Shreya coped with the shock by becoming very pragmatic and matter-of-fact. She collected herself, consoled her husband, discussed the line of action with the doctor, and drove home pausing briefly to buy some vegetables. After dinner she told her mother-in-law and children, in a very matter-of-fact manner the course of action suggested by the doctor.

“It is not a big deal. I plan to continue working; I’ll just take a couple of days off during the chemotherapy sessions. Everything will be just fine.”

The next few days were hectic; organizing things around the house, giving instructions to maids and colleagues at work, meeting doctors. “You’ve got to focus on your studies”, she told her daughter who couldn’t stop crying.

During her first EFT session she said,

“I am a pragmatic person. I have had a wonderful childhood. I don’t have any emotional baggage. I am here only because my husband asked me to try this thing”.

After a few rounds of tapping, recounting the day she was diagnosed, she sat in silence for a while, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“You know, I didn’t realize how afraid I am”.

After some tapping on the fear and anxiety, her thoughts went to her family. She realized that she had not really communicated with them. She was afraid to face their emotions, and her own. Through the tapping process, one after another, her feelings unfolded – guilt, sorrow, helplessness – until her face softened.

She said at the end,

“I feel more real now”

How tapping helped

After the tapping process, she was able to look at her situation with more clarity. She began to have honest communication with her children addressing their fears and sadness, which was immensely helpful for all of them. She involved a few close friends, took some time off from work and made informed decisions on the way forward.

She went on to make several changes in her beliefs and life that were previously unhealthy. She was now able to handle the situation in a more real way. There was a genuine acknowledgment and acceptance of the situation that gave her the courage and confidence to honestly engage with every aspect of what this diagnosis meant to her and her family.

Reflection

Life may seem fine on the surface …

• What if your routine lifestyle is actually harming you physically or emotionally … how will you change it for the better?
• Consider the emotional baggage you carry – related to your childhood, youth, relationships, work or anything else. How can you release and let it go?
• What activities give you an emotional high … how much time are you making for them?

Author

Jasmine Bharathan is a student of Transpersonal Psychology and has 14 years experience as a facilitator in the field. She shares EFT and TAT as intervention tools, and meditation and mindfulness practice to deepen awareness. EFT is often referred to as ‘Tapping’. She uses her own version of the procedure. In this article, Jasmine shares her experiences and insights on dealing with cancer. For more information, please browse her website: http://heal-empower.com. For more articles on EFT on Cancer Awakens, click here. To visit the official EFT website, click here.

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“You are equivalent to being five months pregnant; with a tumour the size of a basketball,” said the doctor looking into the eyes of Brandon Bays. This ‘pelvic mass’ has grown from your abdomen way up to your rib-cage and is pressing against your diaphragm, making it hard for you to breathe.”

Brandon felt as if someone had knocked the air out of her. She began trembling.

Trying to digest the news, she asked the doctor what exactly it meant and what her options were. The doctor replied that “Surgery is your only option and it has to be immediate. It’s not just the size of the tumor but also the amount of blood you are losing.”

But I’m a Holistic Health practitioner!

Brandon felt really embarrassed because for over 15 years she had been in the holistic healing field, learning and practicing all she could about healing the body and mind. She had lost count of the health seminars and workshops she had attended … and now this!

She tried to walk-her-talk and finally broke the silence by saying

“How much time will you give me to try and stop the internal bleeding through medical hypnosis or something like that?”

Most reluctantly, the doctor gave her a month’s time.  And thus began Brandon’s extraordinary journey of healing!

The Breakthrough

Her breakthrough (or “drop-through” as she calls it) came when she let go of all her emotional issues, which she had carried from childhood and which had manifested as physical ailments. Brandon describes the whole process very vividly, so it is well worth reading the book!

Six-and-a-half weeks later the size of the tumor came down from the size of a basketball to a six-inch cantaloupe! Her doctor was shocked, but remained skeptical and in spite of this, she continued her healing process, until she was fully cured.

A roller-coaster yet highly inspirational ride

The book suggests a step-by-step approach to let go of lifelong emotional and physical blocks, and discovering the best in oneself. This is at the core of healing.

Today, workshops and trained facilitators in ‘The Journey’ are helping thousands of people to heal themselves by experiencing the boundless joy within.

For more informartion, please browse www.thejourney.com

Reflection

• What emotional wounds – regret, guilt, loneliness, betrayal, abuse etc. – are you carrying? How can you let them go?
• It is quite natural to have doubts and suspicions about holistic healing approaches. Who can you discuss them with?
• How can you use the power of your mind to support your body to heal?

Source

“The Journey” by Brandon Bays

Author

Written by Anisha Peter, a first year student of Mass Communications from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

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What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a sub-system of natural health care in which extreme dilutions of natural substances are used to stimulate a healing response. The basic principle of homeopathy is that substances that elicit a particular symptom in their physical form (e.g. onion causing itchy watery eyes and a runny nose with discharge that burns) can be used in a diluted form to stimulate the healing of the same set of symptoms.

In homeopathy, disease is seen as Psycho-somatic, which means that it starts in the mind. Negative thoughts and emotions (e.g. prolonged or suppressed anger) may trigger disease. So it is important to take a Holistic and Integrated approach to healing.

Homeopathy And Cancer

Homeopathy has several different treatment philosophies and approaches to treat cancer. Many practitioners use a combination of these approaches.

One approach targets tumors themselves. Here, the homeopath selects remedies which match the symptom picture of the tumor itself (e.g. Conium Maculatum for hard immovable tumors that develop slowly).

Alongside this approach, the homeopath may also consider other symptoms (such as the individual’s food cravings, disposition, etc.) but their primary focus targets the tumor and aims to reverse its growth. Sometimes, a homeopathic remedy may be given at the tumor site itself (in the form of an injection) to more aggressively stimulate a response.

Another approach focuses on healing the patient’s eliminative channels (kidneys, urinary tract, lymphatic system, liver, etc), and strengthen detoxification. In this case, the homeopath may use drainage remedies. These are low-potency combination remedies which target specific systems, or detoxify particular substances (e.g. heavy metals, etc).

Sometimes, the homeopath may use an electro-dermal diagnostic tool (e.g. the Quantum machine) before selecting the drainage remedy.

Homeopathy works well with other medical systems

In the US, most alternative health care professionals use homeopathy in combination with other approaches (nutritional and immune system support, diet and detoxification programs, etc), so it is not typically considered as a primary or stand-alone therapy for cancer.

