TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

DISCLAIMER

INTRODUCTION

SUGGESTIONS FOR NAVIGATING THIS MATERIAL

THOUGHTS ON BIASES

ABOUT LINKS

 

 

 

PART I

THE BIG PICTURE,

FROM A QUESTIONING PERSPECTIVE

 

CHAPTER ONE: THINKING ABOUT ALTERNATIVE CANCER MEDICINE

How Do We Define 'Alternative'?

How Do We View Healing?

Almost Invisible In The Information Age Glut

The Difficulty of Deciding

Statistics, and Some Problems With Them

On Taking Responsibility

 

CHAPTER TWO: THE CANCER INDUSTRY

Introduction

Radiation Oncology

Chemo

The Cancer Drug Industry

The FDA

The American Cancer Society and The National Cancer Institute

Oncology As A Profession - The American Medical Association As Its Union

A Word About Science, and Us

Spinning The Industry Message

The Federal Trade Commission: Protecting Cancer Care Consumers, Somewhat

The Dietary Supplement Safety Act, New Dietary Ingredient Guidelines and Codex: Strategy Lessons

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Integrative Medicine

The Only Environment We Have Is Carcinogenic

Fundraising

The Animal Testing Industry

'Progress'

Rethinking Alternative Cancer Treatment, Now

'Conclusion'

 

CHAPTER THREE: EPIDEMIC TIMES

 

CHAPTER FOUR: CANCER AND MONEY

 

 

 

PART II

CANCER TREATMENT,

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

 

CHAPTER FIVE: WHAT'S IT LIKE HAVING CANCER?

Welcome To Cancerland

You Might Die

We're All Canaries In This Coal Mine

The Reluctantly Independent Cancer Patient

Diagnosis Freefall

Hard Decisions

A Sketch Of A Cancerland Roadmap

I've Had Enough Of This

Cancer Scenario Roulette

It Changes But It Doesn't End

 

CHAPTER SIX: SURGERY

Benefits And Risks - A Different View

On Scars

Violation And Healing

On Being Humbled

Help Yourself Before, During And After Surgery

 

CHAPTER SEVEN: CHEMO

Four Essential Facts About Chemo

Chemosensitivity Testing: An Alternative To Shooting At Cancer In The Dark

Molecular Genetics and Cancer

Coming Back Down To Earth

Chemo Brain and The Myth Of The Blood/Brain Barrier

Taking The Long View

Help Yourself Before, During and After Chemo

 

CHAPTER EIGHT: RADIATION

Machines For Cancer

Bring On The Photons

What Is This Stuff Really?

Some Questions You Might Ask Yourself When They Recommend Radiation

Help Yourself Before, During and After Radiation Treatment

 

CHAPTER NINE: THE DOCTOR PROBLEM

 

CHAPTER TEN: A SOCIOLOGY OF CANCER

Introduction

People - They're Not What They Used To Be

On Becoming Inured To Cancer

Negative Schmegative

Cancer Magic: The More We Have, The Smaller It Seems

So Cancer's Funny Now?

War as Cancer Metaphor

'Victim', and The Language Of Cancer

Bearing Witness

Cancer and Suicide

 

CHAPTER ELEVEN: A PSYCHOLOGY OF CANCER

Introduction

Positive Thinking - Use It Or Die?

Onco-Psychology - Epidemic Times Produce An Emerging Field

Cancer and Physics

Cancer and Stress

PTSD

The Minefield Of Emotion: Fear, Guilt, Sadness, Anger, Shame, Depression, Anxiety, Isolation, Hopelessness

On Losing Our Hair

The Gift Of Cancer

Memento Mori

Cancer Art

Illustration - Lava Man

 

 

PART III

CANCER-FIGHTING ACTIONS

YOU CAN TAKE NOW

 

CHAPTER TWELVE: MAKING THE BODY AN ANTI-CANCER ENVIRONMENT

Recommended Resources

In A Hurry?

Optimize Your Immune System

Alkalize Your Body

Reduce Inflammation

Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Boost Your Antioxidant Intake

Get Right With Phytonutrients

Oxygenate Your Body

Detoxify

Lower Your Stress

Exercise

 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: NUTRITION

Recommended Resources

Food Fight For Our Lives

What Not To Eat

What To Eat

Our Friend Chocolate

Organic Or Not Organic

Sugar

The Genetic Engineering Problem

And Another Thing About Protein

 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: HERBS AND BOTANICAL CANCER MEDICINE

Recommended Resources

Picking Up The Threads

Cancer-Fighting Herbs and Botanical Cancer Medicine Protocols

Herb Safety

Taking Herbs In An Imperfect World

Dosages

A Few Precautions

A Few Helpful Tips

A Mini-Glossary

Selected Cancer-Fighting Herbs

Traditional Healing Systems With Strong Herbalism Components: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Japanese Kampo, And Ayurvedic Medicine

Another Look At The Big Picture Of Healing

 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS

Recommended Resources

It's Complicated, But It's Not Hard

Endangered Supplements

Other Considerations

The Elephant In The Room

Vitamins

Supplements

 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: ALTERNATIVE CANCER TREATMENTS

Recommended Resources

You Have Cancer In An Imperfect World

Get Your Ducks In A Row

Some Thinking Steps

Alternative Cancer Treatments

Other Interesting Alternative Treatments

 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: CANCER TYPES AND ASSOCIATED ALTERNATIVE AND NATURAL TREATMENTS

Cancer Types and Associated Treatments

Help For Common Treatment Side Effects

 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: TESTING

A Few Resources For Information About Test Types

Chemosensitivity Testing

Genomic Testing

The Cancer Profile Test - American Metabolic Laboratories

Mammography

Protecting Yourself From Radiation Exposures In Testing

Thermography

Biopsies

Blood Testing To Track Your Healing Progress

Natural Killer Cell Activity Testing

Micronutrient Testing

Testing For Micrometastasis

12 Therapy Sampler For Muscle Testing

Animal Testing

 

CHAPTER NINETEEN: EVERYDAY EXPOSURES AND CANCER RISK

Dental

Sunscreens

Radiation

Possible Protections From Radiation Exposures

Hair Dye

Miscellaneous – A Big Category

 

CHAPTER TWENTY: A LITTLE HELP FOR HAIR

Before And During Radiation And/Or Chemo

Getting Your Hair Back

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: CANCER AND PETS

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: RESOURCES

Directories and Lists Of Clinics/Doctors/Biological Dentists

Doctors and Clinics

Information On Alternative Cancer Treatments and Diets

Organizations Providing Information/Research On The Healing Properties of Natural Substances

Books

Films

Finding Scientific Papers And Studies

Glossaries, Dictionaries, Other Quick References

Journals And Newsletters

Survivor Stories

Talk With Other Patients and Survivors

Strategic Donating

 

Afterword