Eyes that see the good in things- April 22, 2019

Every spring, I love when the stores start bringing out the Easter decorations. With pretty pastel colors, vibrant spring flowers, beautiful Easter eggs, soft furry bunnies and fluffy yellow chicks, Easter decorations are undeniably adorable. Of all the holidays, Easter decorations probably win the award for the cutest decorations. So, even if I’m not buying anything, I usually like to browse through the stores and look at the new decorations.

However, this year I haven’t found the same joy in the aisles of Easter decorations. They somehow look a little cheaper, a little more tacky than previous years. No, I don’t think the decorations themselves have changed; what my eyes are perceiving has changed a bit. This season has turned undeniably darker for me with the news that two young family members have seen a return of their cancer and have now received a terminal prognosis.

Both of these young people, who are parents of young kids, have opted for clinical trials and unconventional treatments. They are keeping a positive attitude and are telling us they are not ready to give up yet. So, just like I always do, I went searching for reading material and read through many stories about other people like them, some who had been given only months to live and somehow survive to beat the odds against them, after the doctors tell them there is no hope.

One article I read was a review of a book written by Dr. Kelly Turner, a Harvard educated cancer researcher. She researched cases of “spontaneous remission” and she says that the remarkable recoveries are “more than just random chance and that scientists are only beginning to understand the physiological mechanisms at work.” Her book, “Radical Remission: 9 Key Factors That Can Make a Real Difference,” details her findings from the interviews that she has done with cancer patients who have experienced these kinds of miraculous recoveries.

Dr. Turner said that she was looking for common denominators that these radical remission survivors did to get well and found some things that almost all of them did. According to Dr. Turner’s findings, the following factors were common to all the “radical remission” cases she examined.

• They took control of their own health. The most dramatic recovery Dr. Turner recounts involved a man who had gone through the typical cancer treatments, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. When they didn’t work for him, he took control of his own health and started drinking filtered water, eating healthy food and watching the sunrise every day and he went into remission. Twenty-five years later, he is completely cancer free and has grandchildren.

• They made a radical change in their diet. All of the long-term survivors in her research had taken aggressive steps to boost the nutritional value of their diets, the big factor that Dr. Turner found among the patients she studied. They shifted their food choices away from things like, meat, grains, sweets and dairy and toward fruits and vegetables.

• They used herbs and supplements. No single anti-cancer natural remedy was uncovered by Dr. Turner’s research but most of the long term survivors used three types of supplements, those that aid digestion and increase the body’s absorption of nutrients, those that help detoxify the body of bacteria and viruses, and those that boost the immune system.

• They embraced social support. A wide variety of research has found close connections with family and friends can boost cancer survival and Dr. Turner’s research confirmed that in the individuals she studied. The people that she interviewed would say things to her like,“I don’t know how to explain it, but I know that the love that just came pouring in helped me heal.” Dr. Turner says that “scientifically we know that that’s actually possible, because when you feel loved oxytocin is released in huge amounts form the master glands of your brain and that increases [the immune system’s] natural killer cells and white blood cells.”

• They increased positive emotions, released negative feelings and had a strong reason for living. Dr. Turner found the patients she studied made time every day to do these things, just as they made time to eat, sleep and exercise. “Even if it was just for five minutes a day, they would make sure to find joy in each day.” They also released suppressed emotions that they were holding onto from the past, long-held grudges and regret.

• They followed their intuition. They learned to trust their gut instincts and used their intuition to help make decisions. She said that intuition is interesting because it actually can sense danger and paths to safety, long before the front of your brain, the thinking part of our brain, even knows what’s going on.

• They deepened their spiritual connection. Dr. Turner found that faith itself was not necessarily a key factor in helping cancer patients live longer, but that the practice of some form of spirituality – praying, meditating, or interacting with the natural world – has measurable impacts on the immune system. She said that her research showed that faith doesn’t actually help people survive, according to the people she studied, but what helped them survive was how they practiced their spirituality.

She said there are certain spiritual practices, like prayer or meditation or even just enjoying nature daily can help change the physiology of the body and help strengthen the immune system. So, the spiritual practice actually becomes scientific and following these practices every day will help the immune system.

Dr. Turner added that research has shown that having a “fighting spirit” and fighting against the cancer, doesn’t lengthen survival time and says that she also found that among the people that she interviewed. Many of the people she interviewed had moved away from fighting their cancer and were focused on enjoying life for as long as they had it. This move enabled them to move away from fear and out of the fight of flight mode. They were able to move into a rest and repair mode, where they were able to relax, enjoy the life they had and find joy in each day, which Dr. Turner says is “better for your immune system that being in a fight with something.”

After reading these articles, I resolve to be part of their community of support and increased positive emotions. The stories of remarkable recovery helped restore hope to my sagging spirit a few days ago, so much so, that when I stepped out the door, I was able to see new signs of life. The grass that is starting to turn green in my yard and the new bulb growth that somehow manages to survive one last winter storm. So, this year, it may not be the decorations in the store that I enjoy but the signs of life and rebirth and nowhere is that more evident than in nature. And I’ll smile when I see those signs of life.

Like I did many times yesterday. When I saw little, bright white lambs kicking their heels up in the pasture. Or the new calves trying out their new legs, chasing each other around the pasture. Or even just watching little kids enjoying the fluffy little chicks at TSC.

We would love to share local stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.

Stop in to share your stories with us, give us a call at 947-2417 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Or send a letter to Eyes That See the Good in Things, c/o Allison Lindgren, The Transcript 6 8th St N., New Rockford, ND 58356.