However, when used correctly, and in combination with necessary therapies, it can be a powerful tool. There are many cases in homeopathic literature (from other countries where homeopathy is more commonly used for cancer) in which the correct homeopathic recommendation resulted in the resolution of tumors, reversal of the cancer process, and full patient recovery.

Also, homeopathy has an excellent track record in the treatment of animals with cancer and there is much anecdotal evidence that certain remedies (when correctly selected) are effective in reversing the cancer process.

Case Study: Breast Cancer

In Jan 1995, a 39-year old female presented with a 1 cm. lump in the lower quadrant of the right breast. The diagnosis was Stage 2 CA Breast, with 1 axillary lymph node involved, but no other metastasis. She refused a lumpectomy and turned to homeopathy.

She had a history of painful menses, was overweight but could eat only a little at a time, liked pastries and craved fresh air though easily chilled. She was sensitive and gentle, spirits were low mornings and evenings.

After 8 weeks on the protcol a CT-scan confirmed the tumor had shrunk by 25%. After 6 months another CT-scan showed the tumor had disappeared altogether and the lymph node appeared normal.

She continued with homeopathic remedies for the next 2 years during which menses became regular and pain-free. She continues to be well at the present time.

Reflection

• Homeopathy believes that disease originates in the mind. What hurt, guilt or other negative emotion are you holding on to? How can you address and release them?
• Your dietary and lifestyle habits can lead to an accumulation of toxins in your body. What is a simple and natural way to detox yourself?
• What combination of treatment options will work best for you … how will you go about researching this?

About the author

Written by Lovlyn Pani, a first-year student of Mass Communications at Mt Carmel College, Bangalore.

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What is Reflexology?

Reflexology is the practice of applying targeted pressure to the feet and hands utilizing specific thumb, finger and hand techniques.

These techniques stimulate the nervous system and create relaxation, improved circulation and strengthened immunity.

How it works

This ancient system of Energy Medicine understands that the entire body and key organs are criss-crossed by energy meridiens, which carry ‘Chi’ or ‘Prana’ throughout the body. Illness is a reflection of this energy flow being imbalanced or stuck in some way and healing involves getting this energy to flow steadily and strongly again.

What is interesting is that all these energy meridiens are concentrated in our feet and hands. When targeted pressure is applied here, the ‘Chi/ Prana’ is stimulated and this affects a physical change in different organs and parts of the body.

History of Reflexology

Around the world and throughout history, reflexology has been rediscovered time and again. Archaeological evidence points to active reflexology practices in China (2704 BCE), Egypt (2330 BCE) and Japan (690 CE).

In the West, Reflexology emerged in the 19th century with European and Russian research into the nervous system. Reflex therapies were created as medical practices but were soon eclipsed by use of surgery and drugs.

Benefits of Reflexology, in relation to Cancer

Research has shown the specific techniques of reflexology to be effective and beneficial in many ways.

• A compilation of 170 studies from 21 countries shows that reflexology impacts a variety of physical and psychological concerns.
• Another compilation of 24 studies conducted in 10 countries (specific to cancer) shows that reflexology helps at all stages of the cancer experience: post-surgery, during and post-chemo and radio-therapy, to manage symptoms/ pain and during palliative/hospice care.
• Research demonstrates further, that cancer patients who receive reflexology treatments show significant improvements in physical and emotional symptoms: lower pain, anxiety, depression and stress; reduced nausea and vomiting; reduced fatigue and improved quality of life.

What to expect from a Reflexology session?

A typical session lasts for 30 – 60 minutes. The client sits in a reclining chair, placing the feet and hands conveniently for the reflexologist’s work. The therapist uses pressure, stretching and movement to work through the hands and foot methodically.

One great benefit of reflexology is that specific techniques can be easily learned and self-practiced.

Cautions

Of course, reflexology is a complement (and not a replacement) for standard medical care. People with cancer and chronic conditions such as arthritis and heart disease should talk to their doctors before having any type of therapy that involves moving joints and muscles. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care may have serious health consequences.

As with massage and other forms of bodywork, reflexology can generally be adapted to meet the needs of cancer patients.

• Bodywork should be only provided by a trained professional with expertise in working safely with people who have cancer and with cancer survivors.
• Deep pressure and vigorous manipulation of the feet should be avoided during times of active treatment for cancer, particularly if there is edema or swelling in the foot or lower leg.
• Pressure must not be applied directly to known tumour sites or to lumps that may be cancerous.
• Patients with cancer that has spread to the bone or who have fragile bones should avoid physical manipulation or deep pressure because of the risk of fracture.

Author

Written by Krithika Raghavan, a first-year student of Mass Communications from Mt. Carmel College, Bangalore.

Yoga has taken the world by storm. But how effective is Yoga, when it comes to cancer? Swami Yogaratna, who has over 30 years of experience as a yoga teacher, shares some valuable insights.

Is yoga really effective for cancer?

I must confess that my conversation with Swami Yogaratna started with me being more than a little doubtful about the effect of yoga on cancer.

When Swami informed me that yoga can re-adjust the immune system to combat disease, I asked her “Yoga can do that?” to which she calmly replied, “Well, if yoga can enable you to merge with the cosmic consciousness, then why not that?”

Indeed, yoga has powerful therapeutic benefits, including giving barren women the ability to conceive, stimulating the malfunctioning pancreas to deal with blood sugar and activating strong immunity so that patients can “thrive” on cancer.

Her Experience with Cancer

Swami first came into contact with cancer in 1967, when her mother developed cancer and was given only 3 months to live. She managed to live a normal life for one year, before passing away.

Many years later, in 1984, Swami then started her yoga career at Atma Darshan Yogashram. She remembers her first patient fondly – an interesting man who had bone and testicular cancer. She began to teach him Prana Vidya and Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra is a psychic sleep, which is normally taught for deep relaxation. However, the same technique can be turned into a healing meditation, which specifically targets cancer.

Symbolic battle between good cells and bad cells of the body

After the patient gets into a relaxed state, he visualizes a battle between his white blood cells (WBC) “the protectors” and his cancer or “the enemy cells”.

It is important that the WBC’s are visualised as strong and successful – like a powerful animal – and the cancer cells are visualised as confused and weak -slow to catch, easy to kill.

When this symbolic representation is applied in Yoga Nidra, the message is embedded deeply in the patient’s subconscious and in turn, this affects the cells so that they behave in the way one has visualised.

How the mental visualization unfolds

Swami even recommends that her patients physically draw their mental visualization as a picture and this is exactly what she did with this gentleman.

He chose kerosene to represent his WBC’s and white ants to represent his cancer cells. Swami then tested his representation and asked him why he chose those particular symbols.

