This link is dedicated to my Aunt, Grandpa, Dad, Anita and to all those who are still fighting cancer. On this page you will find my research paper called MIND OVER MATTER and other helpful information.
Cancer is caused by many different things, this is probably why it has been so hard to find a cure. However, research have shown that smoking tobacco is one of the causes of cancer. If nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen. So, why the fuck are people still smoking!!! However some people like my father believe that smoking does not have anything to do with cancer. Unfortunately we believe what we want to not what we should. Smoking does cause cancer however environmental, genetics, lifestyle, asbestos are some of the other known causes of cancer.
There are so many things that can go wrong with your body, why encourage it by smoking, drinking, using drugs, and not eating healthy? I know it’s very hard to change, but it’s better then possibly dying at a young age. People can do everything right and still get cancer, like my mother (cancer free for 10 years), friend Sherri (cancer free for 3 years), friend Tina (cancer free for 4 months), friend Becky (cancer free for 4 months) and many many more. Todd, a family member had brain cancer 8 years ago and he is still cancer free today!
At the bottom of this page there is a Top 50 Cancer Hospitals that I found.
I hated to write term papers, but when you are interested in learning more about something you get a better grade. Back in 1992 I got my only “A” on a term paper in college. I want to thank my aunt Kathy for giving me the inspiration to do my research paper on cancer. I can only hope to have as much determination and courage as she had. I try to be like she was every day, because she had so many qualities that I admire. It is very hard to follow her example. If I had to name one thing that I admire most about her, it would be that she lived every minute to the fullest!!! Unfortunately now (2013) it is 21 years later and my dad fight stage 4 cancer for six months. He thought that I have a lot of courage because of my handicap but it is nothing compared to what he has shown all of his life, especially the last six months of his life. This disease is still around more than ever and we have made a lot of progress but we still have a long way to go to find a complete cure.
Many more people are starting to use medical marijuana for severe pain, because it doesn’t have many side effects like really strong prescription drugs. Some people say if you put medical marijuana in a vaporizer, you wont get any side effects. Many people and doctors think THC in marijuana plants cure some cancers. I do not know if I believe that, but it does help with nausea and hunger.
Early this morning (January 12th) was my Dad’s three year anniversary of his passing of cancer. He would be happy to know Obama signed a cancer research bill. It is a good start but it is not enough. Remembering my Dad today and everyday.
Radiation and chemo along with a positive attitude are still the main way to treat cancer, however there are clinical trials and non-traditional ways also. This is the reason that everybody needs to do their own research. For example, very high concentration of Vitamin “C” intravenous alone, or conjunction with traditional chemotherapy has shown recent success in helping to fight cancer. Hulda R. Clark has written many books about the cure and prevention of cancer by what you eat. Who knows who is right and that is why you should try all methods. Amazon has all three books, The Cure For All Advanced Cancers, The Cure for All Cancers, The Cure and Prevention of All Cancers. Remember not everything you read in books and on the internet is true.
Not all hospitals and Doctors believe in Non Traditional ways, but there are some. One of them is Sunridge Medical They are actively treating patients suffering from all types of Cancer, Autoimmune Disease, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Infections, Lyme Disease, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis and environmental toxicity. They believe non-traditional therapies alone, are one of the best ways to fight and cure cancer of the bad side effects of chemo. Or conjunction it with traditional ways.
Remember not everything you read in books and on the internet is true.
This term paper is dedicated to
my aunt
Kathy M. Moore
&
my Grandpa
Wesley Moore
&
Mom and Dad
&
the courageous people that are fighting this disease.
Research paper on cancer that I did in college.
Bill Picard ES 102, December 7, 1992 MIND OVER MATTERCancer has destroyed many lives, but most people don’t believe that you have a good chance even if you fight back. I had an aunt who did believe that she had a chance, did fight back, and she lived many more years than the doctors predicted. My aunt Kathy had
cancer for ten years and if she did not have a strong mental attitude, she could never have made it that long. The doctors tried everything possible, such as chemotherapy, radiation and a lot of operations over the ten-year period. She made it through all of that because she had a lot of support from her friends and family, and a strong attitude. I have never met anyone, and I never will, who has displayed such a strong will to survive and a mental attitude made of steel. She would not let it beat her, right up until the last day. She carried that attitude through everything, even through her battle against cancer. The mind has more power over the body than most people think. If you have a good attitude about anything, like school or your job, you will do it a lot better than if you have a bad attitude. This relates to everything you encounter in your life including cancer. If you have loving support, as well as a positive attitude about beating cancer, then you will have a better chance of conquering this disease.
