june 2011
Vol. 26 No.5
The future depends on what we do in the present. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Don’t miss Dr. Ian Gawler’s Seminars in Bunbury and Perth 29th June - 3rd July Cancer Support Association of WA Patron – His Excellency Dr. Ken Michael AC, Governor of Western Australia
editorial Join the CSA online community Find us on Facebook: Cancer Support Association – Cottesloe Forums and live chat now on the CSA website: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
wellness news isthemonthlyonlinemagazineof theCancerSupportAssociationof Western Australia Inc. Wellness News e-magazine is published online twelve time a year and distributed free to members of the Cancer Support Association. An annual print edition of Wellness News is produced at the end of each year and posted to all CSA members. Wellness News magazine is dedicated entirely to publishing informative, inspiring and helpful articles related to wellness and healing. The magazine is for people with cancer or serious health issues; for people who are well and want to maintain their good health naturally; and for complementary, alternative and integrative health professionals.
editorial & production... Editor & Designer Mandy BeckerKnox editor.wellness@yahoo.com.au www.wowlandco.com
online at...
www.cancersupportwa.org.au Wellness News magazine is published by the Cancer Support Association of WA Inc (CSA). The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the CSA and should be not be construed as medical advice. CSA encourages readers to be discerning with information presented and make treatment, dietary and lifestyle choices in consultation with a team of health-care professionals. © Copyright of all articles and images remains with individual contributors.
finding inspiration... Dear members and friends,
You may notice, glancing through the pages of this edition of Wellness News, that Dr. Ian Gawler will soon be in Perth and we are extremely excited about his visit. Ian is a huge inspiration to the CSA Wellness Team and to many of our members who have attended the Gawler Foundation’s 12 Week Cancer Wellness program at CSA or been lucky enough to participate in The Gawler Foundation programs in Victoria or even those who have found inspiration in any of Ian’s many books or CDs. You will find details about Ian’s Perth and Bunbury workshops in this magazine or you can call CSA on 9384 3544 to find out more.
contents CSA Weekly Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 What’s on at CSA this month. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Slow Down and Go Faster By Dr. Ian Gawler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Meeting the Challenge in Bunbury this July. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Article: Healing Cancer NLP Meets Chi Kung by Dr Richard Bolstad and Margot Hamblett Part A: A Research Based Approach To Mind-Body Healing Of Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Part B: An Integrated Format for the Mind-Body Healing of Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Review: Breast Cancer Grandmother Gives Hope To Others Through NLP. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 25 Article: Healing Yourself with Tao Energy. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 26 Interview: Dr Kaye Murray “The Power of Peace”. . .. . .. . .. . 30 A Recipe to Increase your Chi. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 31 Food News: Fish Oil in Cancer Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe
As part of the program, CSA is hosting a special lunch at the Blue Duck Cafe in Cottesloe where Ian will present a talk on “Integrating mainstream medicine with lifestyle therapies”. While the talk is aimed at practitioners in the various fields of cancer care, we welcome CSA members to attend. This is a great opportunity to meet Ian and get to know some of the CSA wellness team a little better! You need to book in advance and can buy your tickets on our website: www.cancersupportwa.org.au. The June edition also features some fantastic articles to inspire your wellness journey and give you a thorough understanding of what may be involved in using Mind-Body Healing techniques as a cancer treatment. With total commitment, it has been found that many people are able to recover from cancer. Ian Gawler, CSA staff member Cathy Brown and many, many others are living examples of the potential success of the wellness approach to cancer. It is well worth reading this month’s articles in their entirety to get a deep insight into how healing works, what you need to do, and the kinds of therapies which may work for you. The CSA wellness team is committed to helping our members on their cancer journeys by providing the information, resources, support and healing required. If you would like to know more about Mind-Body therapies and the “wellness” approach to cancer, you are most welcome to participate in the courses, seminars and support groups offered by CSA for people with cancer and their carers. There is also a vast reservoir of articles on our website and CSA Library hosts the largest collection of books and resources on cancer, wellness and healing in WA. If you are not already a member of CSA you can join easily online. As well as receiving access to CSA services and the support of our wellness team you will also receive a copy of Wellness News by email each month and special printed copies twice a year. We hope you enjoy this magazine and look forward to seeing you at The Blue Duck on the 1st July, at Ian’s Perth and Bunbury workshops or here at our premises in Cottesloe. All the best wishes for your wellness and healing! F Peace, Mandy
more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more, and good
Join CSA for a special lunch with Dr. Ian Gawler
things will be yours. Swedish Proverb
CSA is hosting lunch and an informal lecture by Ian at the Blue Duck Cafe, Cottesloe at 12pm on Friday 1st July. Ian will present a talk on how health professionals in the medical and natural health fields can work together to integrate the best of mainstream medicine, complementary and alternative medicine and lifestyle therapies.
Cost is $75. Book on the Events page of the CSA website: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
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NEW CSA members can attend free! this program is updated monthly. Check website for any changes before attending Monday Meditation Made Easy..................................................................................10.00 – 11.30am Ongoing Lessons with Bavali Hill. FREE FOR MEMBERS (non-members $5) No bookings necessary. Massage with Sarah Leboff ($70/60 minutes).......................................... by appointment
Tuesday
Bunbury 29th June
Carer’s Wellness and Healing Support Group ........................ 10.00 – 12.00noon with Mike Sowerby (when required)
The Mind That Changes Everything
Wednesday Reflexology ..................................................................10.00am – 2pm with Udo Kannapin (by appointment between 10-2) Laughter Yoga with Kimmie O’Meara ($3.00)....................................11.00am – 12.00pm
one day cancer wellness workshop
Chinese Medical Healthcare Qigong ($10/$5 members)............ 1.00pm – 2.30pm with Alan Donelly
First Friday of every month between 9.30am-4.30pm at CSA, Cottesloe
Yoga for Healing..........................................................................................10.00am – 11.15am with Madeline Clare (members $5 / others $10)
Life Changing Information for people with cancer: • The Wellness approach to cancer • Nutrition for optimal health • Power of the Mind • Introduction to Meditation • Natural & Complementary Therapies To book ph CSA 8384 3544 online: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Medicine of the Mind
Wellness and Healing Open Support Group................................ 10.00 – 12.00noon with Dr. Angela Ebert
Reiki Clinic......................................................................................................12.15pm – 1.30pm
Meeting the Challenge!
Don’t miss Dr Ian Gawler’s Seminars in WA
THURSDAY Grief and Loss Open Support Group.................................................... 1.00pm – 3.00pm with Mike Sowerby (last Thursday of each month) Massage with Sarah Leboff ($70/60 minutes).......................................... by appointment
Friday Meeting the Challenge 1 Day Seminar.................................................9.30am – 4.30pm 1st Friday of the month “Arts for Healing” Art Therapy Group...............................................9.30am – 12.00pm with Glenys Gibbs (members $20 / others $25 includes art materials)
Perth 2nd July
Health, Healing & Wellbeing Perth 3rd July If you have cancer or care for someone with cancer you will benefit from the information and insights presented by Ian. These interactive workshops are for anyone seeking disease prevention and healing and will provide you with the knowledge and inspiration to transform your life.
Daily
Ian Gawler is one of Australia’s best known cancer survivors and advocates of a healthy lifestyle. His story offers hope and inspiration to people across the country. Ian has played a major part in popularising meditation and other Mind-Body Medicine techniques in the western world. During the Bunbury and Perth workshops Ian will share some of the key principles of his self help program, based on the techniques and values that are the basis of Ian’s and thousands of other people’s recovery.
Cancer Wellness Information Counselling ................................................. by appointment General Counselling with Dr. Angela Ebert ................................................... by appointment Phone direct on 0414 916 724 or 9450 6724 or email a.ebert@murdoch.edu.au
Phone CSA on 9384 3544 or check our website for further information. We can help you with information packs, course prices, confirm course times and to make bookings.
For more information call CSA on 9384 3544. Book online at www.eventoffice.com.au/gawler May 2011
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what’s on at CSA this month be part of the csa community by joining the groups and wellness activities at our premises in Cottesloe
Meeting the Challenge 1 Day Cancer Wellness Seminar Life Changing Information for people with cancer and their carers. Led by Cathy Brown, this seminar provides wellness information, wellness strategies, new resources (such as nutrition, treatment options, meditation) and sharing with others on a healing journey. There is also a focus on accessing cancer information online. Held monthly at CSA on the first Friday of every month from 9.30am-4.30pm. Free for new CSA members, bookings are required.
cancer support groups with Angela Ebert & Mike Sowerby Support groups enable people to discover new ways of coping; share the experience with others going through something similar; exchange information and resources; develop a holistic approach to healing; be inspired by others on the journey to regaining wellness. CSA offers an open cancer support group for people with cancer and their carers. This weekly group is facilitated by Angela Ebert and Mike Sowerby. We also offer a Carers’ Support Group and a monthly Grief and Loss Support Group.
“If you travel alone, you can probably go faster. But the journey will never be as rewarding, and you probably won’t be able to go as far.” ~ John Maxwell
yoga for healing with Madeline Clare CSA yoga teacher, Madeline Clare, takes inspiration from both Iyengar and Vinyasa approaches to yoga with an emphasis on relaxation, breath awareness, gentle movement and meditation. She believes a balanced yoga practice has the capacity to heal, shift energy blockages and bring the body into physical, emotional, mental and spiritual alignment. Yoga for Healing classes bring the joy of yoga to people with cancer and those who may need a nurturing space to practice.
qi gong with Alan Donelly Qigong is a traditional Chinese mind-body practice that uses meditation, breathing control, and movement to balance the flow of energy (qi) through the body to help healing to occur. CSA offers qigong to complement cancer therapies and help with the symptoms of cancer. In this setting, qigong is not used as a treatment for cancer per se, but as a method of easing cancer symptoms such as fatigue.
Meditation is a safe and simple way to balance a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states. The use of Meditation for healing is not new. Meditative techniques are the product of diverse cultures and peoples around the world. The value of Meditation to alleviate suffering and promote healing has been known and practiced for thousands of years. In these weekly lessons at CSA, Bavali guides participants through various healing meditation techniques and gives notes and handouts to support home practice.
Reiki is a Japanese energy-based therapy that promotes healing and overall wellness. A trained reiki practitioner uses his or her hands to transmit energy to the recipient. Reiki has been proven to help with pain management, relaxation, and side effects of cancer treatment like nausea and stomach upset. CSA offers a weekly reiki clinic staffed by qualified volunteers. Gold coin donation.
Ongoing counselling sessions with a caring, compassionate professional could help you deal more effectively with the many issues, fears and emotions which arise on the cancer journey; gain clarity to make treatment decisions; give you the insight to grow from your experiences; and the peace of mind and heart needed to heal. Sessions can be booked with our qualified psychologist, and are also available online for those unable to make it in to our Cottesloe premises.
laughter yoga with Kimmie O’Meara
Reflexology is the application of pressure, stretching and movement to the feet and hands to trigger corresponding parts of the body. It complements standard medical care by relaxing the body and reducing stress.
The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits of laughter regardless of the source.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au
every Tuesday
Individual, Family & Group
with Udo Kannapin
Cancer Support Association
reiki clinic
counselling
Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea developed by Dr. Madan Kataria, a Physician from Mumbai, India. It is a complete wellbeing workout combining Unconditional Laughter with Yogic Breathing (Pranayama). Anyone can Laugh for No Reason, without relying on humour, jokes or comedy. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group; with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter.
reflexology
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with Bavali Hill
WHAT’S ON AT CSA
meditation made easy
Massage for cancer with Sarah Leboff For people with a serious illness like cancer, massage can be a powerful tool to help cope with treatment. Holistic Massage sessions are now available at CSA on Mondays and Thursdays. Sarah, a fully qualified and experienced Holistic Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner, uses a unique combination of remedial massage and healing techniques, including traditional Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, Reiki and energy healing. Sessions are for 60 minutes and cost $70. The first session includes a free consultation. Home visits are also available. To make a booking please contact Hilary at CSA, or for further information please call Sarah on 0406 359 643.