He said that white ants are creatures that hide in the wood-work, which they eat away, so the entire house collapses and that is exactly what his cancer cells were doing to his body. However, his kerosene representation was not so strong and the patient realized that kerosene is just a benign liquid, which by itself is not aggressive or intelligent.

“So you see, his imagery was partly correct and unfortunately it was a negative visualization, not a positive one. So I suggested we work on the symbolism again, for the Yoga Nidra to work.”

After a few attempts, the patient finally came up with his WBC’s as “white cobras” and his cancer cells as “frogs”. The white cobras could easily chase down and devour the frogs, who had nowhere to hide. With this visualisation, he continued to practice both Prana Vidya and Yoga Nidra and managed to arrest both his cancers: bone and testicular. He lived a long life and peacefully passed away 10 years later, of other causes.

Awakening Dormant Healing Energies

Swami Yogaratna also teaches the practice of “awakening dormant healing energies”.

In this meditation the patient sends positive signals to their immune system, to re-arrange itself and to find harmony and balance.

“Visualisation is planting a thought, idea or symbol which sends a message to the right place to do the right thing” says Swami, “Sankalpa (means ‘right intent’ in Sanskrit) is a very effective tool, which is nothing but a perfect and powerful thought.”

In her opinion, cancer is a physical manifestation of something else that is going on, deep inside.

“When something bad happens to you or you find yourself in an unacceptable position with no way of getting out – you can get cancer. Sometimes it (cancer) is a learning experience, bitter maybe, but we grow so much from it.”

I ended my conversation with Swami much wiser and with so much respect for this lady, who has dedicated her life to helping people fight their personal and health battles.

What have you learnt from Cancer? From your own experience or from others?

Reflection

• Yoga supports overall well-being, for sure. How familiar are you with the therapeutic benefits of Yoga, specifically for cancer?
• How do you deeply relax? What kind of visualisations might be helpful?
• Can you incorporate Yogic practices and healing meditations in your regime to improve your mental strength and enhance your immunity?

Author

Noella Ferrao is a student of Communications at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She is an active member of theatre groups in Bangalore, and enjoys having deep, spiritual discussions over coffee.

Touch-based therapies for cancer healing

For those who are battling or recovering from cancer, touch-based therapies provide a gentle, healing, positive experience – a welcome change from being poked and prodded in a clinical setting. For cancer patients whose treatments have left them with changed physical capabilities, or an altered appearance, touch-based therapies can do wonders to restore self-esteem and a feeling of harmony within.

Yet, many body-workers wonder how they can help clients extend these positive effects once they’ve left the massage table. Cancer patients can take the healing power of touch home with them when they learn the simple process behind Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT.)

What is EFT?

Emotional Freedom Technique is the invention of Gary Craig. Promoted as an addition to the “energy psychology” field, it uses tapping on selected acupuncture points and positive affirmations to de-sensitize people to emotionally charged stimuli, or triggers for undesirable behaviors such as over-eating, smoking, etc. Body-workers trained in the technique can easily share the method, or “recipe” as users call it, with clients, as the entire sequence takes less than few minutes.

EFT Points

EFT uses acupuncture points to release blocked energy throughout the body. This same energy is thought to create emotional blocks as well.

Although many practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine debate the legitimacy of using acu-points in a regimented sequence, this is probably due to the large number of EFT practitioners who have no prior training in point location. Thus, body-workers with a background in meridien-based therapies are uniquely qualified to teach clients correctly and this attains better-than- average results from EFT.

Several of the points used are indeed indicated for what the Chinese refer to as “harmonizing the shen, or spirit” which explains the sometimes instant sense of relief reported by recipients. During an EFT treatment, a client is taught to tap these points in a specific sequence to dismantle the negative energy of the emotions they’re experiencing.

Affirmations

A key component of any EFT treatment is the use of a ‘affirmation mantra’ that operates at two levels

• It emphasizes gentle self-acceptance and the conditions that have created one’s life so far.
• It affirms unconditional love for oneself.

Even skeptics of EFT cannot argue the merit of these powerful affirmations. Often, these deceptively simple sentiments (self-acceptance and self-love) have been missing from people’s lives, and bringing them into awareness can be profoundly healing.

Why EFT Resonates With Cancer Patients

Many cancer patients feel a sense of betrayal when they receive their diagnosis.

• The body they have relied upon since birth seems to be turning against them.
• For some, their trust in their work conditions and environment has been violated (e.g. with mesothelioma, a lung cancer that often results from exposure to environmental toxins.)
• Many people also deal with the fear that comes with a cancer prognosis and its typically short life expectancy.

Patients must search out ways to come to terms with their circumstances if they are to maximize their opportunities to recover, or live well, simply because years of therapy are not feasible. A resolution must come quickly, and that is the unique gift offered by EFT.

Incorporating this easy-to-use, exceptionally safe modality into your practice allows you to empower your clients with a healing tool they can use any time, any place. Nothing is quicker at dispelling emotions commonly experienced by cancer patients – such as grief, fear, sadness, and anger – and replacing them with acceptance and a sense of compassion.

Reflection

• Accepting the cancer diagnosis is extremely difficult but it is the first step towards healing. What steps can you take to mentally accept and thriver with cancer?
• How can you integrate touch-based systems like EFT to release the negative emotions and awaken a positive mindset?

Author

Melanie Bowen is an advocate for natural health and cancer cure initiatives. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English with a specialty in Psychology and Medical Research, she highlights the great benefits of different nutritional, emotional, and physical treatments on those with illnesses. (To read her blog, click here.)

The Seven Chakras by Caroline Myss

Located from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, the chakras have been known for thousands of years as the critical regulators of the flow of life-energy (prana or chi or kii or Qi). They are also seen as a seven-stage hierarchy of consciousness by the Hindu system and interestingly, they also overlap closely with the Christian sacraments and the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life.

Myss shows how specific patterns of emotional and psychological stresses influence our chakra system, leading to illness in a particular part of the human body.

