Holistic Approach for Caring of the Cancer Patient

Cancer: the earliest known mention of this disease dates back to an Egyptian papyrus from 2000 BC, and it continues to afflict us to this day. In 1970, the United States launched a massive effort to eradicate the disease within years or decades by declaring war against it, but it persists. In 2006, the American National Cancer Institute declared that the cancer genome project would eliminate death and suffering from this disease by 2015. Yet here we are in 2023, and cancer remains a formidable foe. As healthcare workers, we fight this battle every day alongside our patients and their families, and while we may win some battles, cancer still claims many victories. Everyone involved in this battle, whether patients, relatives, or healthcare workers, wants to seize every opportunity to improve patients' chances of survival and quality of life. While the focus has traditionally been on conventional treatment methods, with all available resources directed towards this goal, there are other scientifically proven measures that can increase patients' chances but are not receiving the attention they deserve. As the title of the book suggests, these measures are not intended to replace conventional methods but rather to complement and integrate with them, providing patients with the maximum benefits of our knowledge to fight this disease. This book is intended for healthcare workers, patients, their relatives, and to anyone who would like to learn how to support a cancer patient. It offers simple tools that can support loved ones during their most difficult moments, offering comfort, emotional support, and a boost to their immune defenses at a time that is likely one of the most challenging situations a person can face’ receiving a cancer diagnosis.