The human body is miraculous - more finely tuned and much more subtle in its reactions than we are generally able to appreciate or comprehend. We can’t force the miraculous to happen. But, according to some authorities, we can create the environment in which ‘miracles’ can materialise. As so many cancer patients have been treated with powerful drugs, when cases of spontaneous remission do appear, it is difficult to tell what aspect of the person’s life began to reverse the process.

For instance, was it the drugs or was it something altogether stronger within the individual? According to the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund, keeping cancer at bay is a practical matter of diet and exercise (see box above).

Perhaps this attention to diet may also help to reverse the course of cancer. Or, according to pioneers such as Dr Ryke-Geerd Hamer, it is the ability to harness inner emotional and psychological resources and to resolve long-standing inner conflicts that make the difference. Anyone who takes seriously the responsibility of staying healthy must be committed to looking after both body and soul. This approach may provide the most useful key to reducing and reversing cancer in the modern world. Pat Thomas