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Slow down and
go faster By Dr. Ian Gawler How busy are you? Most people I speak with feel that their lives are becoming busier and busier. So imagine this – maybe with a little help, it is possible to slow down, relax and actually achieve more! How might this be possible? I was thinking of the role model the Dalai Lama provides. He will be in Melbourne again this weekend for talks and teachings (how good is Australia’s karma that he comes so regularly?). He seems so relaxed, happy and at ease, yet if you consider his schedule, his responsibilities as the spiritual leader of a country under occupation, his life in exile and all the good works he does; if anyone has a right to be a little stressed or worn out, the Dalai Lama does. Yet well into his seventies, he remains energetic, very effective and prodigious in his output. He does a lot! From all accounts, His Holiness gets up very early and does 3 – 4 hours of study and practice before starting his day. For us mere mortals, maybe we can receive a good deal of benefit without quite such a routine. Speaking personally, I came home from a great meeting last week. A lot had been achieved, good ideas developed, new possibilities explored; all in a great atmosphere. Keen to tell Ruth about it, we then went to do what we do each evening, and that is to meditate together. As I settled into my posture, I noticed this buzz in my body. A fine trembling, tingling sort of a buzz. It occurred to me that this excited energy, left over from the meeting was a good thing, but how it might lead some people on into drinking too much or some other excess. It seemed to be in contrast to what it would be like to come home from a tough day, feeling depleted, despondent, even exhausted. Such a state, left unnoticed or unmanaged, could lead to other unhelpful activities, not the least of which may be being in a poor state of mind for partner or family. Meditation offers this wonderful promise of being able to let go of the busyness and regain our balance. Whether we are up or down, balance is better. With our body and mind in balance, we think more clearly, we react more appropriately, we are in a better state to relate well with others. We are likely to be fresh, vital and at ease.
Remember the keys to meditating in a way that reliably brings these benefits. Four steps. Preparation, Relaxation, Mindfulness and Stillness – the essence of Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation. Put very simply, having prepared well, we relax. Relaxing deeply, we become more mindful. As our mindfulness develops, stillness is revealed; naturally and without effort. We rest in open, undistracted awareness. This is Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Go barefoot for YOU Day
Oh yes, and at the great meeting last week, we began by sitting together and meditating. Two of those who gathered had never done such a thing before. They were guided very simply to aim to let go of whatever they had been doing earlier and to bring their attention to what was going on right now. To assist this, there was the suggestion to be mindful of the sounds around about us, then the breath and that natural feeling of relaxing with the out breath. Then we simply rested quietly for a few minutes. Finally we reminded ourselves of our motivation, to help as many people as possible through what we were addressing at the meeting. Having done this, the atmosphere in the room was transformed. Peaceful, calm, clear. One of the group said that he was really preoccupied with the busyness of what had been happening earlier, that he had felt his mind was all over the place. He said he actually had been concerned that he was in a poor state of mind to give the presentation he was required to do, but now, after that short quiet time, he felt clear and ready. Just by being able to have a conversation like that, it seemed to me that we began our meeting on a very real and open level. The meeting rapidly developed into one where everyone went away feeling we had achieved a lot, deepened friendships and become energized. So maybe it is possible. Slow down and accomplish more. F
From Ian’s blog “Out on a limb”: www.gawlerblog.com
Ian Gawler is one of Australia’s best known, long-term cancer survivors and advocates of a healthy lifestyle. Ian began one of the world’s first lifestyle- based cancer self-help groups in 1981. He has authored 5 bestselling books and edited another 7. Known for his clarity and good humour, Ian has a gift for translating ancient wisdom into a modern, scientific context. Having appeared widely in the media, Ian has played a major role in pioneering and popularising meditation and other MindBody techniques in the Western world. Cancer Support Association
CSA’s Meeting the Challenge
In such a state, there will be no compulsion to talk, but an ease with doing so. We will have no compulsion to be spoken to, but an ease with listening. We will be free to relax in a healthy way, or energised to take up something new when the time is right.
About Ian Gawler
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NEW! CSA is coming to Bunbury this July....
one day cancer wellness workshop in Bunbury
Thursday 21st July 9.30-4.30pm Life Changing Information for people with cancer: • The Wellness approach to cancer • Nutrition for optimal health • Power of the Mind • Introduction to Meditation • Natural & Complementary Therapies To book ph CSA 8384 3544 online: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
It’s Your Day Without Shoes this Saturday June 11th...24 hours to rediscover the world with your feet as nature intended: shoeless. If you hate shoes, love to flex your toes or generally just don’t feel like donning footwear most of the time, join us. Going barefoot is healthy and helps feet to be flexible, strong and have healthy skin and nails. Risks to bare feet are actually quite low as long as you pay attention and be careful. You have a natural and legal right to go without shoes. Many people mistakenly think that it’s against the law, health codes or OSHA regulations to go barefoot in public, but it ISN’T. It’s “green” to go without shoes. Bare feet are less disruptive to the ground and shoes are typically made of glues and dyes consisting of many unnatural chemicals. Shoes can also be so painful, make your feet sweaty and smelly and block the 400,000 nerve endings in the soles of your feet from sensing the world around you. You don’t need to support a special cause or charity in order to go barefoot. Just because some people can benefit from having shoes doesn’t mean they need to be worn all the time.
From: www.primalfootalliance.org May 2011
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Healing Cancer
NLP Meets Chi Kung By Dr Richard Bolstad and Margot Hamblett
Part A: A Research Based Approach To Mind-Body Healing Of Cancer Successes and Failures in Healing Over this century, health professionals in the west rediscovered the incredible power of the mind to heal the body. The first research demonstrating this in relation to cancer treatment was published by Dr Carl and Stephanie Simonton from Dallas Texas, in their book Getting Well Again (1978). Working with 159 people considered to have medically incurable cancer (average life expectancy 12 months) the Simontons reported two years later that 14 clients had no evidence of cancer at all, 29 had tumours which were stable or regressing, and almost all had lived well beyond the 12 month “limit” (p 11-12). Essentially, 10% were cured and 20% were curing themselves. The Simontons used a combination of biofeedback, visualisation, exercise, goalsetting, resolving internal conflicts, letting go of resentment, and engaging family support. They explained their success based on psychoneuroimmunology (the way the mind affects the nervous system which in turn affects the immune system). In Mind-Body Therapy (1988) Ernest Rossi and David Cheek provided another coherent model for achieving this success, using ideodynamic communication (hypnotic communication with the unconscious mind). The publication of Beliefs (1990) by Robert Dilts, Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith offered an NLP frame for understanding the same processes. This book begins with Dilts’ breathtaking account of his mother healing from cancer after 4 days of NLP to change limiting beliefs and resolve internal conflicts. Six years later, Ian McDermott and Joseph O’Connor published NLP And Health (1996), a thorough review of how NLP techniques can be used to mobilise the immune system to maintain health and heal illness. These models are exciting, and they still leave us with the question, “What about the other 70% in the Simontons’ studies?”. In the field of complementary healing, including in the NLP community, we have sometimes encountered a fear of statistical research. This is related in our experience to a kind of incongruity amongst “healers”, who know that their methods only sometimes deliver the success they are advertising. Basically, they don’t want to talk about (or even think about) the majority of their previous clients, who did not get cured. It is true that for individual clients, statistics are deceptive. If your cancer heals, it heals, and so you have not 10% success but 100% success. For us as NLP Practitioners though, our interest is also in shifting a larger group of people into the situation of being fully cured. We set goals, and for us the statistics do count. Later in this article, we will describe a methodology which could increase the Simontons’ success fourfold.
We have a strong personal interest in assisting people to heal from cancer. Like most NLP based health practitioners, we have seen clients heal cancer using NLP processes, and we have also seen clients die from cancer. However we know that cancer can be healed using mind-body processes, and it can be healed on a consistent basis. We are talking about a research study based on over 300,000 people which shows over 95% effectiveness. The methods used in the world’s largest study on medicine-free healing of cancer are almost entirely familiar to NLP Practitioners, with one key exception. In the first part of this article we will document the research into these methods, and explain their basis in immunology. In the second part of the article, we describe a format for the effective healing of cancer and similar life threatening illnesses. We will also explain the one process which we consider is missing in current NLP treatment formats, and suggest an answer to one of the most disturbing questions in NLP: “If NLP is so good, why do so many of our clients with cancer not improve?”.
What Is Cancer? First, let us be clear that NLP techniques are already associated with cancer cure. New Zealand NLP Master Practitioner Anthony Wightman (1999, p 42) describes his successful treatment of skin cancer and of leukaemia with skills developed during his NLP Practitioner training. He imagined a laser burning out the cancer cells, and filled his body with “a golden glow which imbued all cells with health and removed any unhealthy cells”. He ran an imaginary hot iron over the inside of the vein next to the skin cancer to stop any spread and bleeding when it dropped out (which it actually did a week after he began visualising). Before treating his skin cancer, he had it diagnosed by 3 separate doctors, all of whom claimed after his cure that they must have misdiagnosed a solar keratosis. His haematologist had a somewhat more difficult job explaining the change in his leukaemia. Anthony says “I believe we are only scratching the surface of our own capabilities and that the most promising area for research lies within our own minds, our own hearts, our own souls.”
Over this century, health professionals in the west rediscovered the incredible power of the mind to heal the body. We know that cancer can be healed using mind-body processes, and it can be healed on a consistent basis.
To understand what Anthony has done, it’s useful to know how the body normally keeps its cells healthy (Greer, 1999, p 236-241). Your body’s cells don’t just hold standardised genetic information about who you are. They also need to monitor where in your body they are, so they know what their particular job is within that whole community of cells. The cells
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Cancer Support Association
www.cancersupportwa.org.au
May 2011
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...from previous page in your skin, for example, need to know that they are skin cells. They do this partially by checking what cells are around them. If a cell has its genetic instructions damaged repeatedly, however, it can lose track of where it is and what job it is meant to be doing. This can happen due to toxic chemicals, radiation, or “free radicals” (chemicals which result from normal body oxidation, and accumulate with age). If a cell is damaged enough to lose track of where it fits in the community of cells, it is then described as more “undifferentiated” looking, and it may start dividing randomly, instead of at the rate needed to replace itself. It could then be described as a cancer cell. Actually, before reaching this stage, genetic damage is usually repaired. This is a possibility not often discussed in oncology (cancer treatment). However, the body is usually capable of repairing genetic damage unless there is some interference or inhibition of the immune response. Psychological depression has been shown to be one factor which inhibits such repair (Kiecolt-Glaser, 1985).
Dr Brendan O’Regan is a neurochemist who has collected a database of 3,500 medically documented cases of spontaneous remission of cancer. Dr Charles Weinstock leads the New York Psychosomatic Study group, and has commented on these cases that “Within a short period before the remission, ranging from days to a few months, there was an important change, such as a marriage, an ordination, the birth of a grandchild, or removal of a relationship that was unwanted. There was a psychosocial rehabilitation of one sort or another, and then the cancer was healed.”
The body expects cancer cells to appear occasionally, and certain white blood cells (lymphocytes) have the function of identifying these confused cells and marking them out so that other lymphocytes (for example “T cells” from the Thymus gland) can eliminate them. In case you were disturbed about the idea of eliminating cells, it’s useful to know that every time you swallow, the inner lining of your mouth releases millions of cells which were past their “use by” date. “Recycling” might be a better term for this constant change of cells in the body, and the elimination of cancer cells is just another example of this. A disorder such as AIDS, that stops lymphocytes working, tends to result in the appearance of numerous cancers in the body. This suggests that normal, healthy bodies generate occasional cancer cells, and normal, healthy lymphocytes recycle those cancer cells naturally. The lymphocytes are the embodiment of an “immune system” which protects you from both external invasion and internal mistakes. Even when a cancer has developed beyond the level of one aberrant cell, this immune system continues to protect you. Increased number of killer cells and increased level of activity is strongly associated in research with the cancer being contained in one place, rather than spreading, and with cancer ceasing to reoccur after treatment (Mandeville et alia, 1982; Burford-Mason et alia, 1989). In 1979, a crisis occurred at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories in California, where nuclear arms were being developed. A very high incidence of small skin pre-cancers and melanomas was found in staff. Virtually all were easily removed surgically. Dr Lydia Temoshok investigated the outbreak and determined that, in fact, the incidence was probably not higher than usual. The staff had been examined “with a fine tooth comb” and small lesions, which would otherwise have been eliminated by the immune system, were detected by the physicians. (Temoshok and Dreher, 1992, p 211). Biophysics researcher Dr Candace Pert (who discovered endorphins) says “It’s a fact that every one of us has a number of tiny cancerous tumours growing in our bodies at every moment. The part of the immune system that is responsible for the destruction of these errant cells “do their job well” and these tiny tumours never grow large enough to cause us to become ill.” (1999, p 192).
