3 out of 4 stars
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In his instructive guide to modern day health and wellness, Dr. Morten E. Tavel enlightens his readers with real-world informative tips and advice that you could apply to your everyday life. Dr. Tavel proceeds to explain the root-cause for many problems that exist in our communities and why the public may not seem to get the health-related results they desire. For instance; safe and alternative ways to lose weight, and how the places we live could play a negative factor. Or how eating two or more servings of red meat a day places you at a 30% higher risk of dying than those who eat around ½ a serving or less a day. He goes into depth about potential scammers ‘as seen on tv’ and how to spot harmful products that guarantees weight loss, and the cure or prevention of some illnesses or diseases. Dr. Tavel is now retired as a physician specialist of internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases. He also taught as a clinical professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and is known for his most recent books: Snake Oil is Alive and Well, and Hell in the Heavens.
Dr. Tavel divides the book into 3 sections. The first 1/3 of the book is my favorite. It speaks about his own medical advice relating to dietary wellness. He mentions things like the deadly dangers of trans fats (considered by medical professionals to be the worst type of fat consumed) and healthier substitutions you can make like switching to monosaturated fats that are found in olive oil. In addition to olive oil, it contains components that causes damage to cancer cells without harming the healthy ones. Another topic I thought was interesting was how not getting enough sleep and staying up late is linked to unwanted weight gain. The author continues to tell other small but effective health tips like the benefits of regular exercise, pain-killer tips and cautions, how to lower high blood pressure without medications and much more.
The second part of the book, Dr. Tavel argues about the different variety of myths that exist today. He touches base on theories of; alternative methods of healing, GMO’s, WIFI, medical test and yearly checkups and many other conspiracy theories (health related) that is the topic of discussion today. Avoiding bottled water and how harmful it is to refill empty plastic water bottles was almost vital for me in this section. The alternative? Drink glass bottles of water like Voss.
Lastly, the final section of the book spoke of the deceitful marketing strategies different companies use to get consumers to buy their product, and the platforms that are used to promote them. Platforms like the tv show “Doctor Oz” or advertisements we see in the newspapers or even tv commercials where your favorite running back in the NFL is promoting a certain muscle relaxing cream. For example, he mentions products that detoxifies the body and rid it of toxins as “another blatant scam”. Dr. Tavel continues to evaluate his opinion of what is and is not a scam. Topics include alkaline water, dietary supplements, standard medical care or chiropractic treatment and more. Nevertheless, Dr. Tavel uses references from numerous studies to support his opinion.
Overall the book really packs a punch and in fact it’s quite knowledgeable. I’d have to say I have areas where I’d have to disagree with the author regarding alternative treatments simply because the author refers to anyone who is anti-conventional or promotes a product that is not approved by the FDA as “quacks”. I feel as though he is being somewhat obnoxious towards homeopathic and alternative method research. The author gives a strong obsessive vibe that conventional medicine is the only way to treat illness or disease and that can be incredibly hurtful or even harmful to someone who is terminally ill. Alternative methods may or may not cure someone’s diseases but from what I have learned from other authors like Dr. Michael L. Johnson, there are ways to allow your body to achieve maximum healing, naturally. Another reference in addition to this is Dr. Max Gerson and the Gerson Method. The method provided dietary-based treatment that had great success for fighting cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases. Unfortunately, the only clinics where this treatment is available are found in Mexico and Europe. I wonder why? And if there was another study that Dr. Tavel knew of (that was not approved by the FDA of course) he dismissed it because there wasn’t enough practical, long lasting, recorded evidence to support the theory.
Above all, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Reason being the pros outweighed the cons. There’s enough instructional advice that could lead to form habit that essentially could be a massive factor in saving someone’s life or at least provide it with better quality. This book is plainly for anyone who’s able to read it, and by that, I mean there’s a little something for everyone in this great read.
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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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