Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins

The author healed himself from a supposedly incurable disease by various methods of mind-body techniques, very inspiring! He also discusses the importance of laughter when dealing with serious diseases.

Another Chance At Life – A Breast Cancer Survivor’s Journey by Leonore H Dvorkin

Leonore is a client of mine, and a friend, and her book has a unique appeal, is well written and an honest portrayal of her journey through breast cancer, having a mastectomy and making a choice to have no reconstructive surgery.  Highly recommended.

Anti-Cancer: A New Way of  Life by Dr David Servan-Schreiber

I first learned about Dr Servan-Schreiber on YouTube. There’s a most interesting hour-long video there wherein the good doctor discusses many aspects of healing from cancer. This book is excellent – anyone who reads it is sure to be inspired by all of the ways we can help heal from breast cancer or avoid it. It’s a tremendously good read.

Bald Is Better With Earrings by Andrea Hutton

Although not available when I was going through breast cancer, this is a really helpful book written by a survivor. It is full of wonderful tips and useful information. Love the title, couldn’t agree more!

Beating Cancer With Nutrition by Dr Patrick Quillin

One of my favorite books about using nutrition to beat cancer, Dr Quillin provides great information, explains the link between nutrition and cancer, plus there’s a great discussion about the importance of the pH influence (acid/alkaline) of foods and some daily diet plans. It’s a don’t-miss!

The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.

This book was a major eye-opener for me. If you believe that you have a genetic predisposition to breast cancer, Dr Lipton blows that theory out of the water – or at the very least, amply demonstrates that beliefs and thoughts govern our genes much more strongly than anything else.  This book gives you HOPE and shows that our bodies can be changed as we change our thinking. The author was trained as a cell biologist, so be prepared for lots of research… but it’s very readable and fantastic information.  Reading this book literally changed my life and helped me to stop worrying about supposed genetic predisposition.

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself – How To Lose Your Mind And Create A New One by Dr Joe Dispenza

I could not put this book down.  It wasn’t available when I was going through breast cancer, but hugely relevant. If (like me) you believe that stress and bad thinking contributed to your illness, you will love this book.  Dr Dispenza teaches us how our brains work and how to utilize meditation to change our thinking, change our brains and create the life that we want.

Breast Cancer – Beyond Convention – The World’s Foremost Authorities on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Offer Advice on Healing Edited by M Tagliaferri, MD; I Cohen, OMD; and D Tripathy, MD.

Fabulous information on various complementary & alternative healing methods by the world’s foremost authorities. I found it to be very helpful, it provided lots of in-depth information.

Breast Cancer – Reduce Your Risk With Foods You Love by Robert Pendergrast, MD

A nicely written book by a former pediatrician who decided that we needed more up-to-date information about nutrition, as well as quite a few other risk reduction factors such as environmental toxins.  The author also shares the importance of mind-body medicine, exercise – it’s a nice holistic approach.

Breast Cancer – What You Should Know (But May Not Be Told) About Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment by Steve Austin, ND and Cathy Hitchcock, MSW

This was my mother’s book, so a little older, but it was the first one I turned to the day I got my diagnosis. It’s full of information on surgical procedures, drugs, questions to ask and includes both the doctor’s and the patient’s points of view. Very helpful.

A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter, MS

This contains lots of great information about the harmful (and desirable) ingredients found in our body products and cosmetics. You’ll be horrified at what gets put into our products!  And these chemicals are putting us at a higher risk of breast cancer, so be sure you know which ones they are.

Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain

Shakti Gawain teaches you how to use your mind to relax, to effectively visualize what you want to create in your life. I found this very powerful information, especially since I strongly felt that poorly handled stress was instrumental in the development of my tumor.

The Cure For All Cancers by Dr Hulda R Clark

I first read this years ago, when my mother was battling breast cancer a second time. It is full of good information on the link between parasites and cancer, problems with amalgam fillings in teeth and environmental toxins.  Regardless of whether this book provides us with “the cure”, it is certainly full of good information.

