A little more than one year ago, a young woman was diagnosed with rectal cancer and told that even with chemo, it was unlikely she would survive. A wonderful, caring oncology nurse gave her my “Cancer Be Gone ” CD. Jessica had a wonderful attitude and 
followed the recommended course of chemotherapy and also used acupuncture, hypnotherapy, nutritional support, and a Tai Chi practice. Within months, her primary tumor was gone. She is healthy, vibrant and so full of life. It seems as if one tiny “spot” remains in her body. She has weighed her options and told the doctor she will not be having any more chemo right now. His reply was “Without this treatment, you will die.” In reality, that is true. We all die. But, it is unlikely that she will just up and die from that one tiny spot. She is continuing to use the many other healing modalities she has chosen which have served he well.
I am so disappointed to hear something like this. As a hypnotherapist, I witness on a daily basis the power of words. Words can allow the body to heal, or conversely, create the reality of dying from this illness. We have been aware of both the placebo effect and the nocebo effect for years. In fact, the placebo effect is so strong that pharmaceutical companies fought for years to not disclose the figures about how many healed using a sugar pill. In Texas a number of years ago, a study was done in which surgery was used to repair knees. In one group, an incision was made and repairs were done. In the other group, an incision was made and sutured-nothing more. And, you guessed it. The results were just the same. The same percentage of those receiving sham surgery healed.
I don’t know how many of the thousands who have used my CD were terminal and beat the odds. But I do know of two more within my small circle who expected to die and have been declared cancer free. The mind is so very powerful.
In the interest of supporting people in their healing process and reducing the cost of health care, even if doctors choose not to take full advantage of the placebo effect, how about toning down the scare tactics and at least do no harm.
