Book review :: Health and Disease

Alternative Medicine Magazine's Definitive Guide to Cancer, 2nd Edition
by author HÃ©lÃ¨ne Meurer

by Lise Alschuler, ND, and Karolyn A. Gazella

Anyone facing cancer–in themselves or a loved one–would do well to take this book as a definitive ally.

Authors Alschuler and Gazella are a naturopathic oncologist and health writer/journalist, respectively. They share mutual histories of cancer in family members and an ability to communicate science with compassion and understanding. Together with a team of medical advisors, they pledge to deliver “informed hope, not false hope.”

At more than 500 pages, potential readers could understandably be intimidated. Thankfully, there is an easy flow to this material, and it reads nothing like the textbook it resembles. Twenty different cancers are explored. The focus is on integrative oncology: a responsible blending of modalities. Conventional treatments and complementary approaches are evaluated and presented alongside substantiated scientific information, enabling readers to make informed decisions based on individual circumstances and comfort levels. Personal stories contributed by patients and caregivers add much to the book’s overall tone–one that is ultimately empowering and comforting.

HÃ©lÃ¨ne Meurer is a reviewer who wishes for more free time to read fresh health books in Victoria, BC.

Source: alive #306, April 2008

Cancer
Cancer develops when cells in the body function abnormally and multiply uncontrollably--a process which eventually leads to tumor growth. A healthy body routinely detects and eliminates abnormal cells.

A New Way to Look at Cancer
The cause of cancer is still not known. That's because conventional theory fails to explain the mechanism of rapid or unrestrained growth of cancer cells.

Food and Cancer Connection
When I was a child one in eight people developed cancer. Today it approaches one in thre.

My Answer to Cancer-Get Lost!
I'm not the kind of person who likes to talk about himself. So, when I was asked to write an article about my experience with cancer, I felt quite uneasy, as I'm afraid that people will try to copy what I have done as though it were a magic recipe.

Exercise for Speedy Recovery
If patients do not participate in some form of exercise, their ability to function suffer.

Eliminate Root Causes of Cancer
The current assumption is that if one could surgically remove, radiate or destroy all the cancer cells in a patient with chemotherapy then the disease would no longer exis.

Dr. Burzynski Battles the Cancer Industry
When a man stood in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square, the world gasped at his bravery. No less brave are health- care practitioners like Polish-born Dr Stanislaw R. Burzynski, who successfully stood up to a juggernaut of hostility toward his cancer therapy from both the US government and the medical establishment..

Look Good While Fighting Cancer
Cancer occurs when the immune system is down and normal protective measures are insufficient. Cells within the body are defective or damaged. Most cases of cancer are preventable.

Cancer-Fighting Recipes
When I came to Canada in 1959 I was practically a greenhorn concerning vegetarianism. Then I married Siegfried! One of the wedding gifts I received from him was a vegetarian cookbook. I struggled with the concept.

Childhood Cancer Epidemic
Cancer is the first epidemic in history in which medical authorities don't know the cause and therefore can do nothing to stop it. Our children are not being spared by this worldwide epidemic. Indeed, in some rural areas, cancer rates for children appear to be increasing faster than those of adults.

Cancer-Fighting Herbs and Roots
Plant roots may be out of sight, but they shouldn't be out of mind when it comes to dealing with cancer. Any physical approach to healing cancer must first concentrate on restoring both the organs of elimination and the circulation of nutrients in the body.

Pesticides in Our Environment
My longtime friend Dr. Carl Clark of Regina often said, "Cancer is the worst word in the English language." A World War II air force veteran, he trained as an osteopath in Chicago in the 1930s when the notorious gangster Al Capone ran Chicago.

Cancer: Proof And A Plan For Healing
The Centre for Integrated Healing in Vancouver is changing the paradigm of cancer care. This reality is life saving in many cases, and life changing in mos.

New Therapy Shows Results Against Cancer and Viral Infections
Many people have become disillusioned in the "war against cancer." I remain very optimistic, however, that we will triumph over this seemingly invincible kille.

Vitamins Vindicated
"Breast cancer study hints at harmful effects of vitamins," proclaimed the headline of a recent Vancouver Sun article that some feel could be extremely misleading. The story, which appeared Dec.

The Current State Of Cancer
Cancer has been present throughout human history. Egyptian and Inca mummies show evidence of the disorder.

Practical Prevention Plan
Adding a fish oil supplement to your daily routine provides extra insurance that you are getting sufficient levels of important oils.

The Cancer Food Connection
In the 1980s, the US Surgeon General stated 70 percent of allNorth Americans are dying from diseases directly related to their eating habit.

Mind Over Cancer
Examining the biology of beliefNot a day goes by thatthe word "cancer" doesn't scare thousands of Canadians. Like a dreaded scourge, it hovers over us, presumably just waiting to claim its next victim.

Advances in Cancer Care
Complementary cancer treatment brings new hope to patients at the Vancouverclinic of Dr. Jim Chan, who uses the best of orthodox and alternativemedicine to achieve impressive results.

Complementary Cancer Care
When you combine the best of complementary and orthodox cancer care, what do you get? Treatments such as far infrared heat therapy, which uses modern technology and ancient wisdom to help the b.

The Role of Mushrooms in Cancer
Clinical studies have shown that using arabinoxylan (hydrolyzed rice bran with enzymatic extract of shiitake) in conjunction with chemotherapy may increase the effectiveness of chemo against certain cancer cells.

