Cancer Recovery Plan: How to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Treatment and Live a Fuller, Healthier Life »

D. Barry Boyd, M.D., is a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine and has treated cancer patients for more than a decade. A graduate of the Cornell University Medical School, he is a former professor at his alma mater and currently teaches at the Yale Cancer Center. He is the founder and director of Integrative Oncology at Greenwich Hospital (a member of Yale New Haven Health System).

Increase the effectiveness of your cancer treatment and live a fuller, healthier life

According to oncologist D. Barry Boyd, controlling weight, becoming active, and reducing stress are not simply nuances of basic well-being; they are absolutely necessary for the successful treatment of cancer. Even with the best medical care, including chemotherapy, a patient's cancer treatment can be sabotaged if these areas are neglected.

In The Cancer Recovery Plan, Dr. Boyd presents his proven integrative program for maximizing the effectiveness of cancer treatment. He lays out a clear, practical nutrition and exercise plan to help cancer patients lose the weight that might impede their recovery, and describes how to reduce stress with such techniques as meditation, tai chi, massage, improving sleep, and building a support network. Along the way, stories from Dr. Boyd's patients-cancer survivors-provide motivation and inspiration. Cancer is not always a hopeless disease. The Cancer Recovery Plan offers readers the hope they need.

Library Journal

Boyd (director, Integrative Oncology, Greenwich Hosp., CT) and breast cancer survivor Betancourt believe that an overabundant diet affects the body's hormonal balance, which in turn predisposes an individual to uncontrolled cell growth that can lead to cancer. While aimed primarily at people undergoing cancer therapy, the book emphasizes the role that weight, insulin resistance, and the American lifestyle play in cancer development. The authors contend that patients can enhance the effects of therapy and those without cancer can lessen their chances of getting the disease by improving their diet, engaging in physical activity, and lowering stress levels. Yet their suggestions for dietary choices and supplements are very basic and their exercise and stress management tips minimal, particularly in relation to those who are undergoing chemo or radiation therapy. Even though Boyd and Betancourt make a strong case for the role of diet in cancer, the lack of concrete advice on changing one's lifestyle limits the book to larger collections. General readers should instead see Harmon Eyre and others' Informed Decisions: The Complete Book of Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment and Recovery.-Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans' Hosp. Lib., Tampa Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.