How Can We Help The Immune System? Supporting the body’s immune system assists in the healing of cancer. We consider this to be the core of what NLP contributes to cancer treatment. Interestingly, very little advice is given by many oncologists (cancer specialists) about how to assist the immune system. Furthermore, many orthodox cancer treatments compromise the immune system by removing endocrine glands and lymphatic nodes, or by killing lymphocytes (both radiotherapy and chemotherapy lower lymphocyte levels). That doesn’t mean that orthodox treatments are “wrong”; simply that they don’t focus on building up the immune system, and in the final analysis the immune system is what we depend on to heal from and prevent cancer. NLP provides an effective model for enhancing immune response. This is useful both as an adjunct to orthodox treatment, and as an alternative choice where orthodox treatment has little expected success. As always in NLP, we could benefit by being curious about people who are already successful in the way we desire to be. Dr Brendan O’Regan is a neurochemist who has collected a database of 3,500 medically documented cases of spontaneous
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Cancer Support Association
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remission of cancer. Dr Charles Weinstock leads the New York Psychosomatic Study group, and has commented on these cases that “Within a short period before the remission, ranging from days to a few months, there was an important change, such as a marriage, an ordination, the birth of a grandchild, or removal of a relationship that was unwanted. There was a psychosocial rehabilitation of one sort or another, and then the cancer was healed.” (Weinstock, 1997). There are two ways in which processes like NLP have been shown to promote this kind of shift in immune function. The first is by therapeutically changing the person’s general state and attitude to life events. Research shows that bereavement and experimentally induced negative mood states both inhibit the body’s lymphocyte production (Bartrop et alia 1977, Schleifer et alia 1983, Futterman et alia, 1994). Sustained grief and depression, then, are states which increase the risk of cancer. Any intervention which enables the person to let go of such negative states will have a positive effect on healing. Also, a proactive style of coping with stress is associated with enhanced T cell activity (Goodkin et alia, 1992). That is to say, when someone is in a state where they feel in charge of their life, and as if they are making choices about their future, a check of their T cells will show that these cells are more actively eliminating cancer cells. Research also shows that lymphocyte activity can be anchored using NLP anchoring (classical conditioning) techniques (Buske-Kirschbaum, 1992). This state of being in control of life, with the resultant improved immune response, can be anchored and enhanced like any state. Short term educational psychotherapy can also increase both the percentage of T cells and their activity, by teaching the person how to respond resourcefully (Fawzy et alia, 1990, and 1993). These improvements due to short term therapy continue to intensify up to 6 months after the psychotherapy! On the other hand, longer term, problem focused psychotherapy may have a negative effect on survival. Psychologist Dr Hans Eysenck has warned of the dangers of traditional psychotherapy for some time. He describes a longitudinal study of 7000 inhabitants of Heidelberg, from 1973 to 1986. This study was designed to discover the health effects of psychotherapy. Clients in psychotherapy were able to be matched by age, sex, type and amount of smoking etc with controls. This study showed that cancer and heart disease were most prevalent in the group who had had two years or more of “therapy”, less frequent in the group who had one year or more in “therapy”, and least frequent in the group who had no “therapy” (Eysenck, 1992). Talking about what’s wrong with life once a week for years is not healthy. The second way in which NLP style interventions can promote immune function is by directly “instructing” the lymphocytes to do their job more effectively. This instruction is achieved by the person imagining their lymphocytes identifying and eliminating cancer cells. A metaphorical representation may be used; for example seeing the lymphocytes as hungry fish clearing weeds from a lake. People with cancer who are taught relaxation and guided imagery show significantly higher T cell activity than controls (Walker, 1997). Nicholas Hall, at the University of South Florida, describes a study in which he found that lymphocytes from women with breast cancer who did guided imagery, were both more effectively duplicating themselves and more effectively dissolving and engulfing cancer cells (Batt, 1994, p151). The effect of visualisation
is so precise that when students are taught to imagine their lymphocytes doing one specific activity (in the research, they imagined the lymphocytes adhering to other cells better) then that specific activity will be enhanced and not others! (Hall et alia, 1992). How do scientists get these research results, which have been replicated with a number of different types of cancer? They actually take lymphocytes out of the person’s body and place them in a test tube next to cancer cells from that same person. What is perhaps most amazing is to realise that once the cells have been “given their instructions” by visualisation, they continue to follow them even when removed from the body, or even after several months in the body. It’s also important to understand that there are more than 100 different forms of cancer, ranging from cancers which are almost certain to be solved by simple surgery (such as many skin cancers) to cancers which are very difficult to treat using conventional methods. Much of the research on psychological alteration of immune response (eg lymphocyte reactions) has been done with easily treatable cancers such as early stage breast cancer and melanoma, where orthodox treatments are likely to be highly successful anyway. On the other hand, much of the research on the clinical effectiveness of psychological interventions (how likely they are to result in cure or longerterm survival in “real life”) has been done with somewhat more serious cases. This is because when simple surgical cure is available, not many clients are willing to risk being in a long term clinical trial of an untested visualisation technique. For the Simontons’ patients, however, psychological treatments offered an otherwise unavailable hope. Clinical data from other studies of clients with more serious cancer has supported the Simontons’ work. Even one session a week of cognitive therapy improved survival for women with late stage breast cancer by 18 months and resulted in 6% surviving to see the research published ten years later (all the control group died within 4 years; see Spiegel, 1989). Similar results have been achieved in other groups with late stage breast cancer (Kogon et alia, 1997), malignant melanoma (Fawzey et alia, 1993) and leukaemia (Richardson et alia, 1990). While merely increasing survival time is not our aim, these results are often as significant as the results of palliative chemotherapy treatment, without the distressing side effects. We can expect that the same psychological techniques have even more power with smaller, more contained and easily treatable cancers, while respecting the inappropriateness of doing clinical trials on these operable cancers.
Evidence to the Contrary? The most famous attack on the value of psychosocial approaches to cancer treatment came in 1990 with the publication of research on women with breast cancer at the Bristol Cancer Help Centre in England. The report, published in the medical journal The Lancet (Bagenal et alia, 1990), suggested that women who used the visualisation, meditation, exercise, nutritional and social support offered by the centre actually had lower survival rates than controls. A group of women involved with the centre immediately challenged flaws in the research methodology, pointing out (for example) that the Bristol women had more advanced tumours than the control group, and were in a different age range with a higher risk of cancer metastasis. They suggested that the study was a deliberate attempt to
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...from previous page discredit complementary cancer treatments. The women’s struggle, lead to the researchers admitting to “flaws”, the Charity Commission criticising the research they had funded, and the Royal College of Physicians setting up a “fraud squad”. Their story is told in the book “Fighting Spirit” (Goodare ed, 1996). We mention it here because oncologists sometimes still remember the original study, rather than the controversy that essentially invalidated it. It reminds us that even something published in a reputable medical journal may be based on assumptions that are limited or even on simple mistakes.
Mobilising The Immune System To Protect Against Cancer Many of the studies described previously refer to the effect of mood and life attitudes on lymphocyte responses. These results are most likely related to research which suggests that there are two key psychological factors associated with the development of cancer: 1) loss of a crucial relationship perceived as a “reason for living”, and 2) unexpressed hostility. In one study, 72% of cancer patients were identified as having lost a crucial relationship recently as compared to 12% of controls. In the same study, 47% of cancer patients were rated as having unexpressed hostility, as compared to 25% of controls. This enabled a researcher to predict which clients were likely to have cancer with 95% accuracy, simply based on these two variables. The probability that this number of correct predictions would occur by chance was less than one in a thousand. (LeShan, 1984, p 26-27). One aim of NLP treatment for cancer will be removing these two variables (loss of reason for living, and unexpressed hostility), and improving the person’s state by: • Creating a sense of mission. • Setting future goals aligned with that mission. • Healing grief and depression. • Letting go of resentment and anger. • Learning skills to express emotion effectively. • Resolving internal and external conflicts.
• Developing a proactive coping style rather than a passive/ helpless one. To state this more positively, we might say that the existence of cancer is a message from the person’s immune system, telling them that they need to let go of certain stressful emotions, resolve internal conflicts, and create a life worth living. The only risk of this model for understanding illness is that it suggests that the continued existence of cancer cells presupposes an ongoing parts conflict. When clients do not immediately have their cancer dissolve as a result of using parts integration, Time Line Therapy. techniques, re-imprinting, core transformation etc, NLP Practitioners then tend to ask “What’s wrong?” In fact, nothing may be wrong. Some people take time to heal (see the description of Zhineng Chi Kung below). The most useful response may be to continue visualising healing. If someone has had difficulty spelling, and we do the trauma cure on all their distressing memories of spelling, we don’t necessarily ask “What’s wrong?” just because they misspell another word. We tend to accept that their brain is learning the new process. A similar acceptance may be useful here. NLP treatment can also teach the person how to visualise the immune system responding effectively to cancer. Dilts, Hallbom and Smith (1990, p 153-156) express concern about the use of visualisation which encourages a “war” metaphor, saying that it may encourage internal parts conflict. They propose instead the use of images such as sheep grazing on weeds. The Simontons’ research revealed that certain factors made visualisation more successful in healing cancer (Simonton et alia, 1980, p 136-160). These factors included: • Learning how to relax fully. • Visualising the cancer cells as weak and confused rather than “aggressive”. • Visualising the lymphocytes as numerous, powerful, energetic and ready to eliminate or recycle cancer cells. • Associating into the experience of being your lymphocytes. • Visualising cancer treatments as powerful and positive, with any side damage to healthy cells being easily repaired. • Seeing yourself reaching your life’s purpose and achieving goals as a result of healing.
A weekly group held every Tuesday at CSA 10am – 12noon. Anyone who’s life has been affected by cancer or other life threatening illnesses is welcome to attend. A Carer’s Support Group is held at the same time when required.
Beliefs and Representations of Healing Creating these internal representations of healing is closely related to the notion of generating a placebo effect by creating a belief that healing can occur. However, there is a subtle difference. The person does not need to absolutely “believe” in the internal representations for them to work. They simply need to be willing to make the representations consistently. Dr David C. McClelland and Carol Kirshnit of Boston University have published a study which clearly explains this, while demonstrating that caring is another significant emotional state for immune responsiveness (McClelland and Kirshnit, 1988). In this research, subjects are shown a variety of movies, and their level of Immunoglobulin A (a blood chemical which is the first line of defence against viruses and other pathogens) is monitored before and after. Gardening films and political propaganda have no effect, but a film of Mother Teresa caring for people in Calcutta caused a sharp rise in levels of the immune chemical. Interestingly, many of the subjects in this study, when questioned after, said that they did not approve of Mother Teresa and doubted the genuineness of her work. But their bodies didn’t mind. Their immunity level rose anyway. The fact that they had held the internal representations of caring in their mind was more important than the theories they considered about it. Psychologist Bruno Klopfer (1957) cites perhaps the most famous example of the healing power of belief in the story of an American cancer patient named Mr. Wright. Mr. Wright had a extremely advanced lymphosarcoma; a cancer which had spread via the lymph system through his whole body. Because his life expectancy was less than three months, Mr. Wright did not qualify for treatment with an experimental new drug called Krebiozen, being tested at the hospital. However Mr. Wright believed that Krebiozen was his one hope. He pleaded with Dr Klopfer until the doctor finally agreed to give him a test injection. The result was miraculous. In a few days the orange-sized tumours, which had spread through his body, were half the size. Within ten days, Klopfer had agreed to give him the full test treatments, and Mr. Wright was well enough to leave the hospital. In two weeks he had moved from surviving only with an intravenous drip and oxygen mask, to flying home, piloting his own plane. However after two months of perfect health, Mr. Wright read the newspaper reports on the Krebiozen treatments. The tests were a failure; Krebiozen had no measurable effect. In a few days the tumours had regrown and Mr. Wright was again given only weeks to live. At this point, Dr Klopfer decided to experiment. He told Mr. Wright that the original tests were done with poor quality Krebiozen, and a new super-refined, double strength product was now available. He then began a series of injections of “super Krebiozen” (really using pure water). Mr. Wright’s second recovery was even faster. Again, he flew away, symptom-free. His beliefs had cured him.
The existence of cancer is a message from the person’s immune system, telling them that they need to let go of certain stressful emotions, resolve internal conflicts, and create a life worth living.
