Options [Paperback]

Richard Walters (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Walters's book on alternative cancer treatments makes use of the elements found in science fiction and detective stories. Instead of soberly presenting a list of untraditional approaches to treatment, he dramatically unveils what he feels is a gigantic conspiracy to suppress the truth about noninvasive, nontoxic, unorthodox methods. He agrees with a remark he attributes to Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling: "Everyone should know that the 'war on cancer' is largely a fraud." This makes for some fascinating reading, but the science informing many of these treatments is unclear. The Rife generator, a bioelectric device that reportedly conquered terminal cancer in the 1930s, was decisively--and unfairly, argues Walter--discredited by the powers-that-were of conventional medicine. Essiac, an herbal tea reputed to cause remission in many cases of terminal cancer, and the Hoxsey Therapy, another herbal remedy linked to Native American and folk medicine, have been ignored or attacked by researchers and physicians. The many tales of miraculous cures are intriguing and seem to warrant further study, yet Walters believes that the testing of drugs and treatments on animals is not only cruel but ineffective--a view shared by few scientists. So the therapies in this book use people as guinea pigs. The reader is warned that while Walters's guide is "not intended as endorsement for any particular therapies, it does illustrate how specific therapies work and may give hope and strength to readers." The safest advice Walters gives is this: "Approach all therapies--conventional and alternative--with healthy skepticism and suspicion."
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A comprehensive survey of alternative cancer treatments, Options is especially useful for including not only information about herbal, nutritional and other holistic approaches, but also about maverick doctors and scientists, and experimental drug therapies. This is information that is hard to find in any form, and almost impossible to find in language that is accessible to the non-scientist. Although translated from medicalese, the book retains a slightly sterile tone, emphasizing the scientific validity of the various therapies. But if you've been diagnosed with cancer and want facts on alternative therapies, Options offers synopses of research, anecdotal accounts of treatment and analysis of how some medical treatments become standard, while others become quackery. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by PCP

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Avery Trade; 1 edition (August 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895295105
• ISBN-13: 978-0895295101
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #781,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best medicine a cancer victim can have!, November 18, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Chicago, IL.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Options (Paperback)

Got cancer like me? Fight and don't ever give up...no matter what. Read the "conclusion" first of this fine work. Then read the rest. When you do you'll save yourself. One of the best books on fighting cancer I've read and I've read many in my fight. The author did a through and splendid job. Every cancer patient should be given this book by their doctor, but don't count on it...this has everything your doctor doesn't want you to know.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A guide to cancer treatment history, August 24, 2004

By	Bill Henderson "Author, Cure Your Cancer" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Options (Paperback)

Richard Walters has compiled a wonderful reference book on the origins and history of various "alternative" cancer treatments. If you are considering a certain treatment, you would be wise to look into this book's writeup on it. You will find accurate information on how it evolved and how, in many cases, it has been suppressed by the orthodox cancer "establishment." You will even find some resources to contact about it.

The major problem is that this book was published in 1993. The Internet had not been born. Not a single web site is cited in this book. In contrast, my book, printed 10 years later, lists 137 useful web sites fot the cancer patient, selected from among the thousands of candidates. My free biweekly newsletters cite additional helpful web sites in every edition.

Use this book for its purpose -- researching the background on a particular therapy. Don't rely on it for up-to-date information.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to many alternative therapies., September 16, 2004

By	Allen Hahn (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Options (Paperback)

I've read this book many times and have tabbed page after page. My wife and I have given this book as gifts to both friends and work colleagues who have been diagnosed with cancer. I recommend this for anyone--whether they have or do not have cancer. There are options presented here that are viable. Options that permit people suffering from cancer to enjoy a higher quality of life. Options other than cut, burn, and/or poison.