Customer Reviews

Complementary Cancer Therapies: Combining Traditional and Alternative Approaches for the Best Possible Outcome

5 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Thanks to Dr. Labriola for making this difficult subject understandable to cancer patients and their families. I am an oncologist who sees many patients trying to research complementary therapies, prevent complications and maximize quality of life. His readable and well organized book gives the reader tools to make wise decisions, free from divisive rhetoric. He is especially expert at interactions between traditional and alternative therapies. New patients will appreciate his helpful criteria for choosing the right doctors, traditional or alternative. The glossaries are fantastic. For those who are exploring the intersection of conventional cancer medicine and the array of complementary choices, this book is a great starting point. I highly recommend it.

As an M.D. with over 20 years`experience working with cancer patients, combining complementary, medical and palliative approaches, I ordered this book with great expectations, which were strengthened by the catchphrase "combine the best of science and the best of nature to combat cancer".
Best of science? What science? This book is loaded with strong opinions and assertations, presented as truth, often contradicting findings from recent research on complementary therapies - BUT NOT A SINGLE REFERENCE OR SOURCE QUOTATION in a book of 340 pages claiming to be scientific and authoritative. Hoping to find his sources, I seek his web page. More of hyperbole about the author and the selling of his products, but not a single reference to research - just the repeated claims about how scientific his "breakthrough" work is. There is no feedback column, just loads of opportunity to buy his goods and services. So here is my feedback. I believe that this is precisely the approach that we must avoid if the field of integrated medicine, combining "the best of both worlds" is to advance.

The best book out there is "The Definitive Guide To Cancer" by Alschuler and Gazella.

Lots of information about managing life threatening diseases, and information about chemo agents, and about alternative medicines etc. Lots of repetitive warnings about not using any alternative medicines while in chemo. But nothing I found helpful in doing what the book claims -- combining traditional and alternative approaches. I can understand his concern about FDA and ethical issues re giving medical device, but this was a huge disappointment.

I thought this was a terrible book. There are much better ones available on this important subject.