I recently lost 2 good friends. One passed away from esophagus cancer, the other was from breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. Each of them had depression and were on many different medications. Both of them strongly believed that doctors could make them feel better and would save their lives. They were good people, good friends, and I was very sad with their passing.
During the holidays, we would get together to share our stories and life experiences. I would recommend they consider doing preventive activities such as therapeutic exercise, and try to reduce excessive stress. As part of this effort, I gave them my books, DVDs, and told them to call me whenever they needed help. Unfortunately, they did not believe that natural preventive work was worth the effort.
After many years of practicing holistic medicine and treating cancer patients, I have concluded that depression and cancer have a close relationship. Depression is a pre-cancer condition even though not every cancer is caused by depression. To prevent cancer, one must get help for depression, whether through western or eastern intervention.
In addition to doing regular exercise, one must keep a positive attitude, especially when going through challenging experiences. Negativity not only harms your health, but also affects the people around you.
Both Tai Chi and Qi Gong build a positive mind, balance the body, as well as helping to relieve depression. Nobody is perfect, but we can certainly try to find ways to make our life better. In my book Simple Chinese Medicine, I devote a chapter to cancer healing and prevention.
It is not too late to start preventive work. As a starting point, I highly recommend you take a Tai Chi class, Qi Gong class, Yoga class, or participant in any wellness activity.