1st Chakra: Mooladhara (Root support)

• Physical location: Base of spine
• Represents: Survival, the material world
• Organs: Base of  spine, bones, legs, rectum, immune system
• Mental/Emotional Issues: Physical safety/ security, providing for life’s necessities, standing up for self, feeling at home, law and order
• Associated Colour: Red

2nd Chakra: Swadishtana (Special abode)

• Physical location: Sexual/reproductive organs
• Represents: Power, sexuality, work, physical desires
• Organs: Sexual organs, colon, lower vertebrae, pelvis appendix, bladder, hip area
• Mental/Emotional Issues: Blame and guilt, money and sex, power and control, creativity, ethics and honour (in relationships)
• Associated colour: Orange

3rd Chakra: Manipura (City of the shining jewel)

• Physical location: Navel
• Represents: Self, ego, personality, self-esteem
• Organs: Abdomen, stomach, upper intestines, liver, gall bladder, kidney, pancreas, adrenal glands, spleen, middle spine
• Mental/Emotional Issues: Trust, fear and intimidation, self-esteem, self-respect, self-confidence, care for oneself and others, decision-making, sensitivity to criticism, personal honour
• Associated colour: Yellow

4th Chakra:  Anahata (Unstruck sound)

• Physical location: Heart
• Represents: Love, forgiveness, compassion
• Organs: Heart and circulatory system, lungs, shoulders and arms, rib-cage, breasts, diaphragm, thymus gland
• Mental/Emotional Issues: Love and hatred, resentment and bitterness, grief and anger, self-centeredness, loneliness and commitment, forgiveness and compassion, hope and trust
• Associated colour: Green

5th Chakra:  Vishuddha (Purification)

• Physical location: Throat
• Represents: Will, self-expression, communication
• Organs: Throat, thyroid gland, trachea, neck vertebrae, mouth, teeth and gums, esophagus, parathyroid, hypothalamus
• Mental/Emotional Issues: Choice and strength of will, personal expression, following one’s dream, using personal power to create, addiction, judgment and criticism, faith and knowledge, making decisions
• Associated colour: Blue

6th Chakra:  Ajna (Command)

• Physical location: Forehead
• Repesents: Clarity, mind, intuition, insight, wisdom
• Organs: Brain, nervous system, eyes, ears, nose, pituitary gland
• Mental/Emotional Issues: Self-evaluation, truth, intellectual abilities, feelings of adequacy, openness to ideas, learning from experience, emotional intelligence
• Associated colour: Indigo

7th Chakra:  Sahasrara (Thousand petalled lotus)

• Physical location: Crown of head
• Associated With: Oneness, spirituality, transcendence, universal love
• Organs: Skeletal system, muscular system, skin, pineal gland
• Mental/Emotional Issues: Trusting life, values, ethics, courage, altruism, selflessness, seeing larger picture, faith and inspiration, spirituality and devotion
• Associated colour: Violet

Reflection

• What are some of the main mental and emotional stressors that bother you? What steps can you take to address them?
• Some stressors are subconsciously ingrained and you may not be able to easily identify them. Consider the affected part of your body and look at the corresponding stressors. What new insights do you gain?
• Where can you get high-quality help to decode your deepest stressors and release them?

Source

Book: “Anatomy Of The Spirit” by Caroline Myss 

About Pleural Mesothelioma (PM)

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that affects the pleural membrane, or the thin lining covering the lungs. This deadly cancer affects thousands of people each year, causing respiratory distress and eventually death.

• PM is caused by exposure to airborne asbestos and symptoms may take anywhere from 20 to 50 years to develop after exposure has occurred.
• It has been called a “silent killer” due to its long latency and its tendency to be misdiagnosed in its early stages. PM symptoms are easily mistaken for other, less serious respiratory conditions such as pneumonia or the flu.

Asbestos: The Primary Cause

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that was used extensively in the 20th century for various construction and industrial applications, due to its superior strength and insulating properties.

However, asbestos is a fibrous material and asbestos fibers if inhaled, lodge in the delicate lung tissue and lead to a gradual build up of fluids, inflammation, scar tissue and damage.

Asbestos is now known to be a human carcinogen (toxic, cancer-causing agent), but millions of innocent people continue to be exposed in homes, the workplace and in public areas. Research studies estimate that approximately 125 million people worldwide are exposed to asbestos each year, placing millions at risk for asbestos-related illnesses such as asbestosis and pleural mesothelioma.

It is of particular concern in India, since asbestos is still very widely used and most people are totally unaware of the potential health risks.

Symptoms

Symptoms may develop gradually and worsen overtime, as fluids build up in the lungs and cancerous cells spread. Patients are often unaware that they have the cancer until their symptoms are severe, which may be too late.

Early symptoms

1. Persistent or dry cough
2. Coughing up blood
3. Difficulty breathing
4. Chest pain
5. Lumps on the skin of the chest
6. Fatigue and weight loss

Early diagnosis improves prognosis and survival. So, if you have been exposed to asbestos over a period of time in your life, and have these early symptoms, it is crucial for you to obtain a definitive diagnosis after undergoing imaging tests and tissue biopsies.

Poor Recovery Outlook

Unfortunately, PM is a terminal cancer which currently has no proven cure. The average life expectancy for PM patients is 4-18 months after diagnosis, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 10 percent.

While these statistics are very serious, some patients have continued to live for many years with the disease by undergoing certain personalised treatment options.

Treatment Options

Medical treatment generally consists of the mainstream approaches like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The primary goal is to improve the patient’s quality of life while he/she lives with and copes with the condition.

According to Nick Hare of PleuralMesothelioma.com “some patients have experienced prolonged survival with alternative treatments such as nutritional changes, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, herbal supplements and massage therapy. Alternative therapies often help to reduce pain, improve breathing symptoms and stimulate circulation in patients with the cancer.”

What You Can Do

If you have Pleural Mesothelioma or know someone who does:

• We encourage you to look beyond the statistics and learn from those who have outlived the odds. Adopting a holistic and integrated approach to treatment can certainly improve quality of life and in some cases, may prolong life.
• Please read / recommend the Holistic And Integrated Approaches To Cancer to understand how you can complement your medical treatment.
• Please browse Pleural Mesothelioma Centre which provides a lot of excellent information, guidance and tips on various aspects of the disease

If you or someone you know has had prolonged asbestos exposure and/ or is exhibiting any of the early symptoms described above, please undergo the necessary diagnostic tests to rule out the possibility of Pleural mesothelioma.

Author

Katie Broome is a writer and editor for PleuralMesothelioma.com, contributing both quality content and research to the site in order to increase awareness of this deadly and preventable disease. Katie has experience in medical and health writing for print and online media. She graduated summa cum laude from Rollins College with a bachelor’s degree in English.

How a path-breaking therapy is aiding cancer treatment

“A 59-year old patient with advanced stomach cancer (as a large stomach ulcer) was unwilling to undergo any conventional treatments despite adequate counselling. After 28 days of the RFQMR therapy using the Cytotron® he showed significant improvement. Endoscopy showed a smaller ulcer with healing in progress and biopsies showed no evidence of tumour activity!”

Dr. G.S. Nayar served the Indian Air Force for over 30 years as a specialist in Aerospace Medicine. His expertise included evaluating and maintaining the health and wellness of military pilots and even selection of cosmonauts/astronauts for manned space missions.

