I've lost three immediate relatives to cancer and each of them were the byproduct of cause & effect. Through their own choices and circumstances they incurred cancer. They didn't say "Hey, cancer come here!" but certain choices and actions put them at higher risk and eventually they incurred cancer. And this does not mean they were/are bad or evil people - it just means certain events and actions put them in their predicament, and always completely unintentionally.

Psychoneuroimmunology: Can the Brain and Immune System Communicate?
Mahaney J. Natl. Cancer Inst..1990; 82: 738-739

Science. 1997 Feb 14;275(5302):930-1. Links
Neuroimmunology. Tracing molecules that make the brain-body connection

Vol. 52, Issue 4, 595-638, December 2000
The Sympathetic Nerve - An Integrative Interface between Two Supersystems: The Brain and the Immune System

And that took all of two minutes googling time to obtain - just the tip of the iceberg. The answer is yes, the body and brain do communicate and your thoughts influence your health. What you think determines the physical state of the cells in your body and your immune response. Anxiety, stress, hatred and, RLs fave, ANGER, all damage the cells and weaken the body's natural resistance to disease.

The most recent of my losses was told by the doctor of "the importance of positive attitude on healing". It's now an almost universal spiel most cancer doctors give their patients as they go through chemo. They don't explain the science of it, because most of their patients wouldn't understand, but they tell them it anyway. And often the doctors themselves are in a bit over their heads when it comes to understanding the thought-immuno response connction and so keep it very simple. I wish they did explain and understand it better because it would be a tool for prevention and not just treatment. Don't HATE should be right alongside Don't smoke and don't sniff glue.

Naturally, if the immune system is benefited by positive thoughts, negative thoughts have the opposite effect and weaken the immune system, making someone more susceptible to cancer.

I don’t mind everyone ranting. That's ok. I understand. I can only imagine reading my posts and being confronted by stuff one has never been exposed to. I guess one reaction is to think I'm crazy and that it's all made up. And hard as it is under the verbal assaults I try to practice what I preach. But mainly I do so because I DO understand these things and the dangers hidden in a single thought.

I better not rile up the waters too much or I can expect more threats to accompany the kindergarten mentality name-calling. Because the Zone is now filled with a good number of intolerant folks who can't even bear to be exposed to thoughts different their own and Robert is obviously not too concerned when it’s the righties that are pretty much outright threatened here with violence. Nothing says partisan hypocrisy better than silence.

But there are no victims. My outspoken posts come with such potential landmines and, in fact, attract them like ants to honey. My response regarding this whole episode and mainly the fallacy of the victimization culture can be found here. (and that leftist bulletin board mentioned is none other than the good ol left-wing HZ)

Molly Ivins may have been a wonderful person, thousands who get cancer are wonderful people - but still something they do or have exposed themselves to adds up to cancer. The more developed folks have a dark side to accompany their bright side - that's just the way things work. All wave forms have the positive and negative biases. That's why if their not on equilibrium and are in the public eye - they reap disproportionate feedback when compared to average folks. Or put in another way, if you climb a ladder any fall is proportionate to the height you've attained.

PS
I really hope you DO REMEMBER THIS, and I would hope everyone here does. Then I won't have to explain it all over again, dig up more links and defend my statements and play teacher all the time the next time I talk about the power of thoughts and the damning power of hate to destroy oneself.