Stress and Its Relationship to Tumor Development

The word "Cancer" is terrifying to all. Given that cancer is on the rise, it would be helpful to identify the cause of this disease. New research is pointing to a relationship between stress and tumor development. In fact, findings suggest that black women develop more aggressive and lethal breast cancers at a younger age than white women. Given that 70% to 80% of breast cancer has no evidence of inherited mutation, it is hypothesized that black women's social behavior and environment may create genetic transformations that cause breast cancer. The above research was conducted by Dr. Martha McClintock and she suggests that racial identity along with implications of belonging to a certain group may play a role in the unique stress that an individual experiences. Dr. McClintock believes that one's racial identity may place black women in social environments and psychological states that change their hormone function. The hormone imbalance may then serve as a catalyst to genetic mutations and mammary tumor growth. Living in a state of stress increases the chances that one's body produces stress hormones. Lacking adequate resources to manage the stress excerbates one's experience of stress and can cause mental, emotional and physical problems. It is hoped that as individuals can better manage stress or be connected to resources that can assist them in constructively coping with stress, cancer rates for all individuals will decrease. For more information, please contact Dr.Drecun at Dr.Drecun@a4ct.com or visit us at Association for Compassionate Transformation.