Double Vision: An East-West Collaboration for Coping with Cancer [Paperback]

Alexandra Dundas Todd (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0819562890 | ISBN-13: 978-0819562890 | Publication Date: September 15, 1994 | Edition: 1st

When Alexandra Todd's 21-year-old son is diagnosed with cancer, the family embarks on an odyssey that ultimately steers an expansive course between the gleaming technologies of traditional Western medicine and the gentle arts of alternative healing.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"The Chinese word for crisis consists of two characters: danger and opportunity," writes medical sociologist Todd. For her, the danger was the rare brain cancer that threatened the life of her 20-year-old son, Drew. But it was also an opportunity to combine Western medicine's aggressive treatments (surgery, radiation) with the gentle healing techniques of the East (acupuncture, macrobiotics) in a successful campaign to overcome the cancer. In alternating chapters, Todd describes the diagnosis and treatment of her son's illness and her exploration of alternative methods, applied first to her own ailments. Several appendixes outline Drew's macrobiotic diet and list various resources and readings. While Todd offers some interesting ideas, one wonders how patients lacking her health insurance and her time could cope with complicated recipes and exotic ingredients. For larger health collections.
Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When her son was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer after a year and a half of unexplained headaches, blurred vision, and fatigue, Todd reacted as nearly any mother would--with terror. But then she reacted as any scientist would and searched methodically for answers to her questions about the disease and treatment. As a medical sociologist, she had the background and the tools to research and evaluate treatment options, and as a mother, she had the unrelenting will and unending love to see things through: she created a blend of Eastern and Western medicines which enabled her son to beat the cancer. Todd gives the most attention here to macrobiotic nutrition (recipes included) as a mainstay of building resistance and fighting disease, but she also discusses the benefits of integrating Western treatment with such other Eastern approaches as meditation and acupuncture. No half-baked, New Age ideological rant, her report is a carefully researched treatise on effectively battling cancer, worthy of close attention. Mary Ellen Sullivan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Wesleyan; 1st edition (September 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0819562890
• ISBN-13: 978-0819562890
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,209,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for everyone--not just those with cancer, March 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Double Vision: An East-West Collaboration for Coping with Cancer (Paperback)

A very interesting and informative introduction to Eastern healing, such as acupuncture and macrobiotic diet. Also a touching and uplifting story of a family's struggle with cancer. Ms. Todd's recipes and sources for further reading are especially helpful. The title sums it up: healing through an effective combination of "alternative" Eastern therapies and "traditional" Western medicine. Highly recommend this book for all those facing any serious illness. It does not claim to have all the answers, but helps identify some concrete ways to help in healing yourself (or at the very least, to better tolerate treatments).