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After Cancer Care: The Definitive Self-Care Guide to Getting and Staying Well for Patients after Cancer
After the intense experience and range of emotion that comes with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy (or all three), cancer patients often find themselves with little or no guidance when it comes to their health post-treatment. After Cancer Care is the much-needed authoritative, approachable guide that fills this gap. It includes information on how to maintain physical health—with chapters on epigenetics, nutrition, and exercise—as well as emotional health through stress management techniques.
The cutting-edge and growingly popular science of Epigenetics has shown that you are not stuck with your genetic history: your choices in diet, exercise, and even relationships can help determine whether or not your genes promote cancer, and therefore determine your propensity for relapse. Your lifestyle has an effect on the most common types of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, and lymphoma.
The doctors present easy-to-incorporate lifestyle changes to help you “turn on” hundreds of genes that fight cancer, and “turn off” the ones that encourage cancer, while recommending lifestyle plans to address each type. In addition, they share 34 healthy recipes and tips on staying active and exercising, detoxifying your house and environment, and taking supplements to help prevent relapse.
With more than three decades of post-cancer-care experience, Drs. Lemole, Mehta, and McKee break down the science into palatable, practical takeaways so that you can drastically improve your quality of life and enjoy many years of cancer-free serenity.
The cutting-edge and growingly popular science of Epigenetics has shown that you are not stuck with your genetic history: your choices in diet, exercise, and even relationships can help determine whether or not your genes promote cancer, and therefore determine your propensity for relapse. Your lifestyle has an effect on the most common types of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, and lymphoma.
The doctors present easy-to-incorporate lifestyle changes to help you “turn on” hundreds of genes that fight cancer, and “turn off” the ones that encourage cancer, while recommending lifestyle plans to address each type. In addition, they share 34 healthy recipes and tips on staying active and exercising, detoxifying your house and environment, and taking supplements to help prevent relapse.
With more than three decades of post-cancer-care experience, Drs. Lemole, Mehta, and McKee break down the science into palatable, practical takeaways so that you can drastically improve your quality of life and enjoy many years of cancer-free serenity.
- GenresNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 10, 2017
A Holistic Wellness and Rehabilitation Program for Those Who Have Completed Cancer Treatment
"After Cancer Care: The Definitive Self-Care Guide to Getting and Staying Well for Patients After Cancer"(2015) by doctors Gerald Lemole, Pallav Mehta and Dwight McKee is based on the premise that cancer patients would benefit from a rehabilitation program same as cardiac patients. These doctors who work within an integrative care model argue that a well-designed and personalized program which includes exercise, nutrition and stress management would help those who have been treated for cancer live a better quality of life and help reduce the risk for relapses or recurrences. The body, mind and spirit are well-covered in this holistic approach to wellness after cancer.
Although the font was very small in the paperback I read, I was able to read it although I needed my reading glasses! Most people with cancer are aged over 50 so I was surprised to see such a small font.
The nutrition section talks about the use of coconut oil as a recommended choice for cooking. Even though the authors say coconut oil is a saturated fat, they still recommend it. They also do not recommend canola oil. This information is contradictory to what some Canadian dieticians are recommending now. The recipe section near the end of the book also has coconut oil as an alternate for olive oil. These recipes and the advice re: canola and coconut oils should be researched a bit more before making your own choice in what oils you use.
The book has some repetitive information, however, the repeats seem to stress some of the important points. On the other hand, it completely neglected some important topics (or there was very little information on) such as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Mindfulness. The importance and benefits of journalling and writing were not stressed and it would have been nice to see a little more written about that.
The index is not as good as it could be. I found some key terms were missing such as cervical cancer and paillomavirus.
I would have loved to see a listing of "approved" complementary or supplemental treatments, services and modalities. There is a sprinkling of ideas throughout the book, but it would have been nice to have a chapter that explained each idea and the science around them when it comes to wellness and health. It would have also been helpful to see a listing of harmful modalities or treatments.
Chapter 7, "Avoiding Toxins", was too unrealistic for me. One of the recommendations was to rid your house of your carpets. This is an extreme measure for those of us who have carpets, and it would be a very costly venture. Some of the advice such as using non-toxic cleaning supplies and avoiding toxins in your food (such as mercury in fish) are more realistic goals to achieve. This would have been a good place to add information about HPV and the vaccine.
Chapter 8, which comprises about a quarter of the book, focuses on 11 common types of cancers and the doctors share their "Cancer Protocols" on cancers such as breast, lung and prostate. The cancer I had, anal cancer, was not mentioned in the book, unfortunately.
Overall, it's a well-edited and researched book with a lot of scientific references in the "Endnotes" section. The "Conclusion" is an excellent reference as it lists 28 points the doctors call "The Quick Hits." A great book for anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, is at or near completion of treatment, and is proactive in restoring, maintaining and maximizing his or her health.
Angela G. Gentile, M.S.W., R.S.W.
"After Cancer Care: The Definitive Self-Care Guide to Getting and Staying Well for Patients After Cancer"(2015) by doctors Gerald Lemole, Pallav Mehta and Dwight McKee is based on the premise that cancer patients would benefit from a rehabilitation program same as cardiac patients. These doctors who work within an integrative care model argue that a well-designed and personalized program which includes exercise, nutrition and stress management would help those who have been treated for cancer live a better quality of life and help reduce the risk for relapses or recurrences. The body, mind and spirit are well-covered in this holistic approach to wellness after cancer.
Although the font was very small in the paperback I read, I was able to read it although I needed my reading glasses! Most people with cancer are aged over 50 so I was surprised to see such a small font.
