Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy

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Summary: For Anyone!! patients and family members
Review: I forgot to mention that John Boik's guide is the only source of quality information for Patients with cancer. His background on vitamins and herbals is clearly written and adds sophistication to the hunt for complements to chemotherapy and radiation.

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Summary: take it from a nurse...
Review: I loved this book. I've worked in oncology clinical trials for years. I picked up this book to review for a friend, and admit that I was initially skeptical. But it's a wonderful book, well researched, well thought out... I was really impressed. Made me remember that half of the stuff we put in patients today originally was discovered when the NCI screened natural compounds for anti-cancer properties. Let's hope that this reflects the future potential of cancer treatment.

Rating:
Summary: take it from a nurse...
Review: I loved this book. I've worked in oncology clinical trials for years. I picked up this book to review for a friend, and admit that I was initially skeptical. But it's a wonderful book, well researched, well thought out... I was really impressed. Made me remember that half of the stuff we put in patients today originally was discovered when the NCI screened natural compounds for anti-cancer properties. Let's hope that this reflects the future potential of cancer treatment.

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Summary: THE Authoritative work on Cancer and Natural Products
Review: John Boik's long awaited new book Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy arrived on my doorstep just a couple of months ago. So much for my plans for that day! I poised myself strategically in my favorite reading chair and managed to find two uninterrupted hours which I spent skimming over the 500 or so pages in this seminal work. Two months later, I am still reading and rereading. This IS the definitive work on the subject of natural products in cancer. Nothing else comes close.

Though I work closely with a prominent integrative cancer clinic, my education in oncology and natural products is primarily of the "self-taught" variety. Boik's first book Cancer and Natural Medicine was a milestone in that education. If I'd had his new book, my journey would have been greatly expedited.

If you are a serious student on the use of natural products in cancer, do yourself a huge favor. Get Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy. This book is NOT light reading, nor for those looking for "magic bullets." However, Boik doesn't assume you know basic oncology, and methodically lays out the variables in the neoplastic equation. Boik's approach is simple to grasp, but strategic; if you can figure out what's happening in a unique fashion in and around cancer cells, and find products that address these biological anomalies, you can form a strategic plan.

Boik lays out in a comprehensible, but not simplistic, fashion the unique molecular biology of cancer cells and most importantly identifies scientifically validated natural products that address each step along the process. A nice primer on immunology and its role in addressing cancer is also included, along with the more promising natural products in this category.

Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy does not propose a panacea. Cancer is tough. Anyone who has worked with its unfortunate victims knows there are no silver bullets. Boik addresses the need for synergism with products, and doesn't resort to declaring war on the traditional medical community. In fact the traditional community has being asking for a scientific and rationale approach from the alternative community. Well, this is an excellent place for them to start.

Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy does not replace Boik's earlier work Cancer and Natural Medicine (1996). Boik's first book addressed a much wider assortment of natural products and spent less time on the basic science. This book focuses on products that Boik beleives currently show the most promise, and the list is bound to be controversial both for its inclusions and exclusions. There is no doubt that Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy will be looked at as a milestone by both the traditional and alternative medical community.

Michael Guthrie, R.Ph. Public and Professional Relations, Research Assistant Immune Institute of Orange County

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Summary: Nearly 4,000 references are included
Review: John Boik's Natural Compounds In Cancer Therapy is a meticulous, scholarly, comprehensive, invaluable review of the actions and potential clinical use of more than three dozens carefully selected natural compounds. Nearly 4,000 references are included as Boik comprehensively and systematically examines the actions, pharmacology, toxicology, and potential clinical use of natural compounds as anticancer agents in the biological processes involved in cancer progress. Also very highly recommended is Boik's earlier work, Cancer And Natural Medicine: A Textbook Of Basic Science And Clinical Research (0964828006, $...).

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Summary: No Magic Bullets
Review: No hoaxes, no magic bullets, no promises. Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy, by John Boik, is an up-to-date, scientific compilation of the state of research in the field of natural products in cancer treatments. This book is very important due to the tremendous growth in both research and interest in natural compounds over the past several years. The author is able to explain the how and why of over three dozen compounds that have confirmed anti-cancer activity.

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Summary: For Physicians
Review: Oncologists and other physicians working with cancer and cancer patients should consider owning a copy of this book. It is an authoritative, insightful and thoroughly researched reference book. Patients are exposed to these compounds and to misleading information about them. Dr. Boik's summaries of vitamins, herbs and other compounds are educative. Sections of this book would help physicians give patients accurate, scientific and perhaps creative information to complement their cancer treatment responsibly.

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Summary: Most important book ever written on this subject, by FAR
Review: This book is one of the best books I have ever read, on any subject. In my opinion, this book is an absolute MUST for all cancer patients and their advocates. Every doctor should read this book, as well as every cancer research scientist.

