Because of Love

There are times when you need to be prepared.

When a loved one falls ill and we face the prospect of parting, we may feel like we are drowning in love, but we must stand tall.

Perhaps it is also about realizing the end while vowing in your heart to remember and never forget everything that has happened until now.

It is easier said than done, and while one must overcome great inner conflict, it is about living together, saying a healthy "goodbye," and living well and dying well.

It is difficult, but I feel it is important.

However, even in a life where one is bedridden and things do not go as planned, there must still be things that can be done.

Hisao Nakai is a psychiatrist known for numerous masterpieces such as "Schizophrenia and Humanity."

"Schizophrenia and Humanity (New Edition)" (UP Collection) by Hisao Nakai

However, this book, "Clinical Anecdotes" (Rinsho Sadan), is not about psychiatry, but rather contains stories about the little things experienced during clinical practice.

"Clinical Anecdotes" by Hisao Nakai

"Clinical Anecdotes: Sequel" by Hisao Nakai

This book records things outside of psychiatry, as well as experiences the author had as a patient, or as a family member or friend of a patient. It discusses "effective things that patients who have been told their diagnosis can do," such as dealing with hospital-acquired infections, falling into a coma, advice for friends and acquaintances with cancer, and personal views on the Maruyama vaccine.

For example, "To put it bluntly, the human mortality rate is 100 percent," so what can be done in a place where defeat is certain? Or, "Maximizing the integral value of QOL (Quality of Life)," how can one achieve that, and so on.

It is also expressed like this.

"Medical practice has no 'royal road,' even more so than geometry. It is swayed by unforeseen coincidences, trivial special circumstances, and errors in seemingly correct interpretations. It is the same as war in that victory is not guaranteed."

It may not be the most appropriate expression, but one could say that life is interesting precisely because unexpected things happen.

If, by any chance, you were to become ill, I feel that if you could say "This is fine" just as Fujio Akatsuka said, your recovery might be faster.

It is extremely practical, kind, and easy to understand, and I think that if you read it, you will understand that there is no other book that hits the spot quite like this one.

If a doctor were like the author, patients would surely feel at ease.

If you only read the title, you might take it to mean that it contains trivial, boring stories related to clinical practice, but the content is far from boring and contains many things that are of great interest even to cancer patients.

For your reference, I would like to introduce the following:

"Perhaps it is better not to use the term 'fighting a disease.' This is because the consciousness of fighting cancer stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and lowers immune function."

"I have seen under a microscope that adrenocortical hormones destroy lymphocytes. Therefore, lymphocytes are extremely vulnerable to stress."

"People with large lung capacity seem to have a higher cancer survival rate. It appears that a large supply of oxygen is provided to nutrition and blood, which leads to the activation of lymphocytes."

Such observations are quite convincing, even to a layperson.

He introduces examples such as a 70-year-old man (with a lung capacity of 8,000) whose stomach cancer metastasized flatly along his spine, yet he has survived for many years and remains socially active.

Dr. Weil also answers the question, 'If you were told to recommend only one thing to enhance healing power, what would it be?' by saying, 'Breathing techniques,' so there seems to be a common thread here.

Also, regarding probiotics, he recommends Yakult.

There are two places in the human body where only lactic acid bacteria exist.

They are said to be the stomach of a newborn and the vagina of a woman.

Therefore, if a small amount of lactic acid bacteria drink is applied locally, the vagina will become clean.

This can prevent infections during childbirth and other times.

However, he reportedly heard from an employee of that company that the reason the manufacturer does not advertise this is out of concern for their corporate image.

Setting aside the application of lactic acid bacteria drink to the vagina, he says that when he is consulted by cancer patients, he recommends Yakult as a lactic acid bacteria drink.

He himself has also experienced prostate cancer.

The state of mind of a doctor who has been diagnosed with cancer is also written honestly; he is surprised and confused just like any of us, but there is no double standard in his thinking, which is a common phenomenon among doctors even today, and I think it is something one can empathize with.