The nutrition section talks about the use of coconut oil as a recommended choice for cooking. Even though the authors say coconut oil is a saturated fat, they still recommend it. They also do not recommend canola oil. This information is contradictory to what some Canadian dieticians are recommending now. The recipe section near the end of the book also has coconut oil as an alternate for olive oil. These recipes and the advice re: canola and coconut oils should be researched a bit more before making your own choice in what oils you use.
The book has some repetitive information, however, the repeats seem to stress some of the important points. On the other hand, it completely neglected some important topics (or there was very little information on) such as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Mindfulness. The importance and benefits of journalling and writing were not stressed and it would have been nice to see a little more written about that.
The index is not as good as it could be. I found some key terms were missing such as cervical cancer and paillomavirus.
I would have loved to see a listing of "approved" complementary or supplemental treatments, services and modalities. There is a sprinkling of ideas throughout the book, but it would have been nice to have a chapter that explained each idea and the science around them when it comes to wellness and health. It would have also been helpful to see a listing of harmful modalities or treatments.
Chapter 7, "Avoiding Toxins", was too unrealistic for me. One of the recommendations was to rid your house of your carpets. This is an extreme measure for those of us who have carpets, and it would be a very costly venture. Some of the advice such as using non-toxic cleaning supplies and avoiding toxins in your food (such as mercury in fish) are more realistic goals to achieve. This would have been a good place to add information about HPV and the vaccine.
Chapter 8, which comprises about a quarter of the book, focuses on 11 common types of cancers and the doctors share their "Cancer Protocols" on cancers such as breast, lung and prostate. The cancer I had, anal cancer, was not mentioned in the book, unfortunately.
Overall, it's a well-edited and researched book with a lot of scientific references in the "Endnotes" section. The "Conclusion" is an excellent reference as it lists 28 points the doctors call "The Quick Hits." A great book for anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, is at or near completion of treatment, and is proactive in restoring, maintaining and maximizing his or her health.
Angela G. Gentile, M.S.W., R.S.W.
December 9, 2015
This is a really well written, easy to read book. The format is clear, there isn't unexplained jargon, and these doctors get it. Now, I've never had cancer, but I was interested in this as a book to pass on to others. I received it free from the publisher through GoodReads Giveaways for a review.
I'm actually pleased to review this book. As someone else mentioned in their review, this is a good book to read even if you don't have cancer and hope to do as much as you can to prevent it - knowing that you can't really ever have 100% prevention of cancer.
The authors are doctors who know that their kind can sometimes be uppity, defensive and have a sense of superiority. They help explain why that is sometimes evident in client care and how you can still work with your provider to both be happy. They give some really good and useful tips on WHY you should eat or not eat certain things -- giving explanations that those health magazine articles and slideshows on major websites don't give. And yet, they were able to explain it in a way that made sense.
Now, there is a lot of repetition in this book - and for good reason. We humans need to hear the same things many different times and in different ways to start to make changes in our lives. I can't promise I'll do all that I need to do to be healthy and hopefully prevent cancer -- but this did five me some motivation that something is better than nothing and some small changes that I can start to make right way to be more healthy.
Will definitely pass this one on.
I'm actually pleased to review this book. As someone else mentioned in their review, this is a good book to read even if you don't have cancer and hope to do as much as you can to prevent it - knowing that you can't really ever have 100% prevention of cancer.
The authors are doctors who know that their kind can sometimes be uppity, defensive and have a sense of superiority. They help explain why that is sometimes evident in client care and how you can still work with your provider to both be happy. They give some really good and useful tips on WHY you should eat or not eat certain things -- giving explanations that those health magazine articles and slideshows on major websites don't give. And yet, they were able to explain it in a way that made sense.
Now, there is a lot of repetition in this book - and for good reason. We humans need to hear the same things many different times and in different ways to start to make changes in our lives. I can't promise I'll do all that I need to do to be healthy and hopefully prevent cancer -- but this did five me some motivation that something is better than nothing and some small changes that I can start to make right way to be more healthy.
Will definitely pass this one on.
November 23, 2015
An empowering book for post cancer patients floundering with, "where do I go from here?" Well-researched; the authors are oncologists, every major point is foot-noted, and references given.
April 14, 2016
A good basic compendium for all types of cancer: when you are ready to start thinking of yourself as a survivor, this is the book for you. My favorite piece of advice is "Live your life like you are retired." I had been looking at life as something I'd start enjoying when my son was grown, when I could relax enough to spend money on the house, when I had the time to travel more. Now, I hope for a long life but I'm not waiting twenty more years to take up the meaningful, fun stuff. I've cut back at work, changed up my social structure, and allowed more time for myself. I am not worrying about anything! I hope this book can send the same message to other people who may need to hear it.
October 30, 2016
I had breast cancer and read quite a few post-cancer books. To me this is one of the most helpfuls, it is realistic and the approach to the life changes you should consider is not too drastic, therefore has a real chance to work out.
February 28, 2025
This book is a great informative down to earth read for anyone who is interested in health. It’s especially helpful to those who have cancer , have had cancer, are cured of cancer. But anyone who reads this book will come away with a bit more knowledge that may help in their overall health.
April 12, 2022
There is a lot of good information here. There is also some information that seems a bit extreme. I recommend reading it with a grain of salt, but I'm glad I read the book and plan to follow much of the advice it offers. I found the cancer-specific nutrition information especially helpful, though going 100% fresh and organic is probably not going to happen!
October 12, 2015
This book has a lot of good information for cancer survivors - and even for those who have never had cancer, and hope to never have it. Most of the information is also very good for the diabetic. I rate this book a 5 star+
November 13, 2015
Great follow up reading for someone who has gone through this dreadful disease.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews