Paul Steinberg, MD., Cancer Survivor, Author of “A Salamander’s Tale.” | Interview

My guest today is Dr Paul Steinberg.  Dr Steinberg has written an important book, “A Salamander’s Tale,” which is an unexpected, refreshing, often very funny memoir about his long journey with cancer and how he not only solved the case of keeping himself alive, despite recommendations from the medical community to proceed with surgical castration, but of living better. Today’s show will be especially important for men, and the women who love them, here on The Not Old Better Show.

Thousands of men are coping with prostate cancer every year, and some people are losing their lives to it. Can you imagine if you’re a 35-year-old doctor and you’re told that you have advanced prostate cancer, an aggressive prostate cancer. What would you do? Well, one doctor who got that diagnosis more than 30 years ago, fought back and he fought back in a big way. He is now one of our nation’s longest living cancer, prostate cancer survivors, and he’s written a really wonderful book about his journey. It’s called “A Salamander’s Tale,” and it’s a play on words, and we’re going to find out how.

Throughout his fight with prostate cancer, Paul Steinberg was forced to take two simultaneous journeys. The first was to transition from doctor to patient and surrender his physical health to a medical establishment he knew from firsthand knowledge would be using approaches that would be outdated within a few years. The second was a spiritual journey. His search for a higher meaning in his life sent him as far as walking over hot coals with Tony Robbins.

Using the salamander as his role model, Steinberg, a college-health and sports psychiatrist, takes a look at the evolution of the regenerative capabilities of cold-blooded vertebrates like the salamander and at what we as humans have lost and gained in our warm-bloodedness. Dr Steinberg also discusses how prostate cancer evolves, and how prostate cancer changes with our age?

With wit and humor, Steinberg tackles lust and sex, and ultimately time and death and the gods. Having lived longer than virtually anyone else with metastatic prostate cancer, he uses his knowledge as a doctor and experience as a patient to provide a story of endurance and perseverance, weaving a tale of grace, regeneration, and redemption—just not the kind of regeneration and redemption that he or anyone else would expect.

You can find out more about Dr Steinberg, his journey, and his thoughts about life, happiness, and living a full life at http://paulsteinbergmd.com  One of the fascinating components of the web site is the “cancer timeline,” and each step of Paul’s amazing journey.