3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In our day and age people are always looking for good medical advice. Unfortunately, many of them end up finding it on the Internet, or on TV programs, such as The Dr. Oz Show. More and more people every day turn to alternative medicine for treatment. There are also a lot of common misconceptions surrounding health that have made their way into society and are now considered facts.
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks by Morton E. Travel, MD is about the state of modern medicine, specifically, the countless useless products being promoted and sold on television, and alternative medicine, that may or may not work.
In his book, Dr. Travel explores each of these issues. As the title suggests, the book is divided into three sections: The first section is all about health tips. Dr. Travel talks about general health and wellness, about healthy and harmful foods, weight loss, smoking, medication, allergies and more. The second section focuses on exposing myths and common misconceptions, ranging from gluten free diets to the polygraph test. The third and final section is about various scams that are devised to take your money in exchange for useless, and sometimes dangerous cures.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, it was very interesting and informative, and dealt with a lot of relevant topics. I especially liked the section about myths. With the exception of a few medical terms, the language is simple, engaging, and easy to understand. The chapters are broken down in a very logical way, with many lists and examples.
Despite enjoying it, I did have a few issues with the book. The first one being, that it was one-sided. In Chapter 60 , while talking about the so-called Health "Authorities", Dr. Travel says:
According to his own words, Dr. Travel is also subject to all these things. And while I don't think that he has a hidden motive, or that he is even wrong, I do think that he is somewhat biased in his opinion about alternative medicine. My second issue was with the editing and organization of the book. There was a lot of overlap between the three sections, which resulted in a lot of repetition. It was also inconsistent: some chapters had conclusions, some didn't. Out of the ones that did, some had a header that said: Conclusion, while othres just started the last paragraph with the words: In conclusion,...A series of letters following a name does not automatically confer one's right to claim anything. For instance, an MD or PhD after a name suggests that some basic qualifications are present, but almost everyone is subject to biases, errors, and hidden motives.
While there were a few flaws, I still really loved this book. It deserves a 3 out of 4 stars, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, who is interested in medicine, or just wants to be healthier, while avoiding dubious treatments.
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves
Like watsoncamilla17's review? Post a comment saying so!
