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Posted 2/28/2011 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
UsTOO International has put together a great list of top books. This list is excellent and covers a wide range of topics. Have a look:

www.ustooevents.org/site/PageNavigator/Us_TOO_Books_Of_Interest

Tony
Posted 2/28/2011 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for that, very useful.

I went to Barnes & Noble before my surgery while I was still hungry for a smuch information as I could get and was annoyed to find they only had two books in the store. Neither looked interesting.

I'm also glad to see that that "body snatchers" book isn't on that list. I've read some of that along with many serious critiques deconstructing it and feel it could be harmful to many. Not advocating censorship of any kind, just glad to see it didn't make the list.
Posted 2/28/2011 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
Tony, thanks for sharing...looks like a pretty comprehensive list.

davidg, actually we have had sprited debate on this site re "Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers".  While I thought Blum was a bit out there for my taste, I thought the chapters by Dr. Scholz were excellent and gave an important persepctve to patients.  Might I suggest you read more than "some" of the book before trashing it?  Otherwise it's a bit like reading movie reviews and giving your opinion of the movie without seeing it...at least in my opinion.

Tudpock (Jim)

Posted 2/28/2011 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
David,
I've read about 70 books on PC and "Invasion" is 2nd behind Strum's "Primer on PC". If you just concentrate on Scholz's portion it is well documented and the Appendix's are worth there weight in gold for the information and references they contain. You can easily go to all the primary references and decide if they are useful or not.
I guess different folks see things in different ways.
JT
Posted 2/28/2011 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
i just thought it had a very clear agenda and would potentially lead the reader to stop informing himself thoroughly on the topic and promoted the reader to play a game of Russian roulette.

Also, all the side effects they bring up in what seems to be an attempt to scare the reader have not happened to me or many others I have spoken with.

Finally, it just didn't apply to my age group. Watchful Waiting wasn't an option for me given my age. At least that is how I looked at it.
Posted 2/28/2011 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
John I agree that it would benefit a patient to read it prior to discussing his case with surgeons.
Posted 2/28/2011 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
David,
We see things differently. The side affects are pretty well referenced for each treatment option; you just have to look on this forum to see that they are pretty much right on as 50% of all posts are directly related to side affects and coping with them. The lucky patients, and I consider both of us in this catagory, are not the norm. I honestly believe that most doctors and patients underestimate the probability of side affects and I think it is useful to have someone point out the real probabilities and back it up with data.
The agenda is not hidden, it basically states that many cases of low risk prostate cancer are over treated and gives some resonable steps to avoid falling into the overtreatment group. There is consistant data being published by all major institutions that support this, latest in today's "New Prostate Cancer Infolink". This is a topic that has mostly been ignored in most other books.
JT
Posted 2/28/2011 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
As mentioned, I think age and skill of surgeon has a lot to do with side effects.

In my case, I am 40 and in very good shape. Everyone, not just my surgeon, told me that the side effects would be very minimal in people in my age range with my existing conditions heading into surgery.

that's why I didn't think it was relevant for me.

My grandfather did nothing about his prostate cancer. He got it in his mid 70s and died in his early 90s of other causes. The book would apply to him but then again I don't know of too many surgeons that would recommend surgery for men in thir 70s.
Posted 2/28/2011 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
davidg,
There is no doubt that "Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers" has a lot of controversy in it. While some of the important points of the book are indeed valid, several points from the primary author, Ralph Blum, get painted with bias and many times with contempt towards what the author does not subscribe to. I believe that the book is very divisive in the prostate cancer community as well. I believe Mark Scholz is an accomplished oncologist who probably should have thought better of lending his name to the book cover. I am still surprised at some of the statements he makes in it. But he is the head of PCRI and this book is popular with those members. And if you attend a PCRI annual meeting in Los Angeles, you will easily see why that is. There is a value to reading it, although to me it is to show that the whole part of treating prostate cancer will have controversy at every level. I personally do not recommend the book without pointing out the bias and controversy that comes with it. The funny part to me is the title ~ you probably won't have to read the book to know what side of opinion will follow.

As far as the rest of this list ~ I have read five of the books that made the list. My favorite one on the list is by Mark Moyad's "Promoting Wellness for Prostate Cancer Patients" . Moyad made the list twice and I fully understand why. He avoids treatment controversy and really makes some excellent points on alternative and complimentary approaches to living with prostate cancer. Mark regularly writes and article for UsTOO, as does Chodak and Myers, but he leaves the decision choices to each patient alone. He is also the annual MC for that PCRI meeting which tells me he is very adept at promoting neutrality.

I think this is about the best list I have seen. I will see if we may wish to make a sticky at the top of the forum for it. I certainly have no issue for anybody wanting to post that they feel that the Blum/Scholz effort belongs on it as well...and we can link the Amazon page for it...

Peace..

Tony
Posted 2/28/2011 10:04 PM (GMT 0)

I believe you've got Scardino's first edition on the list.  You may want to replace that with his second edition (2010).

Zen9

Posted 2/28/2011 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
Zen,
It does look like the first version, however when you click it it goes to the "revised edition"...

Tony
Posted 2/28/2011 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
All I know is that the more I read, the more I access forums like this, the more I go to PC meetings locally, the better prepared I am for asking precise questions to any Dr. that I hire.

To date, I have concluded that each of us have a unique body, a unique form of PC, and that one size one treatment does not fit all.

My thanks to all here!

Posted 2/28/2011 10:50 PM (GMT 0)

Tony,

Oh, OK.  Thanks.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Zen9 

Posted 2/28/2011 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
Looks like a great consolidated list to me. I was glad too, that the "Snatcher" book wasn't on the list, and yes, I bought, read it cover to cover to make my own opinion. The doctor should think twice next time before hooking up with such an odd ball patient, it took a lot of credibility away in my opinion.

David in SC
Posted 3/1/2011 12:25 AM (GMT 0)
Yes indeed, Runes are a long ways away from PC..

books.google.com/books?id=FLR_zF7JJgUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Blum+%22Book+Of+Runes%22&source=bl&ots=iG5CSSLa-X&sig=vkZtkPqJts0_iXEaBOHvOFPQfLc&hl=en&ei=QztsTdGdMIOblgfu05mTAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
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