The mental healing process is a new way to treat cancer patients with the mind as well as the medicine. Cancer is feared by many people because of the label people put on it. It is often associated with a long and painful death, and with the loss of body parts, this isn’t always the case. Many people survive cancer with their bodies intact, but we seem to only hear about the bad things. You don’t hear about the people who beat the disease (Samuel 33). Millions of cancer patients can survive! People need to know this so that they don’t give up when they still have a chance. Cancer does not always mean death (Robbins, B18). To date, 7 million cancer patients in America have overcome cancer. By the year 2000, this number is expected to grow to 10 million (Dewitt 58). In order for one to overcome their affliction with cancer, it is important that they have the quality medical care along with the required positive attitude. Dr Spiegel, the founder of ECaP (exceptional cancer patients), tells us that using the mind can not cure cancer alone, but it can enhance the quality of life for those dying of cancer, and it can even prolong their lives (Goleman B12). Dr. Spiegel believes that this treatment is very effective, but cautions against relying on it solely. It can not be used as a substitute for medical treatment (Goleman B12). Science has proven that our minds have a great influence on our health and body. People view themselves by what they learn about themselves through what they go through and how they deal with it. People with cancer might think of themselves as weak individuals just because they allowed a terrible disease to take over their body (Samuel 59). The truth is that a cancer patient can not let the disease get the best of them, and take over their mind. With a positive attitude, and not a defeated one, they have a better chance at fighting the disease (Samuel 59).
There are many kinds of therapy that cancer patients have used to maintain a positive attitude while fighting cancer. One anticancer imagery technique that was made famous at the Limonton Cancer Institute, Pacific Palisades, California, teaches cancer patients to picture the cancer cells inside of their body. Then they are taught to visualize other cells beating the cancer cells, and to see themselves as cancer free (Complete 501). Psychotherapy is a widely used practice in fighting cancer. Not only can it help you deal with cancer emotionally, but it can also help you fight it physically by teaching patients that in order to have a healthy body, one needs to possess a sound mind (Samuel 23). Dr. Siegel is convinced that the mind can strengthen the immune system, and therefore fight cancer (Complete 496). After observing patients who were dealing with and coping with the disease, he said: “As I saw people learning how to live with their illnesses, I saw them having incredible control over their wellness. They were getting better and I didn’t have to lift a finger.” He even said that “sometimes their cancer disappeared” (qtd. in Complete 495).
Mind/body therapy has been increasing in hospitals because it has been proven to be effective in cancer centers for prolonging people’s lives and improving the quality of them (Complete 495). In a study of women who underwent psychotherapy it was found that “…after one year, the women in the therapy group reported less depression, anxiety, and pain than did the others (women who had no therapy)” (Goleman B12). Also, the women who had psychotherapy “lived almost twice as long on the average as those who did not participate” in the therapy (Goleman B12). The women who had therapy lived about 37 months from the beginning of the study as opposed to 19 months for the others. After ten years, only 3 of all the women who participated in the research was still alive, and all 3 were in therapy (Goleman B12). Researchers do believe that it is better to wait at least four months before starting psychological therapy because they have to deal with getting cancer first. People who received therapy later, reacted better than those who got therapy right after their diagnosis (Dohney E5). These findings are too good to be ignored. Everyone who experiences any kind of illness, especially cancer, should at least try these approaches to fighting back. There is so much to be gained, and nothing to be lost by trying. In his book A Psychological Approach To Cancer, Dr.Jacob Samuel claims that “You can do anything you believe you can, providing you know you’re not alone” (114). He also says that “…love, when its true nature is properly understood, can be a force sweeping toxins out of the body, building up cells, reawakening, renewing, strengthening and healing” (88). Along with a positive attitude, love and support can help a patient to fight the cancer. Self-help groups have been proven to be effective in prolonging the lives of cancer patients a great deal.
