By Pam McGaffin

In the year leading up to her diagnosis of breast cancer, Kathy Lingo finalized a divorce, grieved the deaths of her father and two close family friends, and started a new business.

"I feel I'm the poster child for stress causing cancer," says Lingo, a 58-year-old Wenatchee resident and Seattle cancer clinic patient.

Actually, science has yet to prove that stress causes cancer, but research on animals has shown that uncontrolled stress can foster tumor growth.

In fact, chronic stress has been found to contribute to a whole host of diseases and conditions, including cancer, heart disease, infection, depression, obesity, diabetes and even gum disease.

Up to 80 percent of all illnesses are related to chronic stress, according to the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C.

"If we're not taking care of stress, any future stressors pile up on top, so you get stress on top of stress on top of stress," says Robin Adler, director of mind-body medicine at Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center.

Stress is simply the body's reaction to a perceived danger. It keeps us alive and helps us meet deadlines. But too much of it over a long period of time is dangerous.

Not only does stress flood the body with hormones that hamper its ability to fight infection and disease, it can also lead to unhealthy behaviors, including smoking, alcohol abuse, a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.

Lingo never fell into such habits. Even at her most harried, the owner of Wenatchee Natural Foods continued to eat right and take vitamins. She thought she was doing fine.

"The weight loss should have been a clue," says Lingo. Her statuesque 5-feet-7 figure shrunk to a slight 112 pounds.

In Feb. 2004, three months after her father's death, she found a lump in her breast that turned out to be an aggressive type of cancer that had already spread to her lymph nodes. Even with a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy, doctors gave the cancer a 50 percent chance of reoccurring.

For Lingo, the frightening diagnosis brought out more than the usual worries. To fight her life-threatening disease, she would have to face her acute fear of needles and doctors.

"I had to find a place that spoke my language, a place that would meet me on my level - and sometimes that was crawling," says Lingo, who dubs herself Princess High Maintenance. "I cried with every needle. I was a mess."

She got through it thanks to the help of family and friends, as well as a supportive staff at the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center. The Capitol Hill clinic integrates the latest in oncology and mind-body medicine with complementary practices, including naturopathy, acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

In addition to chemotherapy and a naturopathic regimen to build her immunity and strength, Lingo was among the first women in the state to be treated with Herceptin. The breast cancer drug is being hailed as a breakthrough because it drastically cuts the rate of relapse in aggressive cases like Lingo's.

It's been a long, hard journey, but Lingo can now look back in awe at all that she endured and learned. Scans show no signs of cancer, she's feeling great, and she's living life with readjusted attitudes and priorities.

"I've lightened up big time," she says. "There are no bad days, only some days better than others. It's all small stuff."
* * *

Robin Adler of Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center periodically teaches a 10-week mind-body class at the clinic that incorporates relaxation training and other stress-reduction techniques. She offers the following tips:

Keep a stress journal to become better aware of your stress triggers and how you react to them physically and emotionally. The journal need not be detailed. A quick note next to a time and date is enough to serve as a reminder of a particular event. Stop to take a breath. Once you become aware of your stress signals, be it clenched teeth or neck pain, stop whatever it is you're doing and take three deep breaths. Schedule relaxation. At least 20 minutes a day in some sort of relaxation exercise, including deep breathing, meditation, guided imagery or yoga, will reap long-term health benefits. Quiet the chatter in your head by focusing on a word or object, or imagine yourself on the beach. Relaxation tapes or CDs can guide you through this. Think positive. What are your thoughts around stressful events? If a project comes up, do you automatically think, "I can't handle this"? The stress journal will reveal patterns of thoughts that you can challenge: "I can handle this. I've done more intensive projects before." Get some support. Studies have shown that people who manage to stay healthy and happy in spite of many stressful events have a strong support network of family and friends. Take care of yourself. Eat right and get enough sleep and exercise. Avoid tobacco and excessive alcohol and caffeine. For more information on stress, cancer and healthy lifestyles, go to www.seattlecancerwellness.com. To find out about future mind-body classes, call Adler at the clinic at 206-292-2277. No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.