Review by Carmel Bachelor -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
Posted: 27 Feb 2018, 15:12
[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 great book for those who find it hard to read lengthy ‘academic’ or non-fiction books. In this book, Tavel looks to educate people about the common misconceptions around food, drugs and common ailments. Some of the biggest myths he's goes into are the myths around bottled water (I never even considered that one), commercial air travel and even stretching! At the same time he also gives a lot of tips and advice on how to improve all these things in your life in very small subtle ways.
Every single point he makes is backed up with evidence, case studies and surveys, all from the last 5 to 6 years. This for me, was a big reason why I liked it so much, unlike generic health articles you might find online, Tavel frequently references to credible institutions and lets you know when something is inconclusive or might need more research.
I felt that this book was perfect for answering all the questions we’ve thought about at one point or another. Despite some medical jargon, I felt it was one of the easiest non-fiction/academic reads I’ve come across. With short, snappy chapters, and frequent breaks in format, subheadings, top-ten lists etc, I breezed through the first 100 pages without pause! He answered all sorts of common questions and myths surrounding things like chocolate, coffee, fish, nuts, but also common ailments like heartburn, back pain and even sleep deprivation. He talked a lot about how the majority of Americans are unknowingly eating an unhealthy diet and then he goes into all the different reasons on how and why this happens.
I found it very insightful when looking at the food industry, specifically around supermarkets and restaurants and felt like I learned a lot in terms of what to look for when buying food. One thing that I had no idea about is that, it is mandatory by law for restaurants to have a nutritional value sheet on all the foods they sell. I thought this was an amazing fact to learn, as a lot of people's downfall when it comes to having a healthy diet, usually comes from eating out at restaurants on a regular basis.
I chose this book because I wanted to challenge myself, and non-fiction/academic books is usually the hardest genre to get into. Ultimately, your attention can start to drag. Although this book did drag in some parts for me, Tavel seemed to be aware of this possibility and wrote the book in a way that you could pick and choose the chapters you were most interested in. He frequently made references to previous chapters and future ones, which made me think he purposely wrote the book to be read in a non-linear style. I found it very refreshing to go straight to the chapters I was most curious about and then go back to the subjects that I’ve never really thought about. This is one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed it so much and that’s why I’m giving it 4 out of 4 stars.
Overall I think this book would be extremely helpful to anyone who doesn't know much about health, and generally finds the whole thing confusing (like me)! Tavel really goes the extra mile to make the subjects as accessible as possible and as understandable as possible, and even goes into the topics like a lot of Medical Doctors simply ignore or dismiss. Basically no topic, or question, is too silly to ask and explain!
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Health Tips, Myths and Tricks by Morton E. Tavel, MD. is a great book for those who find it hard to read lengthy ‘academic’ or non-fiction books. In this book, Tavel looks to educate people about the common misconceptions around food, drugs and common ailments. Some of the biggest myths he's goes into are the myths around bottled water (I never even considered that one), commercial air travel and even stretching! At the same time he also gives a lot of tips and advice on how to improve all these things in your life in very small subtle ways.
Every single point he makes is backed up with evidence, case studies and surveys, all from the last 5 to 6 years. This for me, was a big reason why I liked it so much, unlike generic health articles you might find online, Tavel frequently references to credible institutions and lets you know when something is inconclusive or might need more research.
I felt that this book was perfect for answering all the questions we’ve thought about at one point or another. Despite some medical jargon, I felt it was one of the easiest non-fiction/academic reads I’ve come across. With short, snappy chapters, and frequent breaks in format, subheadings, top-ten lists etc, I breezed through the first 100 pages without pause! He answered all sorts of common questions and myths surrounding things like chocolate, coffee, fish, nuts, but also common ailments like heartburn, back pain and even sleep deprivation. He talked a lot about how the majority of Americans are unknowingly eating an unhealthy diet and then he goes into all the different reasons on how and why this happens.
I found it very insightful when looking at the food industry, specifically around supermarkets and restaurants and felt like I learned a lot in terms of what to look for when buying food. One thing that I had no idea about is that, it is mandatory by law for restaurants to have a nutritional value sheet on all the foods they sell. I thought this was an amazing fact to learn, as a lot of people's downfall when it comes to having a healthy diet, usually comes from eating out at restaurants on a regular basis.
I chose this book because I wanted to challenge myself, and non-fiction/academic books is usually the hardest genre to get into. Ultimately, your attention can start to drag. Although this book did drag in some parts for me, Tavel seemed to be aware of this possibility and wrote the book in a way that you could pick and choose the chapters you were most interested in. He frequently made references to previous chapters and future ones, which made me think he purposely wrote the book to be read in a non-linear style. I found it very refreshing to go straight to the chapters I was most curious about and then go back to the subjects that I’ve never really thought about. This is one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed it so much and that’s why I’m giving it 4 out of 4 stars.
Overall I think this book would be extremely helpful to anyone who doesn't know much about health, and generally finds the whole thing confusing (like me)! Tavel really goes the extra mile to make the subjects as accessible as possible and as understandable as possible, and even goes into the topics like a lot of Medical Doctors simply ignore or dismiss. Basically no topic, or question, is too silly to ask and explain!
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Carmel Bachelor's review? Post a comment saying so!
