CANCER RIP-OFF: NEW BOOK SERVES UP FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Cancer Rip-Off, We Are Victims of Mass Marketing, By Max Sturman, (Do It Naturally Foundation, 2010, 226 pages.)
Book Review by Dennis Moore
October 2, 2010 (San Diego) San Diego author Max Sturman has written a provocative new book, The Cancer Rip-Off. Sturman reveals links between nutrition and the causes of cancer—and raises probing questions as to why focus has been lacking on prevention.
Countries such as Japan and China seem to have a better grip on the situation than we in the United States. “We are what we eat" may explain why the United States is tied for 29th place among developed nations in life expectancy, while Japan is first, Sturman observes.
Sturman, who lost his wife to cancer, worked in San Diego's aerospace industry for many years. Since her death, he has focused his research efforts on nutrition. He is the founder of the Do It Naturally Foundation. He is also the author of several earlier books; Do It Naturally, No Sugar No Power Will Give Me The Power, Never Get A Cold, and And You Are What You Eat, Dude.
In The Cancer Rip-Off, he tackles the complex subject of cancer--and why we seem to have made very little progress in many years toward eradicating the condition, despite the many advances that we have made in science and medicine.
Sturman suggests it is in the interests of the large pharmaceutical companies that we don't come up with a cure for cancer, thus he titled his book The Cancer Rip-Off. He questions probing questions: "Are they making life-saving drugs that will cure the disease or are they just making treatments that will allow the disease to recur and eventually kill the patient?" Equally troubling, he asks, "If they prolong the treatment, they can make more money. If the company cures the disease, they make less money over time. Therefore, where do the goals of the pharmaceutical companies lie?"and “Do those researchers ever check to see that all the additives in our foods might be contributing to cancer?”
The basis for Sturman's thoughts and beliefs started in 1970, when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. Despite the fact that they made the immediate decision to go ahead and do the surgery, his wife later died. Sturman states that the death of his wife motivated him to write this book.
Sturman gives his definition of cancer as "the body's attempt to eliminate abominations taken into the body." He further states:"Since the dawn of man, we have searched for foods that would sustain us and tantalize our taste buds. After millenniums we found the best guidelines for acceptable foods for the body's sustenance to give us the best results. Yet, some people wanted more variety. And they wanted more excitement to their taste buds. So they went against the established guidelines and their own good judgment. And we have suffered ever since. The poor state of our health today indicates the need to go back to the previously, successful, established guidelines of good food. The natural diet is the one we were meant to follow. We must eliminate today's harmful, overly processed food. Isn't it a possibility that the food we eat has something to do with getting cancer?" That is the crux of Sturman's book.
Sturman also questions the benefits of chemotherapy and/or cancer screenings, stating, "Cancer screenings aren't all that effective. Only the PAP smear has shown a decrease in deaths from cervical cancer by 74%. In contrast mammograms have been shown to cut the risk of death from breast cancer by only 15%."
Sturman further states that "mainstream medicine's approach has been: cut it (surgery), burn it (radiation), poison it (chemotherapy). That protocol has been unquestioned since the late 1800s - but hasn't proved to be effective! Rid the body of cancer cells!"
Sturman also discusses disturbing details about organizations that have the most to lose from curing cancer and indicates that some have satobaged research efforts. You'll also read about how prevention of cancer involves returning to the natural guidelines of choosing the best foods for the body's sustenance and well being, according to Sturman.
A similar link between nutrition and health was noted by another book that I reviewed, Linking Nutrition To Mental Health, by Dr. Ruth Leyse-Wallace, in the East County Magazine. In her book, Dr. Leyse-Wallace states that "to truly live well-to feel good, engage in productive activities, enjoy fulfilling relationships with other people, and be able to adapt to change and cope with adversity - Americans must start addressing mental health with the same urgency as physical health." With that in mind, registered dietitian Dr. Ruth Leyse-Wallace gathered breakthrough scientific research from around the world to demonstrate how powerfully nutrition can affect our mental well-being as much as our physical well-being.
The correlation between what we eat and cancer is being noted internationally among some top medical and nutritione experts. "There is growing evidence that many cancers may be prevented through healthy lifestyle, including a nutritionally balanced diet. In addition, nutritional problems can also have a negative impact on cancer management and the lives of patients," Medical News Today reported in March 2009. The article noted that latest research findings on these topics were slated for discussion at the European Society for Medical Oncology in collaboration with the European Society for Clinical Nutritoin and Metabolosim and the Multinational Association os Supportive Care in Cancer at the ESMO Symposium on Cancer and Nutrition (20-21 March 2009).
At a recent meeting of the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild, Max Sturman and Dr. Ruth Leyse-Wallace got together afterwards to discuss and compare notes on each other's books, as it relates to what we eat and nutrition.
Cancer Rip-Off is certainly food for thought, that I recommend you consume.
Dennis Moore is a member of the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild. He has written for LifeAfter 50 Magazine in Pasadena, California, and the Baja Times Newspaper in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. Mr. Moore can be contacted at demoore21@sprint.blackberry.net.