Untreated stress - source of relapse?

Hi! I've recently discovered the 'anticancer services' of Ukrainian psycho-oncologist Vladislav Matrenitsky M.D., Ph.D. He claims that cancer is psychosomatic illness which develops as a result of irresolvable psychic traumas, intrapersonal conflicts or other severe stresses turned into chronic state. This leads to emerging of a 'psychogenic oncodominant' in mind, discovered by scientists from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.
I quote:

"This dominant firmly holds the place of the purpose of life dominant, and forms deep deformations of the psychosomatic system.
Thus, the “mental neoplasm”, the oncological dominant, entails a somatic neoplasm – cancer.
The psychogenic oncodominant, according to Russian scientists, usually does not disappear during the traditional, somatically oriented treatment. When “familiar” psychotraumatic stimuli appear, which often happens when the patient returns to his/her old way of life, the oncodominant can be reactivated. This leads to a recurrence of tumor growth.
Consequently, successful treatment of oncological diseases is impossible without the psychotherapeutic elimination of the oncodominant."

Any ideas if it worth to try?

Translated:
It helps to be positive

My thoughts - not likely to be effective.

But rather than wacky theories, we'd rather get to know you and what your situation is.

Many patients with cancer and healthcare professionals hold the view that stress has a role in the development of the disease. Probably false, there is no evidence for that!

E.g. look at this study: Work stress and risk of cancer: meta-analysis of 5700 incident cancer events in 116 000 European men and women
Conclusion:
"These findings suggest that work related stress, measured and defined as job strain, at baseline is unlikely to be an important risk factor for colorectal, lung, breast, or prostate cancers."

This being your first post, with no personal history included, it smells of an advertisement for the services of Dr Matrinetsky.

I believe stress and anxiety play a major roll in how we feel. Our bodies are fighting this terrible beast why add something else to the fight. I have stopped watching the news, for the most part. When I feel stress coming on I feel like Iam running into another nasty fatigue period.
I would rather have a wonderful cup of organic french press coffee have a wonderful conversation with my wife or a good friend and listen to Bach or one of them fellas, lol.
We dont need a shrink to tell us this.

To me the topic sounds very much in line with ideas of Simontons, Siegel, Leshan etc. Actually, I was looking for somebody who develops their ideas and found this Dr. Just wanted to hear if somebody tried this kind of service.

MichS, I hope you'll understand the suspicion of our members who have studied prostate cancer extensively and give zero credibility to the notion that their cancer is "phychosomatic".

This is a prostate cancer support site focusing on support and education. Do you or someone you know have prostate cancer and is there some way we can help you?

Jim

Mich, does your father have prostate cancer or some other type of cancer? I note that you have posted the same exact comments about Dr. M in various cancer forums across the internet.

If we can help you with his prostate cancer then please share some details of his diagnosis and let us know what questions you may have.

Jim

MichS,

There are several established programs at some of the major hospitals in the USA that deal with the Psycho-Social aspects of cancer, anxiety, quality of life, and related matters. They may even have professionals on-staff who have the title of Psycho-Oncologist. You might be disappointed, however, if you are looking for their programs to directly cure or treat cancer cells, as opposed to providing patient comfort, support, and balance in their general overall mental and bodily health. See below.

Charles

Psycho-Oncology Program | Stanford Health Care

Jimmie C. Holland, MD
Psychiatrist
Wayne E. Chapman Chair in Psychiatric Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering

Psychosocial Oncology Program
Dana Farber Cancer Institute

MichS, I noodled around to find references to The Healing Journey Program by Alastair Cunningham from Toronto that you mentioned. An overview of the Program from their Canadian website:

Level 1: Coping with Cancer Stress, includes stress management techniques such as deep relaxation, thought control, mental imaging, emotional expression and goal setting. Once a week for four weeks.

Level 2: Skills for Healing, includes self-help methods such as meditation, consulting an inner healer, spiritual aspects of healing, journal writing and small group discussion. Once a week for eight weeks.

Level 3: Steps towards Spiritual Healing, a course in understanding and diminishing the common obstacles to spiritual experience. Once a week for eight weeks.

Level 4: Becoming Authentic, ten weekly sessions designed to consolidate what has been learned in levels 1–3, and to foster the qualities we have found in people who have greatly outlived their prognoses: authenticity, autonomy and acceptance.

Level 5: Introduction to A Course in Miracles, a study of a profound spiritual text concerned with healing. Once a week for nine weeks.

My personal first impression? The culmination of the Program being the controversial book from the 1970s, A Course in Miracles, was not comforting to me. There seemed to be a bit of promotion of the leadership's books for sale on the site, too.

Do some people with serious cancer who attend regular meetings and get support and deal with anxiety and unresolved emotional issues derive benefits, and perhaps outlive their original prognosis? Probably. Some people who stop their primary treatments and go onto Hospice care, with only palliative care, sometimes get better, too.

Since you mentioned, ... "I'm trying to help my father..." yet have still provided no details about your father's circumstances, symptoms, location, etc., but have instead made unsolicited references to other things, I'm going to stop responding, now, and would support the Moderators closing this thread.

Charles

Post Edited (CuriousCharles) : 6/20/2017 11:13:18 PM (GMT-6)