The set of books to fuel the journey to fight cancer
We would like to send to readers the assessment of Associate Professor Dr. Pham Nguyen Tuong and Dr. Dao Yen Phi about two books in this series.
Handbook for patients and loved ones
In recent years, scientific data shows an increasing cure rate for cancer. The cases of escaping the “death sentence due to cancer” are not only lucky and isolated. Every day, we still see sharing on the media and social networks countless touching stories and life scenes of people who have been “living with cancer”, how they bravely overcome difficult times with cancer. the support of many “forces”: medical staff, relatives, volunteers, and even themselves.
To do this, it is very important to help patients and their loved ones have a proper understanding of cancer, thereby actively participating in the decision-making process and planning treatment/care for themselves. Patients/relatives need to be explained clearly about the potential benefits and possible side effects of treatment in understandable language at the appropriate time, so that decisions about treatment methods can be made together. value in line with their own views. Participating in the decision-making process helps patients/relatives better comply with medical orders, be more satisfied and take more initiative in the treatment process. However, in reality, discussions between doctors and patients are still difficult due to the effects of grief, fear, lack of time, and lack of understanding about cancer of loved ones/patients.
The book “Handbook for patients and relatives” compiled by Dr. Pham Nguyen Quy and MSc Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh, with only moderate thickness but can be said to cover all the basic issues of cancer and the treatment/care methods that the patient/relative needs to know when facing this terrible disease. In addition to important content on palliative care such as pain management, emotional support, movement, and nutrition during treatment, the book contains essential advice on how to respond to bad news, how to practice lifestyle changes to make patients more comfortable in their journey.
From professional experience and valuable experience in counseling patients/relatives through Community Medicine for many years, the authors assert that “knowledge is life” is absolutely correct. Only with the right understanding can patients and their loved ones cope with cancer in a way that works for their lives.
In this handbook, the authors guide readers from the first day of their cancer diagnosis, through their treatment, and also with stories of experiences and advice from healthy survivors… practice” but do not forget to emphasize the “personalization” in care and treatment. With a neat, simple, easy-to-understand presentation and writing style, but exuding enthusiasm and empathy for the pain and endless “loneliness” of cancer patients, the book will be “the best friend of cancer patients.” “Necessary for many people.
A handbook for patients and loved ones so that cancer is no longer a dreaded “death sentence” or “enemy”, so that patients can live peacefully with it according to their own unique experiences, and even help to feel better. accept life “deeper” with new meanings of courage, hope, joy and faith. The authors share the aim of the manual is to “accompany cancer patients” so that “they can reduce their loneliness in life through helpful advice on coping”, but I believe that the meaning of the book is still there. beyond that sincere expectation.
(Dr. Pham Nguyen Tuong, Deputy Director of Oncology Center, Hue Central Hospital)
Nutrition for cancer patients
Perhaps, there is no disease that causes obsessions for both the patient, the loved one, and the person being treated like cancer. For a long time now, the concept of “cancer” has almost always been associated with the most frightening, the most painful, the most difficult, the most pessimistic, the most desperate… that a person living in the world can experience. . It is this same mentality of fear and despair that leads to sometimes extreme, sometimes misleading, responses to the disease, and the end result of all these false extremes is sometimes the worst for the patient.
It is sometimes said, because besides those extremes and biases, humanity is continuing to make strides in trying to understand and have more accurate, more effective treatments for the root cause. this difficult disease. Advances in therapeutic science keep the unfortunate millions of people suffering from this disease cured each year, helping them to overcome, survive, and continue their lives with the best quality of life possible. .
The treatment of a cancer disease is now no longer simply surgery to remove the cancerous organ or take a drug that destroys the tumor, but has been expanded into a therapeutic program. combine different measures at the same time for each specific patient. A good therapeutic program must both achieve the effectiveness of the treatment, ie destroy the malignant cells, and maintain the patient’s health and spirit, ie the patient must be able to overcome the disease. through the difficulties of treatment or the consequences from the tumor, have to recover quickly and not suffer from fatigue during the treatment period.
Therefore, you can see that a cancer therapy program requires the participation of many different specialties such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, psychotherapy, rehabilitation. … and certainly not without nutrition. Good nutrition will provide the raw materials to build and repair the body’s cells that have been damaged by the attack of cancer or by treatment; nutrition helps cells have energy to function, maintain life, restore health; nutrition helps restore the body’s reserves that have been lost and depleted during the time of fighting the disease; Learning about nutrition and preparing your own meals is a spiritual therapy for cancer patients…
That’s important, but in reality in Vietnam today, cancer patients do not receive proper nutritional care, and there are many patients whose disease progress gradually worsens when the body deteriorates to the point of being unable to recover. return. There are many reasons for that heartbreaking thing to happen, including that the patient does not know what food he or she needs to eat, how to choose food, how to prepare food, how much to eat, and how much to eat. or what to do to be able to eat enough to meet their own nutritional needs when experiencing adverse effects of treatment makes eating difficult.
This booklet “Nutrition for Cancer” will provide cancer patients with the basics and easiest to implement in their own nutritional care. The book is elaborately prepared from people who are passionate about supporting patients, so complex scientific knowledge has been presented in a simple and easy to understand manner, and at the same time, attention is paid to the presentation to help patients. Get the best results with colors and illustrations.
(Dr. Dao Thi Yen Phi, Nutritionist, Former Head of Nutrition and Food Safety Department, Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University)
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