Mum's not having chemo by Laura Bond

When my mum was diagnosed with cancer, I thought I'd better get round to reading this book, which had been sitting on my shelf for a year. Anyway, mum wasn't interested and opted for chemo, but I found it an interesting read, and will incorporate some of the ideas into my own preventative health regime.

 

This book isn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be an autobiographical account of Laura's mother's search for a natural cure, but it's more like a detailed account of the different treatments available, and the evidence for their efficacy. Whether or not Laura's mum chose to indulge in each therapy is more of an afterthought than the centre of the story, and there's little insight to how she got on, or whether she actually had any cancer remaining after surgery. In my mum's case, they think they got it all, so chemotherapy was an optional extra 'just in case'. Only time will tell whether they 'got it all' otherwise. That's the theory anyway.

 

The other weaknesses of this book, I would say, is that it places credible treatments alongside some completely cuckoo treatments, giving them equal validity and merit. I fear this might lead to someone who's quite gullible putting all their faith in something utterly ineffective.

However, there are some solid ideas there too, and if the treatments cheer you up and make you feel good, that can have an immune boosting effect. We should never underestimate the power of the placebo effect.

So while some suggestions strike me as much more sound and credible than others, it's an interesting read with some ideas worth exploring further. I would say, before parting with any money for treatments, do your own research and check them out thoroughly. I'm pretty sure the author would agree with that advice too.