In the last article, I talked about 5 of the 10 things patients have in common (exercise, diet, self-direction, intuition, and emotions) that improved cancer healing. The other five methods listed in the medical book translated by Professor Kyungmi Lee of the College of Medicine are as follows.
6. Cultivate positive emotions
It is already a famous saying, but it is important to have a positive mindset in cancer treatment. Among patients who have overcome cancer, there are few cases where only negative thoughts are overcome. It is important to intentionally elevate positive emotions, even for just five minutes a day.
Of course, it is not easy for patients diagnosed with cancer to have positive thoughts. You don’t have to smile, but trying to make a smiley face has similar health benefits to smiling. It is similar to the meaning of the saying, ‘You don’t laugh because you’re happy, you smile because you’re happy’.
Intentionally changing your body to feel positive emotions actually benefits your mental health.
Since our body and mind are closely connected, it is the same principle that the mind is made to mistakenly feel happy just by making a smiling expression.
7. Find a reason to live
This is similar to saying that you should take charge of your own health, as I said in #3. According to the study, the children of long-lived people over 100 years old had a much higher ‘will and goal to live’ than those around them, such as spouses and the same age. Longevity means that it is connected with the purpose of life.
Finding a purpose in life doesn’t have to be grandiose. It is important to first consciously find out what is important to you. Professor Cha suggested ‘writing a will’ as one of the methods. If he thinks about how he can live like that obituary by writing an obituary he thinks ideally, his will to life will be even greater.
8. Strengthen your spiritual connection
Spiritual connection doesn’t mean you have to be religious. In the word ‘spiritual connection’, ‘spirit’ means the soul, the inner mind. Strengthening your spiritual connection has to do with increasing the frequency of your encounters with your inner stillness.
According to Professor Cha’s translation, the mind calmed and relaxed through spiritual connection also triggers physiological changes.
Neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine are released, which improves blood circulation, improves detoxification and activates the immune system.
9. Have supportive people around you
If the explanations so far have focused on one’s will and heart in cancer treatment, number 9 is talking about social relationships for cancer treatment.
Those with strong social networks were found to have a lower incidence rate and a higher cancer overcoming rate.
It’s important to know what kind of friends you have, not how many friends you have. It’s good to have at least one person who makes you feel supported.
People who have more friends are more likely to succeed in quitting smoking and form healthy eating habits.
According to the results of a study conducted in three European countries including Finland, ‘loneliness’ was selected as one of the biggest variables in the deterioration of health.
Although we have become accustomed to living at a distance due to COVID-19, it is also important for our health to maintain social relationships so that individual isolation does not lead to health problems.
10. Use Supplements Appropriately
Numerous adjuvants are being used to treat cancer. There are three main reasons supplements are used: strengthening the immune system, detoxifying the body, and assisting digestion. Of course, even the same supplement may have different effects depending on the person taking it.
It is important to consult a professional before taking supplements. This is because there is a risk of overdose of ingredients that are biased toward one side in the desire to enhance a specific effect. In addition to taking supplements, drinking a lot of water is one way to help detoxify by excreting waste products.
