3 out of 4 stars
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With the ever increasing popularity of fad diets, supplements, and miracle cures it is no wonder that consumers have trouble knowing who or what to trust. Add to that probably the worst weight epidemic the United States has ever faced coupled with food and drug companies whose main concern is their bottom line and you have a recipe for disaster. The end result of which is the myriad of health myths and scams that bombard the American public on a daily basis. In his book Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks, Morton E Tavel, MD. attempts to dispel some of these myths and expose some of the most common formulas used in these scams.
The book itself is divided into three sections which mimic the order of the title with a section on health tips coming first, health myths second, and health tricks last. Dr. Tavel’s first section of health tips is primarily geared towards giving readers tips on how to live a healthier life based upon various scientific studies and his own personal opinion. In the second section Dr. Tavel dispels some of the most commonly believed myths surrounding weight loss, supplements, and health in general. Lastly, Dr. Tavel breaks down some of the most commonplace health scams and gives the reader tools on how to spot these farses. Within each section is a further break down into chapters centering around a specified topic which rage from weight loss methods to celebrity endorsements of health products.
At the beginning of each of these smaller chapters is a brief introduction to the topic at hand and an explanation of why Dr. Tavel chose to speak on it. The topics of the first section tend to center around tips related to which food items truly are or are not beneficial to the body. Also mentioned in these chapters are quite a few tips on healthier living and how to implement them. The second section chapters have a similar layout beginning with an introduction of a health myth as well as why the myth is so popular and so widely believed. Lastly, the chapters in the third section are geared towards helping readers not get duped by health scams. These chapters start with a breakdown of the tricks being used to sell faulty or dangerous products and then gives real world examples of these scams. At the end of almost every chapter in all three sections, Dr. Tavel writes a conclusion which is essentially his recommendation as to what readers should do with the information they have been given.
Overall I give Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It was incredibly easy reading on a topic which often gets bogged down by difficult medical terminology and an overwhelming amount of facts and statistics. Dr. Tavel did an excellent job of explaining the science and hard evidence behind what he is presenting to the reader and the reasoning for his opinion on the topics. I also appreciated how Dr. Tavel is clearly not trying to sell the reader on expensive drugs or miracle treatments and is wholeheartedly trying to provide the tools to make informed decisions regarding personal health. However, one thing I did not like about Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks is that Dr. Tavel seems extremely biased against alternative forms of medicine. He does explain why he is against them, but it does seem as though it is a topic he is completely closed minded towards.
In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in further educating themselves about health in general. I would especially recommend it to anyone confused by all of the different information being spread about what is or is not good for the body; and to anyone with special dietary concerns since there were many chapters which I found rather illuminating on said topic. The one group that I would not recommend Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks to is those involved in alternative or traditional medicine since they may find some of Dr. Tavel’s comments a bit offensive. Other than that it is a well written book that is filled with useful information and how to implement it within daily life.
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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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