Healing Lessons

Dr. Sidney J. Winawer was one of the world's leading cancer experts. Yet when his wife Andrea was stricken with stomach cancer, not even his skills and dedication as a physician could reverse the grim prognosis. Together the couple explored complementary and alternative treatments. "Healing Lessons" is a testament to the strength of love and the story of a doctor's transformation--the new treatments he embraced and the lessons he learned on the opposite side of the doctor-patient relationship. Motivated by the desperation of her bleak prognosis, Andrea Winawer tried complementary and alternative treatments from meditation to herbal brews, in addition to conventional chemotherapy. Dr. Winawer offers clear and informed assessments of the effectiveness of his wife's treatments, and identifies those that may have helped to extend her life and improve the quality of life for both of them. Most astonishing to him, however, is the capacity of the mind to heal the body, and he shares thepractices that the couple developed to utilize that energy. By participating in these unconventional therapies, Dr. Winawer came to a new understanding of patient-centered treatment that transformed him both personally and as a physician. This is a deeply moving account of the remarkable journey the Winawers took together and the guidance and human lessons they share.