Never Fear Cancer Again: How to Prevent and Reverse Cancer Paperback – August 1, 2011

Very informative

I recently purchased several books related to advice for cancer patients. This was one of the best books on wellness strategies that I bought for my relative, recently diagnosed with cancer. When I was reading reviews for this book, I noticed that one reviewer observed that much of the advice is readily available on the internet. Someone else mentioned one would have to "live in a bubble". Others have praised the book. I looked up various sites online for information about nutritional and other strategies for cancer patients. I would say that, yes, you can find lots of similar information online, scattered here and there, for free. But it took me a long time to find all of this. Plus I have been researching and learning about various health and healing strategies, epigenetics, and herbalism the past several years. So some of Francis' advice may not be new if you're familiar with, say, nutrition, meditation/stress reduction, etc. Whether some or none of this information is new, though, I highly, highly recommend this book, especially for the person who does not have a significant amount of knowledge out how they can affect/improve their situation. This would be an excellent first book for a cancer patient wishing to help themselves, especially if the person is motivated and/or able to make some changes. This would be an excellent book, too, for anyone interested in health.I wish I had purchased this book from the beginning of my relatives cancer diagnosis and saved myself some time. The information in here is applicable to everyone. I appreciated the way Francis creates a framework of understanding disease, the "pathways" to disease, and from there discusses what one can do. This is the great strength of the book.Francis reiterates that cancer is complicated yet he, thankfully, finds a way to streamline an explanation of how it can happen and what one can do to heal and prevent illness (not only cancer). This book appeals to a broad audience--one need not have a M.D. or a attained a certain level of academic study to ascertain what he is talking about. He is able to convey some complex details in a relatively clear, succinct manner without dumbing things down. I appreciated the degree of clarity, breadth of information, and organization in this book. It is an excellent framework for understanding disease. If you'd like to go into greater depth on any of the topics Francis touches on (e.g. cancer, nutrition, meditation, toxicity, etc.) then one certainly can. He covers a lot of ground and deeply enough so one has a decent understanding of the pathways to cancer. His book establishes an excellent framework for understanding cancer.If there are any weaknesses to the book, I might say that one could be disappointed if one is looking for more details or a more detailed example of a healing regime. I do wish that Francis would have discussed the idea of the alkaline/acid balance a bit more. Perhaps Francis might've covered a few additional herbs and supplements (like, say, wheatgrass, maiitake mushrooms, etc.). As far as supplements and nutritional strategies go, I would not use this book as my only and primary resource. Like I said, he does feature the key, well researched vitamins and flavanoids that are good to become familiar with--a good foundation for someone new to this. He highlights most of the best researched, known supplements on the market. But I am really just nit picking. The point of the book is not to deliver a tailored program to someone; it is to stress the importance of good supplementation and he does that. This is an excellent book if you're interested in health and if you're looking for healing strategies if you've been diagnosed or have a loved one with cancer. I have found this information applicable to all of the people in our family. Again, the great strengths of this book are the way it is organized (the pathways), his philosophy of what disease is (toxicity and deficiency), and the breadth of information covered here in a clear, no nonsense way. Healing (and staying well) takes work. If you're into complimentary methods of healing, up for understanding illness better, and eager to make some incremental changes then this is a good book to begin with. For more specific, tailored strategies, I would learn, read more and/or seek out a seasoned, good holistic M.D. if possible.

I had bladder cancer about 7 years ago, and the tumor was successfully removed. I read this book after that and was very impressed with it. Recently my doctor ordered a CAT scan on my lungs, and it showed a possible growth near my voice box. She wanted me to see an ENT and get a biopsy. I said sure, but when I got home I remembered that when I had a biopsy of a tumor on the parotid gland, it caused the gland to double in size in about 10 days. I had it removed. I read that it was not unusual for a biopsy to stimulate a tumor. In this book it also warns that a biopsy can spread cancer cells in the body. I have had friends die from cancer of the mouth and throat and I know how disfiguring and extreme the surgery can be. I rethought the biopsy and decided to see the ENT and get his views, and have him follow the growth, but I was not going to have the biopsy! I could see them doing that, and the tumor growing rapidly, and then having the surgery, and more cancer cells spreading. I realize that once you got on that train, it might not be so easy to get off. What if the tumor was slow growing? Why mess with it. My kids were upset, lol. Anyway, I reread his book, outlining key parts, and decided I would not use chemo, surgery, or radiation, as he recommended. When they came up with those treatments 50 years ago, they were just ideas to try. They were never proven. Now we can look at the results! Why are they still doing it today? Build the immune system up, don't hurt it. I started right away using the methods in the book, and I am going to continue to use them. I felt relaxed having decided on a course of action, and knowing how I would fight this. I did have my visit with the ENT and he used a scope down my nose. It is painless. I could see my throat on his screen, and it was pink and healthy. The doctor said no problem, and no follow up needed. The doctor did see the area in question on the cat scan, and he really could not be sure there ever was a growth there. So I was very lucky. This book helped me on a safe course of action, it is not 100 percent sure, but the things he talks about are all good. They give you a direction to follow for success!

This book is easy to read and provides specific strategies to follow to get you and keep you disease free.

His arguments seem compelling. However, one thing really turned me off that caused me to question his overall credibility. On page 16 Raymond Francis states that the median age of the Hunza people 100 years ago was 120. That is at best anecdotal rumors, but totally unsubstantiated by evidence. It fails the fact check test miserably. And Raymond is a brilliant MIT alumnus so he definitely knew better. So what other statistics that Raymond presents lacks credibility? In certain ways I hope the book is laden with inaccuracies (for the sake of the herds that do rely on conventional treatment), yet on the other hand I hope the Hunza bunk cited is the only fiction in the book.Notwithstanding the above critique I purchased two additional copies for family members (one actively fighting cancer and one 11 years in the clear), because it can certainly not hurt taking a holistic approach to improve your odds of avoiding toxicity and deficiency.I would hate to hurt the book's reputation in case the totality of his work is stellar, so I avoided giving a three star rating, but that is honestly more befitting due to his sloppiness with citing urban legend just to score a point. Ironically it tarnishes his image more than the few gullible folk that would see that as compelling. If he reprints book, I hope he would edit that out. More for his [credibility's] sake than the reader's sake.