Supporting The Immune System Physically: Diet There are many things that can be done to support the immune system physically of course. Dietary change is a fairly obvious intervention to enhance immune response. The association between cigarette smoking and cancer production is now well known, but that between alcohol consumption and cancer (Lundberg and Passik, 1997) is less well known yet equally concerning. The importance of consuming a diet based on fruit and vegetables to increase antioxidant levels (antioxidants such as vitamin C and E prevent cancer causing damage to cells) is quite well known. The importance of shifting to Omega 3 and Omega 9 fatty acids, rather than the Omega 6 fatty acids found in most margarines or cooking oils (Rose, 1997) is less widely understood, but thoroughly researched. Omega 9 fatty acids are found in Olive oil and Canola oil. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fish and shellfish oils (such as the New Zealand shellfish oil Lyprinol) and in linseed (flax seed) oil. Dr Lilian Thompson in Toronto has been giving her cancer patients 25 grams of ground linseed a day (in a muffin) and producing a consistent
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...from previous page reduction in tumour size in the 1-3 weeks between diagnosis and surgery to remove the cancer. This is a greater reduction in tumour size than seen with chemotherapy, and produced by a completely safe, enjoyable dosage of an ordinary food. Omega 3 fatty acids seem to enter the tissue and create an environment which nourishes the immune system (Block, 1999, p 247). Many alternative approaches to cancer treatment are based on a belief that cancer is a systemic disorder caused by the body’s inability to detoxify itself. While detoxification can be a useful process, the use of rigorous “detoxifying” diets, enemas and herbal remedies (such as the formula developed by Harry Hoxsey, 1901-1974) is not in itself a proven cure for cancer. However some of the particular plants in the Hoxsey formula (red clover, burdock, buckthorn, barberry, licorice etc) are beginning to deliver research results for other reasons. Red clover, for example, is a rich source of phyto-oestrogens (a type of antioxidant also found in soy products) which appear to protect against hormone related cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer (Ingram, 1997). Furthermore, evidence linking chemical additives in food to cancer (eg see Wolff, 1993) also suggests that “detoxifying the body”, by removing these additives gently, makes sense.
Supporting The Immune System Physically: Mobilising Body Energy In China, as in the west, orthodox medicine co-exists with a number of complementary systems for healing. One of these is the 5000 year old science of Chi Kung (Qigong). “Chi” refers to body energy of the type demonstrated in EEG measures of brain waves and ECG measures of heart function. Practitioners of Chi Kung claim to be able to direct body energy in order to cause specified effects in cells, including enhancing the activity of lymphocytes and removing cancer cells. At the First World Conference For Academic Exchange of Medical Qigong in Beijing in 1988, a large number of research studies on the effects of chi kung on cancer cells in culture, and clinical cancer results were presented. Generally, these studies used “emitted chi” which means that a Chi Kung Practitioner held their hands near the cells to be altered and intentionally sent bio-electrical energy to the cells. In one large set of studies, 20 minutes of chi treatment of cancer cells killed 13% to 36% of cells, while control cells that were simply held showed no effect (Feng Li-da et alia, 1988). In another, cancer spread in mice was reduced markedly by the use of emitted chi (Cao Xuetao et alia, 1988). In a third study, mice which had their immune system suppressed by cortisone were divided into groups and rechecked after 24 hours. Those who received emitted chi had
lymphocyte numbers and other measures of immunity back to normal, while those untreated showed no improvement (Li Caixi et alia, 1988). To date, the most dramatic clinical results of chi kung are reported by the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Clinic and Training Centre in Qinhuangdao, China (formerly in Zigachong). We visited this centre in 1998. Founded by western trained physician Dr Pang Ming, it has over 600 staff, including 26 western trained doctors, and treats 4000-7000 people at any given time. Residents (called students because they are learning to use chi kung, rather than simply being “treated”) are checked medically after each 24 day treatment period. Most of the people treated have been told that there is no orthodox treatment available for their condition. Most of them have inoperable cancers. Results at the Centre are classified as: Cured (no symptoms of illness, and no signs on EKG, ultrasound, X-ray, CT etc) Very Effective (almost no symptoms, and dramatic improvement on instruments) Effective (detectable improvements) Ineffective (no change or even worsening symptoms) In the centre’s first published results, (Huaxia Zhineng Centre, 1991; Chan, 1999, p vii) data on 7,936 students showed that 15.2% were cured, 37.68% very effective, and 42.09% effective. That is to say, after a month, 52% were cured or almost cured, and overall 95% had improved. Cure rates have been improving since then, as staff learn precisely how to get the best from their methods. Furthermore, each week certain students with defined tumours are selected to have direct chi treatment by staff, the results being displayed on ultrasound and recorded on video. Luke Chan, the teacher who has taken Zhineng Chi Kung to the west (under the name Chi Lel‒2, see Chan, 1999) describes observing a session where 8 students are treated in this way. After less than one minute of treatment, 5 of these cancers actually disappeared immediately (and were undetectable at ten day followup) and one diminished. The high success rate at the Centre is achieved by a structured use of visualisation, affirmation, belief change and attitudinal (metaprogram) change, as well as the core chi kung exercises. The work of the Huaxia Zhineng centre has replicated the western mind-body healing methods described previously and added an important new dimension. In doing so, it offers us a model for an integrated NLP approach to successfully healing up to 95% of clients with cancer. This approach will be explained in the second part of this article...
CSA Library News... Did you know that Cancer Support Association has some talented members, some of whom have been inspired to write about cancer? Here are some of our favourites...
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ROSS TAYLOR: living Simply With Cancer KAREN LEIBOVITCH: Two Years to Normai: A Journey with Cancer DR KAYE MURRAY: The Power of Peace www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Part B: An Integrated Format for the Mind-Body Healing of Cancer Zhineng Chi Kung As A Framework For Integrating The NLP Techniques In the first part of this article, we reviewed the research on mind-body healing of cancer. We documented the growing number of studies demonstrating direct anti-cancer effects of a positive mood, a proactive style of response to stress, the ability to release anger and grief, a belief in one’s ability to heal, and the ability to imagine white blood cells removing cancer cells. We pointed out that so far this mind-body methodology could reliably result in cure for 10-30% of clients with advanced cancers. We then discussed the research being done at the Huaxia Zhineng Centre in China, where 1-3 months treatment programs for 300,000 people with “incurable” diseases has resulted in medically documented improvement for over 95% and in cure for 52%. 4224 Scientific Research papers have been published on the method, involving 90 different Chinese Universities (Jin and Marcello, 1999, p 47-51). This makes it the most thoroughly researched form of Chi Kung. Chinese government agencies have repeatedly identified it as the most effective health enhancing chi kung form known. These results are being achieved through the integrated use of visualisation, affirmation, belief change and attitudinal (metaprogram) change, as well as the core chi kung (traditional Chinese “energy work”) exercises.
Research being done in China where 3000,000 people with “incurable” diseases were studied has shown that 95% improve and 52% are cured using a Chi Kung tretment program. These results are being achieved through the integrated use of visualisation, affirmation, belief change and attitudinal (metaprogram) change, as well as the core chi kung (traditional Chinese “energy work”) exercises.
We were extremely interested to observe the Huaxia Zhineng Centre in June 1998. It was, frankly, hard to believe the continuing sequence of first-hand, individual stories which we heard there, describing apparently miraculous cures. In our training in 1999 with Luke
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...from previous page Chan, we met a number of westerners who reported the same results from their practise of the Zhineng Chi Kung (under his trademark “Chi Lel”; see Chan, 1999). We have trained in several models of “energy work”, including other forms of Chi Kung, Reiki (3rd degree), Huna, Therapeutic Touch, and Transformational Process. Each of these methods can claim anecdotal successes. What the Huaxia Zhineng Centre is achieving puts Zhineng Chi Kung in a totally different category. As approved teachers of Chi Le we are interested in delivering this simple method to as many people as possible. As NLP Trainers, we have been interested in modelling just what it is that produces such outstanding results. We have identified several key factors:
“Belief”: Full Sensory Representations of Healing Belief is identified by Dr Pang Ming as one of the four components of Zhineng Chi Kung. In practice, firstly, students repeat to themselves several affirmations while doing the exercises (“Blood and chi are plentiful!”, “All body energy channels are open!”, “All illness disappears now!” and “Body functions return to normal!”). These auditory representations do refer to the problem being solved, and the research at the centre has shown that there is an important balance here. The fact that a specific illness needs to be healed seems important to refer to, and at the same time, the student’s focus needs to be on the image of universal healing energy. In fact, the main instruction given by teachers is to think of the illness as completely healed NOW (an instruction repeatedly given in Chinese as “Hao La!”). Also, sometimes students are instructed to stop thinking about the symptom and to just think “blue sky”, ie to turn their attention away from the problem. Secondly, students perform several visualisations as they practice. They imagine their body expanding to fill the whole universe, so that they and the universe are one. They imagine releasing any illness to the universe, and then absorbing healing energy from the universe. They imagine the 10 million people who are currently practitioners and teachers of Zhineng Chi Kung practising with them. Thirdly, a state of love and joyfulness is promoted. Students smile as they do the exercises, and make a point of smiling at each other when they complete each process. Their helping others is considered a therapeutic act, reminding one of the research showing that feeling love or caring increases immune response. Doing Zhineng Chi Kung is not like doing aerobics. It is a meditation; a joyful celebration of life. Many students comment on the powerful experience of love and caring from their teachers also.
Fourthly, belief is sustained in Chi Lel by hearing or reading stories of people who have healed (by Ericksonian metaphor). In the Centre in China, three people tell their stories before each practise session. In the west, practitioners can read stories from Luke Chan’s book 101 Miracles of Natural Healing (Chan, 1999). Fifthly, the active movements of the chi kung processes are themselves a kinesthetic representation of healing. The movements symbolically reach out to draw energy from the universe and then direct energy into the body. This sequence is identifiable in the simplest method of all, called La Chi. Luke Chan explains La Chi thus (Chan, 1999, p 150): “Put your hands close to each other so that fingers and palms almost touch each other. Relaxing your shoulders and hands, slowly open your hands to the sides. Then close your hands until the palms and fingers almost touch. Repeat these opening and closing movements many times. Very soon you will feel some sensations between your hands. These sensations are caused by chi gathering from the universe. Then deliver this chi into where is needed in your body. For instance if you have a headache, deliver chi into your head by doing the opening and closing movements near your head. When doing the opening movement, imagine that your illness disappears into infinity; when doing the closing movement, imagine that you are delivering life energy into where it is needed. Meanwhile, suggest to yourself that chi is healing you and that you have recovered.” When people first come to the Huaxia Zhineng Centre, many of them are unable to stand up and do the main chi kung exercise sequence (a 15-30 minute tai-chi like process called “Lift Chi Up and Pour Chi Down”). La Chi is adequate to begin the healing process. As a kinesthetic swish, we believe it adds a crucial ingredient missing from most NLP interventions for cancer treatment. In NLP terms, the existence of cancer demonstrates the person’s ability to “somatise” their problems (to represent their problems kinesthetically). If we only use visual and auditory/auditory digital techniques to enable healing, we will miss the key way they have generated the problem. The use of a kinesthetic representation of healing is the key exception which we believe has limited NLP’s success with cancer treatment. We suggest that even the use of La Chi would significantly improve on the results obtained by the Simontons and other researchers in the west. Repeated kinesthetic representations of healing have been a missing link in the NLP treatment of cancer. Furthermore, an examination of the success of chi kung reveals that some precisely “tuned” electromagnetic energy is involved in the success of the method. At Huaxia Zhineng Centre, research studies show that the teachers are able to recharge electric batteries with their hands (Jin and Marcello, 1999, p 51). Chi Kung teachers in Beijing repeatedly demonstrate their ability to light an actual light bulb, while it is not plugged in, simply by holding it (Eisenberg with Wright, 1995, p 222-226).
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Medicine of the Mind Bunbury 29th June; The Mind That Changes Everything Perth 2nd July; Health, Healing & Wellbeing Perth 3rd July Cancer Support Association
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La Chi The Chi Kung Understanding of Internal Representations In traditional Chinese Taoist philosophy, the mind is described as having two parts. The “yang” mind is rational and sensible, and attempts to differentiate real from unreal and make decisions accordingly. The “yin” mind “cannot distinguish fantasies from realities, and acts on everything you believe in.” (Chan, 1993, p 45). A person can learn to use this ability of the yin mind. Luke Chan tells the story of a Chinese Prince who led his army on a long desert march. When his soldiers rebelled out of thirst, one of his generals recommended executing the leaders of the rebellion to ensure obedience. But after some thought, the Prince spoke to his army. He told them that just beyond the desert were trees full of sour lemons and bitter plums. He asked them to imagine biting into these fruit, and had them taste the fruit. Saliva filled the soldiers’ mouths, and they were relieved of their thirst, enabling them to continue on their march to success. Successful practice of chi kung is based on this same understanding of the power of the yin (unconscious) mind to create bodily results when directed by rich internal representations.
