3 out of 4 stars
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Health Tips, Myths and Tricks by Morton E Tavel is a nonfiction self-help book about ways to improve your health through scientifically-based information. The author breaks the book down into three sections: tips, myths, and tricks. Each section has many chapters about things people care about from the do’s and don't’s of lifestyle choices, the truths behind various beliefs, and how to pick out a scam. The author shows the reader how living a healthy life is possible without going through the agendas of companies selling products or quacks promoting a secret, but extremely helpful treatment.
I rate this book 3 out of 4. The rating I’ve given this book is a 3 because the books has lots of topics people care about in their lives. The information in the book is what really makes it worthwhile. It’s not a 4 because it’s not perfect, there are editing marks and grammatical errors (or missing words) throughout the book and it makes the flow of the chapter slow down a little bit.
This book appealed to me for my love of health. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and, as a bonus, a lot of the information covered in the book I’ve had numerous discussions about in college courses and everyday life. This book should appeal to almost everyone who cares about learning the best ways to take care of themselves without going through drastic changes.
The book may not appeal to those who prefer alternative medicine since the book has several chapters debunking alternative methods or showing the reader how conventional methods have similar outcomes to alternative methods. It may not appeal to those who watch TV doctor shows because the author has statistics on a couple of shows revealing what the doctors endorse and promote may not be medically sound advice. For example, the Dr. Oz Show has 46% support of treatments/methods promoted, 15% contradicted and 39% inconclusive. The Doctors has 63% support for treatments/methods promoted, 14% contradicted and 24% inconclusive (pg 259)
What I like about the book is how the author writes the chapters: he states the byline, backs it up with useful information, and then sums up the chapter at the end. The author also uses layman's terms when giving out information even though there is a lot of medical jargon. The book is an overall good read when the reader has learned something from the book or has used something from the book to promote better health.
Since I have my bachelor’s in Health Sciences, I find this book more credible because of the numerous references and the author use of accomplished studies and books. It makes it easier to find more information on healthy living when you can find many sources promoting the same treatments and methods.
I disliked parts of the book because of grammatical and editing marks were found among the pages such as page 48. When I came across an error, I had to stop and reread that portion several times to make sure I understood what was trying to be portrayed. The author does a nice job referencing studies and books, but the author shouldn’t bring his other works into the story because it may come off as pushing his agenda on his audience.
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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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