A friend gave this book to me shortly after my FBC (F-bomb breast cancer) diagnosis. I devoured it (pun intended!) immediately.
In 1995, after undergoing chemotherapy and surgery for brain cancer, Servan-Schreiber, a clinical professor of psychiatry and neuroscientist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, asked his oncologist if any lifestyle changes would prevent a relapse (a question, by the way, that I seem to ask everyone!); the answer was no. Stunning and baffling to me.
Certain that this was wrong, Servan-Schreiber used his expertise as a scientist to reasearch a mass of scientific data on natural defenses against cancer and to understand how to build his body’s defenses to keeping him healthy. He recognized that while Western medicine does a great job of killing cancer cells, it offers little in the way of developing the body’s natural defenses to prevent and eradicate cancer cells.
I love this book because Servan-Schreiber because does not suggest that a person should forgo modern medical cancer treatment if you are diagnosed with cancer, but rather that lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise should be used in conjunction with them as a way to prevent cancer from developing.
He advocates a positive, life-affirming attitude, articulating stories of patients whose cancers disappeared when they attained inner peace. Sounds like some Silver Linings going on to me!
This book emphasizes the negative, cancer causing impact of inflammatory foods, e.g., dairy, coffee, wine, etc. I know. I know. Total bummer. But, it’s the reality. Just today, I had a long corroborative talk with my lymphedema therapist about this exact topic (yes, I still have lymphedema and yes, I am continuing to get weekly treatments and yes, I am still wearing spanks-esque sleeve on my right arm).
The book Anticancer tells us:
- Why the traditional Western diet creates the conditions for disease and how to develop a science-based anticancer diet
- How and why sugar and stress feed cancer and ways to achieve life balance and good nutrition to combat it
- Why the effects of helplessness and unhealed wounds affect our ability to restore health
- How to reap the benefits of exercise, yoga, and meditation
- How to minimize environmental toxins
- How to find the right blend of traditional and alternative health care
For me, Anticancer is a compelling and eye-opening book about how the lifestyle choices we choose to make can greatly impact our risk for cancer (or, Ahem, the dreaded recurrence).
In Anticancer, Dr. Servan-Schreiber suggests that if we all have a potential cancer lying dormant in us (which we do), each of us also has a body designed to fight the process of tumor development. It is up to each of us to use of body’s natural defenses, ideally BEFORE F-Bomb cancer rears its ugly head.
Hope you enjoy this Silver Lining read!
Prevention is the best medicine.
– Unknown
This book is exciting. A plan to prevent cancer and it's reacurrence. Yay! I'm so happy you are finished with your treatments and living your beautiful new life.
Just one thought though….can't an occasional glass of wine be beneficial? ((fingers crossed)
Xo