Customer Reviews

Integrative Oncology (Weil Integrative Medicine Library)

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Donald Abrams, MD and Andrew Weil, MD have produced a volume that is desperately needed. From acupuncture to botanicals to cannabis to etc., cancer patients, their caregivers, their physcians and nurses now have a valuable resource to help understand and use integrative medicine (IM). Those interested in inhibiting cancer should also find "Integrative Oncology" of value.
Most oncologists don't have a background in IM. Some are intimidated by their patients who know more about IM than they do. A few have the MDiety complex.
The prominent researchers in this book discuss the potential benefits of many therapies and dismiss others that appear to be of no value or worse.
Do I have a bias--yes indeed. For over thirty years I have counseled cancer patients on the therapeutic and prophylatic use of nutrients. "Integrative Oncolgy" has expanded my vision, knowledge and insight into other modalities in a very important and useful way.
My wife is a patient of Donald Abrams at the University of California Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. She has benefitted significantly from his expertise and his empathy.

Two worlds collide within these pages: conventional wisdom meets a panoply of modalities from molecular targets of botanicals to Chinese medicine to antioxidants, homeopathy, spirituality and massage. Questions like "How can we make radiation better?" are not the usual questions. The information provides practical guidance to patients and providers alike. It is sophisticated and on the mark. There is a large menu of topics that are all covered well. Sit down and benefit from this meal. This is a wonderful contribution to the field.

Integrative Oncology is a much overdo book that is a bold step forward in the effort of blending mainstream and CAM therapies for the treatment of cancer. Today's oncologists have little knowledge of CAM approaches and, in fact, generally avoid them.

Every oncologist should be required to read this fine book...every patient with cancer deserves to read it as well.

Well done!
Len Saputo, MD
Author of "A Return to Healing: Radical Health Care Reform and the future of Medicine."

I was fortunate enough to have this book shared with me by my Radiation doctor this May. I immediately bought myself a copy, which is now highlighted widely throughout. I appreciate the wealth of strong supportive data for the multitude of tested methods. While I'm less familiar with Co-Editor Doctor Donald Abrams, I've always appreciated the balanced manner in which Co-Editor Doctor Andrew Weil has presented both Western and Easter health options.
While each patient must personally weigh the potential negative unknowns against these treatments, I feel fortunate to have been introduced to this book. It was among a number of valuable resources I turned to on this treatment path. I personally feel my cancer & treatment experience would have been much worse, had I not had the benfit of some of the botanicals to my supplement regimen. (I did discontinue periodically during treatment.) The broad smiles and expressed surprise from both my oncologist & my radiation doctor were also very telling.
I've now had my first scan after treatment...and am hoping for many more years of clean scans.
I'm now buying this book for my brother-in-law, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Lost a dear friend to Cancer. Wish this book was available then.
On a personnel note, I believe Dr. Abrams to be a good and decent human being who truly cares about the well being of his fellow passengers on this third rock from the Sun.

Donald Abrams, MD and Andrew Weil, MD have created an indispensible book addressing the full range of integrative medicine techniques used in the field of oncology. For doctors, patients, caregivers and advocates, this book serves as an excellent tool kit and reference guide. For those involved on the journey through cancer, this information will open your eyes to the full realm of possibilities available on the road toward healing.

Integrative Oncology
By Donald Abrams and Andrew Weil.

Don't let this title fool you. This book is a thoughtful and thorough practical addition to the literature or better yet the tools for the growing integrative healing model of medicine. As for its connection to guided imagery the better-informed client, patient, caregivers are regarding the current state of medicine and the spirit mind body paradigm the better able practitioners and patients communicate.

Alternative Healing and Complementary Medicine

This latest addition to the integrative medicine Library, published in 2009 has a number of important dynamics. Donald Abram's stated audience are the health care providers who seek up to date, comprehensive, user friendly source of information that will be relevant to the care of their patients. In his preface, Donald goes on to say, "integrative oncology can be defined as the rational, evidence-based combination of conventional therapy with complementary interventions into an individualized therapeutic regime that addresses the whole person living with and beyond cancer -- body, mind, and spirit. The number of cancer patients and survivors incorporating complementary modalities into their treatment program is difficult to estimate precisely but seems to be large and on the increase".

I took the liberty of using Dr. Abrams first name Donald intentionally, because I have the privilege of having my daughter Eva as his patient and he encourages us to call him by his first name. The essence of the practice of integrated oncology is the personalization and compassion between one person to another. It's the art of listening, being informed and being open to treatments that have spanned entire civilizations. Even though this book has as its primary audience the healthcare provider it is my position that the material found in this book is in fact as relevant to the client patient in that it gives the client patient an appreciation of the literature that is currently being read and made available in the field of complementary alternative medicine. An informed patient is a better patient and is better served by the practitioner.

There are a number of passages that share a vital message, which is the essence of this book, which is a compassion and deep respect for the spirit mind body paradigm. The chapter on mind-body medicine and integrative cancer care identifies five key approaches that have a special tonality with guided imagery: Relaxation techniques, guided imagery, meditation, hypnosis, and interactive guided imagery. These modalities all combine a form of inner spirit mind body attention. Each description is precise in its language and simple in its definition. It merely informs, but does so with a degree of optimism. That optimism continues as a pattern throughout this book. Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen captures the shift that illness plays in our daily lives. "... Illness can shuffle our values like a deck of cards. Sometimes a card we carried at the bottom of our deck turns out to be the top card, the thing that really matters... often a shift in values and perspective is a slow process and is achieved before we even fully realize that we have been changed by our experience". Our experiences are what it's all about and the end of this book the point is poignantly made.

I was reassured by this works integrity by the second to last chapter, "The Role of Spirituality". The definition put forth advances the concept very pragmatically and sans apologies, " In the broadest sense, spirituality is focused on purpose, meaning and connectedness with self, others and a higher power. Spirituality is recognized as an integral part of being human. Spiritual issues: grief, loss, pain, suffering, shock, denial, fear, hopelessness, spiritual distress, despair, isolation, are examples of spiritual issues faced by patients". Another quote from a title "close to the bone" tells about the impact of a serious illness in a person's life, "a life threatening illness", as the impact of the stone hitting the still surface of a lake, in sending concentric rings of disturbances out, as feelings, thoughts and reactions radiate out from this in a center. It impacts relationships, it stirs the depth of others, and potentially brings the patient and those who are affected - Close to the bone".

The editors wisely close by following their own advice. Listening to the narrative from the patient's perspective. "A Patient's Perspective" offers a scenario that is often all to common. The ups and downs and ups and finally the highs. Advice to take to heart; " developing a treatment plan that makes you feel comfortable, tap into your minds healing power, simplify your life by resolving the sources of stress, stay positive, and with a touch of humor. In closing, a good life is summarized in 3 " H's". They are in order of importance: happiness, health, and ...hmmm, I forget the third one." (ed. We are left to our own devices mine is to imagine that HMMMMM as a sense of HUMOR).

Integrated oncology doesn't forget the H, which is HELP - that the practice of integrative oncology helps the clinical team better address the patient's total care. Integrated Oncology as the hope for a new medicine, a new medicine that focuses on the individual patient and the new medicine that referred to doctors turning to the mind for healing, the deeper mind, the spirit mind body.

I have been doing research on cancer related treatments for many years. I have purchased a great many book and read thousands of articles on both conventional and "alternative" methods. Although there is a great deal of material in this book and as such is quite comprehensive, it falls short in many ways. This book seems to be similar to much of the "official" published material on alternative medicine. Most products that been shown time and again to help with cancer are given a look warm review with a "need for more research" . Many herbs and herbal compounds that are being used in many centers such as MD Andersohn in Houston, when reviewed by the researcher are far more positive than those that appear in this book. Dr. aron Katz at NYC Columbia presbyterian is a strong advocate on the integrated use of herbal mediicine and has been using, for example, Zyflamned from New Chapter for many years.

Similarly, dr Gonzalez has been incredibly successful with pancreatic cancer and has stage IV survivors of more than 10 years. The best this book acan do is "the potential benefits... are intriguing and need to be studied further".

A short half page is dedicated to pulsed electromagnetic frequensies as opposed to the over 900 page textbook on the subjet as well as the hundreds of pages available from other sources. The NASA published a 30 page document on the beneficial power of PEMFs including cancer back in 2003.

I could find no mention of DCA nor low-dose naltrexone the latter having been successfully used for many cancers.

Hypnosis gets about 1 paragraph with no discussion of its success in the field.

No mention (at least in the index) is made of hyperthermia which is widely used in European cancer centers
especially in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. I had a friend who developed colon cancer 9over 30 years ago) and used hyperthermia alone to completly eliminate the rapidly growing tumor.

In short, the Boik book and the Murray book are far more open and supportive of alternative medicine amongst many others.

See also Suzanne Sommers book Knockout on her personal story and approach.

BOTTOM LINE: DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY.

Having implemented Oncology work at my day spa, I have been in search for information to add to my library and this is an excellent addition.
Informative and very helpful for myself as well as my clients.

I have respected and counted on Dr. Weil's approach to integrative medicine for years. So he was the first person I turned to when my husband was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. While I appreciate how much this work is scientifically based, in places it can be difficult to comprehend for a "lay person." However, I think he and Dr. Abrams do the best they can to make this complex information accessible. It gives us the information we need to intelligently discuss my husband's care with his oncology team. I would recommend this work to anyone with questions about an integrative approach to oncology.