Book review: 'The Truth about Cancer'

Over the course of a decade, Ty Bollinger lost seven members of his family to cancer. This enormous tragedy launched him on a quest to understand everything he could about cancer, treatments, and the medical industry that surrounds the disease. The Truth about Cancer: What You Need to Know about Cancer’s History, Treatment, and Prevention (2018, Hay House LLC) is the result of his journey.

The Truth about Cancer consists of three sections: “The History of Medicine and the Politics of Cancer,” “Cancer Diagnosis, Detection, Causes and Prevention,” and “Successful Treatment Protocols.”

Part one on the history of medicine begins with Hippocrates, the Greek physician from the fifth century B.C. famous for what is called today the Hippocratic Oath. The oath states that every person should be cared for individually and respectfully. Bollinger shows us how medicine has changed from more of an individualized approach to a tight network of bureaucratic control.

Part two starts with the definition of cancer and how it develops, and most importantly, how one treats it. Cancer does not have to be inevitable—there are ways to combat it before it develops, but that may require significant changes in the way we eat and live our lives.

The third section lists the various methods in treating cancer once it has been diagnosed. Are there more methods to treat cancer than the standard chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery? Most certainly, and Bollinger spends a considerable amount of the book going into detail on the many proven treatments. Ty’s life mission, as mentioned in the introduction, is that other families do not have to suffer loss like his family has suffered. That’s why he wrote the book.

The bottom line is that cancer does not have to be a death sentence. One can choose different routes to fight it, and it is nice to know that there are choices, as well as steps to prevent its development in the first place.

The Truth about Cancer can be a great tool when considering the prevention and treatment of cancer.

The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not meant as medical advice. The information is not meant to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health professional.