The current issue of _Harvard Health Letter_ (vol 22 #11, Sept 1997 pp4-5)
published by the Harvard Medical School has an article "Living with
Cancer: Don't Go It Alone " that has some relevance to PWP. Below are
some direct quotes.
Ten years ago support groups for people di-
agnosed with cancer were often frowned
upon or dismissed as "touchy-feely." Many
believed that talking about their feelings or asking
for help were signs of weakness. Some even feared
that meeting others with cancer would fuel depres-
sion and self-pity.
Times have changed, however. and so have theo-
ries about the value of talk.
Today more and more hospi-
tals are offering emotional
support -- via groups and
one-on-one counseling -- as
Part of the standard treat-
ment for cancer. Earlier this
year, the National Cancer
Institute together with two
other groups launched a
national campaign to raise
awareness of the vital role
emotional support plays in
enhancing quality of life for
people with cancer. Some re-
search suggests that support
may even increase longevity.
...
Among the most telling studies was a 1989 inves-
tigation led by Stanford University researchers.
They evaluated 86 women with breast cancer that
had already spread to other parts of the body. Fifty
of them attended weekly support group meetings
for at least a year in addition to receiving standard
medical treatment; 36 received only medical inter-
ventions. Not surprisingly, women in the support
groups reported feeling less anxious, less depressed,
and less bothered by pain than the women who had
...
A more remarkable finding came to the fore
years later. The women in the support groups
survived an average of 18 months longer than
the others. In fact, four years after the study began,
one third of the participants in the support groups
were still alive, while all 36 of the other women
had died.
...
In 1990 investigators at the University
of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine found that breast
cancer patients who felt
emotionally supported had
highly active natural killer
(NK) cells -- white blood
cells that are normally pre-
sent and capable of destroy-
ing a wide variety of tumor
cells, including cancerous
ones. Support from a pa-
tient's partner, close friend,
or physician was found to
have the most profound effect on NK cell activity.
...
Experts also speculate that emotional assistance
confers physical benefits by decreasing stress.
...
It may be that participating in a sup-
port group helps lift depression, thus reducing over-
secretion of this hormone.
...
Groups also bolster people's self-confidence.
--------------------
Sid Roberts 67/dx3
[log in to unmask] Youngstown, Ohio
