By:  Bernie Siegel, MD

Unfortunately doctors and health professionals, in general, do not study success. We are far more likely to consider an unexpected recovery to be due to the treatment or a spontaneous remission. However, I have learned from my experience with patients and by asking them, “Why didn’t you die when you were supposed to?” that they always had a story to tell.

By:  Bernie Siegel, MD

Accept, Retreat & Surrender:

If you view illness as an opportunity, then when you get sick, you can ask yourself, "Okay, what can I learn from this disease. What do I need to look at first?"When I began working with the group Exceptional Cancer Patients, I noticed many of the group lived longer than their doctors expected. I wanted to know why. I began to observe and inquire and noticed that the long-term survivors were the ones who began to pay attention to their feelings. As they expressed their emotions, made wise choices and became more spiritual, their bodies benefited. The physical changes were the side effects of an altered life.Physicians call the most dramatic healings "spontaneous remissions." Once we have labeled them, we learn nothing from the people in whom those remissions take place. We cannot afford to ignore these remarkable successes. We are all at risk for a great many diseases, and as the world gets smaller the list of things we are exposed to grows larger. We need to learn from people who recover and people who stay healthy.

by Bernie Siegel, M.D.

Most doctors are not trained to communicate and understand the power of their words as they relate to a patient's ability and desire to survive. Doctors are not the only authority figures who impact patients' lives and their ability to survive a diagnosis of a disease.