Book Description

Why do we die? Do all living creatures share this fate? Is the body’s slow degradation with the passage of time unavoidable, or can the secrets of longevity be unlocked? Over the past two decades, scientists studying the workings of genes and cells have uncovered some of the clues necessary to solve these mysteries. In this fascinating and accessible book, two neurobiologists share the often-surprising findings from that research, including the possibility that aging and natural death may not be forever a certainty for most living beings.André Klarsfeld and Frédéric Revah discuss in detail the latest scientific findings and views on death and longevity. They challenge many popular assumptions, such as the idea that the death of individual organisms serves to rejuvenate species or that death and sexual reproduction are necessarily linked. Finally, they describe current experimental approaches to postpone natural death in lower organisms as well as in mammals. Are all organisms that survive until late in life condemned to a "natural" death, as a consequence of aging, even if they live in a well-protected, supportive environment? The variability of the adult life span—from a few hours for some insects to more than a millennium for the sequoia and thirteen times that for certain wild berry bushes—challenges the notion that death is unavoidable. Evolutionary theory helps explain why and how some species have achieved biological mechanisms that seemingly allow them to resist time.Death cannot be understood without looking into cells—the essential building blocks of life. Intriguingly, at the level of cells, death is not always an accident; it is often programmed as an indispensable aspect of life, which benefits the organism as a whole. ... Read more

Book Description

Nothing fills the heart with more dread than a diagnosis of cancer.Besides the worry about the poor chances of survival, there is also worry about the dangers of most of medicine's orthodox "cures".What most oncologists don't tell you is that no cancer incurable 25 years ago is curable today, or for the most common cancers that kill 90 percent of patients today, chemotherapy is no better than snake oil.

It's also difficult, if not impossible, to ferret out reliable information about genuine alternatives that work. In no area of medicine have alternative ideas been more stifled than with cancer, even though a number have been the subject of some properly designed laboratory and clinical research.

In this unique book, compiled by the editors of the bestselling newletter What Doctors Don't Tell You, you'll discover the real evidence of when chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery work -- and when they don't.You'll also find information about alternative treatments with solid scientific evidence. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Raving Lunatic
This book is outrageous! I bought it thinking it would have beneficial alternatives to radiation therapy, and chemo, which it borders on, but the author is so hysterical in her findings and beliefs, that her "facts" seem unrealistic. It's almost as if she pulled every "fact" and "statistic" from the JAMA, more like from one article, and rewrote it in her own freaked out voice. I suffer from sarcoma (soft tissue cancer) and this book is not very calming...it's insane. Eat right, take care of yourself, and get second and third opinions...end of story, no need for theatrics or books bordering upon medical conspiracy theories..boooooo. I want my money back. This book wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.

Brilliant! A must-read book!
Cancer. This is quite possibly the most frightful, troubling and dreaded word in our language. And for good cause. Cancer kills and maims and, truth be known, the current, "accepted" reatments---chemo and radiation--- haven't done much for survival.

The Cancer Handbook: What's Really Working discusses the possible causes of cancer: family history, contraceptives, environment, drugs, stress and nutrition. We then learn about the current detection methods. Ms. McTaggart offers us enlightenment in today's conventional treatments--- chemo, radiation, light therapy, immunotherapy and, of course, surgery...all of which have had extremely limited success in offering a cure.

The vital point that The Cancer Handbook makes is that there are alternative cancer treatments available to us IF the orthodox medical community would be willing to try them. "Despite this climate of suppression, a number of alternative treatments have been the subject of some properly designed laboratory and clinical research. Although all would benefit from further study, they certainly appear more promising than most of the tools of orthodox medicine".

Doesn't it make sense to strengthen our own immunity and therefore our ability to destroy cancer cells, instead of using invasive chemo, radiation and surgery? How this can be accomplished is detailed in The Cancer Handbook. This eye-opener offers valuable, indeed lifesaving information about therapies like immuno-augmentative, peptide, Govallo, Gerson, Coley's, Kelley's, and macrobiotics, as well as diet and upplements.

