Many cancer patients are finding now hope in an unusual and controversial approach to cancer treatment. The new method has been developed by Carl Simonton, M. D. , a specialist in the science of tumours. He says the results can sometimes be 'truly amazing', when a cancer patient lets his mind take part in the treatment. Simonton recalls that his first patient might have been thought to be a 'hopeless' case by some people. 'He was a sixty-one-year-old man with very severe throat cancer. He had lost a great deal of weight. He could barely swallow his own saliva and could eat no food.' 'I taught him to relax and mentally see his disease,' Simonton states. 'Then I had him picture an army of white blood ceils coming attacking and overcoming the cancer cells. The results of the treatment were both thrilling and frightening. Within two weeks his cancer had noticeably decreased and he was quickly gaining weight. I say it was frightening because I had never seen such a turnaround. I wasn't sure what was going on. I also didn't know what I would do if things went sour. But they didn't go sour.' 'We may believe that we have the power in our own bodies to overcome cancer. But then we have to admit that we also have the power to bring on the disease in the first place. With those patients who are willing to stay with us and try, we always find that the cancer has filled some emotional need.' Dr. Simonton urges patients to have positive self-views. Those who wish to change their beliefs and improve their self-image are given a cassette tape to play three times a day. The recorded voice of Dr. Simonton speaks calmly: 'Take a deep breath. Blow it out. As you blow it out, say to yourself, Relax. Now, I want you to mentally see your disease. Picture the way it seems to you. It may look like a piece of hamburger with strands going out into other areas. However, it seems to you perfectly fine. Force yourself to draw this mental picture.' 'Now, if you're receiving radiation therapy, I want you to picture your treatment. See the treatment as a beam of millions of tiny bullets of energy coming down. They hit all the cells in the area. The normal cells have a great ability to repair the little bit of damage the radiation does. But the cancer cells are much less able to repair this damage, so they die. This is the whole purpose of the treatment. Picture this happening. Picture the cancer shrinking. ' The taped voice continues: 'If you're receiving pills by mouth, see yourself take those pills. See them melt in your stomach. Then see them going into the bloodstream. See them flow around to where the cancer is. They are poison to the cancer cells and they die. See the cancer shrink. Now the white blood cells come in and pick up the dead and dying cancer cells. ' Dr. Simonton says he has no 'new' discoveries. He claims he is following in the footsteps of others. He quotes Eugene Pendergrass, M, D. , past president of the American Cancer Society. Sixteen years ago Pendergrass said, 'There is strong evidence that the disease is affected by emotional stress. It is my deep hope that we can widen the search. We must include the possibility that within our minds is a power. It can send out strong forces. These forces can either hasten or stop the progress of this disease.' Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?