In a study done at Stanford University by Dr. Spiegel and his colleagues, evidence has been found that people who attend self-help groups experience less pain than those who don’t participate in groups (Complete 472). Self-help groups are an added support for a cancer patient on top of love from friends and family, or in some cases, a substitute for lack of friends and family. People in the self-help groups really know how you feel because they are going through the same experiences that you are, but others (friends and family) can’t possibly know what it feels like to have cancer unless they have or had it themselves (Complete 475). Some of the main goals that support groups work towards are creating a sense of self control, providing a means for the cancer patients to learn more about dealing with the disease, helping them to come to terms with their fear of death, creating ways for them to feel better about themselves and their purpose in life, providing a means for people to get together who have the same problems and create friendships, and learning how to talk to their doctors about what is wrong and how to get better (Complete 473-475). Self-help groups have a cycle which consists of three steps. The first is to bond with the group which sounds difficult, but seems to be pretty easy for patients to do. The second step is to begin to trust the other members and to share personal thoughts with them. The third step is experiencing empathy among group members. This cycle is repeated over and over again with each meeting of the group. This kind of support cannot be attained through therapy and a loving family because the members have a “shared experience” that the best therapist or family member cannot understand. Even the closest families like “The Waltons” cannot create this special kind of connection that members of self-help groups can (Complete 466-477). These are the words of a cancer patient’s description of a self-help group: “The example set by other members seemed to strengthen people – I saw that each one could take it and they existed each day and that is what turned my life around” (Complete 470).
According to Dennis T. Jaffe, Ph.D., author of Healing From Within, coming to terms with the factthat you have cancer greatly lowers the pressure of having it, and it has been proven that stress hinders the capabilities of your immune system. He says that “…prolonging your life or defending your body could be a possible by-product of self-help groups – but it’s not a primary effect” (Complete 471). He insists, however that people should not expect a cure from joining a self-help group, although it has been proven to be helpful. Cancer patients should join the groups in order to enhance their lives (Complete 472). It must be remembered that family members are also greatly affected by the cancer and there are groups for them to join also. The self-help groups for family members are many times just a place for them to release anger about the disease that their loved one is experiencing (Complete 477). A person’s attitude will either make or break them in the battle against cancer. If a person has a negative attitude he or she will greatly lessen the chances at beating cancer. There is scientific proof that “patients’ emotional states can affect the course of their disease” (Goleman “DFC” C1).
One reason that some patients have negative attitudes is because they feel guilty about getting cancer because of what they have done in the past, and because they deserve it as punishment for what they have done. When people go to see a doctor on a regular basis, they have a much better chance at beating the disease than if they don’t see a doctor. Because they feel bad about themselves having cancer, and think that they don’t deserve to beat it, they sometimes deny themselves the right to a doctor (Samuel 106). In A Psychological Approach To Cancer, Dr. Jacob Samuel says: No matter what form it takes – lack of faith in yourself or lack of faith in others – unlovingness is unhealthy. It sets up a chain of negative thinking that pervades every act we perform and every emotion we feel (87). Samuel also says that if people keep all of their emotions locked up inside, they are wasting valuable energy that they could be using to fight off the cancer (28). It doesn’t help if you try to deny or ignore cancer, this just makes the situation worse. If you confront the fact that you have cancer, your recovery will go a lot smoother (Dohney E5). Another reason for negative attitudes of cancer patients is that a lot of people hear stories about how horrible radiation and chemotherapy are and that they will make you more miserable than dying naturally from the cancer. They don’t even try to fight the cancer because of these negative thoughts and fears (Robbins B18). Another way that the attitude of the patient can affect the course of their disease and their life in general is that they don’t do everything that they should be doing to take care of themselves after their treatment. Also a negative attitude can cause a patient to not care about taking his or her medication regularly. The depression can also affect the immune system in a negative way that can hurt a patient’s healing process (Goleman C8).