This reviewer has lost both parents and a daughter to the scourge called cancer. So, when I learned about The Cancer Handbook, I jumped at the opportunity to make you aware of these alternatives. Lynne McTaggart has done us all a great service by increasing our chances to live longer and healthier lives! ... Read more

Book Description

"Cultural Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making creates an engrossing tension as chapters on philosophical topics are interwoven with clinically-oriented ones including case examples that ground the reader in the reality of most human decisions. I highly recommend this book to researchers, health care providers, clergy, and other practitioners dealing with end-of-life issues." ---Catherine Hagan Hennessy, Health Care and Aging Studies Branch, Center for Disease Control and Prevention

End-of-life decision making is one of the most difficult but crucial challenges faced by patients and their families. In most cases, resources or counselors providing guidance in these decisions are not available. This book is intended to prepare nurses, physicians, and other health care workers to fill this role, insofar as they are most frequently in contact with the patient and his/her family and significant others at the time choices must be made. In this informative, practical book, Braun, Pietsch, and Blanchette first review the medical, legal, and ethical context of the dying experience, discussing ethnic perspectives and religious issues. For example, providing cultural and spiritually sensitive care requires that nurses, physicians, social work and others know and understand the implications of family members beliefs about life and death, supportive rituals and other activities. This book does a creditable job of presenting the issues and a broad overview of culture and common religions in America.

About the Editors:

Kathryn L. Braun, Dr.P.H., is Director of the University of Hawaii Center on Aging and an Associate Professor at the University of Hawaii School of Public Health. She is a Fellow in the Gerontological Society of American and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education. James H. Pietsch, J.D., is Director of the University of Hawaii Elder Law Program (UHELP), an Associate Professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law, and a Clinical Adjunct Professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. In 1990, he was the recipient of the Fifth Annual Paul Lichterman Memorial Award for contributions to the advancement of Law and Aging.

Patricia L. Blanchette, M.D., M.P.H., is a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and School of Public Health at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dr. Blanchette is the Director of the Medical School’s cross-departmental Geriatric Medicine Program, and Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program, the Pacific Islands Geriatric Education Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Blanchette has won numerous awards and honors, including an Excellence in Teaching Award, Distinguished Alumni, Best Doctors in America, and the Soroptimist’s Women of Distinction Award.

Book Description

This new volume provides a comprehensive review of the current knowledge related to one of the deadliest forms of cancer. You will find pertinent information on prevention, screening, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, treatment and research, and nursing management. This volume also offers details on the biology of lung cancer, smoking cessation strategies, the challenge of tobacco control, and much more. ... Read more

Book Description

A series of carefully constructed case studies that helps the reader apply the core knowledge of oncology nursing in ways appropriate to advanced practice. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A new palliative care reference for nurses & doctors
Palliative Care in the Home is a gem of a book, written by two noted palliative care specialists who were formerly general practitioners. First and foremost, Doyle and Jeffrey are concerned with quality of care. This reviewer believes their book will be of as much interest to nurses working in the home as to the physicians.

The book addresses special problems and challenges faced by both doctors and nurses in delivering palliative care within the home setting. There is special focus on home nursing issues. The authors maintain that good palliative care ought to begin in the home whether or not the patient is eventually admitted to hospital or special palliative care unit.

This small reference book is written in a straightforward style, and so is very readable and understandable, for the medical professional as well as the general reader with some knowledge and interest in the field of palliative care. The importance of the multi-disciplinary team is stressed throughout, along with the ethical need to respect patient autonomy and decision-making. Patients and families must be encouraged to express their feelings and views, and so take an active partnership role in providing care. Needs of the family carers and stresses on palliative care providers are among other issues developed.

