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Since this week’s ShareWIK topic is prostate cancer, I’m taking a week off from couples/sex therapy to address another area of interest for me as a psychologist: the role of mental health in physical health and response to illness.

There’s been plenty written in the popular press about the role of psychological well-being in the development of illness. There was a time in the not- so-distant past that people believed sin or ignorance of God’s teaching brought on illness.  Needless to say, this belief only contributed to the suffering of people who were already struggling with illness.   Today, some extreme New Age beliefs about “creating your own reality” can be just as guilt-inducing for those suffering from disease.

 A more nuanced approach is to recognize that Nature and Nurture operate together and influence each other.  These days research indicates that most illness has a genetic root if not cause.  At the same time, as we grow older “lifestyle factors” (diet and exercise) start to strongly influence our health. It can be helpful to think of psychological well-being as another one of those influential “lifestyle” factors.

 The name of the field that explores the role of psychological well-being in physical health is “Psychoneuroimmunology.”  Basically, the brain controls the bodily systems that are critical to our health: namely, the nervous system and the immune system, which includes the endocrine system. The ways that we think about, process and react to information around us influence all of these systems. 

We know that one person might be relatively unaffected by an experience that another finds highly stressful (ever watch dads at their kid’s baseball game?) Thus, our experience of “stress” is highly influenced by the way we think about our experiences.

Basically, our thoughts and interpretations of life events can create stress reactions (e.g. anger and fear), which can increase cortisol production, blood pressure, muscle tension, bad cholesterol and heart rate. Thus, chronic stress can lead to illness, including various cancers.  One can see how psychological interventions that reduce negative thinking, stress and anxiety can clearly improve physical (as well as mental) well-being.

Okay, so I can use my brain to have some control over my health. What can I do to help prevent or delay prostate cancer?

 Try to reduce the unhealthy stress in your life.

     a. Eliminate events or activities in your life that cause you to react with anger and fear.  (I know, easier said than done…)

     b. Learn to monitor and manage your anger and fear responses. (Something you can actually accomplish TODAY!)

 Educate yourself concerning lifestyle factors that might contribute to cancer. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-prevention/CA00024). Proactive health oriented behavior is a key psychological factor in health.

 What if I’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer?

 One’s psychological response to a diagnosis can also make a difference in the potential outcome. Responding to a prostate cancer diagnosis can be extremely challenging for a man.  Men (who may see themselves as invincible) tend to have more denial surrounding health issues than women.  They may also have difficulty coping with the strong feelings of fear such a diagnosis about cancer down there can engender.

 The two most common responses are:

     *Naïve optimism: “I’m fine!” which may amount to denial and lead to avoidance of medical help 

     *Helpless pessimism: Giving oneself over completely to the doctor but doing nothing pro-active. (“We’re all going to die anyway, I might as well go out eating whatever I want!”)

Your optimal response is somewhere in the middle.

Adopt the stance of the Empowered and Educated Optimist! Work directly and actively with your physician: recovery rates from prostate cancer are high when patients follow the proper medical protocols.

But don’t just leave your recovery up to your doctor: become an expert in the factors that are in your control (diet, exercise AND mental health).  

Not only will addressing these variables improve your health during treatment, but it will improve the quality of the rest of your life.

Gerald Drose is an Atlanta-based couples sex therapist.  He is a regular ShareWIK.com columnist. Visit Dr. Drose at Powers Ferry Psychological Associates, LLC.  

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