Many people deal with cancer in different ways. These are some of them: *Seeking social support, such as talking to someoneabout feelings. *Using ‘distancing’ measures, such as making light of the disease. *Focusing on the positive, such as rediscovering what is important in life. *Wishful thinking, such as hoping for a miracle, and trying behavioral escapes such as overeating (Doheny E5). A lot of people change their way of living after they are diagnosed with cancer like Jane Mayer a cancer patient who said: I’ve stopped waiting for sales. Now if I search the stores for a pretty dress, it’s to wear out to dinner- tonight. If I cook a delicious meal, it’s to savor- tonight. If I stroll along the shore, it’s to enjoy a walk with my husband’s hand in mine. I focus on the moment-here the gulls squawk as they soar, feel the foam ’round my ankles, watch the blazing sunset. I’ve stopped scheming, prearranging, and preparing. I haven’t lost the future; I’ve found today (Mayer 14). Most people with cancer don’t know how much longer they have to live so they try to get more things done each day. As in Kathleen Sylvester’s case: I became a sunrise, not a sunset, watcher, waking every morning promptly at 4 to make lists: things to tell people, books to read and deeds I could perform that would make me deserve to stay alive (8). Michael Landon, a famous actor who had cancer, said at his press conference: “I am going to fight it …..Every moment gets a little more important after something like this. Live every minute guys”!(Landon B3).
A positive attitude can be crucial in your way to recovery. It has been proven that positive attitudes “affect the quality, and perhaps the quantity of life” (Complete 494). We are able to talk to our own conscience and persuade ourselves to believe certain things. That’s why positive thinking is important to our physical well being (Samuel 124). The doctors told my aunt that she would only live for about three years after her diagnosis. She went through a lot of treatments over the ten years that she lived, but she believed in the power of the mind over the body in helping to fight cancer. She always said: “I am going to beat it.” With her determination, she got through ten years. I don’t think that she would have made it that long if she didn’t have such a positive attitude. My aunt was right about beating cancer with your mind along with treatment. It really can be done, and it has been proven. Every minute of your life is precious. Just like Michael Landon said, “Live every minute guys!!!”
Works Cited Doheny, Kathleen. “The Many Ways Of Coping With Cancer.” Los Angeles Times 21, April 1992:E5. Elmer-Dewitt, Philip. “Running against cancer.” Time Mar. 1992:58-59. Goleman, Daniel. “Cancer Patients Benefit From Therapy Groups.” The New York Times 23, Nov. 1989:B7. Goleman, Daniel. “Doctors Find Comfort Is A Potent Medicine.” The New York Times 26, Nov. 1991:B6. “Landon Ill With Cancer, Pledges To Fight Disease.” (Staff and Wire Reports) Los Angeles Times 9, April 1991:B3. Mayer, Jane. “Focusing On The Moment.” Newsweek 11, May 1992:14. Robbins, William. “Spreading The Word: Cancer Is Beatable.” The New York Times 4, June 1990:A15. Samuel, Jacob Ph.D. A Psychological Approach To Cancer. U.S.A.: The Institute of Applied Psychology, Inc., 1964. Sylvester, Kathleen. “Living With Cancer.” The Washington Post 9 July 1991:WH8. The Complete Book Of Cancer Prevention. Eds. of Prevention Magazine Health Books. Rodale Press, Inc, 1988.
Helpful links
Cancer Treatment Centers of America: Driven by a vision to be the worldwide leader in the field, CTCA is on the leading edge of cancer treatment and has been for over 20 years. Through aggressive research involving innovative new techniques and therapies, we apply the results of this research faster than many can imagine. We battle this disease with many weapons and we never give up. Physically, Cancer Treatment Centers of America is a network of cancer treatment hospitals and facilities. But it’s much more than that. CTCA programs can be a cancer patient’s greatest ally when it comes to fighting cancer. Because we understand that cancer doesn’t just affect a part of your body—it affects all of you and everything in your life. So that’s how we treat it. Top to bottom, inside and out, it’s total care for the mind, body and spirit.