The reader will find extensive, current material on symptom diagnosis, appropriate palliation and guidelines for medications to manage pain for a wide variety of diseases. Other chapters offer insights and guidelines to general practitioners who wish to use their counseling skills to offer bereavement counseling. There is an extensive bibliography of comprehensive reference books on palliative medicine and other specialized issues, as well as appendices listing useful drugs for the doctor's bag and setting up the syringe driver. ... Read more

Book Description

*Practical and comprehensive text on the management of the wide range of symptoms that plague terminal cancer patients

*Updates had been made to every chapter to include data from the most current studies

*Contains clear, user-friendly format that enables quick access to information

*Includes new chapters on principles of palliative medicine, approach to common pain syndromes, and bereaved

*Provides more information throughout the book on the care of the family ... Read more

Book Description

This new, comprehensive reference provides a unique perspective on quality of life issues for oncology nurses in education, research, and clinical practice. Presenting quality of life issues related to specific diseases, treatments, and populations, Quality of Life: From Nursing and Patient Perspectives is an excellent resource for educators in schools and hospitals, researchers developing quality of life studies, nursing students, and clinicians working as staff nurses, clinical resources, or case managers. ... Read more

Book Description

This completely revised edition continues to reflect the mostcurrent information about the treatment of cancer, oncologic emergencies, andcommon clinical problems. Prepared for the nurse caring for cancer patients,there is extensive use of practical problem/intervention tables supported byclearly written text. New content, such as fatigue and spirituality, togetherwith completely updated chapters, provide the nurse in the hospital, clinic, orhome with an easy-to-use guide for dealing with complex patient problems.Additional chapters and appendices include important information about patientand professional resources, and staging classifications. Chapter-specificannotated reference lists have been expanded to facilitate further study of aparticular area. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A comprehensive guide in caring for the oncology patient
well organized and detailed manual for the oncology nurse. ... Read more

Book Description

A Cancer Source Book for Nurses, 7/e, is intended primarily fornurses in every practice setting who are involved with providing care for themore than ten million cancer survivors, individuals with cancer, and those atrisk for cancer. The book covers the most common cancers and strategies fornursing care and is an excellent resource for nursing students, nursegeneralists, and nurses who find themselves providing care to individuals withcancer but may not consider themselves oncology nurse specialists. Nursingfaculty find this text extremely helpful when developing cancer content forundergraduate curricula. Several new chapters have been added, includingchapters on sexuality, alternative therapies, vascular access devices, clinicaltrials, and special populations; other chapters have been revised extensively toreflect current knowledge and trends, and include how to manage symptoms, thelatest on cancer prevention and detection; childhood cancers, and survivorshipissues. Chapters on the most common cancers include information on incidence,risk factors, early detection, diagnostic evaluation and staging, treatment,prognosis, side effects and long-term sequelae, and nursing considerations. ... Read more

Book Description

Cancer Chemotherapy Care Plans is a complete portable reference fornurses who administer chemotherapy in all settings - including inpatient,outpatient, and home care. Featuring over 230 chemotherapeutic agents, thishandbook provides comprehensive nursing care plans with nursing diagnoses,defining characteristics, expected outcomes, and specific interventions for eachagent. A separate section on toxicities uses the National Cancer Institute'sCommon Toxicity Criteria as a framework for care and includes easy-accessreference tables for each toxicity with related patient care. ... Read more

Book Description

Written by the Association of Paediatric Oncology Nurses (APON), the newlyorganized and expanded third edition of Nursing Care of Children and Adolescentswith Cancer stands alone as the definitive work examining the foundations,treatments, and supportive care of children and adolescents with cancer. Mostimportantly, content specific to cancer in adolescents has been interspersed into thisedition, highlighting the differences in child and adolescent cancer and treatment. Inaddition to discussing common and rare diseases chapter-by-chapter, this textaddresses professional practice issues such as interdisciplinary collaboration,research, and ethics, as well. Actual case studies and accompanying patientphotographs highlight the personal approach that is needed in child andadolescent cancer nursing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent resource, especially for certification review...
Very in-depth information, especially on specific diseases (the beginning of each chapter gives a case study). More comprehensive than APON's core curriculum. Not a whole lot of info on specific chemo drugs (side effects, administration), just a chart. A must have for peds oncology. ... Read more

Book Description

The second edition of Cancer Chemotherapy addresses this rapidlyadvancing treatment modality. The beginning practitioner will value the basicprinciples of chemotherapy administration and coverage of chemotherapeuticagents. The advanced practitioner will appreciate its comprehensiveness. Thenursing process, including nursing diagnosis and care plans, continues as themain focus. Tables and illustrations also make Cancer Chemotherapy an excellentreference. ... Read more

