4 out of 4 stars
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Manifesto for a Cancer Patient by Dr. Colleen Huber is a work of non-fiction that provides the readers with some serious food for thought about the issues of patient advocacy and libertarianism in oncology clinics. Though the topic is a fairly heavy one, the genuineness with which the author writes makes an enormous difference to the whole reading experience. In the preface, Dr. Huber includes a disclaimer that Chapter 7 “is a long and tedious bore” and Chapters 6 and 8 “are fairly dreary also.” It’s rare to see such directness from authors, and this one scores brownie points just for being honest right from the start.
My copy of the e-book was a little under 300 pages and consisted of a brief preface, an introduction, 22 chapters, a short About the Author section, and a long list of article citation references to help out the more difficult-to-convince and curious readers. Chapters 1 to 12 explain what the patient can expect from naturopathic oncologists and open our eyes to the very worrisome cancer politics extant in the US. The author also makes a convincing comparison of the risks and benefits of chemotherapy vs. those of natural treatments. Chapters 13 to 22 provide a sample dietary plan for patients and explain why Vitamins C, D, and A, along with adequate exercise and following certain dietary restrictions can make all the difference leading to greater chances of remission and survival.
Here are some of the things that made me genuinely appreciate this book. One, the author seems to have been able to capture the actual essence of what patients encounter in cancer clinics around the world. Oncologists push expensive and often-debilitating chemotherapy as an absolute necessity to cancer patients. This book presents such undeniably shocking data that hits home and shows us how we have been blindly accepting as truth everything the chemotherapy industry has been feeding us in the name of science.
Two, Dr. Huber provides some easy to follow diet and exercise advice in her book—something that every single one of us can benefit from. I can honestly say that this book has gotten me thinking more seriously about my own health and that of my loved ones.
Three, the author commits to do her best to help eliminate each individual’s cancer, irrespective of which course of treatment that patient opts for. Now, that’s something every patient wants to hear the most from any doctor.
Four, Dr. Huber is the only natural practitioner that I know of to have revealed documented evidence of pharmaceutical corruption in US medical research in such a bold manner. Her tone of writing is conversational when she gets to advising the reader about the intricacies of diet and exercise. She cares about patients, and it shows in her choice of words.
And five, this book was obviously professionally edited and proofread. I was not able to identify a single grammatical error. There were a few instances of missing commas, but they were definitely not enough to detract from my enjoyment of the book. The writing style was very simple, so I was able to focus on contemplating on the lessons that were being imparted throughout the book.
I really had to struggle to find something to criticize in Manifesto for a Cancer Patient. And, what I could come up with is that the book is too short, considering all the insights Dr. Huber has to offer. When so much knowledge is being shared in an easily digestible form, you want to read and learn more. Perhaps another book is in the works?
In conclusion, I rate Manifesto for a Cancer Patient 4 out of 4 stars as I truly enjoyed reading it. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in knowing more about the science behind cancer, anyone looking for less-harmful treatment alternatives to chemotherapy, anyone who has a friend or a loved one who has just been diagnosed with cancer, and also those like me who just want to build on their overall health to prevent disease incidence. On the other hand, if you are a staunch supporter of conventional medicine and believe that nothing can beat it in terms of effectiveness, perhaps you would benefit better from a different book that focuses on cancer therapies.
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Manifesto for a Cancer Patient
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