The World's Best Book Summaries
What do we currently know about cancer? How has our understanding of the disease evolved throughout the years? Until relatively recently, doctors didn’t truly know what cancer was or how it occurred, let alone how to treat it. Therefore, a great deal of the history of cancer research is just trying to answer those basic questions about the disease. Here is an overview of the history of cancer research, from the pre-1900s to 2010.
When was the National Cancer Act signed into law? How far have we since come in our understanding of cancer pathology? In 1971, President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, committing a total of $1.5 billion to cancer research over three years. However, the Act hardly helped us get any closer to curing cancer because it prioritized drug trials rather than developing our understanding of the biology underlying the disease. Keep reading to learn about the National Cancer Act.
Are you looking for The Emperor of All Maladies quotes by Siddhartha Mukherjee? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? Mukherjee, a doctor and biologist who specializes in immunology and oncology, has spent much of his career on the front line of that fight. Though The Emperor of All Maladies was first published in 2010, cancer remains one of the most frightening diseases of our time, and doctors are still working to fully understand and treat it, despite advances in research and practices. Below is a selection of quotes highlighting some of the key ideas.
When was the link between tobacco and lung cancer established? Why did it take so long for the public to be convinced? In 1964, a scientific report conclusively showed that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of lung cancer. However, it took about a decade for the public to become convinced—congress fought hard to protect the tobacco industry. Here’s a quick look at the fight against tobacco advertising.
What are the chances of cancer coming back? Why can cancer recur after remission? Cancer is such an insidious disease because, in addition to being hard to cure, it often comes back, sometimes in a different part of the body. Cancer relapse happens because the treatment failed to kill all the cancer cells. Even if a single cancerous cell is left behind, it can continue to grow and spread through the body. Keep reading to learn about cancer relapse and why it occurs.
What is palliative care? Why were doctors so opposed to putting cancer patients into palliative care? Palliative care is designed to provide patients with relief of symptoms and improve their quality of life as opposed to curing the disease. For patients suffering from cancer, palliative care wasn’t even an option until the 1950s. According to Siddhartha Mukherjee, the author of The Emperor of All Maladies, many doctors were opposed to the idea of putting cancer patients into palliative care because it felt like surrendering. Keep reading to learn about the arrival of cancer palliative care.
Do you feel pain and discomfort in your neck and back? What are the benefits you can gain from having good posture? Having poor posture not only causes aching joints and shortness of breath, but it can also have a negative impact on your mental health and social life. Improving your posture means you get to experience the physical, psychological, and social benefits of good posture. Let’s look at the benefits of good posture, along with what a healthy posture should look like and how to achieve it.
Do you have trouble falling asleep? What is sleep debt, and how can you conquer it? According to Dr. John Medina in Brain Rules, sleep debt is the amount of sleep you lose versus the amount your body needs. Say you need eight hours of sleep, but you only got six. You have two hours of debt sleep, and it consistently builds up the more sleep you lose. Learn more on what sleep debt is, and a few techniques to get a good amount of sleep.
Do you feel consistently overwhelmed or pressured? What are the effects that long-term stress can leave on your life? Long-term stress, otherwise known as chronic stress, is the constant feeling of stress over a long period of time. Not only does this type of stress cause physical effects on your body, but it can leave mental effects as well. Your learning skills and memory can be negatively impacted by the amount of stress you are experiencing. Read on to learn more about long-term stress and how it affects your mentality.
How should a believer deal with anxiety? What do birds teach us about spiritual anxiety relief? Christian author Joyce Meyer argues that, if our minds are full of anxiety and worry, it’s a sign we’re under attack from the devil, who uses anxiety and worry to torment us and consume our thoughts with negativity. According to Meyer, worry and anxiety are unproductive emotions that rob us of the present moment, which is a gift from God. She says that birds offer a practical lesson for us all. Keep reading for Meyer’s perspectives on anxiety.