Now, he applies similar technologies for Wellness Management, focusing on preventive healthcare against life-style diseases including stress disorders, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Dr. Nayar co-founded ‘Ojus Healthcare’ in 2001 to establish a network of primary clinics to help individuals track and manage their own health. We caught up with him at his clinic in Brookefields, Bangalore, which has the Cytotron® facility.

Cytotron®

This is probably the first medical device of its type, to be fully conceived and developed in India and accredited internationally.

Dr Rajah Vijay Kumar, Chairman, Organization de Scalene who has a number of innovations and international patents to his credit, is the inventor of the tissue engineering technology of Rotational Field Quantum Magnetic Resonance (RFQMR) therapy as well as its treatment applications using the Cytotron^® device.

Essentially, the Cytotron^® treatment helps to re-generate cells and/or to stop the uncontrolled growth of cells. Clinical experience shows that it is particularly effective for cancer and for arthritis.

How it works in Cancer

In conventional cancer treatment, chemo/radiation therapies physically destroy cancer cells to arrest tumour growth. However, this can damage the adjacent normal tissues and organs leading to severe side effects.

Cytotron^® therapy induces apoptosis (‘programmed cell death’) by reviving the body’s own mechanisms of tumour suppression non-invasively and without any side effects.

• The device provides precise doses of safe and non-invasive energy (radio or sub-radio frequency, non-ionizing, non-thermal electro-magnetic waves) to tissues in the affected area.
• To begin with, the electrical properties of the affected cells are normalised.
• This stimulates the production of natural tumour-suppressor genes (such as the p53) and related nucleo-proteins which induce apoptosis and tumour death.
• The therapy works with and supports the body’s natural process of getting rid of cancer cells, in a controlled and phased manner.
• Treated in this manner for 28 days (1 hour per lesion), there is evidence to show that the cancer cells start dying.
• In severe cases, the treatment can be repeated for 2-3 cycles or even more without any worry about side effects.

Benefits Vis-a-vis Conventional Treatments

Dr. Nayar says that as of now, chemotherapy and radiotherapy remain the most common, conventional methods of treatment. However, issues of side effects, cost, suitability for the aged/children/debilitated patients etc remain serious concerns.

Most patients taking conventional therapies experience debilitating side-effects like hair-loss, blood-count fall, nausea, reduced immunity, etc. By comparison, the Cytotron^® therapy is an outpatient procedure and is absolutely safe, with no known side effects.

There are no toxic drugs, no harmful radiation; you simply lie down in the device, which emits radio waves to the carefully targeted areas. Dr. Nayar adds that he has personally treated children as young as 2 years and some senior citizens in their 90’s who were very comfortable during the procedure and benefited from the therapy.

What do Patients Think?

So far, Ojus has treated over 80 patients with advanced cancers, most of them in terminal stages. They maintain meticulous records of their patient’s progress and follow up, by way of both quality and quantity of life.

One of the most striking differences that patients notice within 7-10 days of therapy is pain relief, without the need for medication. They are able to sleep better. There is also marked sense of wellbeing and improved appetite.

Ojus also emphasises a holistic approach to healing. During and after the Cytotron^® treatment, patients receive advice on diet and lifestyle, alongside therapies like Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation, Massage, Homeopathy, Tibetan medicine, Hypnotherapy and psychological counselling.

International recognition and demand for Cytotron^®

Since the technology is relatively new, most of Ojus’s current patients are terminal or at least advanced cases who have tried all the other mainstream treatments. But since the treatment is showing such good results, it is gaining popularity in other countries as well.

• Cytotron^® is already available in countries like Malaysia, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
• The device will be available in Canada, Hungary and in the US in the near future.
• The US Treasury has recently announced a generous grant for clinical trials in the US.
• Ojus is already treating patients from the US, Europe and the Middle East who come to Bangalore for the therapy.

Way forward for Cytotron^®

All this is very encouraging and Dr. Nayar hopes that this therapy will soon be included in the routine treatment of cancers alongside with the conventional treatments. He regularly interacts with Oncologists to encourage them to take advantage of this promising technology, especially because it can easily be integrated with standard therapies.

The key is to educate patients, their families as well as medical practitioners.

For more information please contact

SCALENE CYBERNETICS, S CARD CAMPUS SEEGEHALLI MAIN ROAD VIRGONAGAR POST BANGALORE, Karnataka 560049, IN

Author

Mithra Murali is a student of Communications at Mt Carmel College, Bangalore. She says “While working on Cancer Awakens, I had the opportunity to meet some great people and learn about new things. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!”

Bert Hellinger’s ‘Family Constellation Therapy’

Family Constellation is a therapeutic method developed by the German priest and psychologist Bert Hellinger since the 1980’s. Bert and his students have worked with thousands of clients over 30 years and gained important insights into a range of conflicts, which include serious illnesses like cancer.

Although this method shares some similarities with the family therapy work of Virginia Satir and with the Psychodrama method, it is unique because of its visible and multi-generational approach.

‘Family Constellation Therapy’ demystified

Annie Cariapa, a trained facilitator, explains it as simply as possible:

• Each one of us has an individual consciousness
• We are all connected to each other through our collective consciousness (called our Family Constellation).
• That which holds and weaves both into one is called the spiritual consciousness.
• When there is an ‘exclusion’ of a member of a family from any one of these states of consciousness, it can manifest as an illness or disorder in the life of another member in the same system, in the same or subsequent generations.

For instance, if an aborted child is not mourned or remembered with fondness, this ‘exclusion’ can manifest in another member of this family’s constellation, during the same or another generation. It can take the form of any illness: physical or psychological, minor or major (including cancer).

For other examples of common exclusions, please see the article “Uncovering Systemic Stressors” on this site. Click here.

Case study – 1 (Anorexia)

A young girl suffering from Anorexia (an eating disorder) manifests and remembers on behalf of her family, a forgotten member who has been consciously or unconsciously been excluded from the system. Usually, young girls suffer from these disorders when the father wants to leave the family.

The girl is saying: “I don’t want you to leave, Daddy … so I will leave in your place”. By not eating, the girl tries to compensate for the disappearing father. This false compensation was brought to the surface and corrected through Family Constellation Therapy.

Case study – 2 (Strained relationship with mother)

There is a young man who feels cold and distant towards his mother, for no obvious reason. He often experiences anger in his relationship with other women, whether socially or at work. In order to find and resolve the underlying causes, he did a Family Constellation.