Entering a State of Rapport and Trance The teacher leading a chi kung session at Huaxia Zhineng centre begins by surveying the group present and imagining that they are harmonised with each other and with the world around them. The group are invited to relax together, and imagine that all the other chi kung practitioners around the world are with them. The slow calm voice of the teacher is designed to invite them into a group trance. Their rapport with each other is considered an important part of creating this “chi field”. In the Taoist philosophy which underpins traditional chi kung, the universe is considered a unitary organism, and the practitioner is one with it (Chan, 1993, p 97). The chi kung movements seem to embody this experience. Even the inward and outward movements of La Chi are an expression of harmony with the yin-yang movement of the universe itself. Profound
Research being done in China where 3000,000 people with “incurable” diseases were studied has shown that 95% improved and 52% were cured using a Chi Kung tretment program. These results are being achieved through the integrated use of visualisation, affirmation, belief change and attitudinal (metaprogram) change, as well as the core chi kung (traditional Chinese “energy work”) exercises.
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digging for water. You’ve been told that there is water down under the ground, and if you dig a well you’ll reach it. The problem is that many people dig down ten feet and lose confidence. Then they move to another place and dig down ten feet. They end up with 20 wells each going down ten feet. But the water may be 100 feet down. It’s a hard lesson to accept, because cancer is a dangerous condition. Whatever decision a person makes about treatment, they can never be 100% sure they’ve chosen the very best place to dig their well. And each day they spend focused on healing seems like one less day just to enjoy life, spend time with friends and family, and have fun. Medical advice can be less than helpful, because most doctors do not have access to the information in this article, or any other reliable information about treatment alternatives. In our experience, most oncologists are motivated by a great sense of love, and by an enormous fear of cancer. This fear is communicated to their clients as a disbelief in the ability of the immune system. The problem is compounded for the person with cancer because every second friend and every health professional has another idea about the right way to solve this problem. It’s tempting to read all the books they give you, try all the therapies they recommend, and take all the food supplements they urge on you. It’s easy to dig twenty wells, but in the end one good deep well may be all you need for health to spring forth.
In our experience, most oncologists are motivated by a great sense of love, and by an enormous fear of cancer. This fear is communicated to their clients as a disbelief in the ability of the immune system. The problem is compounded for the person with cancer because every second friend and every health professional has another idea about the right way to solve this problem. I
...from previous page meditative states and experiences of ecstasy are commonly reported by practitioners as their body becomes accustomed to the method. Some understanding of chi (Bolstad and Hamblett, 1998) is useful for this process to work. Once a person has practised chi kung for some time, the trance called “the chi kung state” is anchored to simple actions such as the use of La Chi.
Total Commitment In NLP we have become used to instant healing. We have techniques for resolving a phobia or even an allergy in ten minutes. This is both a blessing and a risk in the field of cancer treatment. It is a blessing because extremely fast cures do occur. In our NLP training we have met several people who have experienced “miracle cures”. We talked with two people who had large tumours dissolve from their bodies within days of attending a Time Line Therapy. weekend training. One had needed to be carried into the training with her medication ready. We met them both over a year later, with their bodies completely cancer-free. In training in Chi Lel, we have also come across several examples of “miracle cures”. In Chicago there is a woman Catherine who had advanced Multiple Sclerosis. Three years ago, when she met people she always explained that the reason she staggered and had to hold the wall and slurred her speech was not because she was drunk but that she had MS. That was three years ago. She went to the Huaxia Zhineng Centre for two weeks and Dr. Pang visited while she was there. He pulled her out of the lunch line and applied Chi to her. All her symptoms disappeared and she has since had two CAT scans showing there has been no growth of MS lesions in over two years. But the risk of knowing about fast cures is that we tend to wonder what went “wrong” when it doesn’t happen. The fact is that after a month of doing at least 6 hours of chi kung a day, only 52% of people at the Centre are cured. Of the 101 examples in Luke Chan’s book (Chan, 1999) approximately half took more than 3 months to fully heal. The teachers at the centre say that if the student’s chi happens to be perfectly harmonised with the chi of a teacher, or of the centre itself (ie if they are in total rapport with the teachers), then instantaneous healing will occur, but otherwise it takes time for their body to generate or absorb the chi needed. Most people attempting to treat cancer using psychological methods tend to underestimate the time needed. Louise Hay, one of the “gurus” of cancer self-healing, took six months of doing full time, intense psychotherapy, visualisation and a detoxifying diet to heal her vaginal cancer. Basically, it’s a major commitment to do this. At the centre, someone will actually begin by doing a minimum of 6-8 hours of La Chi a day. And at the end of three months they don’t despair if they haven’t healed yet. They carry on. Many people actually describe how their cancer enlarged before the chi began to reduce it. The extraordinary success the centre achieves requires total commitment. Another important point to consider is that commitment to a simple strategy may be more effective than trying every method going to “see if it works”. Luke Chan uses the analogy of
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New Art Therapy Group weekly at CSA
Stories Of Commitment Luke Chan’s book (1999) contains records of 101 interviews he conducted with people who had healed themselves at Huaxia Zhineng Centre. They emphasise the importance of commitment. In 1990, Lin Shua-Hua, aged 52, was diagnosed with a malignant tumour of her oesophagus (throat). She had had two tumours removed surgically over the previous 20 years, but doctors advised her that this one was inoperable. Fed intravenously, her weight soon fell to 79 pounds, and she lay in bed waiting to die. Her son, though, had had an unusual experience. He used to wear gloves to school to cover a number of wart like growths on his hands. By practising Chi Lel for 15 days, he cured this problem. Now he begged his mother to try the method. At first she needed three people to carry her in to the Chi Lel sessions, where she would do La Chi. After 20 days, she was able to walk, though her stomach began to hurt. Her teacher reframed this as a positive response to chi. Within 3 months, her health had returned to normal, and doctors found that her tumour was gone. She now teaches at the Huaxia Zhineng Centre (Chan, 1999, p 18). In 1988, Wu Zhong-Chiong, age 39, was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and told she probably only had 3 months to live. Because of a heart condition (climbing the 5 flights of stairs to her home, she needed to rest ten times), she was unable to undergo chemotherapy. She began to do Chi Lel. It took four years before she was cancer free. But by that time, she was able to climb the five flights of stairs without even breathing heavily. Her heart condition had also disappeared. She now teaches at the centre (Chan, 1999, p 26) 50 year old Li Chong-Cheng had surgery for liver cancer in 1991. Three months later, doctors told him that the cancer had spread to his lungs and he had less than two months to live. A neighbour taught him Chi Lel, and for the next six months he practised by himself. His tumours remained stable. In 1992, he decided that he needed to make an “all or nothing” commitment to the method. He travelled to the centre, and began practising from early morning until late at night.
Arts for Healing is a gently empowering form of self-expression which actively and creatively engages you in exploring and developing your unique inner resources to make personal meaning of your life experiences, symbolically and spontaneously.
9.30am-12noon Fridays at CSA with Glenys Gibbs. $20 members/$25 others. For bookings/more info ph CSA 9384 3544
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Open Up The Person’s Model of the World:
The Authors:
After two months, there was no sign of any tumour at either site, and he has remained cancer free since (Chan, 1999, p 61).
For the person to use this methodology, they will benefit from several important reframes, including:
Alternative or Complementary Therapy?
An understanding that internal representations affect the immune response. Even the Prince’s lemon demonstration is useful to make this clear. Telling the stories of people who have healed from cancer (eg see Dilts, Hallbom and Smith, 1990 and Chan, 1999) is an important use of Ericksonian metaphor.
Dr Richard Bolstad is an NLP Trainer and Chi Kung teacher. He can be reached at PO Box 35111, Browns Bay, Auckland. He and those who study with him have worked successfully with many people dealing with cancer.
We have met many people who had life threatening cancers and are now cancer free, having never used surgery, radiotherapy or medication of any kind. We have been to the Centre in China where that result is the norm. Right now there are 7000 people there using simple movements, visualisations and affirmations for 6 hours a day. In 3 months, over 3500 of them will have completed their healing. Most of the rest will continue to heal over the next months and years. But in the end no-one can make the decision as to which treatments are “appropriate” for the person with cancer except that person themselves. The same techniques we have been describing as a cure for cancer are also a valuable support for persons undergoing orthodox cancer treatments. We have talked to people who did one hour of Chi Lel a day throughout their chemotherapy, and managed to keep their white blood cell count in the normal range throughout that time (to the astonishment of their oncologists). We know people who have healed from major surgery in a fraction of the time predicted, by using Chi Lel and NLP. Whatever decisions the person with cancer makes, it seems to us that there are certain reliable guidelines for using NLP to heal the body. To summarise, from the point of view of the NLP Practitioner, these include:
Resourceful State For The Practitioner: To assist someone to heal cancer, the NLP Practitioner benefits from having a sound understanding of the power of the immune system. We have aimed in the first part of this article to provide some of the scientific and anecdotal backing for your belief that the mind can heal cancer. There may be emotional issues, including past trauma, which it’s appropriate for a practitioner to heal before dealing with clients who have cancer.
Establish Rapport: It’s
important to begin by establishing what the client’s understanding of their situation is, and acknowledging their fear while remaining resourceful. Within each session, establishing rapport involves creating a “chi field” by imagining that you, the client, and all other healers are one, and one with the universe itself.
SPECIFY Outcomes: The research on mobilising the immune system shows that the outcome “To heal from cancer” is not an adequate one. The immune system is most successfully mobilised by having the person clarify what they want to live for. It is also useful to establish markers that would let the person know that they are healing. At the Huaxia Zhineng Centre, each person is checked medically once every 24 days, so that even subtle healing changes can be detected. It is important to be able to celebrate all positive changes, not merely to wait for “total cure”.
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An understanding that significant events generating unresolved grief and anger may have weakened the immune system, and need to be cleared before it can strengthen fully. An understanding that all actions, including eating and exercise choices are an opportunity for reminding the unconscious mind that you want to live; so that the whole lifestyle will be re-examined in a healing light. An understanding of the importance of absolute commitment, proactive response to stress and a willingness to keep going until (to use the Chi Lel phrase) “the chi arrives”. An understanding that cancer could be considered an important message from the unconscious mind, urging you to make more fundamental and life affirming changes. Leading (Using NLP-Related Change Techniques) Define a clear sense of mission. Set future goals aligned with that mission and place them in the future time line, including the goal of healing. Clarify values for each significant area of life and check that goals are aligned with them. Clear stressful emotions (especially resentment, anger, grief and depression) and limiting decisions from the past time line using Re-imprinting or Time Line Therapy. techniques. Resolve any conflicts, including conflicts related to limiting beliefs about healing, using Parts Integration. Establish communication with the unconscious mind (eg using finger signals) and clarify the positive intention of any part not totally supportive of healing. Establish agreement from the unconscious mind to heal fully. Identify any possible secondary gain resulting from the cancer, and take real life steps to meet the intention behind that fully. Learn how to communicate successfully interpersonally and ensure that any conflicts with significant others are resolved (see Bolstad and Hamblett, 1998). Adjust diet to support healing fully. Take time each day to visualise the immune system (the lymphocytes in particular) responding appropriately and healing the body. Do Zhineng Chi Kung (Chi Lel‒2) every day for 1-8 hours. Remember that at the centre, 6-8 hours a day delivers complete healing in 52% of cases within 3 months. Verify Change: Celebrate all changes, no matter how small. Reframe any changes related to the above activities as messages from the unconscious mind that healing is occurring. Exit: Ensure an ongoing commitment to honour the changes that the unconscious mind has signalled the need for.
