Review by drekitt -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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drekitt
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Review by drekitt -- 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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It was with great anticipation that I opened the book Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks by Morton E Tavel, MD, as I personally have been overwhelmed and confused by the bulk of information out there, not to mention the conflicting reports. I believe anyone wanting to get a quick run-down on the latest science for these topics will enjoy reading this book. Dr. Tavel goes through over 60 hot topics in health today, including whether or not coffee is good for us, do cranberries prevent UTI’s, are e-cigarettes harmful, is genetically modified food safe and more. The book references several studies and reports that were done, with a long list of reference material in the back to share his sources. Tavel gives updates on where the medical field is at with their study for each topic, as well as his personal opinions of what you should do.
Sprinkled in with the medical information, Tavel shows a sense of humor and tries to lighten the book without being over the top. Yes, there were some medical terms that I didn’t understand and weren’t explained, like net carbs, and some sections were a bit difficult to get through due to the detailed information. Overall though, those sections were small and the majority of the book was an easy read that I, just the average person, could understand. Some topics were longer than others and went into more detail than others. I personally would have liked to have read more about the controversy in whether fat in our diet is good for us and does sunscreen cause cancer.
Each chapter is relatively short as it tends to cover just one controversy or myth. This makes it an easy book to skip around in based on topics that are of interest to you. I liked that at the end of most topics he gave a conclusion. In case you missed the point in the detailed section, you could always go to the conclusion and basically get a yes or no on whether this food or habit was true or false, beneficial or harmful.
Dr. Tavel did not skirt around the issue that he feels more legislation is needed in some areas to keep people safe. Since my personal opinion is to keep the government out of our daily lives as much as possible, I did tend to disagree with him on such issues. He also states in the GMO section, “Irrational opposition to these products is likely being propagated by the same individuals who deny, among others, global warming and evolution.” Since I personally do not believe in either of these, I felt a bit put off by this statement and felt he alienated some readers. He also has no problem in the book with calling our certain brands or restaurants that he takes issue with.
Although I found the book interesting, I can’t say that it changed my opinion on any topic and for that main reason I rated the book a 3 out of 4 stars. I was still left to wonder at the end, if the studies that he presented were right? Who backed those studies? One study on whether or not organic food is beneficial was only carried out for 2 days up to 2 years. I tend to think we might see the results of eating organic in a longer duration of time. You hear studies like he presented in the book on the news all the time and then you hear a conflicting report within days to years. So, I’m not sure that I am any further ahead from having read this book. It was interesting to hear the latest opinions from medical science so that I could feel at least educated and up to date.
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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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3 out of 4 stars
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It was with great anticipation that I opened the book Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks by Morton E Tavel, MD, as I personally have been overwhelmed and confused by the bulk of information out there, not to mention the conflicting reports. I believe anyone wanting to get a quick run-down on the latest science for these topics will enjoy reading this book. Dr. Tavel goes through over 60 hot topics in health today, including whether or not coffee is good for us, do cranberries prevent UTI’s, are e-cigarettes harmful, is genetically modified food safe and more. The book references several studies and reports that were done, with a long list of reference material in the back to share his sources. Tavel gives updates on where the medical field is at with their study for each topic, as well as his personal opinions of what you should do.
Sprinkled in with the medical information, Tavel shows a sense of humor and tries to lighten the book without being over the top. Yes, there were some medical terms that I didn’t understand and weren’t explained, like net carbs, and some sections were a bit difficult to get through due to the detailed information. Overall though, those sections were small and the majority of the book was an easy read that I, just the average person, could understand. Some topics were longer than others and went into more detail than others. I personally would have liked to have read more about the controversy in whether fat in our diet is good for us and does sunscreen cause cancer.
Each chapter is relatively short as it tends to cover just one controversy or myth. This makes it an easy book to skip around in based on topics that are of interest to you. I liked that at the end of most topics he gave a conclusion. In case you missed the point in the detailed section, you could always go to the conclusion and basically get a yes or no on whether this food or habit was true or false, beneficial or harmful.
Dr. Tavel did not skirt around the issue that he feels more legislation is needed in some areas to keep people safe. Since my personal opinion is to keep the government out of our daily lives as much as possible, I did tend to disagree with him on such issues. He also states in the GMO section, “Irrational opposition to these products is likely being propagated by the same individuals who deny, among others, global warming and evolution.” Since I personally do not believe in either of these, I felt a bit put off by this statement and felt he alienated some readers. He also has no problem in the book with calling our certain brands or restaurants that he takes issue with.
Although I found the book interesting, I can’t say that it changed my opinion on any topic and for that main reason I rated the book a 3 out of 4 stars. I was still left to wonder at the end, if the studies that he presented were right? Who backed those studies? One study on whether or not organic food is beneficial was only carried out for 2 days up to 2 years. I tend to think we might see the results of eating organic in a longer duration of time. You hear studies like he presented in the book on the news all the time and then you hear a conflicting report within days to years. So, I’m not sure that I am any further ahead from having read this book. It was interesting to hear the latest opinions from medical science so that I could feel at least educated and up to date.
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves
Like drekitt's review? Post a comment saying so!
