However, giving up is actually bad, because people may not follow doctor’s advice or take their meds, which is most likely to be harmful.

So you do have to be positive enough to believe that the doctors know what they are doing, and that you might get better if you follow their instructions.

They also mention the case of a man who amputated his own arm when it was trapped in a rockfall. He wasn’t ill so the question doesn’t exactly apply, but strength of will definitely helped him to survive.

I’ve got two uncles, both with rapid-spreading cancer.

One’s basically wanting to die, he has nothing to live for, or so he thinks. He gets worse every time I see him. He doesn’t even leave his house half the time to go get his chemo. He lies around his house and won’t even answer his phone.

The other is about the same age, has a two year old daughter, and even had a chunk of his brain removed to take out some cancer. His diagnosis is worse than that of the other uncle, but he seems to be doing better. He feels he actually has something to live for(his daughter and wife). Even though he has a chunk of his brain out, and his diagnosis is worse, he still fights the fight and overall is in much better condition(from what I’ve seen), than my other uncle.

So in my honest opinion, yes, it can play a role. Plus, if you’re lazy and don’t get up and do anything, you aren’t going to strengthen your body any, and it will progressively get weaker anyway. So I guess it just depends on how much willpower they really have.

I think that if you are more positive it will make things easier for you and less stressful. The more stress the body produces the more it hinders your recovery. Do things you enjoy doing and that make you feel happy. When I was sick my parents bought me a kitten and I took up knitting and drew a lot. If it is you that is sick, I hope you feel better soon! 🙂