Don’t Let Anything Dull Your Sparkle  by Doreen Virtue

This is a recent addition! A very helpful book, it explains how we can break free of the negativity and drama in our lives using nutrition, bodywork, and a whole host of other helpful suggestions. All of us can relate to having to deal with negativity and drama in our lives, and if you are trying to heal from breast cancer knowing how to apply this information will help you a lot. This book is a little gem.

Dr Susan Love’s Breast Book by Susan M Love, MD

This is a fabulous resource for anyone wanting to know about breast cancer and risk reduction.  At 736 pages, it was originally published in 1990 and has just been updated.  Don’t miss this one.

Green Smoothie Bible, The by Kristine Miles

I never knew there could be so many wonderful smoothie recipes, but this one surely must contain all of them.  In addition, it contains information about detoxing  – always useful when you’ve been through chemotherapy and radiation – you will love this book.

Heal Cancer: Choose Your Own Survival Path  by Dr Ruth Cilento

This remarkable book was written by a doctor who had some very revolutionary ideas about cancer. She was definitely ahead of her time. It’s a fantastic read and helped me a lot. It’s another of the ones I read when my mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.  It is a little harder to get copies of this book but if you see a used copy somewhere, grab it.

How to Fight Cancer and Win by William L Fischer

This is a little older – my father introduced this one to me. The information in it is still good, particularly on nutrition and the importance of using imagery and positive thinking.

Instant Calm by Paul Wilson

If you believe that a long period of stress preceded your cancer diagnosis, this is for you. Lots of coping strategies and techniques to help you through stressful periods. Just reading it is calming!

Kicking Cancer in The Kitchen by Annette Ramke and Kendall Scott

A terrific cookbook I have recently reviewed, written by two cancer survivors.  They have written a really thoughtful book with lots of great recipes and tips on getting through cancer in a very inspiring and healthy way.  I wish this had been available when I was going through cancer!  Since then, I’ve written my own cookbook, Marnie’s 50 Favorite Breast Cancer Healing Recipes

Millions of Knots by Sharon Permack

Sharon Permack was diagnosed with breast cancer and chronic pulmonary disease in September of 2006. Sharon turned to an integrative approach using western medicine and holistic treatments to help support her recovery – a game changer for her in healing and saving her life. Sharon is one of my thrivers, and I am honored to share her book with everyone. I think you’ll love it.

Mindset for Healing: A Profound Yet Simple Plan to See Healing from a New Perspective by Tirtzah Sandor

Tirtzah Sandor is a survivor of stage 3 breast cancer, and her book is a powerful testament to the critical importance of having a positive mindset when going through any healing journey. I found this to be an extraordinary book – easy to read, yet compelling, inspirational, giving you the tools you need to kickstart your own healing journey.  To learn more, see my page on her book.

 Outsmart Your Cancer: Alternative Non-Toxic Treatments That Work with CD by Tanya Harter Pierce

This is a recent addition, but oh-so-good! Filled with great information about non-toxic therapies for cancer, you will find this quite inspirational and helpful in your quest to heal cancer naturally.

Power Juices Super Drinks by Steve Meyerowitz

Great book about juicing, the author includes terrific information about specific health problems and what nutrients will help and why.  Highly recommended.

The Power of Intention by Dr Wayne Dyer

I LOVED this book.  It is full of fantastic information. The late Wayne Dyer was a very inspiring writer and this is a beautiful gift to us. I found it especially helpful because I realized that in order to stay well after all my treatment ended, I was going to need to connect to a very powerful thing called intention. Dr Dyer tells us how to do that.

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment  by Eckhart Tolle

I found this to be life changing. Eckhart Tolle is so good with words as he describes how to attain spiritual enlightenment (and no, it’s not heavy-going), drawing on the teachings of Christianity and Buddhism. I highly recommend this to anyone facing cancer or another life crisis.