Based on his experience as a psychiatrist, I think it can be read that he writes about what effective actions a patient can take now that we are in an era of disclosing diagnoses.

This is advice based on the thought that 'a doctor who has disclosed a diagnosis also needs resolve, and a patient who has been told the diagnosis would likely want to do something actively rather than just being a stunned bystander.'

It comes with the condition: 'Since a psychiatrist is writing about things outside of psychiatry, there may be mistakes or misunderstandings. There may be things that differ from established theories. I think that may be the case, but on the other hand, I am a medical student from the era of the old internship system (practical training in medicine).'

The first half can be read as humility, acknowledging that just because one is a doctor does not mean they are absolute, and the second half as an expression of confidence that they have received a proper education.

This humility and confidence are exactly what is expected of a professional, and behind these words, including the aforementioned doctor's double standard, one can sense questions regarding recent medical education and the state of doctors.

The words of the author, who is a doctor that developed cancer, carry weight, and Mr. Nakai offers three pieces of advice for cancer patients.

The first is to get plenty of sleep.

The goal is to ensure that when normal cells undergo cell division, they pass through their most vulnerable period during the hours of 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM.

In other words, it is important to be in a deep sleep during this time to recover your strength so that cells do not become cancerous.

Advice such as using sleeping pills is also helpful.

The second is to eat delicious food.

This is about getting proper nutrition, and the idea that hospital food and the like only accumulate stress and have a negative impact on healing.

He does not forget practical issues, noting things like, 'Constipation is common upon hospitalization. Grated apple with a little sugar added can help.'

He even mentions herbal medicines that are effective for post-operative recovery.

The third is to laugh.

Citing Norman Cousins' 'Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient,' he notes that laughter boosts immune power.

'Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient' (Iwanami Gendai Bunko) by Norman Cousins, translated by Sen Matsuda.

I realize there may be times when you cannot laugh, but he suggests 'tricking your brain' by making a smiling face even if you have to force it, stating that there is an effect if you keep laughing even if you are just tricking your brain.

It is advice that is both surprising and perhaps too obvious, but I think this is fine.

Also, reducing stress is important.

If it were me, I might add 'walk' or 'do many fun things' if possible, but since cancer varies and people are different, there is likely no single answer; however, the book provides examples of people living well while managing their condition through immunity and sometimes living with it, which I find encouraging.

In short, 'Cancer cells are weak and confused cells. They are simply cells that should have died but haven't. Cancer cells are also weak against heat and are easily defeated by attacks from lymphocytes.'

The Simonton therapy CD contains this same line, and it instructs patients to visualize white blood cells confronting cancer cells.

Most people are unaware of the fact that 5,000, or according to some theories, tens of thousands of cancer cells are born in the human body every day, and most of them are destroyed by our own immune system.

Even cancer cells that manage to survive by dodging that attack are often blocked in the lymph nodes, making metastasis quite difficult.

Lymph node metastasis also means that the cancer cells are being blocked by the lymph nodes.

The act of treatment is never free from imperfection, and it is likely often beset by many difficulties.

However, perhaps it is precisely because of that that the inner depths of each person involved begin to shine faintly, breathing soul into the medical arts.

I feel that this is where the mysterious charm that humans display lies, and not just in the world of medicine.

I don't think there are many books like this one, written from the patient's perspective.

Why don't middle-aged and older people who are concerned about illness pick up a copy?

Without over-relying on modern medicine, yet without becoming overly sentimental, there must be many things we can still do!

For the time being, even for those who are neither doctors nor patients, a sentence like, 'If sleepiness comes and then leaves again, don't panic and try to force yourself to sleep; the tide of sleep will turn from ebb to flow in forty-five minutes, so just wait for the next "sleep bus" until then,' seems like it would be effective, doesn't it? (^^)