About the Author

David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, was a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and cofounder of the Center for Integrative Medicine. He codirected an NIH laboratory for the study of cognitive neuroscience and published more than ninety articles in scientific journals. His pioneering book Anticancer: A New Way of Life became an international bestseller and was translated into more than forty languages. He is also the author of The Instinct to Heal and Not the Last Goodbye. Following a yearlong battle with a relapse of brain cancer, Servan-Schreiber died in July 2011.

Reviews

“A common-sense blueprint for healthy living.”
—Chicago Tribune

“Fills an important gap in our knowledge of how patients can contribute to their own care by supplementing conventional medical treatment. I recommend this book to anyone interested in preventive medicine and integrated, complementary approaches to patient care.”
—John Mendelsohn, MD, president, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas

“Resonating with cancer support communities . . . and recommended nationwide on internet message boards.”
—Los Angeles Times

“Life affirming . . . filled with practical advice that enables cancer patients to overcome their initial feelings of helplessness and to adopt a proactive attitude of survivorship.”
—The Seattle Times

“Servan-Schreiber’s writing offers much more than science. It is full of passion . . . and compassion for his patients dealing with the emotional aspects of serious or terminal illness.”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Enormously compelling evidence and arguments for participating in our own health by supporting our deep natural capacity for healing. Everybody should read this book and enact its simple but potentially lifesaving recommendations.”
—Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are

“Anticancer’s message is optimistic, the advice scientifically sound, and the prose highly readable.”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Presents a compelling combination of one doctor’s story of his battle with cancer along with his research into how to fight the disease . . . Readable and moving.”
—Body & Soul Magazine

After undergoing chemotherapy and surgery for brain cancer, Servan-Schreiber, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, asked his oncologist if any lifestyle changes would prevent a relapse; the answer was no. Certain this was wrong, Servan-Schreiber spent months researching a mass of scientific data on natural defenses against cancer. After a lucid introduction to cancer and its causes, he points out studies indicating that a poor diet, unhealthy habits (like smoking), some hormones, and environmental toxins increase risk. But as his advice grows more specific, evidence dwindles that these steps work. Eating organic foods, avoiding red meat and processed food, and eliminating household chemicals seem reasonable, but readers curious about how much turmeric or garlic to consume and how much it lowers their cancer risk will find no answers. Servan-Schreiber also advocates a positive, life-affirming attitude, illustrating with anecdotes of patients whose cancers disappeared when they attained inner peace. Servan-Schreiber underscores that his advice should be an adjunct to, not a replacement for, conventional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy, in this spirited mixture of good medical information, helpful suggestions and alternative medicine. (Sept. 22) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"A common-sense blueprint for healthy living."
-Chicago Tribune

"Fills an important gap in our knowledge of how patients can contribute to their own care by supplementing conventional medical treatment. I recommend this book to anyone interested in preventive medicine and integrated, complementary approaches to patient care."
-John Mendelsohn, MD, president, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas

"Resonating with cancer support communities . . . and recommended nationwide on internet message boards."
-Los Angeles Times

"Life affirming . . . filled with practical advice that enables cancer patients to overcome their initial feelings of helplessness and to adopt a proactive attitude of survivorship."
-The Seattle Times

"Servan-Schreiber's writing offers much more than science. It is full of passion . . . and compassion for his patients dealing with the emotional aspects of serious or terminal illness."
-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Enormously compelling evidence and arguments for participating in our own health by supporting our deep natural capacity for healing. Everybody should read this book and enact its simple but potentially lifesaving recommendations."
-Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are

"Anticancer's message is optimistic, the advice scientifically sound, and the prose highly readable."
-Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Presents a compelling combination of one doctor's story of his battle with cancer along with his research into how to fight the disease . . . Readable and moving."
-Body & Soul Magazine