Review by Athena Moon -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
Posted: 08 Aug 2017, 04:48
[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 Dr Morton E. Tavel MD FACC, is a product of information accumulated through the years of research used in preparation of his previous book, "Snake Oil is Alive and Well".
Dr. Tavel was a physician specialising in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases. In addition to managing patients for many years, he held a teaching position as Clinical Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine. He gave numerous speeches and his medical research includes over 120 publications, editorials, and book reviews that have appeared in peer-reviewed national medical journals. This alone proves the validity of the information presented in this book. Unlike many articles on the Internet from unknown sources or signed with nicknames, most of which seem to be out to scam public to part with their hard-earned money in exchange for passing fads, here is the real man standing behind his words with proven facts and figures.
The book, with subjects adhering to wide audiences, is divided into three parts: Starting with health tips, the author observes many popular misbeliefs revolving around nutrition that many of us are misguided about. Needless to say, I once was a typical example of this phenomenon, and in desperate need of such practical advice to stop wasting my money.
The second part is dedicated to physical misconceptions and myths about practically everything in the world that will empty your wallet whilst either providing little to no benefit or even leaving you damaged. For example, stretching before exercise can actually be dangerous regarding the activity which follows next; bottled water poses a great danger to the environment; as well as lies regarding WiFi, polygraph and many other things populating the Internet and poisoning our minds. The eye-opener was that the danger of air travel is the cabin itself; Dr Tavel surprised me with a fact I have never considered before.
The last part, Tricks, involves scams with no supporting scientific evidence, yet people follow them blindly. The author presents fallacies foisted on the public by famous people and warns his readers about possible risks based on his personal biomedical background and scientific publications. Although it has been mentioned that the validity of his research is still being questioned, some of the research discussed weren't convincing due to outdated information. Chapter 58 "Human Growth Hormone to Prevent Aging: Yet Another Snake Oil", for example, didn't convince me due to insufficient information in the studies, plus the fact that the research was carried out in 1990 and 2003. Medicine, as we know, has been advancing so rapidly and I believe more up-to-date research should have been presented on this topic to prove the point.
Health Tips, Myths and Tricks was written in an extremely comprehensive manner where such terms like "monosaturated fats", "anthocyanins", "potassium" and "reservatrol" are explained as "olive oil", "red and blue fruits", "sweet potatoes", "red grapes", etc. The subjects were well researched except for HGH and alternative medicine - the effects of which has yet to be proven or disproven. Needless to say, I found Dr Tavel quite skeptical regarding these topics, even though there was lack of evidence proving their inefficiency. However, he did not complete deny the effect of it in the end of the book.
What I loved the most was that each chapter was followed with a simplified conclusion. The author speaks to the reader in a most honest and direct way, with no intention to promote any of the products, as is backed up by his statement: "I assure the reader I have no conflicting financial interest in the cranberry industry." Those conclusions would sometimes bear a splash of humour which makes this book an easy read.
I chose this book for the reason that I myself been health-oriented for almost 3 years. It possesses valuable resources and a clear guidance for those novices lost in sports and health fashion. As I have already progressed farther in this field, I have found that there are some facts I would disagree with, but I hope nobody will rush to quaff beetroot juice before running, as it does not give the miraculous effects that the author suggests, but if you do so, it will bring you no harm. I had my own experiences with some of the subjects mentioned in the book and my body's response to them. For the general public, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars: You will become much wiser after reading it, but if you are more of spiritual and energy healing, then perhaps this might challenge your beliefs. It is also worth remembering that we are all unique in how our bodies react to different things. If one piece of advice doesn't work for you, another will. We must observe our response to certain things and figure out what is best for us. Kudos to the author for such enormous and valuable research!
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Athena Moon's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Health Tips, Myths and Tricks by Dr Morton E. Tavel MD FACC, is a product of information accumulated through the years of research used in preparation of his previous book, "Snake Oil is Alive and Well".
Dr. Tavel was a physician specialising in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases. In addition to managing patients for many years, he held a teaching position as Clinical Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine. He gave numerous speeches and his medical research includes over 120 publications, editorials, and book reviews that have appeared in peer-reviewed national medical journals. This alone proves the validity of the information presented in this book. Unlike many articles on the Internet from unknown sources or signed with nicknames, most of which seem to be out to scam public to part with their hard-earned money in exchange for passing fads, here is the real man standing behind his words with proven facts and figures.
The book, with subjects adhering to wide audiences, is divided into three parts: Starting with health tips, the author observes many popular misbeliefs revolving around nutrition that many of us are misguided about. Needless to say, I once was a typical example of this phenomenon, and in desperate need of such practical advice to stop wasting my money.
The second part is dedicated to physical misconceptions and myths about practically everything in the world that will empty your wallet whilst either providing little to no benefit or even leaving you damaged. For example, stretching before exercise can actually be dangerous regarding the activity which follows next; bottled water poses a great danger to the environment; as well as lies regarding WiFi, polygraph and many other things populating the Internet and poisoning our minds. The eye-opener was that the danger of air travel is the cabin itself; Dr Tavel surprised me with a fact I have never considered before.
The last part, Tricks, involves scams with no supporting scientific evidence, yet people follow them blindly. The author presents fallacies foisted on the public by famous people and warns his readers about possible risks based on his personal biomedical background and scientific publications. Although it has been mentioned that the validity of his research is still being questioned, some of the research discussed weren't convincing due to outdated information. Chapter 58 "Human Growth Hormone to Prevent Aging: Yet Another Snake Oil", for example, didn't convince me due to insufficient information in the studies, plus the fact that the research was carried out in 1990 and 2003. Medicine, as we know, has been advancing so rapidly and I believe more up-to-date research should have been presented on this topic to prove the point.
Health Tips, Myths and Tricks was written in an extremely comprehensive manner where such terms like "monosaturated fats", "anthocyanins", "potassium" and "reservatrol" are explained as "olive oil", "red and blue fruits", "sweet potatoes", "red grapes", etc. The subjects were well researched except for HGH and alternative medicine - the effects of which has yet to be proven or disproven. Needless to say, I found Dr Tavel quite skeptical regarding these topics, even though there was lack of evidence proving their inefficiency. However, he did not complete deny the effect of it in the end of the book.
What I loved the most was that each chapter was followed with a simplified conclusion. The author speaks to the reader in a most honest and direct way, with no intention to promote any of the products, as is backed up by his statement: "I assure the reader I have no conflicting financial interest in the cranberry industry." Those conclusions would sometimes bear a splash of humour which makes this book an easy read.
I chose this book for the reason that I myself been health-oriented for almost 3 years. It possesses valuable resources and a clear guidance for those novices lost in sports and health fashion. As I have already progressed farther in this field, I have found that there are some facts I would disagree with, but I hope nobody will rush to quaff beetroot juice before running, as it does not give the miraculous effects that the author suggests, but if you do so, it will bring you no harm. I had my own experiences with some of the subjects mentioned in the book and my body's response to them. For the general public, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars: You will become much wiser after reading it, but if you are more of spiritual and energy healing, then perhaps this might challenge your beliefs. It is also worth remembering that we are all unique in how our bodies react to different things. If one piece of advice doesn't work for you, another will. We must observe our response to certain things and figure out what is best for us. Kudos to the author for such enormous and valuable research!
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Athena Moon's review? Post a comment saying so!
Nice review. Full of information. I guess you enjoyed reading the book. I also reviewed this book. I learned a lot, too. Our health matters a lot.