This book left me stunned, & wanting to give it to everyone (Your Life in Your Hands: Understanding, Preventing and Overcoming Breast Cancer - Jane Plant)

Member Name: ChrisCC

Product:	Your Life in Your Hands: Understanding, Preventing and Overcoming Breast Cancer - Jane Plant
Date:	20/02/02 (441 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Possible cure for breast cancer, Improve health, Exciting read

Disadvantages: Maybe raise hopes too high?

I first heard Professor Jane Plant talking about how she overcame her breast cancer on Woman's Hour, and was intrigued. Then I read an article in a newspaper, and decided to follow it up. I bought her book.

As far as I know, I do not have breast cancer, and am not at statistically greater risk. However, it is a frighteningly common disease (affecting around ten per cent of women at some time), I have lost friends to it, and I am always interested in methods of maintaining and improving health naturally.

The book is a rivetting read. It describes in detail how the author contracted breast cancer in 1987, and was, at one point, despite good medical care (mastectomy, chemotherapy etc), given three months to live. She was already eating in a way generally considered healthy - a low fat diet high in fruit and vegetables.

We are shown how Jane Plant used scientific methodology and her knowledge of other ccultures to record the progress of her disease. In a way, it reads like a detective story, as we follow her investigations.

She made an amazing discovery when she remembered that breast cancer was very rare in China, and thought about Chinese diet. As she cut dairy products strictly from her diet and made some other changes to her lifestyle, her tumour began to shrink rapidly. Her doctors were stunned.

The book gives good scientific explanations and reasons for this, but is also very readable and comprehensible to the lay person. I feel that Jane Plant has struck exactly the right balance by giving us all the information, treating us as intelligent, but not boring us or becoming so scientific that it goes over our heads. Cancer is explained clearly in everyday language. She writes well.

Milk, even organic, even skimmed, contains hormones for promoting growth, which makes it ideal for babies of the species. Jane Plant discusses the complex makeup of milk, and why it is unsuitable for adults. Non-organ
ic milk of course is also a concentrated source of toxins.

As well as discussing dairy in great detail, Jane Plant also gives other food and lifestyle indications to help prevent or overcome hormone related cancers.
Not only has her method overcome her own breast cancer, Jane Plant has also helped many other women. The method also applies to other hormone related cancers, including prostate, and has also helped people suffering from various other health problems. Presumably, as we are all different, the method will be more or less effective with different people. But it is certainly worth a try!

Since reading Your Life in Your Hands, I have attended a lecture given by Jane Plant to an osteoporosis society meeting. I was impressed by her youthful looks and obvious health and vitality. She convinced me, at any rate, that dairy products are not necessary to provide adequate calcium and protect against osteoporosis. There are many non-dairy sources of calcium.

This book has influenced my life. I have greatly reduced dairy in my diet since reading it, although occasionally I eat cheese or yoghourt, and I don't check the ingredients of all the prepared foods I buy (not many anyway, and usually organic) for dairy. Of course, were I to suspect breast cancer, I would cut out all dairy immediately.

She has a new book out (The Plant Programme), which consists mainly of recipes and tips to make the lifestyle work.

Your Life in Your Hands left me gasping with amazement. I'd read it quickly because it is so interesting (unputdownable) and made such obvious sense. I recommend it to everyone.

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