SEBASTOPOL, CA -- One of every three Americans faces cancer. With the diagnosis
comes a maelstrom of fears about the future and complex decisions
about treatment. This "other diagnosis" of fear can paralyze
patients and families, keeping them from being effective
participants in their care and from making the best medical
and personal decisions for their situations.
In a world turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis, it is
difficult to find the right answers, much less be certain that
the right questions are asked. It is hard to balance the desire
to find a cure and extend life, and the wish to prevent side
effects of treatment. At the same time, patients and families
must deal with powerful emotions, keep hope for the future, and
maintain a sense of meaning in life.
Live Longer, Live Larger is a handbook for people who want a
supportive companion in their response to cancer or other serious
illness. It is based on the experience and hard-won wisdom of
thousands of patients and families dealing with cancer: people of
differing temperaments, backgrounds, and medical circumstances.
Its stories, exercises and tools can help patients survive a
diagnosis of cancer to live longer, more meaningfully, and with a
higher quality of life, regardless of prognosis or stage of
disease.
Topics covered include:
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Conquering fear
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Finding the right treatment for you
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Using hope as good medicine
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Surmounting barriers to treatment
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Increasing quality and meaning of life
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Redefining your relationship with cancer
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Finding opportunity amidst the crisis
Authors William M. Buchholz, M.D., Hematology and Oncology, and
Susan W. Buchholz, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, have worked since
1978 with patients and families facing life-threatening illness.
Inspired by their patients, they have created a map to help other
people successfully navigate the complex world of cancer.
Press may receive a complementary copy of this book.
About the Authors
Dr. William Buchholz is a graduate of Harvard University and
Stanford Medical School. He is board certified in internal
medicine and hematology and has practiced hematology and oncology
for over 25 years. He has served as a consultant to the
Commonweal Cancer Help Program (featured on Bill Moyer's series,
Healing and the Mind), helped create holistic health centers in
Japan, and help develop hospice and patient support services in
the San Francisco Bay area. Dr. Buchholz has lectured
internationally on such topics as cancer prevention, hospice and
palliative care, and complementary medicine and the medical uses
of hope. His articles have been published both in scientific
journals like NEJM and JAMA and in popular books like Chicken
Soup for the Surviving Soul.
Dr. Susan Buchholz is a graduate of Johns Hopkins' Physician
Assistant program and received her PhD in clinical health
psychology from the Fielding Institute. She has advanced training
in biofeedback, self-hypnosis and the Enneagram. She counsels
both couples and individuals facing medical illness as well as
those dealing with anxiety and depression. She describes her job
as "untangling the knots that keep people trapped in unhealthy
lives."
Drs. William and Susan Buchholz have practiced together as a team
in Mountain View, California, since 1978 and have offered
workshops on wellness, cancer prevention, and "The Successful
Cancer Patient" to audiences ranging from IBM, Lockheed, and
Apple Computer to PTAs and churches.
Our Philosophy of Care
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There is always hope. If not cure, then remission. If not a
longer life, then a better life.
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There is always choice.
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If you're going to fight for your life, fight smarter, not
just harder.
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It is better to ask the right questions than to get the right
answer to the wrong question. The right questions result in
discoveries about what is true for you.
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It is better to go purposefully toward something you want than
to run frantically away from something you don't want.
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Developing the right strategy or plan for treatment is just as
important as finding the right treatment.
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The purpose of treatment is to have a larger life-with the
dimensions of quality and meaning-not just a longer one.
Advance Praise
"Bill and Susie Buchholz are a wonderful oncologist-psychologist
team who have devoted decades providing cancer patients with
scientifically grounded, open minded and psychologically
sensitive approaches to cancer care. Live Longer, Live Larger is
a strong and clear summary of all that they have learned.
"A very useful book covering a wide range of key issues that
cancer patients face....It is solid, it is broadminded, it is
thoughtful, it is compassionate, it is wise."
--Michael Lerner, Author of Choices in Healing: Integrating the
Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer;
President, Commonweal
"In this gem of a book William and Susan Buchholz offer us the
experience gained from a lifetime of accompanying people with
cancer. Live Longer, Live Larger is holistic medicine at its
best: relevant, liberating, wise and profoundly healing. If only
everyone with cancer could receive it from their doctor along
with their diagnosis."
--Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, Author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My
Grandfather's Blessings
About Patient-Centered Guides
Patient empowerment is the core of Patient-Centered Guides. We
believe that people are empowered when they have the knowledge
and skills to partner with their doctor or healthcare provider to
get the best medical care possible.
We publish books that contain clear, concise, easy to understand
information about the medical, practical and emotional aspects of
health issues. Our authors are patient activists, knowledgeable
about specific conditions and diseases, who have built strong and
networked communities of patients, families, and caregivers. In
addition to our books, we publish
in-depth patient information on the web at www.patientcenters.com.
Patient-Centered Guides is a wholly-owned subsidiary of O'Reilly
& Associates, Inc. O'Reilly is recognized worldwide for its
technical books that provide value to people who are experiencing
information pain. O'Reilly publishes books that make a difference
in people's lives.
Live Longer, Live Larger:
A Holistic Approach for Cancer Patients & Families
By William M. Buchholz, MD, & Susan W. Buchholz, PhD
$24.95, 408 pages, paperback
ISBN: 1-56592-845-8
PUBLICATION DATE: August 2001
