title: Cancer: brain-regulated biphasic stress response induces cell growth or cell death to adapt to psychological stressors.
abstract: According to Indian Vedic philosophy, a human being contains 3 major bodies: (1) the matter body--brain, organs, and senses; (2) the mental body--mind, individual consciousness, intellect, and ego; and (3) the soul or causal body--universal consciousness. The third, which is located in the heart according to all spiritual traditions and recent scientific literature, can be seen as the information body that contains all memories. The mental body, which can interface with the matter and information bodies, can be seen as a field of immaterial energy that can carry, regulate, and strengthen all information (eg, thoughts or emotions) both positively and negatively. This body of information may store ancestral and/or autobiographical memories: unconscious memories from inner traumas--inner information (Ii) or samskaras in Vedic philosophy--and conscious memories from outer traumas--outer information (Io). These conscious and unconscious memories can be seen as potential psychological stressors. Resonance between Ii and Io may induce active conflicts if resistance occurs in the mental body; this conflict may cause specific metabolic activity in the brain and a stress response in the physical body, which permits adjustment to psychological stressors. The brainregulated stress response may be biphasic: cell death or growth induced by adrenergic molecular pathways during the conflict's unresolved phase and reversion to cell growth or death induced by cholinergic molecular pathways during the conflict's resolved phase. Case studies and data mining from PubMed suggest that this concept complies with the principles of holistic medicine and the scientific literature supporting its benefits. We suggest that the evolution of cancer can be seen as a biphasic stress response regulated by the brain to adapt to psychological stressors, which produce imbalance among the physical, mental, and information bodies.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Shruti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhatia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D026441:Mind-Body Therapies; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy