Positive thinkers may 'avoid cancer'

Yup we mainifest our thoughts and our bodies respond accordingly, here's more proof that if your happy and you know it you'll be healthy, a good reason to clap your hands!!

Hmmmm. My stepmom died of cancer almost five years ago. The funny thing is she was one of the most positive people I knew, for all of the 23 years i knew her anyway. I'm all for positive thinking and watnot, but the cold hard truth is that one day we all die. While hope can be a very powerful tool, false hope can be devastating.

What a useless article.

"the researchers admitted that women were questioned after their diagnosis, which might significantly change their outlook on life."

Yeah, I'd say that would change the way I would answer a questionnaire.

The mind is a powerful tool. We haven't even begun to understand how it all works. Think about it.

Buddha said "What you think, you are" But get that checkup, just in case!

brain can do everything

I've thought this was the case for most of my life. It makes me sad when people worry themselves sick.

I think positive thinking is good for a lot of things.

Hey everybody! I just came up with the cure for all cancer!

Prozac!

Now one for you, and one for you...

Ignorance is bliss and that's why I'm so pissed.

Now if positive thinking 'cured' cancer, we might be getting somewhere.

I guess if the placebo works for you, by all means take it my friend.

I suppose it makes perfect sense to ignore problems and pain if there is nothing else you can do about it.

There is no cancer...there is no cancer....

It's just unfortunate for you that most most rightwingers cant read, write or follow the news. It must be lonely.

Most people here would get cancer because of their negative thinking, if that were possible.

Don't think there's negative people? Post an article about the environment, Bush, Bill O'Reilly or McCain and you'll see the negative bees as the swarm to give their doom sayers voice.

Human psychology is awesome!

wait im not sure if I read this right...the study was done by questioning women with breast cancer and comparing their answers to women without breast cancer?! of course their outlook on life is going to be different! they have cancer! its hard to remain positive and optimistic at all times when youre fearing for your life.

also im tired of all these bogus ideas about how to avoid cancer. cancer is generally either hereditary, a result of lifestyle choices (food, smoking, etc), or predisposed. yes not stressing yourself can improve your day to day health marginally, but its not going to stop you from your medical destiny.

personally i have an extremely positive outlook on life...but i know i am going to get cancer. i have a two medical conditions that i was born with (maybe i shouldve done more positive thinking in the womb) that predispose me to both breast cancer and ovarian cancer. top that off with a history of breast cancer and nerve cancer and i have better odds of getting cancer than not. is that negative thinking? i dont think so, its just smart thinking. im preparing myself, i eat healthy and get medical exams regularly so as to catch it as early as possible.

bottom line is that most cancers are inevitable, you are predisposed from birth. my dad is the happiest most positive person i have ever known and he still got a brain tumor. why? doctors dont know, something in his dna from birth that he couldnt have avoided.

sorry for the rant but im very sensitive about the cancer issue and i tire of seeing bogus theories about how to prevent it.

i wish there was more out there on the issue of womens health aside from the myriad of ways we can contract all sorts of forms of cancer.

deterioration of your health perspective begins at 30 and when should we start becoming worried about "cancer". health media relations should be spreading this sort of info like HIV if Africa but it would be a decline in the pharmaceutical anti-psychotic Rx. given out to women of this age and older..

im of the postive self image generation. and i believe in mind over body in lots of ways. good to know it might help me not get the nasty little mutant cells proliferating my breast tissue because they have negative vibes to feed off of.

lol

hm, not a very thorough "study" tho, but i do believe in the power of thought, regardless.

As far as I'm concerned attitude plays a large role in one's health. Less stress=lower blood pressure=less impact on the body. Its just common sense.

need to be careful to not give the message that it is someone's fault if they have MS, cancer, diabetes etc...

A friend of mine always said worrying gives you cancer, so I try not to, but it doesn't always work. I end up worrying about worrying.

I agree with sublime. The power of positive thinking is severely underestimated. This does not replace regular check ups from your doctor of course, but a sound mind goes a long way in contributing to a sound body.

that's all well and good for females with an optimistic outlook, but what about the miserablists? are women who struggle with seeing the glass half full therefore doomed to fall victim to cancer? ...what then lies ahead for idealists?!?? the mind boggles.

Being positive is a very basic survival tool that will help you in every aspect of your life. The trick is learning to live in a positive frame of mind and to leave negative emotions and actions behind.

delia nailed it, my feelings exactly. Good attitude goes a long way, but it won't win you the powerball.

I definitely think there is a mind-body connection, but we have to be careful the way we phrase and explain things.
The headline here reads "Positive thinkers avoid cancer", but the article clearly states that it "MAY play a protective role" and that research is mixed. The article goes on to say
"The researchers also didn't account for other factors known to affect breast cancer risk such as family history or weight.
Breast cancer is a complex disease and there is unlikely to be one single cause."

Staying positive is always beneficial, but let's not jump the gun.

I believe that what we think, feel, and fail to own within ourselves has a huge impact on our health. I hesitate in saying that for one reason only: as an individual who has been ill for 20 years with an illness that has no cure people often have criticized me for not thinking my way to health--if I only tried harder. They suggest that if I only thought more positively I would be well. They meant well yes yet they were blaming me for a disease. I believe it is more complex than that. I have had family die from cancer and two very brave sisters survive cancer four times.

Cool!