Breast Cancer: Thriving Through Treatment to Recovery

by Lisa A. Price ND

Overview

Written by a naturopathic physician specializing in complementary cancer care, Breast Cancer: Thriving Through Treatment to Recovery provides solutions for maintaining health and improving quality of life during conventional cancer treatment. With diet, exercise, and mental health plans tailored to treatment protocol and cancer type, this valuable guide offers safe and effective tools and practices to support patients through every phase and protocol. Organized into six easy chapters, the book summarizes the effects of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy; catalogs potential side effects; and includes recipes, exercise programs, and mental health therapy suggestions based on symptoms and predictable side effect risks to build strength, promote healing, and improve outcomes.

This essential resource will help breast cancer patients reduce short- and long-term effects during and after treatment and includes:

• Scientifically proven practices to support physical and emotional health using nutrition, exercise, and mind-body therapies
• Concise explanation of how specific cancer therapies work and their effects on the immune system
• Exercises to build strength with an array of low- to high-impact cardiovascular and weight-bearing exercises
• Quick and delicious recipes designed to include daily protein, fiber, and carbohydrate needs for patients in recovery
• Psychological health and well-being promoted therapies that address patient concerns

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826148575
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	06/08/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	98
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Lisa A. Price, ND, is in private practice in Seattle and is an adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University. In her role as a complementary cancer care specialty provider, she works with patients to help decrease side effects of conventional therapies and improve quality of life through supplements, diet, and exercise.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Understanding Chemotherapy, Surgery, Radiation, and Hormone Therapy

Chapter 2: Emotional Aftermath and Effects on the Immune System

Chapter 3: Nurturing Through Nutrients: Easy, Flavorful Recipes

Chapter 4: Getting Stronger: Exercise for Patients with Breast Cancer

Chapter 5: Finding Emotional Balance: Mind-Body Therapies for Patients With Breast Cancer

Chapter 6: Seeking Resiliency and Balance: Tying it all Together

Appendix i: Cancer Support Organizations

Appendix ii: Counseling and Therapy Organizations

Appendix iii: Exercise Associations and Institutions

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Amrit Devgun, ND, AAP (Northwestern Health Sciences University)
Description: Women diagnosed with breast cancer may go through many stages of emotional issues and increased stress, which in turn can weaken the immune system. This book helps to make this connection and discusses ways to holistically improve quality of life not only for those dealing with cancer, but with other illnesses as well. It gives a brief overview of what women can expect during conventional breast cancer treatments and offers holistic solutions to improve quality of life and outcomes during different phases of treatment and remission.
Purpose: This book acts as an introductory personal holistic planning guide for those undergoing breast cancer treatments. It discusses the possible emotional and immunological disturbances that a woman can face after a diagnosis of cancer and subsequent treatments and the importance of strengthening the immune system for better outcomes and remission. It provides resources on nutrition, exercise, and mental health. This is a worthy objective since many don't understand the connection between emotional stress, the immune system, chronic disease, and cancer. The author does a good job of giving brief descriptions of different holistic aspects for women to consider in coming up with a comprehensive plan to improve their quality of life during and after their cancer treatments. However, given how short the book is, readers may find that they need to turn to other resources to delve deeper into nutrition, exercise, and mind-body therapies.
Audience: Although the book is intended for women diagnosed with breast cancer, their loved ones also may benefit from reading it. The author, a naturopathic physician specializing in cancer care, has written other books on cancer treatment and recovery and has published peer-reviewed scientific papers and abstracts. She was also an NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Fellow in immunology and oncology.
Features: The author first discusses conventional cancer therapies and their potential side effects followed by a discussion of the impact of emotional stress on the body and the role of the immune system. The remaining chapters discuss the role of nutrition, exercise, and mind-body therapies with some recipes. Each of these chapters ends with a suggested implementation plan, which is particularly useful in the exercise chapter. The book ends with appendixes listing cancer support organizations, mental therapy associations, and other useful resources. The author writes in a straightforward style well suited for this topic and audience. As a result, this short guidebook is easy to refer to and isn't overwhelming, an important consideration for women already physically and emotionally traumatized by their diagnosis and treatments.
Assessment: This is a good introductory book for women looking for a way to begin to build their detailed personal care plan during and after their cancer treatment. It's especially useful as a quick read for those who need a summary of holistic mind-body therapies to consider for their journey. Those looking for more in-depth information on certain topics such as herbs, supplements, detoxification approaches, etc., will need to consult other resources such as The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Breast Cancer: A Practical Manual for Understanding, Prevention and Care, Kaur (Robert Rose, 2004).

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