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 “I am impressed by the
comprehensive, integrated nature of Dr. Block’s approach, and just as
we talked about the Ornish approach to coronary vascular disease, I hope
that we can soon talk about the Block approach to the management of
cancer.”
-Wayne B. Jonas, M.D.
Former Director of Office of Alternative Medicine at the National
Institutes of Health (now the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine). Coeditor of
Essentials of
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (1999).
“Keith
Block, M.D., is a significant
figure in the emerging “middle ground” approach to integrated management
of cancer…. Block is the kind of physician we are going to need more of
in the future: a clinical internist who has conducted postgraduate
research in nutritional and behavioral oncology and who is dedicated to
the judicious and effective use of conventional cancer treatments. At
the same time, he places a strong emphasis on the use of appropriate
complementary therapies as adjunctive treatments. Block’s approach is a
model that could fit easily into the future mainstream practice of
hematology-oncology.”
-Michael
Lerner, Ph.D. Author of Choices in Healing and founding director
of Commonweal in Bolinas, CA,
a health and environmental research institute conducting
programs that contribute to human and ecosystem health.
“Keith I. Block, MD, [has integrated] the medicine of the mind-body with
the medicine of biochemistry, for cancer [and] anything else.”
-Harris Dienstfrey, Executive
Editor of Advances: The Journal of Mind-Body Health, Fetzer
Institute, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
"As a
researcher of biopsychosocial influences on the course of cancer, I
appreciate Dr. Block’s perspective on the field he quite aptly prefers
to call “biopsychooncology.” As a clinical health psychologist, I
applaud his focus on how health care professionals who bring “an
unrelenting, life-affirming attitude” and a compassionate, comprehensive
approach to cancer care can make all the difference in, quite literally,
transforming people’s lives. .. It is my hope that, perhaps in the next
millennium, there will be many more Keith Blocks treating people with
cancer."
-Lydia R. Temoshok, Ph.D.,
Cancer Investigator and Clinical Psychologist, Division of Mental
Health, World Health Organization, Geneva. Co-author of
The Type C Connection.
"Keith
I. Block, MD, is to be commended for pursuing a treatment approach of
biopsychological intervention. He offers us a meaningful approach to
the care of cancer patients by utilizing individualized therapeutic
intervention that can include traditional chemotherapy protocols as well
as a strong focus on nutritional treatment, stress reduction techniques,
and other life-affirming practices. I believe Dr. Block’s work
represents a significant contribution to our understanding of the
patient care process in oncology and presents us with a challenge for
the future."
-David Gullion, M.D.,
Oncologist and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, U.C. San
Francisco School of Medicine.
“Dr.
Block’s vision of cancer care represents an attempt by a dedicated and
thoughtful physician to treat the whole person by combining conventional
medical, nutritional-metabolic, and psychospiritual treatments with a
strong respect for patient autonomy. This program can serve as a model
for other physicians who would seek to create their own integrative
treatment programs.”
-William M. Buchholz, M.D.,
Medical Oncologist, Mountain View, CA. Consultant to Commonweal Cancer
Help Program, Bolinas, CA.
“The
treatment method Dr. Block calls “biopsychooncology” is an exciting
departure from the traditional view of cancer treatment. With this new
paradigm, he has forged a vital link between the scientific
understanding of cancer and the well-being of the patient… [His
writings] reveal a deep understanding of the patient’s role in cancer
survival and how the mind, environment, and nutrition interact as
positive therapeutic agents in each stage of the cancer process. His
approach represents a rational method of cancer management which most
patients can understand and in which they can participate in an active
partnership with their practitioners.”
-Jeffrey S. Bland, Ph.D.
Renowned nutritional biochemist. Chief executive officer of HealthComm,
Inc., Gig Harbor, Washington.
“Dr.
Block presents a compelling argument for rethinking the biomedical
approach to the treatment of cancer. There is not, to my knowledge, a
program (and the work it is based on) such as this one by Dr. Keith
Block, which takes such a bold step toward fully integrating mind-body
medicine in the treatment of cancer. For every person who has ever had,
or currently has, or has even considered the possibility of someday
having cancer, there can be only a sense of jubilant relief in the
realization that such an integrated approach to cancer treatment finally
exists."
-Mark Renneker, M.D., is
assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family and Community
Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, and a specialist in
Behavioral Medicine with expertise in cancer care. San Francisco, CA.
“To
read about Block’s approach to cancer, to see him relating positive
coping behavior to immune system activity, is a sign to me that we are
making some real progress.”
-Bernie Siegel, M.D., founder
of the support group program, Exceptional Cancer Patients, Inc., and
author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles, and other popular books
on mind-body medicine.
“I
commend Dr. Keith Block for his commitment to incorporating nutrition as
a key component in the multidimensional management of the oncology
patient. Only now, with the growing acceptance of the need for a more
integrative approach to cancer care, is nutritional oncology beginning
to emerge as a recognized medical discipline and as an important adjunct
to standard cancer treatment.”
-Bonita M. Hathaway, M.S.,
R.D., Clinical Dietitian at Saint Vincent Hospital, New York, NY.
“Dr.
Block presents ideas for improvements in care giving that could be of
great material benefit to cancer patients.”
-James R. Hebert, M.S.P.H.,
Sc.D., professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and associate director,
Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Medicine,
University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
“A
dietary program, which is actually part of a multifaceted approach that
includes conventional cancer treatment, stress reduction, exercise, and
psychological support, developed by a practicing U.S. physician, Keith
Block, M.D., is an example of a “middle ground” approach. The program
is intended to be used adjunctively and not as a substitute for medical
treatment. The diet, which is modified on an individual basis,
emphasizes foods high in vitamins, trace minerals, and substances
thought to reduce cancer risks. Nutritional analysis has reportedly
shown Block’s dietary program to be nutritionally adequate; the
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were met or exceeded for almost all
nutrients for which RDAs have been established and for which nutrient
analyses are available, and the diet reportedly exceeds requirements for
vitamins A, C, and B12, calcium, iron, magnesium, and several other
elements. According to some members of the OTA Advisory Panel for this
study, it is our collective professional judgment that nutritional
interventions are going to “follow” psychosocial interventions up the
ladder into clinical
respectability as
adjunctive and complementary approaches to the treatment of cancer.”
-Source: Unconventional Cancer Treatments, a 300-page report
issued 09/1990 by the Office of Technology Assessment of the 101st
Congress of the United States, Washington, D.C. Document GPO
052-003-01207-3: U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of
Documents, Washington, DC 20402-9325
“Keith Block, M.D., is perhaps the most prominent integrative cancer
specialist in the country.”
-Ralph W. Moss,
Ph.D.
Leading
author and consultant on cancer treatment.
Writes detailed
reports on a wide variety of cancer types and situations. The Moss
Reports. CancerDecisions Newsletters.
www.cancerdecisions.com |
