Critical Times

P Henry 8/8/25

Having cancer often produces an enormous confusion and anxiety. With diagnosis comes surprise, stigmatic social judgement and too often feelings of condemnation[1]. Sometimes these fears are denied, replaced by tired compliance. Meanwhile your future life is put into the hands of fate or medicine on offer.

What else can be done?

Treatments vary according to your diagnostic presentation and local services resources with their clinical methodology. It usually excludes personal participation or understanding the varied human needs. You become part of a biological function. Like cancer, things are done to you. Medical depersonalisation is balanced with its efficient treatment routines. While the doctors remove or obliterate an identified pathogen in you, your psychosocial reality is misplaced.[2]

Powerful western medicine is good at an identified disease (diagnostic) emergency treatment. It often overlooks comprehensive care. Full contextual human experiences are displaced[3]. The increasingly industrialisation of medicine loses quality in its transition[4].  Outside laboratory and clinical categories, many important considerations are overlooked.

Cancer related fatigue (CRF) and impaired immune system are amongst the most common accompanying ailments[5]. Beyond short term stress, having fatigue, distress or mood disorder further impairs the immune system and its reciprocal feedback system[6]. Conscious and unconscious human activity affects the immune system’s therapeutic capabilities[7] . This impediment reduces “the best weapon we have for fighting cancer”[8].

Treatment outcomes are affected by the biophysical and psychosocial interplay[9]. This includes mental, physical, social, biochemical, genetic and environment issues. Cancer involves complex death with damaging experiences for the sufferer and all associated.

In the following sections there are suggestions of activities you can do to help improve outcome.

[1] Even before the medical treatment cancer suggests possibilities of responsibility, incurability often death. It holds public images of fatality and shaming. The “…. character causes the disease ….”.  Illness as Metaphor. (1978) S Sontag. Cancer as metaphor. (2004) R T Penson et al. Oncologist. 9(6).

[2] Depersonalisation-derealisation as a transdiagnostic treatment …. (16Apr25) E Černis et al. Front in psych (16). Depersonalization Derealization Experience for Patients  Exploring Psychosocial Distress in …. (2024) P Shivappa et al. New Ems Med J (5). Demoralization and spirituality in oncology…. (13Apr23) A C Garcia et al.  Sup Care Can 31(259).  Depersonalisation and derealisation…. (13Mar17) R Byng.  BMJ 356. … Tension Between Individuation and Depersonalization in Cancer …. (1/12/06) A Broom et al. Br Soc Assoc. 41(6).

[3] Western Medicine at the Limits of Reduction. (20/12/25) L Fitzhugh. Red, Blue, Real.  Biomedical model, reductionism … (Oc24) M Wieczorkowska. Acta Univ Lodziensis Folia Soc.  Lancet… transforming access to diagnostics. (27Nov21) K A Fleming et al. The Lancet Comm 398 (10315).  Complexity, Reductionism and the Biomedical Model. (2020) E. Anjum et al.  Rethink Caus, Compl.

[4] The Spectrum of Harm Associated with Modern Medicine. (Aug21) A Schattner. J Gen Intern Med 37(3).  Industrialised medicine: a step too far? (18) M Lown et al. Brit J Gen Pract 68 (676).

[5] Ivan Illich’s Medical Nemesis…. (2025) R Evans et al. Brit J Gen Pract 75 (750).  The Industrialization of Healthcare…. (20Sep22) N Da Silva et al. Econ Socio Conven.  Medical Nemesis (1976) I Illich.

[6] Effects of stress on immune function…. (2014 May) F S Dhabhar.  Immunol Res. 58(2-3).

[7] Cancer and the Immune System…. (June 2015) D Pardoll. Semin Oncol. 3;42(4).

[8] Dr F. Mackay. Univ of Melbourne. http://monash.edu/news/show/fresh-hope-for-leukaemia-cure Roles of the immune system in cancer: from tumor initiation to metastatic progression. 1Oct2018 Hugo Gonzalez. Genes Dev.32(19-20)

[9] How Psychological Therapy May Prolong Survival in Cancer Patients. (2004) A.J. Cunningham. Integrative Cancer Therapies 3(3).  High levels of untreated distress and fatigue in cancer patients. L E Carlson et al.  25May 2004. Br J Cancer. 90(12).  Normalization of the Mini-MAC Questionnaire among Cancer Patients. (2023) A Czerw et al. (Nov2021) Int J Environ Res Public Health.18(23). Exercise is medicine in oncology…. (3Aug22) K H Schmitz, et.al. CA Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 69:6. Associations of clinical and circulating metabolic biomarkers with low physical fitness and function in adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. (03Aug22) A Sitlinger et.al. Front. Oncol.12.