Margot Hamblett, who co-wrote this article, was an NLP Trainer and died of cancer in 2001. She was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in April 2001. Over the four months after her mastectomy, a collection of swollen lymph nodes emerged on Margot’s neck and upper chest (indications of cancer recurrence). These had reached walnut size and were associated with considerable pain by the time (September 17th, 2000) she decided to begin doing six hours of traditional Chinese Chi Kung exercises a day. Doing this was quite tiring because Margot had been losing weight since the surgery, and was taking large doses of opiate pain killers for back and chest pain. But amazingly, by September 18th, one day after starting her new regimen, all Margot’s pain had gone and she stopped taking the pain killers. After another 4 days, Margot wrote in her diary “I feel great; happy, optimistic and energetic.” Two days later, the lumps in her neck and chest had shrunk. She had trouble finding them anymore, as they were the size of apple pips. She began to put on weight. In one week she had produced a dramatic turnaround in her cancer. Sadly, a reverse turning point seemed to occur later, when Margot began to get new chest pain, and decided to reduce the intensity of the Chi Kung she was doing. Margot’s condition deteriorated, and she died in 2001. There are so many factors involved in such a condition that there is no simple answer to the question “Why?” But there are answers to another question: “What worked?” This is a fundamental NLP question and I want to conclude this article by sharing Margot’s answer with you. In her diary, on September 26th 2000, Margot wrote “Yesterday afternoon I felt waves of love and happiness…. At times I feel so loved and loving; that love is so abundant.” Written at a time of sudden, dramatic remission, this is a clue to the source of all such healing. My hope is that you will use it, not just to heal others, but to heal yourself. F
From: www.transformations.net.nz. Dr. Richard Bolstad is a trained nurse (RCpN), teacher (Dip Tchg), psychotherapist (NZAP), herbalist (Dip.Herb) and hypnotherapist (D. Clin.Hyp.). He has trained more than half the NLP Practitioners in his native New Zealand, and teaches NLP each year on 4 continents. He is the co-author of the books Communicating Caring, The Structure of Personality and Pro-fusion, and the author of RESOLVE: A New Model of Therapy, Transforming Communication, The Rapport Based Family, Creating A Cooperative World and The Secrets Of NLP Training. His books are published in many languages, in Asia, Europe and the middle east. He has also published numerous audio CDs, DVDs and many articles in the international NLP journals, including Anchor Point and NLP World. Richard’s central interest is in linking NLP to wider issues of spiritual development and conflict resolution. He is a Certified trainer for 5 international organisations teaching Hypnosis, NLP, Transforming Communication and Taoist Healing Techniques. He is the developer of the RESOLVE and Personal Strength models for NLP use.
Margot wrote in her diary, “Yesterday afternoon I felt waves of love and happiness…. At times I feel so loved and loving; that love is so abundant.” Written at a time of sudden, dramatic remission, this is a clue to the source of all such healing. My hope is that you will use it, not just to heal others, but to heal yourself.
Bibliography & References Bagenal, F.S. et alia “Survival of patients with breast cancer attending Bristol Cancer Health Centre” The Lancet, 1990, 336: 606-610 Bartrop R.W. et alia, “Depressed lymphocyte function after bereavement” Lancet 1977, 1:884 Batt, S. Patient No More: The Politics of Breast Cancer Spinifex, Melbourne, 1996 Block, K.I. “Psychooncology and Total Survivorship” Advances in Mind Body Medicine 1999, 5 No. 4: 244-251
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Bolstad, R. and Hamblett, M. Transforming Communication AddisonWesley-Longman, Auckland, 1998
Klopfer, B. “Mr Wright and Krebiozen” Journal of Projective Techniques, 1957, Vol 21 p 331-340
Bolstad, R. and Hamblett, M. “Awakening The Dragon Paths Within” Anchor Point March 1999, Vol. 13 No 3: 12-18
Kogon, M.M., Biswas, A., Pearl, D. Carlson, R.W. and Spiegel, D. “Effects of medical and psychotherapeutic treatment on the survival of women with metastatic breast carcinoma” Cancer 80(2): 225-230
Bur ford-Mason, A., Gyte, G.M.L. and Watk ins, S.M., 1989, “Phytohaemaglutinin responsiveness in peripheral lymphocytes and survival in patients with primary breast cancer” Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 13: 243-250 Buske-Kirschbaum A., Kirschbaum C., Stierle H., Lehnert H., and Hellhaminer D., 1992 “Conditioned increase in natural killer cell activity in humans” in Psychosomatic Medicine 54:123-132 Cao Xuetao et alia “Antitumour Meiosis Activity of emitted chi in tumour bearing mice” in The First World Conference for Academic Exchange of Medical Qigong, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Shanghai Hospital, Second Military Medical College, Shanghai, China, 1988 Chan, L. Secrets Of The Tai Chi Circle: Journey To Enlightenment Benefactor Press, West Chester, 1993 Chan, L. 101 Miracles of Natural Healing Benefactor Press, West Chester, Ohio, 1999 Dilts, R., Hallbom, T. and Smith, S. Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Wellbeing Metamorphous, Portland, Oregon, 1990 Eisenberg, D. with Wright, T.L. Encounters With Qi, W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 1995 Eysenck, H. “The outcome problem in psychotherapy”, in Dryden, W. and Feltham, C. ed. Psychotherapy and its Discontents, Open University, 1992, Buckingham. p100-123 Fawzy F.I., Fawzy N.W., Hyun C.S. et alia “Malignant Melanoma: effects of an early structured psychiatric intervention, coping and affective state on recurrence and survival 6 years later” Archives of General Psychiatry 1993, 50:681-689 Fawzy F.I., Kenieny M.E., Fawzy N.W. et alia “A structured psychiatric intervention for cancer patients. 11 Changes over time in immunological measures” Archives of General Psychiatry 1990, 47:729-735 Feng Li-da and Qian Ju Qing “A study of the effects of the emitted qi of qigong on human carcinoma cells” in The First World Conference for Academic Exchange of Medical Qigong, China Immunology Research centre, Beijing, 1988 Futterman, A.D., Kemeny M.E., Shapiro D., and Fahey J.L., “Immunological and physiological changes associated with induced positive and negative mood” Psychosomatic Medicine 1994, 56: 499-511 Goodare, H. ed. Fighting Spirit: The Stories of Women in the Bristol Breast Cancer Survey Scarlett Press, London, 1996 Goodkin K., Blancy N.T., Feaster D. et alia “Active coping style is associated with natural killer cell cytotoxicity in asymptomatic HIV-1 seropositive homosexual men” Journal of Psychosomatic Research 1992, 36:635-650 Greer, S. “Mind Body research in psychooncology” Advances in Mind Body Medicine 1999, 5 No. 4: 236-244 Hall, H. et alia, “Voluntary modulation of neutrophil adhesiveness using a cyberphysiologic strategy” International Journal of Neuroscience, 1992, 63: 287-297 Hoxsey, H. You Don’t Have To Die Milestone Books, 1956 Huaxia Zhineng Centre A Summary of Zhineng Qigong’s Healing Effects on Chronic Diseases Huaxia Zhineng Clinic & Training Centre, Zigachong, 1991 Ingram, D. et alia, “Case-control study of phyto-oestrogens and breast cancer” Lancet 1997, 350 No. 9083: 990-994 Jin, X. and Marcello, J. Life More Abundant: The Science of Zhineng Chi Kung Buy Books, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, 1999 Kiecolt-Glasser, J.K., Stephens, R.E., Lipetz, P.D. et alia, “Distress and DNA repair in human lymphocytes” Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 1985, 8:311-320
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LeShan, L. You Can Fight For Your Life Thorsons, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, 1984 Li Caixi et alia “Effects of Emitted Qi on the immune function in animals” in The First World Conference for Academic Exchange of Medical Qigong, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Traditional Chinese medicine, Beijing, China, 1988 Lundberg, J.C. and Passik, S.D. “Alcohol and Cancer: a review for psychooncologists” Psycho-Oncology 1997, 6(4): 253-266 Mandeville R., Lamoureaux G., Legault-Poisson S., Poisson R. “Biological markers and breast cancer: a multi- parametric study. II. Depressed immune competence.” Cancer, 1982, 50:1280-1288 McClelland, D. C. and Kirshnit, C. “The Effect Of Motivational Arousal Through Films On Immunoglobulin A” Psychology and Health, 1988, 2: 31-52 McDermott,I and O’Connor, J. NLP and Health Thorsons, London, 1996 Pert, C. Molecules of Emotion Simon & Schuster, New York, 1999 Richardson, J.L. et alia “The effect of compliance with treatment on survival amongst patients with hematological malignancies” Journal of Clinical Oncology 8: 356-364 Rose, D.P. “Dietary Fatty Acids and Cancer” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1997, 66: 998S-1003S Rossi, E.L. and Cheek, D.B. Mind-Body Therapy W.W. Norton & Co, New York, 1988 Rushworth, C. Making A Difference in Cancer Care Souvenir, London, 1994 Schleifer S.J. et alia, “Suppression of lymphocyte stimulation following bereavement” Journal of the American Medical Association 1983, 250:374
Breast Cancer Grandmother Gives Hope To Others Through NLP Rosie O’Hara uses NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and healthy doses of humour to cope with her breast cancer and in her forthcoming book ‘No More Bingo Dresses – Using NLP to cope with breast cancer and other people’ she brings inspiration, and critically practical help, to other cancer sufferers. http:// www.mxpublishing.co.uk/engine/shop/product/9781908218346/ Rosie is an NLP trainer and she says that the book came about “as a result of a diary I wrote for my friends, and I added bits of NLP I used help me to cope with other people, family, friends, business colleagues and anyone in the medical profession (note sweeping generalisation).” Rosie’s style is very positive, humour laden, frank and honest. Fiona Pearson from Friends of ANCHOR comments “Her account of this part of her life journey is brutally honest which is refreshingly different from other related personal journals; instead of self-pity, sorrow and sadness, Rosie’s book is inspiring and uplifting.” Rosie’s experience with cancer is extensive and started with her late husband Michael. Rosie comments; “Michael used to say that in life you only get what you deserve. In NLP we also talk about ‘Perception is Projection’. In essence if you believe you ‘don’t deserve something’ or ‘you are not worthy’, then most probably you’ll get that ‘nothing’ or ‘bad thing’. The book gives you ideas on how to be clear about what you want and then get what you want, which is extremely important when coping with cancer.”
Rosie O’Hara uses NLP (Neuro
On the encouragement of her publishers, Rosie has started a blog and has really taken to it. Provocative articles like “When My Granny Had 2 Boobs” and “Why do cancer patients have to live on handouts” are proving extremely popular. Rosie is fearless and doesn’t pull her punches. There is plenty of humour, which Rosie explains is a healthy thing to have when dealing with cancer.
cope with her breast cancer
Spiegel, D. Bloom, J.R. et alia “Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer” Lancet, 1989, October ii: 888-891
A truly modern granny she is also tackling YouTube. Our favourite moment in her first video is when Rosie, not a particularly big fan of supermarket chains, delivers a particularly fun sideswipe. Her initial breast examination was in a mobile scanning unit in a supermarket car park and she says that she is thinking of complaining to the manager as although she ‘had her goods scanned’, she didn’t receive any clubcard points.
Temoshok, L. and Dreher, H. The Type C Connection Random House, New York, 1992
There is however a very serious side to the book as the Managing Director of the Association of NLP, Karen Moxom explains;
Simonton, O.C., Mathews-Simonton, S. and Creighton, J.L. Getting Well Again Bantam, New York, 1980
Thompson, L.U. et alia “Antitumorigenic effect of a mammalian lignan precursor from flaxseed” Nutrition and Cancer, 1996, 26, No. 2: 159-165 Thompson, L.U. et alia “Flaxseed and its lignan and oil components reduce mammary tumour growth at a late stage of carcinogenesis” Carcinogenesis, 1996, 17, No. 6: 1373 Walker L.G., Walker M.B., Simpson E. et alia “Guided imagery and relaxation therapy can modify host defenses in women receiving treatment for locally advanced breast cancer” British Journal of Surgery 1997, 84(suppliment l):31 Weinstock, C. “Notes on spontaneous regression of cancer” p 106-110 in Journal Of The American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine, 24 (4), 1977 Wightman, A. “Cancer, The Mind, Science and the Abyss” Trancescript, Transformations, Christchurch, 1999, No 16:41-42 Wolff, M.S. “Blood levels of organochlorine residues and risk of breast cancer” Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1993, 85, No. 8: 648-652 Dr Richard Bolstad is an NLP Master Practitioner and Trainer who has worked with clients individually and as a trainer of groups since 1990. He can be contacted at PO Box 35111, Browns Bay, Auckland, New Zealand, Phone/Fax: +64-9-478-4895 E-mail: learn@transformations. net.nz Website: http://www.transformations.net.nz
“Her open approach to a challenging and sometimes ‘taboo’ subject is both refreshing and empowering. She is passionate about conveying the importance of developing and maintaining a positive attitude, and she details how she used NLP techniques so that others may feel encouraged to model her approach.”
Linguistic Programming) and healthy doses of humour to and in her forthcoming book ‘No More Bingo Dresses – Using NLP to cope with breast cancer and other people’ she brings inspiration, and critically practical help, to other cancer sufferers..
