Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer

Lerner strives for, and I feel achieves, an excellent balance between optimism and skepticism as he covers (a) the different "cultures" of conventional treatment - aggressive, gentle, U.S., European, Japanese, (b) spiritual approaches, (c) nutritional approaches, (d) physical and energetic approaches, (e) non-conventional herbal and pharmacological approaches. Stanislaw Burzynski, Virginia Livingston, Joseph Gold and Emanuel Revici, are some of the famous off-range cure inventors that he dignifies with his patient research.

I also found his chapters on the spiritual and psychological dimensions of the cancer journey especially strong. He takes the reader up to death's door. And beyond. The chapter on pain is a revelation.

Highly recommended for anyone.


An excellen, balanced and compassionate book   April 26, 1999
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

As a pediatric oncologist with a special interest in the use of complementary medicine in cancer, I've read many books on this topic; and I must say this is the best so far. Dr Lerner is objective, knowledgeable, and writes well. His passion for the field, and his compassion for cancer patients show through. I would recommend anyone who intends to explore the use complementary medicine in cancer to start off with this book.


An invaluable resource   March 6, 1998
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book was recommended to me about a month after I was diagnosed with cancer. I had plenty else to read and think about at the time but I finished this book in just one afternoon at a cafe. Michael Lerner provided well-documented evidence for all his recommendations and gives you all of the information you could ever want about complementary health care. I highly recommend this book to people struggling with a new - or old - diagnosis of cancer!


The book among cancer books!   December 11, 1998
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Everyone touched by cancer should have this book in their library. Dr. Lerner's feelings come through in this book, as he takes the reader objectively through the variety of treatment modalities available, from alternative to standard medical treatment. However, his presentation is supportive of the reader's individuality, and intelligence. There were many opportunities for me to 'mark' the pages, and return to them later. In fact, one quotation by a physican-cancer-patient impacted me so much, I tried for days to relocate the lines. Never did (if you do, let me know!).

I found this book especially helpful right after my metastasis report came in. Now, after chemotherapy, it's probably time to go back to it. This book is a keeper!


A classic on integrated cancer care   August 14, 2005
Robin Daly
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Despite being over 10 years old, this book is a glowing example of a true integrated approach to cancer, and as such is completely contemporary. Michael Lerner, who founded the Commonweal Cancer Help Center on the west coast of the USA after a visit to the Bristol Cancer Help Centre, combines an empathetic warmth and humanity that leaps off the page with a ruthless adherence to scientific accuracy, and thereby debunks many myths in both the alternative and orthodox fields.

This is a massive work, and early on he encourages the reader to dip in and read only what they are drawn to. I started at the beginning, marking the important passages as I went, in pencil. Fascinated, I read it cover to cover, all 600+ pages, leaving it a mass of pencil marks! Following a deeply insightful opening in which he establishes the parameters within which true healing can take place, he covers all the basic choices facing a cancer sufferer in the field of conventional medicine. He then proceeds to take the reader on a tour of a huge range of approaches to healing every aspect of the mind, body and spirit of the cancer patient. Chapters on unconventional pharmacological therapies rub shoulders with scientifically substantiated sections on prayer and healing. He even covers fascinating and revealing issues such as national attitudes and relationships to illness and treatment, factors that may strongly influence the advice we are given, but have little to do with fact or science.

The book concludes, importantly, with a section on living with cancer, including a section entitled 'Living and Dying'.

Substantial appendixes include extensive contact details for centres and practitioners. There is a glossary, an index, and every source is fully referenced.

Despite its age, this book remains a landmark in the development of integrated cancer care and continues to set the standard by which contemporary developments can be judged.