Life Over Cancer: The Block Center Program for Integrative Cancer Treatment (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Andrew Weil M.D. (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy may treat cancer but can also necessitate huge changes in lifestyle and body image and predispose the patient to other diseases, recurrence, and death. Block (medical director, Block Ctr. for Integrative Cancer Treatment) lays out a comprehensive complementary-therapy program designed to enhance conventional treatments, and he provides advice that will better a patient's life and improve chances of a full cure. Block stresses that patients should not abandon traditional medicine and should consult their health-care team before adding less traditional treatments. He details an anticancer diet, with specific recommendations for foods and supplements, as well as exercise plans and spiritual maintenance. Methods of boosting one's immune response while providing a less friendly "bioterrain" for cancer cells are suggested, as are techniques to counteract the ill effects, e.g., nausea and fatigue, of traditional cancer therapies. This dense book may overwhelm some readers, but considering the prevalence of cancer, it's sure to be a popular title.—Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans Hosp., Tampa
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Life Over Cancer is the compilation of Dr. Block's three decades of research and development of his optimal model of integrative cancer treatment. As Chief of Surgical Oncology from a major medical institution, I have sent many patients to the Block Center. They experienced less treatment toxicity, improved treatment response, better quality of life, and improved outcomes. In my opinion, Dr. Block's clinic is unique and what I consider to be the top integrative oncology center in the US. It is where I would go if I was ever diagnosed with cancer."— N. Joseph Espat, M.D. Professor and Chief, Surgical Oncology Roger Williams Medical Center

“Life Over Cancer is a must- read for anyone combating this disease. It provides genuine hope, as well as the evidence, rationale, and instructions in how to live a healthier, fuller life with cancer, while providing a broader array of treatment options that improve quality of life.”—Nick Vogelzang, M.D., Director, Nevada Cancer Institute Professor of Medicine, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Las Vegas

“Here is cancer care as it should be: person-centered, integrated, individualized and science-based. If you or your loved ones have been touched by cancer, or if you care for those with cancer, read this book.”—Wayne B. Jonas, M.D., President and CEO, Samueli Institute Director (1995-1999), Office of Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health

“Keith Block is one of the great pioneers of integrative oncology. This important book is essential reading for patients and health professionals alike. Block's approach is indicative of much of the future of this critically important field of medicine."—Michael Lerner, Ph.D., President, Commonwealth Cofounder, Commonweal Cancer Help Program

“Life Over Cancer provides the reader with an accessible and comprehensive program that combines the best of conventional cancer therapy with effective complementary interventions. It is this 'whole person' approach to patient care that Dr. Block brought to the University of Illinois Integrative Medical Education program which he established in the mid-nineties. His dedication and efforts have transformed the school's medical education curriculum, and inspired future physicians to view integrative medicine as a truly significant component of health care.”—L. J. Sandlow, M.D. Senior Associate Dean for Academic & Educational Affairs Professor and Head, Department of Medical Education University of Illinois College of Medicine

“In Life Over Cancer, Dr. Block demonstrates his huge depth of knowledge of the comprehensive management of patients with cancer and illustrates the wealth of opportunities and choices available to them. This is a book about optimism, soundly grounded in science."—Stephen M. Sagar, M.D. President, Society for Integrative Oncology Associate Professor Oncology & Medicine, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario

“Life Over Cancer provides countless strategies to enable the patient to regain some of the lost sense of control that a diagnosis often carries, empowering them to be a true partner in their fight for life. Dr. Block's counsel and guidance have assisted countless medical professionals hoping to provide their own patients with a comprehensive integrative approach to care.” —Donald I. Abrams, M.D., Chief of Hematology-Oncology San Francisco General Hospital Prof. Clinical Medicine, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, UCSF

“How refreshing to come across this thoughtful book.…With the boldness of a carpe diem, this evidence-based integrative approach should serve as a wake-up call for oncologists to overcome their obsession with treating cancer as an isolated target and to pay attention to the cancer patient whose own faculties need to be harnessed as agencies to win this war.”—Azra Raza, M.D. Director of the Myelodysplatic Syndrome Center St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, NY Former Chief Hematology-Oncology University of Massachusetts

“Keith Block is the foremost integrative oncologist in North America. In Life Over Cancer he shares his incomparable depth of knowledge and experience with us and presents a comprehensive, scientific, and practical program for helping people with cancer effectively fight the disease.”—Leo Galland, M.D., Author, Power Healing Director, The Foundation for Integrated Medicine

“Life Over Cancer is a training manual for cancer patients, their families, cancer nurses, oncology pharmacists and oncologists. [It] provides patients with insight and a series of concrete steps to help them live better and longer, despite a cancer diagnosis. —William JM Hrushesky, M.D., Senior Clinician Investigator, Medical Oncology Professor, Schools of Public Health and Medicine, University of South Carolina , WJB Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia SC

“Patients who have taken the Life Over Cancer sojourn have generated an impressive track record. While we have much to comprehend about the inner workings of cancer it is reassuring to know that personalized state-of-the-art care is within reach.—Debu Tripathy, M.D. Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine Former Director of the Komen / UT Southwestern Breast Cancer Research Program President and CEO, Physicians Education Resource

“Without doubt, Life Over Cancer can be singled out as the most authoritative book in integrative cancer medicine available for the cancer patient. I highly recommend it for patients and caregivers.”—Jacob Shoham, M.D., PhD, Medical Oncology Professor Emeritus of Life Sciences Bar-Ilan University, Israel.

“Life Over Cancer is the program every cancer patient deserves in order to have the best chance for recovery and restoration of health.”—Andrew Weil, M.D.

“Keith Block is a pioneer and leader in integrative cancer care and one of its premier practitioners. This clear, meticulously documented, practical book is a lifeline for anyone who has cancer. It should be required reading for all oncologists.”—James S. Gordon, M.D., former chair, White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy; author of Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven Stage Journey Out of Depression

“To this day, the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment remains the best and the only truly comprehensive integrative cancer center in the country. This generous book is the exact blueprint for that program and the recipe for its success: hope and science.”—Mark Renneker, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor, Unviersity of California, San Francisco, Medical School

"Dr. Keith Block shares his decades of research and clinical practice, and presents a powerful, practical, and accessible approach for patients, loved ones, caregivers, and health professionals.  This book beautifully reveals the depth of his dedication and commitment to helping people heal."—Jeremy Geffen, M.D., medical oncologist and author of The Journey Through Cancer: Healing and Transforming the Whole Person
 
“Keith Block, M.D. is the most prominent integrative cancer specialist in the United States. His new book, Life Over Cancer, is the manifesto of the movement for a kinder and more effective form of managing this terrible disease.”—Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D., Director, The Moss Reports

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; 1 edition (April 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553801147
• ISBN-13: 978-0553801149
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,508 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Book, May 7, 2009

By	Marcy - See all my reviews

Having had breast cancer twice and having read virtually every book out there on the subject, I have to say that this book sets the gold standard. For starters it is well wrtten, well organized and well researched which are qualities you rarely find in this type of book. Beyond this, it contains an incredible amount of immediately useful information while maintaining the recognititon that one size does not fit all-a practice that you often find in the medical community. In my own journey through this disease, I have observed that many clinics are attempting to incorporate integrative strategies, and even though they are moving in the right direction, they are missing the whole picture. It is so blatantly clear that Dr. Block has put together all the pieces in a truly comprehensive approach. I was so impressed with this book, I bought a copy for every doctor that I have interacted with in the past few years.
If you or a family member are dealing with cancer- pay attention- this book is the one you will refer to over and over again.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Landmark Book, Though It Falls Between Audiences, June 2, 2009

By	Irfan A. Alvi (Towson, MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Dr. Block is a pioneer of integrative oncology, with about three decades of experience in cancer research and clinical care for thousands of cancer patients. For the past three years, I've followed his work with great interest, and I knew a while back that he was working on this book, so I awaited the book with eager anticipation. I bought the book the day it came out and have just finished reading it in its entirety.