This clear outlining of the NLP techniques used, so that others may replicate Rosie’s very successful approach, is being extremely well received by everyone from NLP practitioners to members of the medical community. The ‘physical’ treatments for cancer are well established, but the handling of the mental trauma needs a lot of work and Rosie’s book is an excellent start. Other coaches and teachers will find it a very useful resource as George McBride from the Coaching for Teachers Academy outlines: “As you might expect from a serious NLP professional, there is some subtlety but no mumbo-jumbo. Many people will gravitate toward the action plan; however there is power on each page delivered in a simple and honest fashion. How Rosie beat cancer and is medication free is both humorous and inspiring”. F
The book was released on 25th May and is avaailablein paperback and for Amazon Kindle, iBooks (iPad/iPhone) and other formats. Rosie’s Blogis at rosieohara.wordpress.com and you can see her on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpLcpsHW46M May 2011
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The Esoteric Taoist approach is different. It does not depend on total absence of thought. It requires the circulation of energy called ‘chi’ along certain pathways inside the body. These pathways help direct the ‘chi’ also known as prana, sperm or ovarian power, the warm current or Kundalini power, to successively higher power centres, the chakras, of the body. The secret of circulating this ‘chi’ has been transmitted for thousands of years in China, where it brought extraordinary improvements in health and life.
Dr Magne: Would you be willing to describe the actual process of Awakening Healing Energy through the Tao. Mantak Chia: Awakening Healing Energy Through the Tao is a method for an adult to return to that state of dynamic energy circulation which existed inside the womb. It is a rebirth process, a return to one’s original, primordial self. The process requires the reestablishing of the same strong flow of ‘lukewarm’ chi, mixed yin and yang energy, so that our vital organs begin to glow with radiant health. When this healing power flows through our bodies, we regain the exuberant energy and rosy glow we once had as babies. The ancient Taoists masters discovered that there are two primary energy channels that carry an especially strong current. It begins at the base of the trunk, midway between the testes and the anus at the point called the perineum. It flows upward into the body past the stomach organs, heart and throat. It flows from the perineum upwards into the tailbone and then up through the spine into the brain, and back down to the roof of the mouth.
Healing your self with Tao energy An interview with Mantak Chia by Dr Magne (author of The Secrets of Living Cancer Free For Life)
Taoist meditation is a method for cultivating, refining, and circulating internal energy within the chakras and meridian channels in the body. Taoists believe that breathing and energy meditation fills the reservoirs of the chakras and meridian with energy, which is then distributed to all the major organ systems.
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Mantak Chia is one of the most important figures in contemporary Taoism. He has revolutionised and revitalised the tradition by openly and systematically teaching many hitherto “secret” techiques. Mantak teaches how to tap into your body’s natural healing energy by uplifting and transforming your energy. Dr Magne asks: How would the esoteric Taoist approaches to meditation compare with other forms of meditation. Mantak Chia: Meditation can be best defined as a stilling of the mind. Most of the meditation techniques taught today still the mind using one of two basic approaches. The first is the Zen approach of ‘silent stilling’, facing a blank wall until the mind becomes blank. One sits until the moment of pure awareness arrives, even if it takes twenty years. The second is the Mantra approach, in which the mind is rhythmically lulled to sleep with sounds or images. After many repetitions the body begins to vibrate at a higher frequency, and the meditator becomes aware of the higher energies operating beyond the sensory process functions in our daily mind.
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The tongue is like a switch that connects these two currents, for when it is touched to the roof of the mouth just behind the front teeth the energy flows in a circle up the spine and back down the front of the body. The two channels form a single circuit that the energy loops around in circles. When this energy flows in a loop around the body through these two channels, the ‘small cycle’ has been completed. Its vital current circulates and heal past the major organs and nervous system of the body, giving cells the juice they need to grow, heal and function.
Full moon – stepping through the snow the sound of the stones. From beyond the clouds, the voice of a bamboo flute, approaches – listening, it seems the moon's reflection
Dr Magne: What does it mean to ‘open the routes’? Mantak Chia: ‘Opening the routes’ means clearing all obstructions that impede the flow of chi energy in their natural paths. Most obstructions take the form of physical, mental or emotional tension. It helps to understand that these energy routes in the body are grounded in the larger balancing forces of nature which are exerting powerful influence over us at every moment. The healing power of natural forces can be tapped to help the body in clearing itself of the obstruction to its natural energy flow.
is right here in our cupped hands.
Dr Magne: What are the nine steps necessary to prepare to circulate the ‘chi’ energy? Mantak Chia: Create a relaxed environment. The key to Chi circulation is deep relaxation, in order to circulate the warm current, one must be calm within oneself. If one is distracted by TV, passing cars or an unmade bed, the mind will turn outwards and one won’t be able to focus on the energy. One learns to ignore the distractions and to meditate comfortably anywhere, but in the beginning it is better to choose a quiet spot and a special time. Clothes. During Chi meditation, dress in loose-fitting clothing. Loosen the belt and remove glasses and watch. Remember to keep the knees, nape of the neck and toes free of binding clothing. Dress warmly enough so that you are not distracted by the cold. Room. The room must be kept well-ventilated, but it is best not to sit in front of an open window. The body generates excess heat during meditation and a draft may cause a cold. Avoid meditating with light shining in the eyes. If a room is too bright, it will disturb concentration. If too dark, it might make you sleepy. Diet. According to the Taoist masters, if you stop eating when you are two-thirds full, your stomach will have room to digest the food. When you are too full, you lose lucidity and power of concentration. One should wait at least one hour after eating before meditating. It is best to avoid eating cold foods including ice drinks and chilled fruit. They are extremely yin and then to throw you out of balance. Let your foods warm up instead of eating them
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...from previous page directly from the fridge. Your body saves energy by not having to heat up cold food. Stimulating the flow of chi. To prepare for meditation, one should first rub the face, ears, eyes, waist and the sole of the feet. How to sit. Sit on the edge of the chair using the spine to find the delicate place of balance which will help hold you erect. The back must be comfortably erect, the head bowed slightly forward, the feet firmly planted on the floor. How to breathe. While concentrating, the breath should be soft, long and smooth. After a while you can forget about your breath. Attention to the breath will only distract the mind which must focus on drawing energy to the desired points. You need not try to regulate your breath as breathing patterns will occur automatically according to the body’s needs. Mental attitude. Don’t try to meditate when you are tired. Begin to practice when you feel refreshed. Maintain a calm mind and attitude of forgiveness. Be cheerful and remain open to life. Don’t be consumed with ambition or worry. Your great task is to raise your consciousness and your capacity to love. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Happiness and a calm state are signs of spiritual progress. Don’t struggle either. Don’t try to force wandering thoughts out of your mind. Simply release your thoughts, watching as they depart. Detach yourself and be a spectator to the thinking process not a participant. Position of the tongue. The beginner should place the tongue where it is most comfortable.
Dr Magne: What is the ‘Secret of the Inner Smile”? Mantak Chia: A genuine smile has tremendous power. An inner smile radiates powerful healing energy. A true smile is a sign of love, a transmitter of energy which has a warming, healing effect. It is a vehicle for music. The smiler brings joy to people’s lives and leads a healthy and happy life that may be soundly remembered long after he has gone away. In ancient China, the Taoists taught that a constant inner smile, a smile to oneself, insured health, happiness and longevity. Smiling to yourself is like basking in love, you become your own best friend. Living with an inner smile is to live in harmony with yourself. The inner smile is a spiritual and yoga practice that can be used in daily life. It is powerful as a meditation tool too. It can transform one’s life as well. The inner smile brings love inward. It helps one’s world to blossom, and the vital organs within, the bones, blood and brain will afford a new body and enable the person to relate to everyone and everything outside in a new, calm, loving way.
Dr Magne: How do you awaken the individual healing points? Mantak Chia: To awaken the healing energy in individual points it is necessary to use inner vision. One directs his vision inwardly to the point he wishes to activate and concentrate the mind on that point in the body. You bring the mind down from the head and put it in the body, such as the navel. Genetic makeup, past history, diet, immediate physical and mental stresses all contribute to the varying results. Whichever the energy is
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experienced is fine. These messages are valuable signals that you come in tune with the etheric energy body that connects the physical body to the mind. Blood follows chi and when vital power is distributed evenly through the body no energy accumulates at any one point. Time is essential in all meditation. One needs to concentrate on the points, which sometimes leads to a vibrating sensation. If all the channels are open, the whole system is nourished in the process.
Dr Magne: What is the importance of setting up a regular training schedule. Mantak Chia: When first beginning it takes a little bit of time and discipline to achieve rapid progress. The exact amount of training and practice required to develop these healing techniques varies from individual to individual. For best results, one should practice at least twice a day at home, for ten to thirty minutes at a time, even if one has attained a higher level of accomplishment. Students with previous discipline in yoga or meditation techniques are frequently able to open the microcosmic orbit immediately by redirecting their power of concentration away from the third eye and into the warm current flow. The Esoteric Taoist system of meditation ultimately leads to mastery of the Third Eye centre, the crown of the head and those healing centres beyond. But it stresses the necessity of mastering all of the lower energy centres first to insure a solid foundation for spiritual growth and self-healing. Only practice makes perfect, the greater the self-discipline the faster one is rewarded with a marked increase in energy.
Dr Magne: Are there safety techniques that can be used to prevent unwanted side effects? Mantak Chia: Yes, there is the navel that can store energy, the back of the spine helps guide the energy downward, the back of the knee can store up energy , the feet acts as a grounding wire. It can be used as a safety valve to draw off energy that builds up in the head. When too much energy surges to the heart and seems to have no place to go, you can redirect it downward to the feet and then up to the navel. In awakening the life force energy of Taoist Esoteric practice each person is required in the first stage to open the Microcosmic Orbit. The Tao system differs from the Indian in that a return route is provided for: from the palate to the tongue to the throat, to the navel and back to the coccyx to begin a new circuit. Power is evenly distributed throughout the seven glands. They act as a series of containers, within each of which the same level of fluid must be maintained. When this is done, all the seven will function properly with one of them being stimulated more than they should. With a return set of connections running to each container, however, the overflow can be taken up by the circuit and the other glands that it is connected to, resulting in reduced stress and a return to balance. Prevention is the safest approach to avoid ill side effects. The singlemost important safeguard is to end your chi circulation practice at the navel point.
Dr Magne: What is the significance of the Taoist Healing Energy? Mantak Chia: Taoist Mediation is the best form of adequate rest. Completing the Small Heavenly Cycle through the practice of Taoist Meditation might activate the bodily defences powerfully enough to overcome disease. Master Yung practiced Taoist Meditation since his teens and reported he always felt stronger when he practiced regularly. In his practice, he has observed that the students who put up a reasonable effort into their practice open up the energy channels with vivid sensations and with noticeable improvements in health. The rest of them open up their channels with improvements in their health but no vivid sensations. His conclusions are that if used for the improvement of health and the treatment of illness, it is morally justified to disseminate this knowledge far and wide. Dr Magne: Can you discuss some experiences that people have had? Chantak Mia: People report various types of hot or cold sensations through their body. One specific practitioner shared that the technique also enhanced his diagnostic ability, as if he was able to see what was going on in the person’s body. When the master touched him, he too reported heat as if he’d been burnt. Most students report increased energy, deepened relaxation and a feeling of being energized long after they have finished their practice. It also happens to them of them to feel their whole body vibrating and shaking. One student reports that an injection of morphine he received in a hospital was similar to the sensations he’s experienced during his practice. Others report that areas that had been injured previously is painful during their practice, but then the pain goes away completely as if the pain was a reminder that the injury is going away. All report an increase in energy, in vitality, and a stronger sense of balance and grounding. Dr Magne: Can you talk more on the variety of manifestations of energy people experienced? Mantak Chia: The first individual experienced an immediate improvement of his back pain that seemed to have resisted all previous attempts at healing. When he was treated, he felt heat and flowing sensations around his eyes area, which he had been asked to relax. The healing sounds relaxed him and helped him sleep better. He also finds that his hearbeat changes and he has a throbbing sensation all over his body. He gets an overall soothing, comfortable, soft effect all through his body. This student used to feel a lot of heat in his belly and a ringing in the ear. He seems as if the student may have obtained some of the heat as a transfer from me, but he also supposes he may have generated some himself. The next student, Dan, started to feel energy and heat in his navel but more in the other points of the practice. He felt the energy particularly at the top of his spine, in his back near his kidneys, his shoulder blades and his head. He felt his head had expanded, but his nose and forehead felt numb. He also experienced the charge of electricity that comes with putting the tongue against the palate. He is also one of those who experienced vibration in his body which then felt warm. He ould feel the energy circulate around his body, and he believes that what he is feeling is the tissues of his body being strengthened. The third student interviewed is Bill. His experience with the practice is that he feels more calm and strong around people. He feels generally more grounded. In his previous practices, he’d never felt any energy. With this training, he can feel energy, either cool or warm, like a surge of energy. He was able to perceive the energy from his first practice. He has no doubts that the energy he feels is real. He can see himself jerk and shake. He experiences the location of acupressure points on his body as the energy circulates. He also experienced faster healing in a case of the flu, where he got over his symptoms in 3 days instead of the normal 9 that people come down with the flu. F
From: www.cancer-free-for-life.com/blog
In her book, CANCER FREE FOR LIFE , Dr Magne explores the way to facilitate healing using the energy of the Tao. She applies the healing power of the energy centres to develop our abilities to heal ourselves of all diseases, from cancer to leukaemia, skin cancer, but also such common and crippling illnesses as asthma, diabetes, arthritis. She answers such questions as: What causes cancer? Can you heal yourself of cancer using the mind-body connection? Is there a quantum path to health? How Placebo medicine can heal you? What the secrets are to creating the life you want, disease free? Whether you can recreate yourself from the inside out using your mind powers? Is all healing a miracle? Do quantum physics have anything to do with healing? Are healers more effective than doctors? CANCER FREE FOR LIFE is available for immediate electronic download. Visit www.cancer-free-for-life.com to obtain your own copy today.
www.cancerfree-for-life.com May 2011
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The power of
peace Before her cancer diagnosis, Dr Kaye Murray had an exciting and diverse career. She was an ABC Current affairs journalist for many years, went on to produce the 12 part documentary Resolution of Conflict: Everyone Can Win, taught a course on Conflict Resolution at Edith Cowan University where she wrote her PhD on feminism, peace and the media and has also represented the UN Association of Australia and the Women’s International League for Peace and Feeedom.