It became obvious that the young man’s particular issues have their roots in the difficult relationship between his mother and her father i.e. the client’s grandfather. It was revealed that his mother felt like a late and unwelcome child, always on the periphery of the family’s “inner circle”. By recognising this, he became sensitive to, and capable of, entering into a better relationship with his mother.

How ‘Family Constellation Therapy’ Works

Family constellation is best done in a group. For every family member including himself, the young man (the client) picks out a group member, a male group member for a male relative and a woman for a female relative. They are his chosen representatives.

The people so chosen don’t need to know anything about the original family; they only need to know the role they have been placed in and the roles others have been placed in (father, mother, son, daughter, etc.) The client, intuitively, gives every representative including himself, a place in the room and a direction, forming the constellation. Beyond this, he does not assign a body posture or a specific feeling.

Amazingly, and quite mysteriously, the representatives placed in this constellation gain access to the feelings and relationships of the family member they are representing! They begin to feel real emotions of fear, loss and needs. When these emotions are identified and met with love, acts of inclusion, remembrance and forgiveness, the Constellation can be made complete and brought to a new equilibrium. The unexplained individual issues fall away and healing occurs.

As Bert Hellinger says “When the blocks are released, the soul starts to move again …”

Sounds spooky: Can this really happen?

Hearing something like this for the first time, it is common for people to be skeptical. Yet, Family Constellations have been demonstrated with thousands of people around the world over three decades. And one has to see the phenomenon to believe it. Interestingly, the fear that participants will mix up with their own history and feelings with those of the people they are representing, rarely occurs.

Annie Cariapa goes on to say that in many such constellations, the dynamics and underlying tensions become visible and are revealed by the representatives through their movements, expressions, feelings, under guidance of a trained therapist/ facilitator. There are many examples where such tensions, conflicts and emotional issues have been transmitted across several generations.

Reflection

• What suppressed or mishandled emotions exist within my family system which may be upsetting my health dynamic?
• What are my family ‘un-discussables/ dysfunctions’ and the possible ‘exclusions’ which need to be addressed?
• Which energies need to be honoured and re-included, with love and forgiveness?

Source

• Books: “Love’s Own Truths” by Bert Hellinger (ISBN-10: 1891944487; ISBN-13: 978-1891944482) and “The Art & Practice of Family Constellations” by Bertold Ulsamer (ISBN-10: 3896703986; ISBN-13: 978-3896703989)
• Website: http://www.hellingerpa.com/
• Family Constellation Workshops in Bangalore: For more details, please contact: Mrs. Annie Cariapa: anicariapa@yahoo.co.uk

Written by Rebecca Vedavathy

Rebecca is a student of Communications at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. Says Rebecca “Looking after the old and sick and mothering infants and toddlers is a favorite pastime, I love taking care of people. Now here I am,  writing for a website that is working to help cancer patients all over the world, thereby fulfilling my dream in whatever little way I can.”

Douglas Brodie

Dr Douglas Brodie (founder of the Reno Integrative Medical Clinic in Nevada, USA) is more than a certified homeopath and a conventional medical practitioner. For over 35 years, he has worked with thousands of people with cancer, observing and studying their behaviour patterns.

7 Common Characteristics To Watch For

1. Being highly dutiful, responsible, caring and hardworking and usually of above average intelligence.
2. A strong tendency towards carrying other people’s burden and obligations, often described as “worrying for others”.
3. Having a deep-seated need to make others happy earning the tag of “people pleasers”
4. Often having a history of lack of closeness with one or both parents, resulting in lack of closeness with spouse or people who are normally close.
5. Harboring long-suppressed toxic emotions such as anger, resentment or hostility.
6. Usually experiencing an especially damaging event about 2 years before the onset of detectable cancer.
7. The inability to cope with the trauma of this event often becomes the last straw to years of suppressed reactions to stress.

Dr. Brodie says “These cancer-susceptible individuals often carry long suppressed emotions, such as anger, resentment and hostility, usually arising in childhood, which have been internalized to such an extent that such individuals have extreme difficulty in bringing these unacceptable emotions to the surface. As with many illnesses, whatever goes on mentally, emotionally and spiritually inside these people can have a profound affect on their physical health. The immune system in particular is continually under the influence of these factors. Conventional medicine has only just begun to recognize the connection between the mind, the emotions and the immune system. It has been our consistent observation that those patients who are best able to resolve these issues, along with being willing and able to make other lifestyle changes, are the most successful cancer survivors.”

7 Characteristics Of Successful Cancer Survivors

Conversely, Brodie has also identified certain consistent qualities which differentiate what he calls as successful cancer survivors (and what we call ‘thrivers’) from the others.

1. Willing and able to reverse a stressful life-style, to reduce heavy obligations, burdens and anxieties, and who learn to say “No” to those who would lay burdens upon them.
2. Ready and eager to take charge of their own health care, to study in depth the various alternatives, and to make dietary and other changes in their physical lifestyle.
3. Able to reject the idea that the diagnosis of cancer automatically means death and that conventional treatment offers the only hope.
4. Willing to accept responsibility for the behavioral factors which led to the disease, to submit to self-assessment, and to make the necessary adjustments and corrections to eliminate these factors.
5. Prepare to abandon destructive and “toxic” emotions such as fear, anger, resentment, guilt and self-pity, replacing these with such positive emotions as hope, love, forgiveness, gentleness, confidence and faith.
6. Able to overcome inhibitions, particularly learned restraints which may have prevented full personal/social (and even sexual) gratification, allowing guiltless and total fulfillment.
7. Aware of the critical importance of spiritual growth and developing faith in God or their own concept of a Higher Power.

So I would say that all the therapies around the world will only be effective if we can change the way we see ourselves (and life).

What we see is what we get!

Reflection

• Do you find any characteristics of cancer patients and thrivers in yourself?
• What can you do to address the problems?

Source

Website: www.renointegrativemedicalcentre.com

Author

Written by Shalini Raja, a student of Communications from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore

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Spontaneous Healing

Andrew T. Weil is a well-known American author and physician in the field of holistic health. He is the founder and Program Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, which he started in 1994 at the University of Arizona. Weil published his first book, The Natural Mind, in 1972. His early works explored altered states of consciousness, but he has since expanded his scope to encompass healthy lifestyles and health care in general.

Health, Healing and Medicine

Dr. Weil wrote Spontaneous Healing in an effort to change people’s attitudes toward health, healing, and the practice of medicine itself. Subtitled “How to Discover and Enhance Your Body’s Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself,” this book presents Dr. Weil’s thoughts and suggestions combined with true stories of ‘spontaneous healing’ experiences.