Though the book has a significant shortcoming which I'll get to in a moment, it's still overall an outstanding resource. In these 500+ pages, Dr. Block explains the philosophy behind his integrative treatment approach, and he also provides abundant details on how he implements this approach for patients on an individualized basis, addressing the goals of both extending survival and improving quality of life. Because (a) cancer is a huge social problem, (b) an integrative approach makes sense, is supported by evidence, and is (hopefully) the wave of the future, and (c) Dr. Block's credentials are as authoritative as one can find, this book will hopefully have a large influence and thereby offer a major contribution to human welfare.

The primary shortcoming of this book is that it tries to simultaneously serve both patients/caregivers and physicians/researchers, but these are two audiences with dramatically different technical backgrounds, so I think that trying to find a compromise between these two audiences does somewhat of a disservice to both. In other words, I think two seperate books would have worked better.

For patients/caregivers, I think a more streamlined book would have been preferable, since the current book has the potential to be overwhelming (even with the "quick maps"), to the point where many may give up on trying to make use of the book, which would be very unfortunate. Instead, some will surely try to just go to the Block Center for treatment, but that won't be feasible for most, so they'll be left hanging unless they can find a local oncologist who's on board with Dr. Block's approach; I hope that Dr. Block will address that need in his website. As the book stands now, for patients/caregivers who are sufficiently motivated and have sufficient time, I suggest reading the book through once quickly, then reading it a second time carefully to absorb the details, and then referring to it as needed. That won't be a small effort, but the effort will be worth it, since it could add years to a patient's life if Dr. Block's advice is followed diligently.

And for physicians/researchers, I think the book is too watered down from a technical standpoint, resulting in too much "fluff" and not enough solid technical detail. This is again unfortunate because a much stronger case for Dr. Block's treatment approach could have been made if the book had been written at a higher technical level, and more details would also have helped physicians in applying this treatment approach. Of course, the Pubmed abstracts available through the website for the book are meant to address this issue, but I still think that a lot more technical information should have been included in the book itself. (The recent book Integrative Oncology (Weil Integrative Medicine Library) partly fills the need for a more technically advanced book and nicely complements Dr. Block's book, so I recommend it.)

Despite this audience-related shortcoming, again, I do think this a landmark book which has the potential to make a major contribution, so I very highly recommend it to all cancer patients/caregivers and physicians/researchers, and I wouldn't dream of giving it less than 5 stars. This is the best book on integrative oncology that I know of, and therefore one of the best books on cancer treatment that I know of.

Also, for those dealing with malignant brain tumors, please note that you're welcome to join the Yahoo! Brain-Research Group which I founded and moderate. The aim of the group is to identify and discuss treatments for malignant brain tumors, including promising ways to use and combine treatments, and the majority of the group members favor an integrative approach similar to what Dr. Block describes. An associated website can be found at brain-treatments.net.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read, May 28, 2009

By	Surviving in Florida (Florida) - See all my reviews

This is honestly the best book on integrative cancer treatment on the market right now. My best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago. I was floored when she started getting her chemo from the Block Clinic (in Chicago). There are several university based cancer clinics within 10 miles of where she lives, but she racks up those frequent flier miles to fly for her treatment. Her cancer is now in remission. To make a long story short, my mother was also diagnosed with the same disease six months ago. Since then, I've made it my mission in life to learn all I can about it. Nobody wants to read a book about cancer, but I had to, so I've read nearly 50 books. Many of them are depressing and have the same information that you can find on line (although I recommend Anti-Cancer by David Servan and Susan Love's Breast Book). My friend (who is now in remission) gave me this book, and I was really impressed with it. I read it cover to cover in 2 days, and bought copies for my mother, her doctors, and our family to read. Basically the book discusses 3 main areas to focus on: "improving your lifestyle," "boosting your biology" and "enhancing your treatment". You don't need to have cancer to appreciate this book, in fact, I believe it should help cut the risk of getting this terrible disease. PS I read the reviewer who said he had a hard time contacting the clinic, and I had to laugh. My friend was supposed to fly in for a check up and she (who is a loyal patient couldn't get through either!