Book Description

Whether you are a healthcare professional who cares for dying patients or a family member caring for a loved one who is approaching death, you will appreciate the information in the second edition of Healing the Dying. This practical, yet compassionate, guide explores ways caretakers can assist the dying person reach a sense of integration of self and life, claim his life as his own, and feel his death matters to someone.The author thoroughly discusses the needs of caretakers who are caring for the terminally ill and explores the relationship between death and society throughout history, how to comfort the dying individual and how to help families deal with the loss of a loved one.The book also includes goals for comfort in dying, pain management, spirituality, and care of the caregiver.Comprehensive in its scope, this book is a thoughtful look at what "to heal the dying" really means. (Key Words: dying, healing, hospice, hospice care, grief counseling, bereavement, spirituality) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

raving
This book is wonderful! It really helped me gather infomation on a career interest. I have definatly decided to become a geriatric nurse after reading this awesome book. ... Read more

Book Description

Acclaimed by the worldwide medical community as thestandard-setting oncology reference, Cancer: Principles and Practice ofOncology is now in its Fifth Edition. This new edition has beenextensively reorganized to integrate the groundbreaking advances ofmolecular biology into the broad range of oncologic practice, includingcancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.A new introductory section-- Essentials of Modern Oncologic Science -- provides a base ofinformation on molecular biology, signal transduction, and immunology.The Principles of Oncology section includes new chapters on the cellcycle and on principles of cancer management related to molecularpathology, cancer genetics, and biologic therapy. The Practice ofOncology section features entirely new chapters on the molecularbiology of each organ site, as well as up-to-date multimodalitytreatment guidelines for each stage of disease. Also included aretimely discussions of supportive and palliative care, health carereform, regulatory issues, drug development, gene therapy, and cancervaccines. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Cumbersome organization
Although the Devita text is a good resource, it has important drawbacks. In every edition, including the latest one, too much information has been out of date even at the first day of publication. Several other major oncology texts somehow manage to avoid this problem much better. Also, since the text comes out every two years, information in the current edition is already at least 3 years old or older. Beyond this, the index is detailed but it still is hard to find specific information, i.e., the book is clumsily organized. Finally, the CD version has the worst search program that I have ever used. You can enter information with any degree of specificity and the search will retrieve (at best) a list of chapters and major chapter sections in which to look. You then have to read through miles of text to find the information that you wanted. Searchability is one of the main reasons for buying a CD and I consider the Devita CD virtually worthless.

Simply THE source.
As a resident, I use this book as a first resource for almost all Oncology reading. By your second year of residency you should be getting a lot of your data from the literature rather than texts, but it is still very useful to have a text summery to start from. Take prostate cancer as an example. You can read the DeVita chapter in a (long) afternoon and have an excellent base to expand from. Furthermore, the hundreds of references for each chapter are essentially a list of every landmark article on that topic. If you are an intern or MS4 and you are going to go Rad-Onc, Internal then Med-Onc, OB-Gyn Onc, or even Surgery or Dermatology then you simply need this book. There is nothing else that comes close. To be honest, if you are building any type of medical library whatsoever, you need this book. By the way, mine came with the CD-Rom version on the inside of the back cover for free! Check with your retailer to see if yours will, too. Best of luck, study hard- CURE CANCER!

quit enough source
this book is considered one of the text...that make the specialest so much satisfied by the quality and quantity of the information it contain and the it is discussed. but for us in middle east it is very [pricey]. you will understand that when you know that my monthly salary as an assesstent lecturer inradiation oncology dept.; Alazhar university, Cairo, Egypt;... a low price edition will be much helpful and very wise to prevent illegal copying of the book. thanks a lote

Wonderful text for physicians and non-physicians alike.
This immensely readable text is a gold-mine for anyone interested in cancer. It is a blessing that this text exists for understanding the pathology, treatment and prognoses of various cancers ... Read more