Weil states that ‘spontaneous healing’ is a natural result of putting all the body’s systems back in harmony. He focuses on the body’s healing system, suggesting that it is both in-built and invaluable. He also outlines how to optimize this healing system, giving helpful advice on diet, toxins, tonics, and other aspects.

The power of the mind

The book also reiterates how our mind plays a key role in both causing and healing illness and Dr. Weil gives us a few anecdotes on how little precautions and altered mindsets that have changed peoples’ lives.

As Winston Churchill once said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”

A Remarkable Story of a Cancer Thriver

Diagnosed with the critical “empty marrow syndrome”

Kristin Killops shouldn’t be alive today and definitely not with children of her own. Her doctors had sent her home to die and were quite clear that her aggressive treatments had destroyed her reproductive capacity.

Her journey began when she was nineteen years old in Hawaii, when she had unexplainable bruises all over her body. Her doctor asked her to take iron supplements but there was no improvement. Further blood tests revealed aplastic anemia.  “Aplastic” means “without form”: it wipes out the normal components of bone marrow, leading to “empty marrow syndrome”, where empty space and fat replace normal blood-forming cells!

Aggressive treatments for the aggressive illness

In Kristin’s case, there was identifiable cause but there was a suspicion of toxic exposure. She arrived at Santa Barbara, California, desperately ill with almost no functioning marrow.

The hospital had to keep Kristin in a protective “reverse isolation” environment to minimize contact with germs and she was given washes with disinfectants. Absence of platelets creates the risk of abnormal bleeding, internally and externally.

Her doctors tried everything possible. They put her on steroids but thought she was too ill to survive and sent her to UCLA Medical center in LA for a bone-marrow transplant, which Kristin decided against.

Instead, Kristin found a healer and she also started taking lots of vitamins and other dietary supplements, but by then the doctors had given up all hope.

A new lease of life through alternative therapy

But Kristin sure didn’t. She tried every kind of alternative therapy, in spite of being terribly weak. She experimented with psychic healing and visualization based on the hospital psychologist’s referral to a UCLA researcher who was studying psychic healing.

Through him she found a healer who used hypnotherapy as well as the laying of hands. She met the healer twice a week while she was in a critical condition in hospital and dramatically, after two weeks, she saw a rise in marrow and blood count. Medically, this was unheard of and the same doctors who had said that they had no hope, decided to send her back home!

Kristin battled on. She found another healer to do the hands-on treatments and maintained a strict diet. Her medical results miraculously improved, but she was still weak.

In all, Kristin spent over 6 months in hospital. One year after the onset of her illness, she knew she was going to live.

The doctors had also told Kristin she would never have children due to the high hormone doses that had stopped her cycle as well. But one psychic healer put her hand on her pelvis, told her it was dark in there and asked her to fast for one week. Lo and behold, her period began once more!

And the best part?

Twenty years later, Kristin is completely healthy and the proud mother of four healthy children. Her recovery was so unusual from the medical point of view that one of her doctors presented her case at an international conference on aplastic anemia.

This is what Kristin tells others facing grave medical crisis :

“There may be different ways to healing for different people, but there is always a way for you. Keep searching!”

Reflection

• In your own life, when did you think something is impossible, then actually achieved it?
• How can you bring that mental/ emotional power to your cancer journey?
• What can you do to aid the body’s natural function of healing?
• Alongside medical treatments, what holistic practices can you incorporate?

Source

Book: “Spontaneous Healing” By Andrew Thomas Weil
(This link is for your information only. We do not stand to make money when you click it)

Author

Written by Aditi Nayar, a student of Communications at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

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“It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

Complementing this idea is the book “Anatomy of the Spirit”, written by internationally acclaimed medical intuitive Dr. Caroline Myss.

Take charge of your recovery with positive energy healing

Dr. Myss highlights a common failing: that we converse in what she calls “woundology”. She asserts that we tend to play the victim and develop relationships on the basis of the pain we have suffered. It becomes a “who suffered more” contest. Do you ever use emotional wounds to control people or situations? It’s something to think about.

As she says “I am responsible for the creation of my health. I can participate in the healing of any illness by simultaneously healing my emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual being.”

Conventional Vs Holistic

We often veer between conventional and holistic treatments – it’s a never-ending debate that plays on our minds.

• Conventional treatment is a passive process, which helps “cure” the disease i.e. the patient might recover from the symptoms, but may never fully deal with the source of the disease, which might result in its recurrence.
• Holistic treatment is an active process that helps “heal” the person. It requires the active involvement of the patient, along with introspection into one’s outlook, memories and way of life. This changed attitude can help develop a range of possibilities to live life, along with cancer, king size!

Is all this feasible? Most certainly. The book has numerous examples of real-life patients who have been “awakened” and changed their approach, adopted a radically different lifestyle in some cases, and healed themselves.

Resignation Vs. Surrender

Myss also emphasizes the importance of “surrendering personal will to Divine Will”. This does not mean resigning yourself to your fate, rather, it means surrendering yourself – your dreams, desires, needs – to God. We can all use His guidance to work through the challenges life brings us.

The worst thing in life often contains the seeds of the best!

Can all illnesses be healed? Yes, but there is no guarantee that every illness will necessarily be healed. Sometimes an illness has to be endured to help the person confront his or her own fears or negativity, or to resolve the soul’s unfinished business.

As Joel Siegel said, “Cancer changes your life, often for the better. You learn what’s important, you learn to prioritize, and you learn not to waste your time. You tell people you love them. If it wasn’t for the downside, having cancer would be the best thing and everyone would want it.”

Reflection

• How likely are you to blame others for your suffering? Rather than slipping into victimhood, what can you do to take charge of your situation?
• Balancing mainstream treatments and holistic approaches can be confusing? Can you consult a holistic cancer coach or another expert to create a healing plan for yourself?
• How often do you stress over things that our beyond your control? How can you ‘do your best and leave the rest to God’?
• Cancer is devastating experience and it can also have meaning. What life lessons you have learnt from your cancer journey?

Source

Book: Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss (This link is for your information only. We do not stand to make money when you click it)

Author

Written by Aditi Kapoor, an undergraduate in Communication Studies at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

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My life was perfect, why did I get cancer

“It never occurred to me that I might be diagnosed with breast cancer. I had practiced yoga and meditation for decades, been blessed with a loving marriage, felt passionate about my life’s work as a naturopathic and homeopathic doctor, and lived in the breath-of-fresh-air Pacific Northwest. I ate a healthy, organic diet and exercised. My saga began when I was awakened in the middle of the night with excruciating pain in my left breast.”