I first began researching natural substances and their effect on cancer about four years ago, when my then 22-year-old brother was first diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. What I quickly learned was that the vast majority of people disseminating information on the subject were complete phonies, out to charge cancer patients outrageous prices for supplements that were unlikely to do them any good. Of the small percentage who actually seemed genuine, very few of these seemed to have an extensive knowledge of the subject, and fewer still were aware (or even concerned) of the science behind their recommendations. Of those who did seem to know the subject well, John Boik clearly stood out. It would not be an understatement to say that John Boik knows 1000X more about this subject than anyone else on the planet. Unlike most who have written on this subject, Boik does not take an “us against them” attitude regarding alternative vs. conventional medicine. Some of the most exciting research presented in his book actually comes from combining natural compounds with conventional chemotherapy. And, John Boik does NOT sell supplements or treatments of any kind. This alone scored him many points in my book.

Boik really takes it to the next level with this new book. Where his first book discussed several hundred compounds, this new book narrows the focus down to the 38 compounds he believes to have the most potential for benefit in cancer treatment. Nearly all of these 38 compounds are available commercially, and many are quite inexpensive. No claims are made whatsoever; Boik clearly states that much more research is needed throughout the book. However, in this reviewer’s mind, any cancer patient wanting to try alternative treatment in combination with conventional would be very wise to use a combination of natural compounds from this book. The science behind doing so is far, far greater than any alternative treatment out there.

Boik’s general premise throughout the book is that cancer should be attacked from every possible angle. According to Boik, there are seven procancer events that should be targeted. These seven events are: induction of genetic instability, abnormal expression of genes, abnormal signal transduction, abnormal cell-to-cell communication, induction of angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, and immune evasion. Each of these presents a potential target for treatment. Boik’s theory states that all seven should be targeted. This is usually not done with conventional therapies. Conventional treatment generally targets only one of these events. It may be possible to effectively target all seven events with a combination of natural compounds.

This book is divided into three parts. Parts one and two examine cancer at the cellular level, and cancer at the level of the organism, respectively. After reading parts one and two, the reader will come away with a far greater understanding of what cancer is, how it comes to be, how solid tumors are formed, etc. This gives the patient and their advocates a far better understanding of what exactly this illness is they are dealing with. For medical professionals and scientists, this will likely be easy material, but well worth reading. For the layperson, parts one and two will be more challenging. I would guess that the more science one has had in school, the greater their understanding and enjoyment of parts one and two. However, even readers such as myself who have had no science beyond basic high school courses will get a lot out of these two sections, and come away with a much greater understanding of cancer. I simply skimmed areas that were “over my head” and digested areas that were clear to me. I came away having learned a lot from these two sections.

Part three is the most enjoyable, exciting part of the book in my opinion. This is the section that discusses in detail the 38 compounds most likely to have a positive effect on cancer. Part three opens with my favorite chapter in the book. This chapter discusses the exciting possibilities of synergistic interactions between natural compounds, and designing combinations of natural compounds. It also discusses how tentative doses are arrived at. The remaining chapters discuss each of the 38 most promising compounds in depth. Supporting research is presented for each and referenced at the end of each chapter. If any negative studies exist for a particular compound, these are presented as well. This book is incredibly well referenced, so anyone wanting to read abstracts or the actual studies will be able to, as most can be found on MEDLINE. The final chapter of the book discusses natural compounds and their effect on chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This is a very important subject. Many of the compounds could cause chemotherapy and / or radiation to be more effective, and some have solid evidence supporting their use. Others have the possibility of protecting cancer from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. These are both discussed in detail in the final chapter. The vast appendices contain supplemental information for various chapters, chemical structure diagrams for the 38 and other compounds, and information regarding dose calculations and predictive models, topics most intended for medical professionals and scientists.

This book is the BIBLE on the subject of how natural substances effect cancer. I strongly recommend this book to all cancer patients considering any form of alternative treatment and to their advocates as well. I predict that combinations of compounds discussed in this book will prove to be so useful, that even the medical establishment will embrace their use and these combinations will no longer be looked at as “alternative” treatments.

I cannot stress the importance of this book enough. If you, a friend or loved one has cancer, you should not be without this book.

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Summary: One of the Best Books I Own (....on any subject)
Review: This is simply an outstanding book. I loved it and think that it can help lots of people whose oncologists just don't get it. The subject matter is fairly technical for the layman, as it is written by a first-rate researcher in the field. I think that this book was written for people who are comforatable reading slightly technical material (e.g., the Scientific American crowd). The authors explanations are very detailed. It is one of the best basic references that I have on general cancer biology. In a few places, the author seems to assume that the reader has taken at least introductory or even organic chemistry. If you haven't taken chemistry, I would still buy it. It is packed with great information, some of it taken from the authors own research. Also, the literature references are very new and relevant to the subject matter. A few areas could have been explained a little more clearly (the explanations of drug synergy was not the book's strong point).