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