Enthetan
Master of Disaster
I've been doing a little bit of looking, regarding why we have so many cancer deaths in Scientology, especially at the upper levels, and I felt like starting a fresh thread on it, to serve as a resource for Scientologists and ex-Scns coping with cancer and other chronic illnesses
From a National Institute of Health study
Impact of stress on cancer metastasis
What happens to Scientologists, particularly in the upper OT levels?
They are under a lot of stress, and their social support networks are crippled.
Let's examine each of those two factors:
Stress: People on the OT levels are under constant pressure to come up with fresh money. OT eligibility and preps takes longer than the tech estimate. They have an "ethics sit" which can be handled with a generous contribution to IAS. They are ordered to sec checking at their own expense. They are ordered to get the next level paid for so that they can do an uninterrupted sequence and don't have to pay for more OT eligibility/preps if the leave and return. They have to take out loans and liquidate their retirement plans and mortgage their homes. It all creates lots of stress.
Social support networks are crippled: What is your social support network? It's the set of people with whom you feel safe talking about the problems in your life. Scientologists don't have that. They are not allowed to talk about their case. They are not allowed to express doubts or anger regarding Scientology. They can't even talk to their spouses, who are required to submit Knowledge Reports about any hint of "entheta" or disaffection. The net result is the Scientologist feels increasingly isolated, with nobody they can totally trust, nobody they can tell anything to and feel confident that it won't get back to the Ethics Officer, whether through a KR or from it coming up in a sec check. An upper level scientologist has no social support network.
The end result is that a Scientologist is much more likely than the average person to have reduced immunity and higher vulnerability to cancer.
From a National Institute of Health study
Impact of stress on cancer metastasis
Abstract
The influence of psychosocial factors on the development and progression of cancer has been a longstanding hypothesis since ancient times. In fact, epidemiological and clinical studies over the past 30 years have provided strong evidence for links between chronic stress, depression and social isolation and cancer progression. By contrast, there is only limited evidence for the role of these behavioral factors in cancer initiation. Recent cellular and molecular studies have identified specific signaling pathways that impact cancer growth and metastasis. This article provides an overview of the relationship between psychosocial factors, specifically chronic stress, and cancer progression.
The major cause of death from cancer is metastasis that is resistant to conventional therapy [1]. Primary neoplasms are biologically heterogeneous and the process of metastasis consists of a series of sequential and selective steps that few cells can successfully complete. The outcome of cancer metastasis depends on multiple interactions between metastatic cells and homeostatic mechanisms that are unique to a given organ micro environment [2]. Therefore, the treatment of metastasis should be targeted not only against cancer cells, but also against the host factors that contribute to and support the progressive growth and survival of metastatic cancer cells. Clinical and epidemiological studies over the last 30 years have identified psychosocial factors including stress, chronic depression and lack of social support as risk factors for cancer progression [3-6]. Whereas evidence for the role of psychosocial factors in cancer initiation is limited and some-what contradictory [7-10], support is stronger for links between psychological factors such as stress, depression and social isolation and disease progression [11,12]. Chronicity of negative affect, as manifested by depressed mood or hopelessness, appears to have stronger relationships with outcomes than do stressful events, suggesting that sustained activation of negative affective pathways may provide the strongest links to cancer progression [13-16]. Moderators of stress, such as social support, have been frequently studied with respect to cancer outcomes. Social support refers to an individual’s perceived satisfaction with social relationships and is thought to play a major role in buffering psychological and biological stress responses [17]. Several studies have linked high levels of social support to improved clinical outcomes in cancer patients. For example, in breast cancer patients, social support has been related to longer survival in several large-scale studies [18-20], although negative findings were noted in some studies [21-23]. Collectively, emerging evidence has shown stress and specific psychosocial factors to be associated with key elements of the metastatic cascade in both animal and human models. In this article, we review the biological processes affected by chronic stress and the related pathways and discuss implications for cancer management.
What happens to Scientologists, particularly in the upper OT levels?
They are under a lot of stress, and their social support networks are crippled.
Let's examine each of those two factors:
Stress: People on the OT levels are under constant pressure to come up with fresh money. OT eligibility and preps takes longer than the tech estimate. They have an "ethics sit" which can be handled with a generous contribution to IAS. They are ordered to sec checking at their own expense. They are ordered to get the next level paid for so that they can do an uninterrupted sequence and don't have to pay for more OT eligibility/preps if the leave and return. They have to take out loans and liquidate their retirement plans and mortgage their homes. It all creates lots of stress.
Social support networks are crippled: What is your social support network? It's the set of people with whom you feel safe talking about the problems in your life. Scientologists don't have that. They are not allowed to talk about their case. They are not allowed to express doubts or anger regarding Scientology. They can't even talk to their spouses, who are required to submit Knowledge Reports about any hint of "entheta" or disaffection. The net result is the Scientologist feels increasingly isolated, with nobody they can totally trust, nobody they can tell anything to and feel confident that it won't get back to the Ethics Officer, whether through a KR or from it coming up in a sec check. An upper level scientologist has no social support network.
The end result is that a Scientologist is much more likely than the average person to have reduced immunity and higher vulnerability to cancer.