Rating: 
Summary: A Breath of Fresh Air!
Review: I found this book to be a very timely breath of fresh air.While reading the introduction I experienced a sense of clarity and relief that someone is telling the truth! Thank you! As I delved more deeply into the book and began to recognize defininte symptoms of hormone imbalance in my body, I decided to take a clearer look at my lifestyle - diet, exercise, and long-held attitudes and beliefs about breast cancer, the medical establishment,
and the impact of the individual and collective physical, emotional, and spiritual environment on health. In following some of the practical advice found within these pages and implementing some simple changes in diet and nutritional supplementation, as well as using a pure natural progesterone cream, I am experiencing higher quality of life. This well researched and clearly written book made a powerful and positive impact on me. I highly recommend it for all women who want a consciousness raising experience (!) and encourage them to share it with their primary healthcare providers. Thank you, Dr. Lee, Virginia, and David Zava, for your good work.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth my time
Review: I recently purchased this book as well as a few others on breast cancer. As a 36 year old woman who was recently diagnosed (3 wks at this writing)with stage 2 breast cancer, I bought the book looking for supplemental info about the role of hormones. What I found on the pages I read truly upset me. Soon, I will be getting chemotherapy follwed by radiation therapy and, according to Lee, neither work. Talk about draining my hope, I literally sat sobbing on my sofa thinking I was doomed. I want to say that I couldn't even get through half of this book and decided that I would not be keeping this book in my home. This is not to say that treatment options are good as they are, they definitely need much more reasearch. Doctors also need to give patients more info on the role of diet as it relates to hormones. To an extent, this book provided Dr Lee with a forum to criticize doctors, treatments, statistics, etc. while offering no solid proven alternative treatments for women who are reading his book that currently have the disease!
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As a breast cancer patient, I would not recommend this book to any woman who currently has or ever had the disease. In my opinion, a much better book with a gentler approach is "Dr Susan Love's Breast Book". For someone looking to make dietary/lifestyle changes, I liked the most recent book by Jane A Plant which has many of the same dietary recommendations as the "Fit for Life" diet plan written by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond over 15 years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Quackery!
Review: I've read many, many books on breast cancer (I have breast cancer). I was looking forward to an interesting, if controversial view from Dr. Lee. What I found is utter quackery, peppered with incorrect facts and damaging assumptions. While I will agree with Dr. Lee's general assertion that hormone balance is a good thing (for anyone, not just women with or trying to avoid breast cancer), some of the other falsehoods he spews are just too much. For instance, he purportedly quotes Christiane Northrup (I can't imagine that she affiliates herself with this idiot), but says that she has published a book entitled Our Bodies, Ourselves. Well, Dr. Northrup did not write Our Bodies, Ourselves, the women of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective wrote it. Dr. Northrup wrote Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom - which is a terrific book. Dr. Lee also talks about the mental/emotional factors that "cause" breast cancer - he erroneously states that the "typical" breast cancer patient is a woman who takes care of others to the exclusion of herself, is always giving, who may have unresolved hostility toward her mother . . . all unsubstantiated generalizations which describe many, many women in whole or in part - not just women with breast cancer. Were it so easy that taking care of oneself prevented breast cancer! The fact is, the biggest identifiable risk factor for contracting breast cancer is having breasts. This guy shouldn't be trumpeting b.s. like this and you shouldn't be reading it.
Rating:
Summary: A book every loving husband must buy
Review: If you love your wife and if you want her to be "All that she can be", then you must read this book. It will tell you what's going on with her and more importantly, if you can get her to read it, then you will have a healthy wife instead of one that slowly falls apart. Easy to understand and wonderful
Rating: 
Summary: Readers, gather for a class action case
Review: It's important to hear alternative views about conventional treatments. The perspectives of Dr. Lee and his co-authors, unfortunately, are frighteningly biased. I sincerely hope this book does not lead people astray. If you are not well read scientifically about breast cancer, beware! The persona of the book, the grains of truth can delude the uninformed and those who don't think critically. You may not be able to see how these authors are axe grinding. Those with breast cancer who believe and follow all that these authors say should seek each other out and stay in touch. In five to ten years, you may want to consider collectively if this book has harmed you.
