The life lesson: sure, you can make yourself sick with your thoughts…but can you cause your own breast cancer? The successful woman (I think!): Olivia Newton-John.
“I read old interviews of myself before I went through [breast cancer], and I used to talk about being worried about getting old or getting sick,” says Olivia Newton-John in the September 2007 issue of Alternative Medicine magazine. “Who knows if I created it just to have to face my fear? I often wonder about that.”
Newton-John not only survived breast cancer, she now sees it as a gift. Did she cause her own breast cancer? I don’t know – but I do know that there are many possible causes, including genetics and environmental influences. For info on assessing your own risk, click on the Handbook of Breast Cancer Risk Assessment.
Making Yourself Sick With Breast Cancer – Olivia Newton-John
“Be careful what you think,” says Newton-John. “Your thoughts create your world.”
Newton-John believes our thoughts affect our bodies. Does this mean we “give” ourselves breast cancer, job layoffs, or broken relationships? Sure, the mind-body connection is powerful and affects every aspect of our lives…but can we actually make ourselves sick with something as serious as breast cancer, simply by thinking in certain ways?
Causing your own breast cancer… “Most illness, including breast cancer, has an emotional as well as a physical cause,” says Sat Dharam Kaur, naturopathic doctor and author of The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Breast Cancer. ”Tumors of all types may arise after a sudden shock, loss, or conflict.”
Yikes. Kaur also says that women are more prone to all types of cancers:
“Women more prone to cancer of any kind are sometimes those who put the needs of others first and are perceived as ‘good, kind, and nice,’” he says. “They are often unable to express their anger or negative emotions.”
Creating our own successful - or sick - lives. We do live up to our own expectations and beliefs – or down to them. For instance, the more we tell ourselves we’re dumb, unlovable, fat or stupid, the more we’ll become dumb, unlovable, fat, or stupid. We need to tell ourselves we will get that promotion, earn a higher salary, ace that test, fall in love with a great man, get published, or find the perfect house.
We have to set ourselves up for success – because there’s too many people who will happily hold us back. But, can we make ourselves physically sick with breast cancer, like Newton-John and Kaur are saying.
Do you agree with Newton-John - can you make yourself sick with breast cancer?
The key to coping with a chronic illness is saying “yes” to your disease — whether it’s colitis, cancer, or a constant cold. These ways to cope with chronic illness are inspired by Natalie Goldberg, because I admire her success as a best-selling author and think her perspective is perfect for See Jane Soar!
