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Fighting Cancer with Nutrition |
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Fighting Cancer with Nutrition |
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Cancer: Nutrition and Survival by Steve Hickey, PhD and Hilary
Roberts, PhD (Lulu Press, 2005. Paperback, 295
pages. ISBN: 141166339X) Available through most internet
booksellers. Reviewed by Andrew W. Saul (Reprinted with permission from
Saul AW. Review of Cancer: Nutrition and survival, by Steve Hickey and
Hilary Roberts. J Orthomolecular Med, 2006. Vol
21, No 2.) Many years ago, when I crossed the
equator aboard ship, I caught myself in the act of half-looking for a line of
floats, a dotted line, a marker of some sort, to
indicate that the hemispheres had changed. Ridiculous, I confess. Yet, as we
look outward at our shared biosphere, and inward at our common biochemistry,
one may even wonder if our very skin is something of an arbitrary boundary between
internal and external environments. Do our cells and tissues have their own
microevolution, mirroring that of fishes and finches? In their new book, Cancer:
Nutrition and Survival, Drs. Steve Hickey and Hilary Roberts propose
that “cancer is a consequence of our evolution from single-called to
multi-called organisms” and that the “causes of the disease are explained
according to a simple evolutionary model. . . Biological principles predict
that cancer-killing substances should occur frequently in nature, and this is
indeed the case.” Simple explanation for cancer?
Natural cures for cancer? One can almost hear orthodox oncologists lighting
the straw beneath the stake as the authors make such near-heretical statements.
But before anyone is torched, would-be judges had best take a look at the
evidence. Hickey and Roberts certainly have. Cancer: Nutrition and
Survival is one of the most tightly referenced books I have ever seen,
with a staggering 1,148 citations. The book is well organized, appropriately
illustrated, and briefly indexed. In a book this thorough, with so many
subtopics and literature citations, an author index would be a good addition.
This is the book of choice to put
into the hands of cancer patients who don’t know what their options really
consist of. It is also my pick for any doctor who may certainly have heard of
Linus Pauling, but refuses to read him. Pauling and cancer surgeon Ewan Cameron co-wrote their now-classic Cancer and
Vitamin C back in 1979, which was last updated in 1993. Hickey and
Roberts’ Cancer: Nutrition and Survival qualifies as a most worthy
successor, with the advantage of being right up to date. But it is much more than just a
current review. Cancer: Nutrition and Survival has something of the Fantastic
Voyage movie about it. In the first chapters, we are, in a manner of
speaking, reduced in size for a virtual tour the body from the inside. That
the authors enable us to visualize cellular biochemistry is a testament to
their skill as scientists. That they can make it compelling is a testimony to
their skill as writers. For me, the best part starts on page 106, as the book
turns to nutritional solutions to cancer, and zeros in on the benefits of
ascorbate therapy. The authors are well versed on the subject, having
previously written the first-rate book Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C. Only the rarest Roger J. Williams wrote, “When in
doubt, use nutrition first.” There would seem to be few oncologists who
practice accordingly. If Dr. Williams’ principle does not ring true to them,
perhaps Pascal’s Wager will: Using ascorbate is more advantageous than not
using it. It makes little sense to close the door on this and other available
nutritional cancer therapies that, at the very least, improve quality and
length of life and at best, save life. Consider this book’s title. If
more patients had better nutrition, they would have better survival. Napoleon
is said to have declared that in the next life, doctors will have more lives
to answer for then generals. The bad news is that it is too late for the dead
to benefit from Cancer: Nutrition and Survival. The good news is that
it is not too late for the living. Drs. Hickey and Roberts’ book needs to be
widely read before any more lives are spent. Andrew Saul is the author of the books FIRE
YOUR DOCTOR! How to be Independently Healthy (reader reviews at
http://www.doctoryourself.com/review.html
) and DOCTOR YOURSELF: Natural Healing that Works. (reviewed at http://www.doctoryourself.com/saulbooks.html
) For ordering information, Click here . |
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