Breast Cancer: 50 Essential Things You Can Do
by Greg Anderson, foreword by Christiane Northrup, M.D.
c.2011, Conari Press $16.95 / $18.95 Canada 304 pages
Though you tried, there was really no way you could ignore it.
The first time your fingertips spotted the lump, you were sure it was nothing. Just a little abnormality beneath the skin, probably one of those weird things everybody’s body does now and then.
But the lump was there the next time, and the next, and you couldn’t ignore it anymore. With a big lump in your throat (ironic, huh?) you saw your doctor and got the diagnosis you dreaded.
So what next? How can you get past breast cancer and stay well?
You can begin by finding Breast Cancer: 50 Essential Things You Can Do by Greg Anderson.
Before you start reading, though, Anderson says to grab some paper and create a Wellness and Recovery Journal. Write whatever comes to mind: your insights, thoughts, fears, questions you have for your doctor, success stories. Paste in it articles you find interesting. Use it as a reference on your journey.
Next, remember three things: there is no single cause for all breast cancers and there is no one cure. The names of the kinds of breast cancer may be similar (and you’ll find a listing in here) but you’re an individual and so is your disease. Remember that you’re “not looking for more medicine. You are seeking the best medicine. The two are not the same.” And remember that hope is your “greatest ally.”
So you’re ready to fight. Anderson, who is founder and CEO of Cancer Recovery Foundation International, says that you should ask, ask, ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by your doctor. If you’re uncomfortable with him or her, look for a doctor with which you have great rapport.
Studies show that exercise boosts long-term survival rates for breast cancer, as do healthier eating and nutritional supplements. Learning to focus will stop negative thoughts from swirling around in your head. Put yourself in charge of your disease, and learn as much as you can about it. Reframe statistics and ignore pessimistic predictions. Know your options and believe in the one you choose. Laugh, play, sleep, love more, and share your experiences.
When you get a cancer diagnosis, it’s natural for your mind to do frantic loops of doom but in order to get through what lies ahead, you need real answers. Breast Cancer: 50 Essential Things You Can Do can help.
From the panic of first opinion to surgery and beyond, author Greg Anderson takes patients through every step as he offers nurturing advice along the way. There’s a lot of new information in this book, as well as plenty of common sense guidance of which breast cancer fighters need to be reminded. Anderson doesn’t step lightly here; he charges through the battlefield, which is the perfect tone.
Though bits of this book are a little on the new-agey side, Breast Cancer: 50 Essential Things You Can Do would, overall, be of great benefit to patients. If you’ve just received the diagnosis that set your world a-tip, this is a book you can’t ignore.
Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri is a professional book reviewer who has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book.