Dr Susan Love’s Breast Book, supposedly the best book to use on breast cancer, is not all that it’s cracked up to be. Of course, it is not a complete waste of print. However, you need to at least be aware of its shortcomings.

The first problem is an obvious one. That is, too much of the book covers basic anatomy of breast tissue and development instead of the information that women who read the book need the most. The fact is, no one wants to wade through a bunch of non-essential material in order to find the answers to their most pressing questions. Particularly when one’s life hangs in the balance.

Secondly, Dr Susan Love’s Breast Book was last published in 2005. This has to take its toll on the accuracy of the survival and mortality statistics quoted within its pages. In the cases of chemotherapy, antibodies, and hormonal therapies, advances are often realized much more quickly than a five-year span. Because of this, there are no good statistics on ten-year survival rates.

Worse yet, Dr. Love dedicates a scant paragraph to guiding women on how to interpret the statistics! How can they possibly move forward in their fight when they are ill-prepared and fearful?

In addition, descriptions of rare complications of surgery and recurrence are given too much space. Instead of focusing on the facts on which to base decisions, the author belabors how many lives have been lost and the imperfections of the medical system. Once again, superfluous discussion is found where answers are most desperatley needed.

Even when Dr. Love does have some good information for the reader about how dangerous chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can be, she still recommends it wholeheartedly. Even though she says herself that 2-9% of non-metastatic women experience benefits from chemotherapy and that these three treatment options carry devastating and often permanent side effects!

I think I would be wary of any healthcare provider who offers that kind of advice. Let’s not forget that she is a doctor, after all, and may have a detached manner of assessing treatment plans.

It is not that you can’t get some good information from the book. Dr Susan Love’s Breast Book is still a good reference. However, I would not put all of my time into reading it, especially if I wanted to be able to take any kind of action right away in order to save my own life.

Looking for practical information about preventing breast cancer in yourself and the women you love? Visit the preventing breast cancer page on Holistic-Medicine-MD. Better yet, check out the book Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk With Foods You Love by Dr. Robert Pendergrast.

Related posts

Tagged with: • • •