Almost two years ago Perth journalist and peace activist Dr Kaye Murray was diagnosed with cancer and told she had “two weeks” to live. Since then she has written a book “The Power of Peace: A Journalist’s Story” which interweaves her personal story and career with international politics, the history of the peace movement and an intrinsic spirituality.
While Kaye’s professional focus has been on peace in the international and political arenas, her biggest challenge has been to apply her conflict resolution skills to her personal journey with cancer, to resolve the inner conflict with the disease and to find a deep, inner peace in the midst of difficult circumstances and uncertainty. Diagnosed nearly two years ago, Kaye was shocked to hear she had weeks to live. In her heart she knew she had the strength to beat cancer. She immediately undertook an intensive treatment regime which she almost refused when the nurse told her what was involved. Despite the physical impact of the treatment, Kaye began to formulate her book and within a year completed her memoir The Power of Peace: A Journalist’s Story which she has self-published. There is no doubt that the process of writing The Power of Peace contributed to her recovery from cancer as it gave her a positive focus and strong purpose. Looking back, Kaye says “I feel I was meant to get cancer to take my message of peace wider and address the issue of cancer, what’s causing it and why so many people are dying from it.” Kaye has gained political, philosophical and spiritual knowledge and wisdom from her career, her work for the United Nations, her direct experience of cancer and her faith in God. She sees beyond the boundaries that separate humans and sees us all as citizens of the planet each with the right to live a life of peace and safety. It is these insights she has gathered together in her book which make it a valuable healing and educational resource for both international politicans, everyday citizens and people with cancer alike. “What the world needs now is love...In our better world, the dignity and divinity of humanity would blossom with a balance of compassion, love and law. The ethic of non-violence, the spirit of peace, is essential for building peace cultures for future generations to learn war no more, to live in a world at peace.” Regardless of the outcome of her cancer journey, Dr. Kaye Murray has contributed to world peace in a meaningful way and successfully applied the principles of peace to her personal life. She exudes an air of peace and calm and has gained many insights along the way, some of which she shares below...F
Article by Mandy BeckerKnox. The Power of Peace is available in the CSA Wellness Shop and library.
At peace with cancer... • Don’t let the disease rob you of your birthright of inner peace and joy. • Cancer is a chance for growth and selfreflection. • Live in the moment to the fullest. 30
Cancer Support Association
www.cancersupportwa.org.au
The Gawler Foundation 12 Week Cancer Self-Help Program
Cancer, Healing & Wellbeing Cathy Brown is an endorsed leader and will be facilitating The Gawler Foundation 12 Week Cancer Self-Help Programme – Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing. Consistent with the principles of integrated medicine, the programme applies a self-help approach designed to improve both quantity and quality of life. This enables participants to make informed, effective choices and better manage their own healing journeys. Each 2.5 hour session is interactive, supported by handouts and focuses on a specific theme from Ian Gawler’s book’ You Can Conquer Cancer’. There is plenty of time to practice techniques as well as opportunity for discussion and questions. The programme will be held at the Cancer Support Association building in Cottesloe. There are limited places on the program so be sure to book your place early.
On the programme you will learn to: • Activate your potential for healing • Relax effortlessly and meditate deeply • Develop and sustain a positive state of mind • Understand the role of nutrition and healthy diet for healing • Develop strategies to manage pain and fear • Find meaning and purpose in life Weekly Topics include: Week 1: Introduction and Meditation 1 Week 2: Meditation 2 Week 3: Mind Training 1 Week 4: Food 1 Week 5: Food 2 Week 6: Pain Management Week 7: Healing Week 8: Causes and solutions for cancer Week 9: Mind Training 2 Week 10: Living and Dying Week 11: Healthy Emotions Week 12: Health and Wellbeing
Starts: Wednesday, 3rd August 10am to 12.30pm weekly Venue: Cancer Support Association, 80 Railway Street, Cottesloe Register and pay online: www.cancersupportwa.org.au or phone CSA 9384 3544. $350 per person.
Lesson 75
• Surround yourself with love. Stay positive.
from the course in miracles
• Life is precious. When you are facing death you don’t take anything for granted.
The light has come. You are healed and you can heal. The light has come. You are saved and you can save. You are at peace, and you bring peace with you wherever you go. Darkness and turmoil and death have disappeared. The light has come.
• Find the thing you love to do it and then do it.
May 2011
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A Recipe to Increase Your Chi (energy levels)
Email your healing recipes and food news to the editor: editor.wellness@yahoo.com.au
This lovely soup features foods and herbs that are cooling and moistening. The cold nature of the tofu is balanced by the inclusion of a little ginger root. This recipe lubricates the lungs, clears heat, gently expels wind through the skin, and strengthens the spleen and lungs. It can also be used for a dry cough in the aftermath of a common cold. For increased tonification chicken may be substituted for the tofu, which will, however, make it less cooling.
Chinese Herbs (if you are able to obtain): 28 grams Pueraria Root (Ge Gen) 28 grams Fritillariae Bulb (Chuan Bei Mu) 14 grams Lotus Seed (Lian Zi) 28 grams Lily Bulb (Bai He) 14 grams Polygonati Rhizome (Yu Zhu) 2 pieces Dioscorea Root (Shao Yao) 28 grams Glehniae Root (Bei Sha Shen) 14 grams dried Longan Fruit (Long Yan Rou)
From Grandma’s Kitchen: www.jadedragon.com
A new analysis has found that supplementing the diet with fish oil may prevent muscle and weight loss that commonly occurs in cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that fish oil may help combat cancer-related malnutrition.
About Tofu Tofu and Pear Soup
Ingredients: 1 lb hard or soft tofu 2 Asian or Bosc pears, sliced 2 slices fresh ginger root 1 small onion, sliced 10 red dates, seeded, cut into half 1 dash Chinese five spice powder Soy sauce and white pepper to taste
Directions: Saute the ginger, onions, and tofu in a little sesame oil. If using hard tofu, cut it into strips; if using soft tofu, just mash it up a bit. After the onions are a little brown, add five or six cups of water with the sliced pears and the herbs. Add dates and bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Add a dash of five spice powder near the end. Serve with soy sauce and pepper to taste. A word of caution – while all the herbs listed in these recipes are perfectly safe kitchen herbs, as with all herbs there are contraindications and cautions. One should not overdo tonic herbs or rich tonic food as this can lead to excessive heat and digestive congestion. If one is yin deficient and suffering from “deficiency heat” or a very weak digestion, some of the tonic herbs can cause additional heat or congestion. Lastly, if you are sick and still carrying a pathogen you should be careful in your choice of herbs. Please consult a local herbalist who practices dietary medicine if you are in doubt. If in doubt omit the “Chinese herbs” section from the ingredients list. You will notice when cooking with herbs that some of the roots, like Ginseng, appear quite edible after cooking and others, like Astragalus appear too stringy and fibrous to eat. You are right! Just eat the ones that look good. Bon Appetit!
protein snack for vegetarians A simple and delicious protein snack for vegetarians is tofu lightly fried in tamari and finely chopped fresh ginger. Serve with English spinach and salad greens on a piece of toast. Quick and delicious!
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Cancer Support Association
Fish oil in cancer care
www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Tofu is a highly nutritious, protein-rich, delicious food that is made from the curds of soybean milk. Off-white in color, it is usually sold in rectangular blocks. Tofu is a staple in the cuisines of many Asian countries. Tofu is its Japanese name, while in China it is known as doufu. Tofu is one of the most versatile foods, serving a host of different purposes ranging from salad dressing to dessert to entrée and more. Some of its versatility is owed to its neutral taste, which gives tofu the ability to absorb the flavors of surrounding ingredients. Additionally, tofu comes in a range of consistencies that can suit a variety of different recipes. Tofu is available in either the traditional Chinese form or the silken Japanese form, with the latter having a smoother, custardlike texture. Both forms can be found in soft, firm or extra-firm textures. Although once only found in Asian food markets, this seemingly bland food can miraculously take on the flavour of its surrounding ingredients making it a highly versatile as well as highly nutritious part of a healthy diet. Tofu can now be found in your local supermarkets throughout the year. Discovered over 2000 years ago by the Chinese, tofu is sometimes called “the cheese of Asia,” because of its physical resemblance to a block of farmer’s cheese. Tofu is a highly nutritious, protein-rich food that is made from the curds of soybean milk. Off-white in color, it is usually sold in rectangular blocks. Tofu is a staple in the cuisines of many Asian countries. Tofu is its Japanese name, while in China it is known as doufu. Tofu is a very good source of protein, specifically soy protein, as well as numerous other nutrients necessary for good health. While a complete review of all the benefits soybeans offer could easily fill a large book, recently there has been controversy as to the extent to which soybeans are a health-promoting food so it is best to consume it in moderation.
Chemotherapy can cause cancer patients to lose muscle mass and become malnourished, leading to fatigue, a decreased quality of life, an inability to receive necessary treatments, and shorter survival. Researchers suspect that supplementing the diet with fish oil which contains omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid - may help patients maintain or gain muscle. To test the hypothesis, Vera Mazurak, PhD, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, led a team that compared the effects of fish oil with that of standard care (no intervention) on weight, muscle, and fat tissue in newly referred non-small cell lung cancer patients. The trial involved 16 patients who took fish oil (2.2 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid/day) and 24 patients who did not. The study ran until patients completed their first-line (initial) chemotherapy treatments, which lasted about 10 weeks. Muscle and fat were periodically measured using computed tomography images. Blood was collected and weight was recorded at the start of the study and throughout chemotherapy. Patients who did not take fish oil lost an average of 2.3 kilograms whereas patients receiving fish oil maintained their weight. Patients with the greatest increase in eicosapentaenoic acid concentration in the blood following fish oil supplementation had the greatest gains in muscle. Sixty-nine percent of patients in the fish oil group gained or maintained muscle mass. Comparatively, only 29 percent of patients in the standard care group maintained muscle mass, and overall, patients in this group lost 1 kilogram of muscle. No difference in total fat tissue was observed between the two groups. The authors concluded that nutritional intervention with two grams of fish oil per day provides a benefit over standard care, allowing patients to maintain their weight and muscle mass during chemotherapy. “Fish oil may prevent loss of weight and muscle by interfering with some of the pathways that are altered in advanced cancer,” said Dr. Mazurak. “This holds great promise because currently there is no effective treatment for cancer-related malnutrition,” she added. Dr. Mazurak noted that fish oil is safe and non-toxic with virtually no side effects. It may be beneficial to patients with other forms of cancer and other chronic diseases that are associated with malnutrition, as well as to elderly individuals who are at risk for muscle loss. F
Source: Wiley-Blackwell May 2011
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Wellness News is unique in that it is an extremely positive, uplifting, intelligent and beautiful publication focusing on wellness, healing and the environment. Wellness News is designed to offer hope and life-enhancing wellness strategies for people who may be seriously ill, and a broad spectrum of information for people interested in maintaining good health.
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www.cancersupportwa.org.au The Cancer Support Association of WA Inc is a registered charity and non-profit organisation, formed to help people affected by cancer. The Association relies on donations, bequests and member subscriptions to continue its services. May 2011
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