Cancer Conqueror with Bible Study Provides Faith/Health Connection to Cancer Patients
New book by 20-year cancer survivor Greg Anderson and Rev. Michael Gingerich offers inspiration to cancer patients
Harrisburg (PRWEB) July 9, 2005 -- Something quite extraordinary is happening
in the rapidly changing world of healthcare. Historically science has not
embraced the connection between faith and health but today, an increasing number
of scientific authorities acknowledge that spiritual practices, including
prayer, worship, and service to others, influence our health.
One of
those people who welcome and is driving this shift is Greg Anderson. Diagnosed
with metastatic lung cancer in 1984, Greg’s surgeon predicted he had just 30
days to live. “The shift that is underway is historic,” said Anderson from his
Cancer Recovery Foundation of America offices in Harrisburg. “We are now
witnessing the uniting of science and spirit, the combination of body, mind, and
soul, to reveal the stunning effects of faith on both physical and emotional
health.”
Anderson, along with United Methodist Pastor Michael Gingerich,
has revised Anderson’s classic, The Cancer Conqueror to address this critical
health-faith connection.
The Cancer Conqueror with Bible Study is an
uplifting guide to cancer patients and support networks of the Judeo-Christian
faith. The book is currently available only through the Cancer Recovery
Foundation website at www.CancerRecovery.org.
The historical link between
science and religion began to crumble centuries ago as a reluctant church held
fast to positions that science could empirically refute. “But today,” said
Anderson, “the shoe is on the other foot. Based on over 30 years of compelling
data, medicine can no longer simply dismiss the role that faith plays in both
the prevention of and recovery from illness.
“What I am seeing is a new
whole-person sensibility,” said Anderson. “It combines body, mind, and spirit in
the best sense, a powerful blend of the scientific and what I believe should
rightly be called the mystic. Instead of limiting the roles of healthcare
providers, I see an expansion, an amalgam of skills, including part scientist,
nutritionist, psychologist, and spiritual guide. The result is a new and vital
healing paradigm that is now rippling through the American healthcare
system.”
Anderson has devoted the last 20 years to the study and teaching
of this synthesis. Today he is widely recognized as one of America’s foremost
healing authorities. Author of seven books, including the 1.5 million copy
international bestseller, The Cancer Conqueror, he sees a rapidly emerging
agenda that draws on the knowledge available to us from experimental science,
the wisdom gleaned from the personal experiences of patients, and the stories of
healing from the world’s great religious traditions.
Explained Anderson,
“The stories of healing are always the most moving. They tend to fall into three
groups. First are those who may not be completely cured of their illness but who
learn to cope with illness through prayer and other forms of spiritual practice.
For others, the faith/health connection may mean stopping the progression of an
illness like cancer or heart disease. Still others experience the reversal or
complete healing of their disease. It is impossible to predict or control the
level of healing. But all typically result in a deep sense of inner peace. This
almost always offers some degree of improvement and can be truly
powerful.”
Based in Hershey, the non-profit organization’s mission is to
help all people prevent and survive cancer. The organization’s reach spans the
globe and has been helping people since 1985.
Cancer Recovery Foundation
focuses on the “people side” of cancer. It emphasizes a whole-person approach to
getting well again, pioneering the “cancer survival pyramid,” a tool widely used
in cancer education.
Cancer Recovery Foundation’s adult programs include
retreats and support groups that emphasize healthy diets, ability-appropriate
exercise, mind/body and faith/health disciplines. Cancer Survival and Bible
Study Kits are available to all cancer patients. All Cancer Recovery programs
are in addition to, not in place of, conventional medical treatments.
The Foundation’s children’s programs provide toy-filled gift bags to
children during treatment, camp scholarships following treatment and emergency
financial assistance to families in need.
Cancer Recovery Foundation
serves through healthcare providers and directly to individuals. Its adult
programs, services and materials are available through more than 300 cancer
treatment centers throughout the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain
and Germany. The Foundation’s children’s programs and services are available
through more than 170 pediatric oncology treatment centers across the United
States. A special medical mission outreach also is providing pediatric oncology
services in Uganda and Ukraine.
To obtain a copy of The Cancer Conqueror
with Bible Study or to find out how to start a support group in your place of
worship, please call (800) 238-6479 or visit the website, www.CancerRecovery.org
.
Media Contact: Susan Cort, (717) 545-7600, ext.111
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb259489.htm