How we think about things can have a powerful impact on our experiences. Here's why that matters for people with cancer.
PUBLISHED March 03, 2018
Martha lives in Illinois and was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in January 2015. She has a husband and three children, ranging in age from 12 to 18, a dog and a lizard.
Most of my friends know better - a lot better - than to tell me to "think positive." In the midst of coming to terms with my diagnosis and the three years since then, I've probably heard it all, many times over, but the power of positivity is a constant refrain. I admit to wondering why so many people think that is a suitable response to someone who's received a cancer diagnosis of any type. Do they know something I don't? Have my negative thoughts, even though I'm naturally an optimist, brought about this illness? No. Negative thoughts did not cause my cancer and positive thoughts will not cure it.
Still, there is something to positive thinking. I remember the first time I was told how to think about my cancer treatment. I was in the car with my husband and he said, "If you think the treatment won't work, it won't." I remember that conversation clearly because it was so out of character. My husband is a cancer researcher and professor whose extended family is littered with health professionals of all types. He doesn't just believe in science, it is his life. I mention that statement to him from time to time, and we talk about the power of the placebo effect. I reluctantly remind him that what we're actually living with is not something that can be cured by thinking positively. The placebo effect, which at one time was credited with a significant impact on the effectiveness of medications, is one reason that researchers prefer double-blind studies (where neither the patients nor the clinicians know who's receiving what) and has been used by doctors in patient care.
Still, there is something to positive thinking. I remember the first time I was told how to think about my cancer treatment. I was in the car with my husband and he said, "If you think the treatment won't work, it won't." I remember that conversation clearly because it was so out of character. My husband is a cancer researcher and professor whose extended family is littered with health professionals of all types. He doesn't just believe in science, it is his life. I mention that statement to him from time to time, and we talk about the power of the placebo effect. I reluctantly remind him that what we're actually living with is not something that can be cured by thinking positively. The placebo effect, which at one time was credited with a significant impact on the effectiveness of medications, is one reason that researchers prefer double-blind studies (where neither the patients nor the clinicians know who's receiving what) and has been used by doctors in patient care.
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