Review by jamesokunmd -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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Review by jamesokunmd -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
[Following is a volunteer review of "Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks" by Morton E Tavel, MD.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks by Morton E. Tavel, MD is a treasure trove of important medical information that provides many valuable tips on health while setting the reader straight on various medical myths and tricks that we all should be aware of. A beautiful thing about this book is that Dr. Tavel backs up many of his asservations with published scientific studies and an impressive bibliography. This book would make a great gift as a reference book to anyone interested in their health.
The book begins with useful tips on everyday health. As a yo-yo dieter, I found the information on dieting and diets very fascinating. A discussion of BMI or body mass index was especially useful with a chart indicating what levels are normal, overweight or obese. The chart was a little hard to read which I didn’t really mind as part of me didn’t really want to see where I stood on the height versus weight BMI scale.
Doctor Tavel goes on to discuss how “sugary beverages” and larger portion size have led to an avalanche of obesity nationwide. He also adds with refreshing compassion that it is indeed expensive to try to eat more healthy foods as he tells us that the cost of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables between 1985 and 2000 went up at twice the rate of sugary foods, fats and carbonated beverages.
Another fascinating fact was that on the average US adults consumed 500 more calories per day in 2006 than they did in 1977. He advises common sense measures to follow such as drinking a large glass of water before meals, eating more fruits and vegetables and not skipping breakfast.
By the end of this book you will learn about everything from the benefits of olive oil, chocolate and red wine to the need to watch out for trans fats in margarine and arsenic in rice. You will learn about the myths about vaccines, energy drinks, bottled water and even lie detectors.
You will also come to an understanding of how the current system of drug commercials is influencing patients and doctors alike. According to Dr. Tavel, “Drug makers spent 4.3 billion dollars to reach consumers and 6.6 billion dollars on promotions aimed at patients and physicians.” He also notes that according to Consumer Reports, in a recent poll 20% said they asked for a specific drug and out of those 59% said the doctor agreed to write the prescription for that drug.
This is an excellent read on all accounts with a nice conversational style. I did notice several typos and line spacing issues and there is so much information here that it is almost dizzying. Probably, a further revision could be done to limit the number of topics discussed. Also, it was great to have so many studies quoted but the number of these could also be reduced to increase readability. Despite these minor problems, this is an excellent book that certainly deserves four out of four stars and widespread notice.
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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks by Morton E. Tavel, MD is a treasure trove of important medical information that provides many valuable tips on health while setting the reader straight on various medical myths and tricks that we all should be aware of. A beautiful thing about this book is that Dr. Tavel backs up many of his asservations with published scientific studies and an impressive bibliography. This book would make a great gift as a reference book to anyone interested in their health.
The book begins with useful tips on everyday health. As a yo-yo dieter, I found the information on dieting and diets very fascinating. A discussion of BMI or body mass index was especially useful with a chart indicating what levels are normal, overweight or obese. The chart was a little hard to read which I didn’t really mind as part of me didn’t really want to see where I stood on the height versus weight BMI scale.
Doctor Tavel goes on to discuss how “sugary beverages” and larger portion size have led to an avalanche of obesity nationwide. He also adds with refreshing compassion that it is indeed expensive to try to eat more healthy foods as he tells us that the cost of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables between 1985 and 2000 went up at twice the rate of sugary foods, fats and carbonated beverages.
Another fascinating fact was that on the average US adults consumed 500 more calories per day in 2006 than they did in 1977. He advises common sense measures to follow such as drinking a large glass of water before meals, eating more fruits and vegetables and not skipping breakfast.
By the end of this book you will learn about everything from the benefits of olive oil, chocolate and red wine to the need to watch out for trans fats in margarine and arsenic in rice. You will learn about the myths about vaccines, energy drinks, bottled water and even lie detectors.
You will also come to an understanding of how the current system of drug commercials is influencing patients and doctors alike. According to Dr. Tavel, “Drug makers spent 4.3 billion dollars to reach consumers and 6.6 billion dollars on promotions aimed at patients and physicians.” He also notes that according to Consumer Reports, in a recent poll 20% said they asked for a specific drug and out of those 59% said the doctor agreed to write the prescription for that drug.
This is an excellent read on all accounts with a nice conversational style. I did notice several typos and line spacing issues and there is so much information here that it is almost dizzying. Probably, a further revision could be done to limit the number of topics discussed. Also, it was great to have so many studies quoted but the number of these could also be reduced to increase readability. Despite these minor problems, this is an excellent book that certainly deserves four out of four stars and widespread notice.
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves
Like jamesokunmd's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Yesterday" by Samyann
