Cancer is perhaps the most well-known illness we deal with in our society. There are many treatments on the table and currently being developed, but sometimes that isn’t enough. Instead, think about adopting a mindset of positive thinking.

With 161,000 new cases of prostate cancer every year so many men could change their lives with positive thinking.

But why is positive thinking so effective at helping people to beat cancer?

Does Positive Thinking Treat Cancer?

Patients ask this common question all the time. To ask this question is to misinterpret the point of positive thinking. No real doctor would ever prescribe positive thinking as a method of beating cancer.

It’s ludicrous that the power of the mind alone can treat a life-threatening disease. However, that doesn’t mean positive thinking doesn’t spur the person into action or reduce many of the common mental burdens someone may be suffering from.

Positive thinking doesn’t treat cancer. But it can assist in helping the person in other ways.

Stress Kills

Stress is something that everyone must be prepared to deal with, but cancer sufferers experience high levels of stress on a regular basis. It places an additional strain on a body that is already fighting a great war inside. Stress, therefore, can hasten a person’s decline.

Some of the things that can add to stress include:

  • Feeling anxious and depressed.
  • Eating greasy and fried foods.
  • Not exercising.

These are some of the examples of what can lead to stress. The focus, however, should be on the first one because it is the one that is the hardest to change. And it can, arguably, have the greatest effect in weakening the immune system, so it makes sense that you should look towards positive thinking.

Positive thinking is all about helping people to remove that stress. For example, mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that can take fifty years to surface. Imagine the stress it can cause when that cancer just comes out of nowhere.

Those who can think positively are far more likely to eventually beat it.

Looking Forward Not Behind

Positive thinking also has another impact on helping people to beat cancer. It convinces them to look forward not back. Instead of falling into pessimism and depression, the person is thinking about what they can do to assist their battle against cancer.

Take Paul Kraus as an example. Paul Kraus is a mesothelioma survivor who became famous because he is still living with mesothelioma almost twenty years later. He looked at his cancer and decided to do something about it. There was no crying or complaining, he just did his best.

And what makes this so spectacular is the fact that only in 40% of pleural mesothelioma cases does the patient survive past the first year.

Give Yourself a Better Quality of Life

Quality of life matters in beating cancer. This is why doctors spend so much time and effort trying to improve the quality of life of patients. It could include cutting out smoking and treating alcoholism. But another way of improving quality of life is to adopt a better mindset.

A better mindset sets someone up for improving their quality of life. That can reduce stress and make people feel more comfortable about their new reality.

As we mentioned earlier, it can have a great effect on how someone reacts as they deal with cancer.

Bolstering Your Support Network

Ultimately, you need to remember that a big part of beating cancer is your support network. Your family and friends are the people who will support and assist you through the

various stages of treatment. So, it makes sense to do everything you can to keep them strong so, in turn, they can keep you strong.

But in what way can positive thinking help with this?

It is common for doctors to provide treatments for family members alongside cancer sufferers. One of these treatments is positive thinking. If you can’t be positive your family is going to find it difficult to make sure you eat right and reduce stress as much as possible.

Dealing with the After Effects of Cancer

Cancer leaves its victims with lasting damage. Even survivors of cancer are not completely out of the woods. They may find it impossible to get back into the rhythm of work. They may also be driven to feelings of depression, which can destroy their lives permanently.

Again, this is where positive thinking comes in. There’s little point in beating pancreatic or throat cancer if you can’t reclaim your life afterwards.

Positive thinking is the cure. This is the motivation you need to get back on the horse and move on with your life as a cancer survivor.

How Do You Adopt Positive Thinking?

Let’s say you’re one of the 3,000 people who will be diagnosed with mesothelioma at some point this year. You want to become a more positive person, so you will be able to deal with the difficulties of your cancer. These are the main avenues at your disposal:

  • Have your doctor support you in your endeavors.
  • Enable yourself through stress relieving activities, such as yoga and meditation.
  • Eat healthier foods to improve your general mood.

There are a variety of options on the table. It is not just a matter of forcing yourself to think happy thoughts. It’s about truly becoming a better version of yourself, so you can better handle the difficulties of fighting cancer.

Last Word – How Positive Thinking Can Help

Positive thinking will help you to boost the body’s immune system in ways you would have never considered before. It’s not going to cure your illness all on its own, but it does have the power to assist your body when it’s undergoing comprehensive cancer treatment.

Regardless of the cancer you have, the best thing to do is to listen to your doctor’s instructions and to do it in a positive way.

What do you think of the power of positive thinking in helping patients to beat cancer?