My Mom would have been 85 today.
Instead, she passed away at 62 from metastatic breast cancer that spread to her liver and lungs.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.
Her journey is one of the biggest reasons I do the work I do.
I can’t ignore the pattern I’ve seen with cancer and I’m seeing in my own family.
My Mom’s sister died of colon cancer six months after my Mom passed.
She had also battled breast cancer 30 years earlier.
Right now, my father-in-law is facing liver cancer and lymphoma affecting his lungs.
And when you look through the lens of Chinese Medicine, something stands out.
- The liver processes stress especially anger and frustration.
- The lungs process grief.
- The large intestine (colon) is about letting go physically and emotionally.
- The lung channel begins the flow of energy through the body.
- The liver is the final channel in that energetic circuit.
Circulation matters.
Anyone who’s lived long enough has experienced trauma, disappointment, rejection, or heartbreak. Some far more than others.
But repeated, unresolved emotional stress changes physiology and in particular circulation.
Repressed anger has been studied and linked to disease processes.
Grief alters breath patterns and immune resilience.
Chronic stress impacts circulation, detoxification, and cellular repair.
My Mom never forgave her first husband for a deep betrayal early in their marriage.
The horrors of Vietnam still echo through my father-in-law’s nervous system.
I don’t know my aunt’s emotional story.
But I do know this:
In 23 years since my Mom’s passing, I’ve learned that circulating blood and nutrients is just as vital as circulating emotion.
Breath work increases lung expansion and oxygen delivery.
Diaphragmatic breathing mobilizes the diaphragm, which sits directly on top of the liver enhancing blood flow.
The diaphragm and pelvic floor work together, influencing colon circulation.
Tai Chi and Qi Gong move blood and Qi through specific organ pathways.
Acupuncture, acupressure, and myofascial release enhance nutrient delivery and energetic flow.
And Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) gives emotions somewhere to go instead of somewhere to hide.
When people ask me:
“Doc, how do you prevent cancer?”
My answer is this:
- Optimize circulation.
- Circulation of blood.
- Circulation of nutrients.
- Circulation of breath.
- Circulation of Qi.
- Circulation of emotion.
Support your organs with movement, breath work, self-release work, and gentle cleansing a few times a year.
Feel what you feel.
Let it move.
Let it pass.
As my favorite shirt says:
“Let that shiitake go.”
Nothing is worth storing stress in your tissues.
Here’s to feeling it and freeing it.
Dr. J
PS:
Curious about the 21-Day gentle cleanse I use to support circulation and detox pathways? Click HERE to explore it.
Want to go deeper into this conversation? Join me for my March 18th workshop where we’ll unpack this in detail. Register HERE (replay included).
