Cancer & Emotional Link

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A POSSIBLE BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISM INVOLVING CHRONIC EMOTIONAL STRESS

If the contention that emotions contribute to cancer formation is to gain acceptance outside the field  of  traditional Chinese medical practitioners,  finding  a  biological mechanism of action — could be measured in the short-term would be an important contribution. For example,  if during a period of emotional stress there also occurs a biochemical  or  physiological change that is understood to contribute to oncogenesis (cancer formation), then one could reasonably contend that emotions may be causing       or working with other factors to cause some cases of cancer.

The traditional Chinese medical view of cancer etiology holds that there are several possible contributing factors,  and that one of the principal causes is internal factors, namely emotions  (Also see:  Oriental perspectives on cancer  and its treatment,  and Emotions and health). For example, Sun Binyan writes in his book Cancer Treatment    and Prevention !!!

According to our understanding of the tumor patient, most have suppression of the emotions. They tend to hold in their anger. A…lthough some patients have good results after treatment,  emotional stimulation may cause them to decline again  and  then  the previous treatment would have been in vain.  Some people  have a severe phobia  about cancer. Before they know the real disease, they have a lot of suspicion. Once they know they have the cancer, their whole spirit breaks down. This kind of spiritual state is very  bad for the treatment.

One of the biological mysteries that has faced researchers in recent years is also the relationship of estrogen to breast cancer (see: Estrogen dependent tumors and herbs).  For years,  concerns have been raised  about  giving estrogen in hormone replacement therapy to women who were considered at risk for breast cancer due to familial history (genetic background). In fact, the familial history of breast cancer is a contraindication     to using hormone replacement therapy after menopause. Based on a variety of research findings,  it appeared as if estrogen,  whether produced by the body  or  given  as  a  pill,   might cause the cancer, which seems peculiar, in that it is a normal component of the body.

Recent findings shed light on how estrogen is involved in oncogenesis and provides a model for a possible role of emotions (this model is highly speculative at this time, and      is only used as an illustration). Estrogen is converted into different metabolites prior to elimination. There are two major metabolites-products of enzymes acting on estrogen-  one of which can get to the DNA and actually induce cancer, and another which may help prevent cancer   One might say that there are “good” and “bad” estrogen metabolites.   It   is a situation that is reminiscent of the “good” and “bad” cholesterol in relation to heart disease.  With cholesterol,  it  is  actually  the  carrier molecules  that are different:  high density lipoproteins (HDL) and low density lipoproteins (LDL). HDL helps to prevent heart disease, while LDL contributes to it, because they have differing roles in transport and deposition of the cholesterol.

Researchers have found that exercise, which is a normal healthy activity, increases the HDL and decreases the LDL, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. What if emotions, perhaps certain types of emotions  (anxiety,  depression)  stimulate the enzymes directing more of the estrogen to the  “bad”  type of metabolite,  rather than the  “good”  one?  This would result in increased cancer risk;  the  risk  would  be  substantially  increased  if  the estrogen levels  were  unusually high  (as  when  giving  hormone  replacement  therapy),    since there would be much more estrogen to be converted to the carcinogenic form.

Differences in metabolism of substances have been proposed as a basis for why some individuals develop cancer.  Also In the book How to Discover Cancer Through Self-Examination, an example is given:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is a very strong chemical carcinogen; but when it     enters the human body, it will only cause cancer when functioning in the cell through the transformation of polycyclic aromatic kinase.  If the content of kinase in the human body  is high, it is easy to engender cancer when in contact with the chemical substance; to the contrary, the probability of cancer incidence is lower if the content of kinase is low, even   if the person contacts the chemical.

Potential contributors to the level of enzymes (both those that transform chemicals into carcinogens and those that transform carcinogens into non-carcinogens)  include genetic background,  stimulation of the enzymes by other chemicals (e.g., alcohol and some other substances stimulate the liver to produce a large group of enzymes in substantial amount), nutritional status  (some enzymes are affected by trace elements  and  vitamins that act as coenzymes), tissue injury (liver damage may affect enzyme production), and other factors. It is possible that stress hormones released in response to emotional changes can affect the levels of enzymes.

Certainly, the levels of the estrogens themselves vary markedly among individuals. In a study of estriol, estrone, and estradiol at days 10-14 of the menstrual cycle in women with regular menstrual cycles,  it was found that estradiol levels were as – low – as  11-31 pg/ml (picograms per milliliter) in women with low levels but as high as 157-189 pg/ml in those with high levels (16). Since estradiol is currently considered a major hormonal contributor to breast cancer risk, this marked variation shows that the factors (as yet unidentified) that influence the hormone levels can have a substantial impact.

At this time, there is no direct evidence that emotions cause such a shift in estrogen metabolism that might lead to higher risk of cancers, such as breast cancer. But, there is no question that emotions can impact the physiological functions, and this model is just one example of how they might translate into a higher cancer risk that could be detected by a properly designed study.

A POSSIBLE MECHANISM INVOLVING SHORT-TERM EMOTIONAL STRESS

The Chinese physicians who comment about the role of emotions in cancer formation point  to  the fact  that the internal viscera become weakened,  increasing the opportunity  for pathologies of all types, including cancer. Western research has already supported the idea that depression can impair immune system functions (perhaps indirectly, such as by repeatedly impairing a good night of sleep,  with sleep contributing to maintenance of the immune system). It has been shown that tumor-relevant lymphocyte subpopulations, such as natural killer cells  (NK cells; these can directly attack cancer cells),  have receptors for various neuropeptides, including those released during stress.

This finding indicates how NK cell activity could be modulated  by  a  person’s emotional responses.  The level of NK cell activity has been found  to be a reasonably good predictor  of  breast cancer outcome;  further, a portion of the loss of this activity in cancer patients  shown to correlate with psycho — social measures such as patient  adjustment”  (avoiding showing distress at the cancer diagnosis/treatment), lack of social support, and symptoms of fatigue/depression.

Along these lines, the immune system may regulate the activities of enzymes, such as aromatase,  that converts estrogens  to  estradiol in breast tissue.  Cytokine changes  (as  occur with infection and inflammation) have been observed in cases of major depression, and have been suggested to be a potential cause of depression.  In fact,  also  some  anti – depressant  drugs  are  tumor  necrosis  factor  (TNF)  inhibitors;  this  being  one  of  the cytokines that causes considerable adverse effects in cancer patients and those with life-threatening infections,  such as HIV.  It  is  also  possible  that  depression,  and  other emotional disorders, will affect the cytokines.

In  the  book  Why We Get Sick,  which is based  on  the premise that most of our body (and mental) functions have been determined by evolutionary factors, the author explains how a potentially helpful feeling (anxiety) can have harmful physiological effects:


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