Radical Remission by Kelly Turner, PhD

This book has only recently been released, so it was not available when I was going through breast cancer, but the author has spent a long year of her life combing the earth speaking to people whose cancer was considered by conventional medicine to be beyond help and these people have defied the odds by living.  Kelly finds out how they did it and shares it with us.  A fabulous read, don’t miss this one.

Shattering the Cancer Myth by Katrina Ellis

Katrina Ellis is not only a naturopath and iridologist, but also a cancer survivor and she has written a great guide to understanding both traditional and natural therapies for cancer treatment. She includes some very helpful natural remedies to combat the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. This was lent to me by a client immediately after my diagnosis and I was so impressed, I haunted the shops until I found my own copy.

Smart Decisions About Breast Cancer – Choices, Risks, Living Well, Preventing Recurrence by Martina Wood

Although I have not read this book myself, reviews reveal its usefulness. One reviewer stated it was “written by a breast cancer patient who has endured the medical treatments and emotional ordeal to recover from the condition. The book is full of information collected by the writer through meticulous research and personal experiences from the perspective for a patient who had been on a careful search for cure. For completeness, the writer has also expanded her researches for scenarios beyond her personal experience. The information has been organized or tabulated in a crisp format that a reader can easily follow for treatment and aftercare.” So if you’re looking for information from the patient’s perspective, this one is highly recommended.

Spontaneous Healing by Andrew Weil, MD

Dr Weil is an expert at making a difficult concept understandable. I found this really interesting and it has many suggestions on how to enhance your own ability to heal.

A Survivor’s Guide to Kicking Cancer’s Ass by Dr Dena Mendes

Great book – it teaches you how to become your own advocate and self-empowerment, which is what I believe got me through breast cancer successfully.  As Dr Mendes promises, “You’ll get to turn yourself inside out and become someone new. I guarantee that this is the best trip you’ll ever take!”

Waking The Warrior Goddess – Dr Christine Horner’s Program To Protect Against And Fight Breast Cancer by Dr Christine Horner

I wish I had had this book available to me when I was going through breast cancer.  Quite simply, this is an amazing compendium of information.  Dr Horner is a modern pioneer, at least in terms of breast cancer.  Her passion and her knowledge about risk factors and things to do to protect yourself are absolutely crucial.  This is definitely a don’t-miss for every woman, regardless of her health status.

 The Wellness Seed by Hillary Polednik

This is a beautifully written book by Ms Polednik who is herself a cancer survivor. Besides sharing her story, she integrates the teachings of amazing people like Pema Chodron, Rumi, Mooji, Dr Joe Dispenza, Robert Holden, Louise Hay, Anita Moorjani, Wayne Dyer, and much more. Definitely worth reading, very inspirational.

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer by John R Lee, MD

I first read Dr Lee’s guide about menopause, so I knew this was going to be full of great information. He gives lots of practical information on how to heal from and also prevent breast cancer, as well as the politics of the breast cancer industry – I believe this one should also be on every woman’s must-read list.

Why Me, Why This, Why Now:  A Guide to Answering Life’s Toughest Questions  by Robin Norwood

Robin Norwood is one wise woman. This book helped me so very much because I found within its pages so many answers to life problems I was encountering.  The author helps to put a lot of things into perspective for the reader and provides much solace.

Why People Don’t Heal And How They Can by Caroline Myss, PhD

If you are curious as to why healing is harder for you than for others, this one is a must read.  The answers will not likely be easy ones, but you will gain a lot of insight from this book.

You Can Conquer Cancer by Dr Ian Gawler

This book has been around for awhile in Australia but might not be very well known in other parts of the world. It should be. It’s a very inspirational read. Ian Gawler is a cancer survivor and the book is full of information on the prevention and management of cancer.  Within these pages, I first became aware of how powerful meditation can be as a healing tool.

Your Life In Your Hands by Prof Jane Plant

This book woke me up to the fact that we need to avoid non-organic dairy products (among other things!). Very good information, although I don’t agree with absolutely everything Prof Plant tells us in this book. Definitely worth checking out.

I continue to update this list, so check back here frequently.