Blessed to have so much love and prayers

Judyth went on to have surgery – a mastectomy (removal of the breast). Here she recounts the days before her surgery.

“One of the high points of my week before surgery was a terrific 50th birthday party where I was surrounded by loving friends. So many blessings. The party concluded with a healing circle in which I not only received prayers and more love, but friends even sang to me. The atmosphere was truly magical, one which I will never forget.”

Life after cancer surgery

“Sure, my body’s a bit rearranged but women who have gone through it assure me that in time I will forget about it entirely, although I do want to remember the personal lessons I learned about love, God, friends, and courage.”

“I am thankful in many ways for having had cancer. It has brought me much closer to friends who I have sometimes neglected due to what I thought were higher priorities. It has made me feel a closer bond than ever with Bob. I believe that I am much better able to understand what people go through who have cancer and other serious illnesses.”

Judyth and her husband practice homeopathy and naturopathy and run the website Healthy Homeopathy, and have authored many books on the subject. You can read their full story here.

While pancreatic cancer is relatively rare, it is considered one of the most deadly because it is aggressive, spreads rapidly, is often not diagnosed until later stages and traditional medicine offers very few treatment options.

I hope this article will give you new perspectives and new hope.

The symbolism of the pancreas

Before we go into signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer let’s talk about the symbolism. The pancreas has two main functions – exocrine and endocrine. The exocrine function is to secrete digestive juices, while the endocrine function is to secrete insulin and glucagon, which regulate the blood sugar levels in the blood.

Most pancreatic cancers are found in the exocrine part of the pancreas. The digestive juices secreted have an aggressive nature that breaks down food. Cancers arising from this part of the pancreas indicate a difficulty in “digesting something”.

Pancreatic cancers that arise from the endocrine part of the organ indicate an inability to absorb sugar or sweetness. This may point to an inability to open up and receive love, or an inability to see the sweetness of life.

The 3rd chakra influence

The pancreas is situated in the region of the solar plexus, and the life energy of this region comes from the 3rd chakra. So to identify the early signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, you need to pay attention to the 3rd Chakra. Psychologically the 3rd chakra represents the ego and personal honour. It is also regarded as the seat of emotions. A cancer in this region may represent long held hurt to the ego.

A significant influence in the health of the 3rd chakra region is being truthful and keeping one’s promises to self and others. This is the basis of personal honour, self-respect and self-esteem. Being untruthful and making false promises gnaws away at one’s self worth, making one feel deeply unworthy of love. So you can’t miss out on it while looking at the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

People with pancreatic illnesses may want love, and yet do not trust themselves to actively pursue it. They long for it but tell themselves they mustn’t have it. They spend a significant part of their life feeling unworthy, and consequently denying themselves love.

The Last Lecture on signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer      

Prof. Randy Pausch, with terminal pancreatic cancer, gave the famous “Last Lecture” and wrote a book with the same name. He wrote passionately about the importance of truly ‘living’, in the process of spreading hope. Have an hour to be completely inspired? Watch the video below.

Reflection

If you closely reflect on your life, you will notice the early signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

• What cannot you ‘digest’ about the people or situations in your life?
• Does your life lack sweetness? What in your life deserves appreciation, that you are not giving?
• Do you consider yourself truthful? When do you misrepresent the truth?
• How do you lie or break promises to yourself?
• Are you able to admit it when you are wrong? Are you open to feedback from other people about yourself?
• Do you need the approval of others? If so, why?
• Do you respect yourself? Can you make changes to your lifestyle and then
  stick to your commitments?

References

• The Last Lecture Website
• Louise Hay: “You Can Heal Your Life”
• Caroline Myss: “Anatomy Of The Spirit”
• Dahlke and Dethlefsen: “The healing power of illness”

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EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) was introduced by Gary Craig in 1995. It integrates the Chinese meridian system into the therapy process by tapping on meridian points with your fingertips. If done properly, it is believed to reduce the conventional therapy process from weeks, months or years to a fraction of that time (often to minutes or hours).

This is a video featuring Gary Craig, the founder of the process.

Source

Gary Craig’s official EFT website

What is Emotional Freedom Technique

• Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a powerful new method based on the discovery that emotional trauma contributes greatly to disease.
• When we go through traumatic experiences, the memories associated with these experiences often trigger the same emotions that we felt during the time of the experience.
• The use of EFT significantly reduces the emotional triggers and often we are able to see the same situation more objectively and move on.
• Since the stress of the trauma is reduced, there is a direct impact on our emotional health and therefore our physical health.

How it works

• EFT works by tapping certain acupuncture points while focusing on an issue that has caused the person emotional distress.
• These points help to balance the body’s energy field since we tap on its energy meridians.
• The principles behind EFT are similar to Chinese acupuncture as they enable the internal healing mechanisms of the body – allowing the body to heal itself.

How to learn and use EFT

EFT is simple enough to learn by reading the basic material that’s given on the website www.eftuniverse.com.  All you need to do is to download the free starter’s package and watch videos that are available on Youtube. There are no side effects and you may notice differences in the way you feel in a matter of 5-10 minutes.

Here are some video suggestions are also given below:

Introduction to Tapping

This longish video introduces EFT and takes you through the first two sessions. A great way to get started.

Clearing Fear and Worry

This video guides you through the process of tapping while saying affirmations to clear fear and worry. Brad Yate’s casual style and humour makes you feel at ease and he has numerous other videos for specific issues available on his Youtube channel.

Reflection

• Alongside mainstream treatments, what alternative therapies can you use to achieve healing?
• How can you use to ETF to uncover the stressors affecting your health?

Suggested Reading

Emotional Freedom Techniques – Sangeeta S Bhagwat, Wisdomtree Publications.

Sources

What is EFT?

Prof. Leslie Walker of The University of Hull’s Institute of Rehabilitation (U.K) discovered that breast and lymph cancer patients who practiced guided imagery/ hypnotherapy, lived on average 2.5 years longer than those in the control group who did not use these techniques.

He found that people practicing guided imagery / hypnotherapy showed improved immunity, through a significant increase in natural killer (NK) cells and T-cells.

While hypnotherapy should only be tried under the care of a qualified hypnotherapist, guided imagery is much simpler and you can learn and try it on your own.

For more information on hypnotherapy, click here.
For more information on guided imagery techniques, click here.

Source

• Walker L G, Walker M B, Simpson E, Ogston K, Segar A, Heys S D, Ah-See A K, Hutcheon A W, Sarkar T K and Eremin O (1996). The effects of relaxation training and visualisation on quality of life during chemotherapy for breast cancer: a controlled trial. Proceedings, Eighth Overseas Meeting, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, p 123.