Cancer Fighting Foods
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In the end, the best protection against cancer is a change in attitude arising from the process of growth valued by all the great psychological and spiritual traditions. To describe the very foundation of the life-force, Aristotle speaks about “entelechy” (the need for self-fulfillment that starts with the seed and comes to full fruition in the tree). Jung describes a “process of individualisation” transforming the person into a different human being from all others, capable of fully expressing his or her unique potential.
Diffusing Fear
Pronounce the word ‘cancer’ and it is enough to send chills down our spine as we think about its devastating effect and to arouse the fear of death. Fear paralyses. The level of NK cells drops rapidly. That is its nature. Cancer is often associated with dark, pessimistic thoughts which demean the self and even others. These ideas take on such an automatic character that it is difficult to determine to what extent they express the disease rather than an objective truth. Just repeating these pessimistic thoughts feeds depression. (Conversely, the act of voluntarily ceasing to say or think negative statements sets patient on the path to better psychological balance). When we find out that our lives are seriously endangered, we often experience this strange paralysis. But the disease won’t pass us by. Fear blocks our life-force at the time when we need it most. Learning to fight cancer and, indeed any disease consists of learning to nourish the life in us. But it is not necessarily a fight against death. To carry through this apprenticeship is to touch the essence of life, to find a completeness and peace that make it more beautiful. Death may be part of that success. Some people live their life without appreciating its true value. Others live their death with such richness, such dignity, that it seems like an exceptional accomplishment and gives meaning to everything they have experienced. And in preparing for death in this way, we sometimes release the energy needed to live.
Like birth, death is part of life. Yours too! So why should one be afraid? Fear of death is not just one fear but many fears. It should be realised that a person suffering from cancer or any other disease or even a seemingly healthy person is not the only one who has to die but remember that it is not the end of the world.
What is Death?
Doctors have found that death is not painful in itself. In the final days, the dying person no longer feels like eating or drinking. The body dehydrates progressively. No more secretions, no more urine or stools, less phlegm in the lungs. Thus less pain in the abdomen, less nausea. There is no more vomiting, no more coughing. The whole body slows down. The mouth is often dry, but it is easy to relieve the dryness by sucking on small ice cubes or damp cloth. Fatigue sets in and the mind goes more distant, usually with a feeling of well-being, sometimes even mild euphoria. The dying are less interested in talking but in simply holding someone’s hand or looking through the window at the sunlight or listening to a birdsong or particularly beautiful music. In the final hours one sometimes hears a different kind of breathing called the “death rattle”. And then there are usually several final incomplete breaths (the last breath) and involuntary contractions of the body and face, which seem to be resisting the loss of life-force. These do not betray suffering, but are simply a sign of the lack of oxygen in the tissues. Then the muscles let go and everything is over.
