Cancer, the Great Equalizer

There may be no other fact of life that is a more powerful teacher than learning that you have a serious or terminal illness. Your life is humming along at its normal pace, and suddenly - with just one phone call - everything comes to a grinding halt. While the news can be overwhelming, there are issues to be considered and decisions to make that can help distract you from the worries about what the future may hold. There are choices in how to physically respond to a diagnosis of cancer - usually choices of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation treatments, or a combination of things. No matter what treatment you choose, there is at least some hope in any treatment, and medical technology is changing and improving every day.

Yet even with the most powerful treatment available, the beneficial effects can be sorely hampered by the stress of fear, worry, obsessive dismay, and other types of negative energy. Medical research has shown that in order to promote the most optimum functioning of the healing and immune systems of your body, you need to stop doing anything that causes stress and focus on low-stress, enjoyable activities. Changing your diet to a healthy one, exercising, spending time with people who bring you happiness, doing things you enjoy, and other "alternative healing" strategies are becoming more and more accepted by the medical community.

One profound truth when it comes to being diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer is suddenly being faced with the knowledge that no matter who you are, no matter what your background is, and no matter whether you are rich or poor, famous or unknown, married or single, loved or hated, you are equal to every other individual who has received the same diagnosis. Regardless of who you were before you got that phone call, suddenly you are on a level playing field with a whole group of people who used to be vastly different from you, but now you are all united by the singularity of being faced with the impermanence of life.

One of the best ways to disconnect your negative reactions from your emotions, body, and mind is through meditation and contemplation on the positive things your life has brought you. Adrenaline often causes the release of fear, worry, and anger, but meditation releases endorphins that act as warriors to help you combat those negative emotions so that your body can work to heal itself. Whether you choose to battle your cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination, you should simultaneously choose to battle your negative emotions by replacing them with the powerful peace you can achieve through prayer and meditation. If cancer is the great equalizer in terms of bringing into sharp focus the brevity of life, then prayer can also be the great equalizer in terms of helping you realize you are not alone.