Cancer Prevention is Possible
Current approaches to cancer have not made a significant difference in long-term cancer survival rates. But you are not powerless against this disease.If you are willing to be proactive about your health, your odds of avoiding cancer are actually very good.

Natural Cancer Care
The importance of high-quality nutrition in the battle against cancer cannot be overstate.

The Healing Truth
As many people who live with cancer know, the discovery of the disease marks the beginning of a new chapter in life. Researchers and healers continue to discover the role attitudes and emotions play in the healing process.

Uterine Cancer
In 1975, an important scientific study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine pinpointed a reason for the sharp rise in uterine cancer over the previous decade.

Cancer-Defective Genes or Excessive Chromosomes?
The vast majority of current research into the underlying mechanisms of cancer is directed at the search for defective genes, even though they are found in only a minority of cancers, and it is hard to explain why inherited cancer genes would not cause cancer early on in life.

The Cancer Personality
Is there such a thing as a "cancer personality? A 1984 study measured the physiological responses to stressful stimuli of three groups: patients with malignant melanoma (a potentially fatal form of skin cancer), people with heart disease, and a control cohort with no medical illness.

Maintaining Weight Through Cancer
Excess body fat is blamed for up to 20 percent of all cancer-related deaths, but the fact remains that many people living with cancer and undergoing cancer treatments find themselves facing the opposite problem - how to gain weight, or at least prevent further weight loss.

Cancer Prevention
You can make dietary and lifestyle choices which will reduce your chances of being the one out of three Canadians who will get cancer in their lifetim.

Fighting Cancer
No other medical diagnosis strikes more fear in the hearts of people than cancer. Forty percent of Canadians will contract cancer; one in nine women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Over 3 million North Americans have cancer today, and another 1.

Cancer Comrades
Fruits and vegetables have become the darlings of the nutritional world, being deemed as the only safe carbohydrate sources to consume in the latest low-carb diet regimen.

Smell Comfort
Undergoing treatment for cancer can be extremely stressful, as well as taxing on the immune syste.

Cancer-Free Dining
Everyone wants health and potential protection from cancer, but few of us know how to successfully implement healthful chang.

Cancer is Not Defective Genes!
According to mainstream medicine, defective genes sending the wrong signals cause production of too many growth hormone receptors in the cell walls and cause about 35 per cent of breast cancers.

Health Pioneer

Move Over Has-Bean
Recently, while my friends and I were sharing a laugh over a cuppa java, I looked across the table at Amanda's cup and realized there was no ebony liquid in it. Instead, she was delicately sipping green tea. One of Amanda's jokes?

Cancer
The Canadian Cancer Society's slogan is, "Let's make cancer history. With cancer affecting thousands-among them friends, family, and loved ones-each and every year, this slogan has become the goal for many dedicated and hardworking researchers, scientists ...

The Cancer Cottage Industry
When it comes to cancer, there can be such a thing as "good exploitation. Actors, musicians, and sports stars with the illness can create much-needed awareness and support.

Cancer-Proof Your Pancreas
A hidden health concern for some men is pancreatic cancer. Processed meats may be insidious culprits. Researchers believe that the chemical reactions in the preparation of processed meats may be the problem. A high fruit and vegetable diet dramatically reduces risk of pancreatic cancer. Those who consumed five daily portions of highly protective produce, particularly beans, carrots, citrus fruits, corn, dark leafy vegetables, garlic, onions, and sweet potatoes reduced their risk of pancreatic cancer by 50 percent.

Eradicate Free Radicals
Make a positive contribution to the cellular war against oxidative free radical damage and keep cancerous cells at bay by consuming a well-balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Include a comprehensive, high-quality multivitamin and multi-antioxidant dietary supplement.

Vegetarians Show Reduced Rate of Cancer

Foods for Cancer Prevention

Happy Hemp Harvest

Stand Up for Clean Air

Turn the Cancer Switch Off
Every one of us is born with a unique genetic blueprint that defines our sensitivities to certain diseases such as cancer. But the latest research indicates it's not our genes that control whether we will experience diseases like cancer; it is the actual instructions those genes receive daily.

Cancer Research
This is an exciting time in cancer research. From multibillion dollar medical research complexes to smaller university laboratories, cancer researchers are making extraordinary discoveries about the cellular mechanics of cancer.

The Sunshine Vitamin
Vitamin D may be one of the most important nutrients for preventing a host of diseases and improving longevity. This month's Research Watch discusses the new research about this long-overlooked vitamin and how it may be critical to long-term health.

Acne's Oily Secret
From sunburn to psoriasis, acne to eczema, inflammation is often the common thread in unwanted skin conditions. Now, as nutritional medicine advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that dietary choices can influence inflammation in all parts of the human body, including the skin.

Potent Pomegranates
In ancient cultures, pomegranates were symbols of life, regeneration, health, and vitality. In Babylon and Persia, soldiers chewed pomegranate seeds before battle, believing that the exotic fruits would reward them with superior skills and invincibility. The Egyptians placed pomegranates in King Tut's tomb, to help him in his afterlife.

Probiotics
There is a newfound interest in probiotics, and food companies haven't missed a beat. They have put these latest nutritional money-makers into flavoured sticks, special drinks, yogourts, cheese, and anything else you can put a bite on.

Deal Out Cancer
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, about 40 percent of women and nearly 45 percent of men in this country will face a personal battle with this fearful disease.

Milk Thistle
Even though milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is not a new herb to the health food industry, the studies and clinical evidence of this amazing medicinal botanical continue to expand each year.