Cancer.gov: This Web site provides current and accurate information from the National Cancer Institute, the Federal government’s principal agency for cancer research. You will find a wide range of cancer information, including treatment options, clinical trials, ways to reduce cancer risk, ways to cope with cancer, and resources for researchers and health care professionals.
CancerGuide is dedicated to helping you find the answers to your questions about cancer, and especially to helping you find the questions you need to ask. Written by Steve Dunn a patient diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer in late 1989, at the age of 32. He said, “early on, some incidents with my doctors, and some help from a friend convinced me that if I wanted the best treatment, it was up to me to find it.” He did find a clinical trial and lived many more years.
Research and learn about cancer, it might save your life!
The Top 50 Cancer Hospitals
The following is a list of the Top 50 U.S. Cancer Hospitals & Centers from the US World & News Reports (2008 Report)
http://www.USNews.com
1. University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
http://www.mdanderson.org
2. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
http://www.mskcc.org
3. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org
4. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
http://www.mayoclinic.org
5. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
http://www.dana-farber.org
6. University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Facilities/UWMedicalCenter
7. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
http://www.massgeneral.org
8. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
http://www.ucsfhealth.org
9. Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, CA
http://www.stanfordhospital.com
10. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
http://www.uclahealth.org
11. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
http://www.mc.duke.edu
12. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.pennhealth.com
13. Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
http://www.clevelandclinic.org
14. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
http://www.mc.vanderbilt
15. Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.fccc.edu
16. H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL
http://www.moffitt.usf.edu
17. Univ. of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor, MI
http://www.med.umich.edu
18. University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL
http://www.uchospitals.edu
19. Ohio State University James Cancer Hospital, Columbus, OH
http://www.osumedcenter.edu
20. University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham, AL
http://www.health.uab.edu
21. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis, MO
http://www.barnesjewish.org
22. City of Hope, Duarte, CA
http://www.cityofhope.org
23. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA
http://www.uihealthcare.com
24. UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA
http://www.upmc.com
25. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
http://www.wfubmc.edu
26. Wake Forest Univ. Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C.
http://www.wfubmc.edu
27. University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, MN
http://www.fairview.org
28. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.jeffersonhospital.org
29. Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT
http://www.ynhh.org
30. University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI
http://www.uwhospital.org
31. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
http://www.nmh.org
32. Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
http://www.ohsu.edu
33. Methodist Hospital, Houston,TX
http://www.methodisthealth.com
34. Clarian Health, Indianapolis, IN
http://www.clarian.org
35. New York-Presbyterian Univ. Hosp. of Columbia and Cornell
http://www.nyp.org
36. University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu
37. NYU Medical Center, New York
http://www.nyumedicalcenter.org
38. University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC
http://www.unchealthcare.org
39. Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
http://www.nebraskamed.com
40. University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.uuhsc.utah.edu
41. Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
http://www.mountsinai.org
42. University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
http://www.UHhospitals.org
43. University of California Medical Center, San Diego CA
http://www.health.ucsd.edu
44. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, N.H.
http://www.hitchcock.org
45. USC Norris Cancer Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
http://www.uscnorris.com
46. Shands at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
http://www.shands.org
47. Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA
http://www.emoryhealthcare.org
48. University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
http://www.umm.edu
49. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
http://www.cedars-sinai.edu
50. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
http://www.bidmc.harvard.edu
People in my life who pass way to early.
In memory of
[sc_embed_player fileurl=”https://billpicard.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Wind-Beneath-My-Wings.mp3″] My father – Roy Picard 67 Pipe Smoker.
[sc_embed_player fileurl=”https://billpicard.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Goodbye-My-Friend-By-Linda-Ronstadt-1.mp3″] A helper and friend – Anita Gauthier 58 Cigarette Smoker.
[sc_embed_player fileurl=”https://billpicard.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/sarah-mclachlan-i-will-remember-you.mp3″] My aunt – Kathy M. Moore 39
[sc_embed_player fileurl=”https://billpicard.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/sarah-mclachlan-i-will-remember-you.mp3″] My Grandpa – Wesley Moore 65
[sc_embed_player fileurl=”https://billpicard.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Carrie-Underwood-See-You-Again.mp3″] My long time plumber – David Nason, 57