Review by Max Bauer -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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Max Bauer
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Review by Max Bauer -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
[Following is a volunteer review of "Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks" by Morton E Tavel, MD.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Health Tips, Myths and Tricks A Physician's Advice, subtitled Health Information to Liberate us from Snake Oil, by Morton E. Tavel M.D. is a book about various health-related topics for a general audience. The book consist of 64 chapter/essays, in three sections. First: useful health tips, second: common health myths and, third: deceptive health tricks. In other words, what to do, what to stop believing, and who to avoid. The book, according to Tavel, is an elaboration of material he gathered while writing his first book on health, Snake Oil is Alive and Well, and is something of a continuation of that book.
Morton E Tavel MD FACC, now retired, was a physician specialist in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases, and held the position of Clinical Professor at Indiana University school of Medicine. He was also a consultant for Care Group Inc., a division of the Saint Vincent Hospital of Indianapolis, and has been past president of the local and Indiana state divisions of the American Heart Association.
As such, when Tavel is writing on heart health, he speaks as an expert. When he switches to other topics outside his career expertise, he usually gives a couple of references from medical journals and university studies, and his conclusions follow logically from the quotations. In offering this review, I must admit am not a health expert myself. That said, I can gauge if an argument is logically or illogical, or if the facts cited lead to the conclusion made. I would say about 80% to 90% of the book meets these criteria.
However, in a few of the essays, Tavel seems to operate below his usually level of logic and references. In chapter 33, Belief in Conspiracy Theories about Health, Tavel cites a study showing that a high percentage of Americans believe in health-related conspiracy theories, but he doesn't bother to show why these theories are wrong. Tavel may feel this is a popular book, and as such doesn't have to reach academic standards, but I say that if this is a popular book set out to clear up popular misconceptions, why not confront these popular ideas? If evidence is overwhelming, how hard can it be to give an example? If he can conjure up multiple reports on the benefits of chocolate, why not reference these issues that have sway over the general public, whom he wishes to benefit?
In chapter 57, he even went so far as to make an unsubstantiated claim about those with whom he disagrees saying “Irrational opposition to these products is likely being propagated by the same individuals who deny, among others, global warming and evolution.” Thus he commits the logical falacy of Ad Hominem Attack. People who make such claims as those Tavel insinuates may be wrong, but does that mean they are also wrong concerning GM foods? If a person believes the earth is flat, is that person also wrong when he says there are seven days in a week? Or can it be that people can be wrong concerning one thing, and right concerning another?
Without getting into too much detail, the character of the book can be understood by the sources. Most of the material cited are from well known and respected institutions like the Journal of the American Medical Society (JAMA), the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. The author's other health book is referenced a couple of times, and Skeptics Magazine is mentioned at times. I would wager that when Tavel is under the influence of his profession and legitimate medical journals, that is when he is calm, collected, and reasonable. When, however, he is being affected by the skeptic organizations, he descends into rants and rhetoric rather than rational argument -or at the very least starts to lean in that direction. That doesn't mean those organizations are wrong, or the general point is incorrect, but it does mean the claims are not logically substantiated in this book. Perhaps they can be, or have been, proven elsewhere, but if the point of the book is to inform, these sections must be up to the level of justification in the majority of the articles.
Overall however, notwithstanding my above concerns, the book was fantastic. It was very helpful to receive information on health matters from a highly qualified health professional. It has encouraged me to make healthier choices in my life, and that alone proves merit. Anyone who reads one book and thinks he has all the answers is a fool. If you wish to be an expert, you will have to do your own study. That said, if you want a great overview that seems to be of general good quality, I would recommend this book. Eighty to ninety percent of the book was well worth reading, while ten to twenty percent should be revised. If the book came out with an improved edition, it would be a fantastic book indeed. As such, I give the it three out of four stars.
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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3 out of 4 stars
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Health Tips, Myths and Tricks A Physician's Advice, subtitled Health Information to Liberate us from Snake Oil, by Morton E. Tavel M.D. is a book about various health-related topics for a general audience. The book consist of 64 chapter/essays, in three sections. First: useful health tips, second: common health myths and, third: deceptive health tricks. In other words, what to do, what to stop believing, and who to avoid. The book, according to Tavel, is an elaboration of material he gathered while writing his first book on health, Snake Oil is Alive and Well, and is something of a continuation of that book.
Morton E Tavel MD FACC, now retired, was a physician specialist in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases, and held the position of Clinical Professor at Indiana University school of Medicine. He was also a consultant for Care Group Inc., a division of the Saint Vincent Hospital of Indianapolis, and has been past president of the local and Indiana state divisions of the American Heart Association.
As such, when Tavel is writing on heart health, he speaks as an expert. When he switches to other topics outside his career expertise, he usually gives a couple of references from medical journals and university studies, and his conclusions follow logically from the quotations. In offering this review, I must admit am not a health expert myself. That said, I can gauge if an argument is logically or illogical, or if the facts cited lead to the conclusion made. I would say about 80% to 90% of the book meets these criteria.
However, in a few of the essays, Tavel seems to operate below his usually level of logic and references. In chapter 33, Belief in Conspiracy Theories about Health, Tavel cites a study showing that a high percentage of Americans believe in health-related conspiracy theories, but he doesn't bother to show why these theories are wrong. Tavel may feel this is a popular book, and as such doesn't have to reach academic standards, but I say that if this is a popular book set out to clear up popular misconceptions, why not confront these popular ideas? If evidence is overwhelming, how hard can it be to give an example? If he can conjure up multiple reports on the benefits of chocolate, why not reference these issues that have sway over the general public, whom he wishes to benefit?
In chapter 57, he even went so far as to make an unsubstantiated claim about those with whom he disagrees saying “Irrational opposition to these products is likely being propagated by the same individuals who deny, among others, global warming and evolution.” Thus he commits the logical falacy of Ad Hominem Attack. People who make such claims as those Tavel insinuates may be wrong, but does that mean they are also wrong concerning GM foods? If a person believes the earth is flat, is that person also wrong when he says there are seven days in a week? Or can it be that people can be wrong concerning one thing, and right concerning another?
Without getting into too much detail, the character of the book can be understood by the sources. Most of the material cited are from well known and respected institutions like the Journal of the American Medical Society (JAMA), the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. The author's other health book is referenced a couple of times, and Skeptics Magazine is mentioned at times. I would wager that when Tavel is under the influence of his profession and legitimate medical journals, that is when he is calm, collected, and reasonable. When, however, he is being affected by the skeptic organizations, he descends into rants and rhetoric rather than rational argument -or at the very least starts to lean in that direction. That doesn't mean those organizations are wrong, or the general point is incorrect, but it does mean the claims are not logically substantiated in this book. Perhaps they can be, or have been, proven elsewhere, but if the point of the book is to inform, these sections must be up to the level of justification in the majority of the articles.
Overall however, notwithstanding my above concerns, the book was fantastic. It was very helpful to receive information on health matters from a highly qualified health professional. It has encouraged me to make healthier choices in my life, and that alone proves merit. Anyone who reads one book and thinks he has all the answers is a fool. If you wish to be an expert, you will have to do your own study. That said, if you want a great overview that seems to be of general good quality, I would recommend this book. Eighty to ninety percent of the book was well worth reading, while ten to twenty percent should be revised. If the book came out with an improved edition, it would be a fantastic book indeed. As such, I give the it three out of four stars.
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves
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