Anyone who has read The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk would probably love to have Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy as their go-to physician. As medical director of Cancer Center for Healing and Center for New Medicine, Connealy seems to be all about tracking down the behaviors and outside incidents that have put her patients in a state that allows chronic diseases and conditions to take hold.
If that sounds an awful lot like the famous book that explores how traumatic experiences reshape the body’s physiology, alter the brain’s physical structure and function, and affect how individuals feel and behave, well, that’s probably no accident.
Do stress and trauma cause cancer?
In a recent TikTok post, Connealy (@connealymd) very matter-of-factly describes the high instances she sees in cancer patients of traumatic events or life circumstances that have caused dramatic stress responses in their bodies. That imabalance, she said, opens the door for chronic diseases like cancer to take root.
“A common theme that I see in patients regularly is that they have usually suffered some very, very stressful event. It could be extreme work conditions. It may be a child, it might be a parent, it might be a divorce, but they usually have gone under some extreme stress, which we know affects the whole hypothalamic-pituitary axis and the cortisol production. And extreme cortisol production is contributing to the way cancer grows and proliferates.”
For everyone (including this writer) who’s about 120 credits and several internist rounds shy of a medical degree and license to practice medicine, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is, per the National Institutes of Health, “a neuroendocrine system that connects the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands to help the body respond to stress.”
More research reveals that chronic activation of the HPA axis can lead to sustained high levels of cortisol, which might impair the immune system’s ability to detect and destroy cancer cells. And chronic inflammation, often associated with prolonged stress and cortisol dysregulation, has been identified as a potential risk factor for the development and progression of cancer.
That source cause likely identified, Connealy and her respective organizations favor cancer treatments that are less toxic and invasive than traditional practices. In plain English, that means boosting the body’s defenses via hyberbaric oxygen, vitamin C IVs, low-dose chemotherapy, insulin-potentiated chemotherapy, and surgery only when absolutely necessary.
Connealy doesn’t point the finger at any dietary links to cancer on her webpage, but there are plenty of other physician-adjacent professionals who are happy to call out foods we should absolutely avoid unless we want to skyrocket our cancer risk.
For example:
Commenters on the video seemed to take the doctor’s words to heart, with many wondering if the anxiety caused by what she shared was going to send them straight to the hospital.
“Well if I wasn’t stressed before …” one of them wrote.
“I’m doomed. My life has been one tragic event after another for 56 yrs,” another shared.
@connealymd New research suggests that high cortisol and stress hormones play a key role in the development of cancer, metastasis, and increase the risk of recurrence. An excess of these hormones may be directly carcinogenic by suppressing immune function, promoting inflammation, and inhibiting normal cell function. Treating and mitigating stress should be a top priority when treating cancer. Stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, increase in response to perceived stressors. They play a role in the “fight or flight” response and help mobilize energy reserves, increase heart rate and blood pressure, and sharpen focus to cope with immediate threats. Stress hormones are absolutely necessary because they enable the body to respond effectively to stressful situations and ensure our survival. Tips: Spend time in natural light shortly after waking up & get adequate sunlight Ensure adequate intake of necessary nutrients, especially protein, fat soluble vitamins, B vitamins, vitamin C minerals, etc. Balance hormones Get enough sleep for your body Limit toxin exposure Practice gratitude & mindfulness Hug and spend time with loved ones Take frequent walks in nature Find ways to express your creativity
One woman who says she survived cancer backed up Connealy’s claims: “I think this is very true and no one ever talks about it.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Connealy via email for comment.
Chad Swiatecki
Chad Swiatecki is a 30-year journalist who relocated to Austin, TX from his home state of Michigan in 2008. He most enjoys covering the intersection of arts, business and local/state politics. He writes regularly for Austin Monitor, and has written for Rolling Stone, Spin, New York Daily News, Texas Monthly, Austin Business Journal, Austin American-Statesman and many other regional and national outlets.