Rating: 
Summary: Good main point, wretched presentation
Review: Overall this book seems to have a valuable message: all women should have a saliva test for certain hormones, and when there is a lack of progesterone in particular, it should be taken by using a salve, thus preventing breast cancer or minimizing its spread. The worthlessness of synthetic mixed progestins compared with real progesterone was known for decades, and the recent expose on HRT using progestins should NOT discourage women from doing it effectively! There are a number of lifestyle messages that seem very reasonable, such as avoiding mammograms, some better than average diet advice, and warnings on the toxicity of so many prescription drugs. Other claims such as environmental toxins being major causes of cancer are unproven.
But the overall problem with this book is that there was no quantitative data on the effects of any recommended intervention. There was no data on % of women who contracted breast cancer who were not taking progesterone compared with those who did. There was no data on how much more lifespan (or how much less all-cause mortality) one could obtain from progesterone treatment. There was no data on the % of women who would actually have the non-cancer benefits of using progesterone. There was no data on increased lifespan or quality of life when the diet interventions were followed.
****
On pp102-104 an example was given of a trial of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) creams applied to breasts 10-13 days before surgery to see how cell division rates were changed. The findings on p104 seem to relate to the un-numbered lower bar chart on p103. E2 was said in increase cell division rate by 230 %. Since the placebo rate was 8 on the ordinate, 230 % or 2.3 x 8 = 18. When 8 is increased by 18 the result is 26, which is not what the bar chart indicates. Pg was said to decrease the rate by 400%. Since 400 % of 8 is 32, 8 -32 = -24, which is absurd. A cell division rate cannot be decreased to less than zero. I guess they meant to say that the rate under placebo was decreased by 75%. This would fit the bar chart value of 2.
*****
On p110 the free-radical oxidation of catechol estrogens was described. Just plain catechol can be written as: 1,2-(HO)C6H4(OH) Free radicals are any type of atom with an unpaired electron, not electrons, and not just oxygen atoms. When a free radical reacts with catechol electrons are not removed alone, as this would lead to 2 or more positive charges, not a new radical. A phenolic hydrogen atom with 1 electron (a hydrogen radical) is what is actually removed to give this radical: 1,2-(HO)C6H4(O•) This does not go around looking for electrons. If it accepted just 1 electron, a phenoxide anion would be produced, and more electrons would not be accepted. If the phenoxide radical is to become a quinone, it must lose the other phenolic hydrogen atom: 1,2-(•O)C6H4(O•) This diradical would instantly rearrange to the quinone: 1,2-(O=)C6H4(=O) The damage may be done by the hydrogen radical. All these radicals are neutral in charge. So far as quinones being always dangerous and needing inactivation, one need only look at the vital ubiquinone (vitamin or coenzyme Q10) to see the exception. ...
Rating: 
Summary: BOO!
Review: This book will scare the bejesus out of ya, so make sure you're ready for the in-your-face reality this book offers. Are you ready to read about everything contributing to breast cancer from pesticides to plastic bottles? We're talking bug spray, plastic water bottles, beef, cow's milk + milk products, nail polish, polish remover, furniture, hair dryers, computers, and on and on. I was afraid to eat or touch anything for days! But the premise of this book isn't to scare but to educate you.
While this book focuses on progesterone and diet to ward off or control breast cancer from spreading, it also slams current drug treatments and drug companies, along with mammograms. The information in this book is exactly the opposite of what your doctor will probably tell you. But are you willing to bet your life that your doc really knows what he or she is talking about and not just repeating the widespread word of rich and powerful drug companies or manufacturers of mammography equiptment?
So if you're like me and have just recently found a lump in your breast, take some time to get used to the idea that you might have cancer. Then if you want to know the harsh reality about breast cancer, read this book. It might just save your life.
Rating:
Summary: Great Information That EVERY Woman Should Know
Review: This is a great review of cutting edge information that every woman should know. Knowledge is POWER and this book can empower you to begin to take control of your health and hopefully reduce your breast cancer risk. Dr. Edward Conley, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine Michigan State University
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