Review by J_odoyo -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks

J_odoyo · Post by **J_odoyo** » 15 Jul 2019, 03:27

[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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Many people today are concerned about a healthy diet—that will ensure they are free from cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancers—and safe treatment methods, free from side effects. Unfortunately, a greater percentage of people today are overweight or frankly obese. Almost everyone seems to seek advice on healthy eating habits and general health advice.

Morton E. Tavel's Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks: A physician's Advice is a non-fictional novel tailored to serve three main purposes: Firstly, to enlighten its readers on various health tips which are very vital in losing excess weight, prevention of cardiovascular diseases, choice of healthy foods, and general health tips; secondly, to point out various myths that are propagated by dubious information that we get over the Internet, television shows, and newspaper adverts; and lastly, to uncover the tricks employed by many drugs and food companies to attract more money from their buyers in exchange for placebo and useless products.

Dr. Tavel—a retired physician specializing in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease who was also a clinical professor at Indiana University School of Medicine—has done a great job in providing clear tricks and guidelines on how to detect "snake oil vendors" and fact-check their dubious information propagated by "alternative medicine" proponents. As an experienced researcher, who has published over 120 medical research papers, he expertly probes various myths that have populated our Internet and adverts over a few decades.

The author gives some of the foods that are good for our health and unhealthy ones. He explains the adverse effects of trans fats, excess table salt consumption, red meat, and many others. Moreover, he gives some of the myths that surround genetically modified (GM) foods, cell phones, vaccines, water fluoridation, alternative treatment, and many others. He attests that many Americans have opted for questionable treatments that range from those simply unproven to those that are precisely frauds. Some of these methods encompass practitioners of alternative medicine, spinal manipulation, acupuncture, and many others.

Reading this book, I was impressed with Dr. Tavel's easy-to-understand explanations. Although I have no medical background, I was able to read and understand his elaborations with ease. His arguments were well backed up with many published research papers, which did not only make his elucidations to be scientifically agreeable, but also reliable.

For a long time, I have believed that genetically modified foods were not a healthy choice for humans. However, Dr. Tavel flaws such misconceptions pointing out that there are no scientific proofs for such myths. Instead, he cites recent studies that have proved the absence of adverse health effects or nutritional deficits associated with GM foods compared with natural foods. Additionally, he attests that such foods are not only safe for humans but also to our environment.

Overall I can say Dr. Tavel did his homework successfully, and I learned a lot of things from this book. The first part of this novel (Health Tips) remains my favorite section; I discovered many tips about healthy eating habits—which were definitely new to me. As far as negative is concerned, I did find a few instances of punctuation errors and typos. However, despite the downsides, I can still say the book was exceptionally edited.

My rating for Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks: A physician's Advice is 4 out of 4 stars. The invaluable information involved, professional editing, and easy-to-understand explanations could deserve nothing less. I recommend this book to readers who are interested in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Those who are struggling with losing weight will also find this book to be relevant. I can also see those who are interested in fact-checking the credibility of ubiquitous health-related myths enjoying this book. Nevertheless, this is not a recommendable read for children, because the concepts explained in this book are beyond their intelligence.

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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 24 Apr 2020, 13:10

Incredible review. I agree with you, the author conveyed the message in a way that all readers can understand. I read and reviewed the book, I found the material beneficial. I even termed the book a Dietary Bible. Your recommendation is well-elaborated. Good job in your review.

J_odoyo · Post by **J_odoyo** » 25 Apr 2020, 10:17

Nerea wrote: ↑24 Apr 2020, 13:10 Incredible review. I agree with you, the author conveyed the message in a way that all readers can understand. I read and reviewed the book, I found the material beneficial. I even termed the book a Dietary Bible. Your recommendation is well-elaborated. Good job in your review.

Thanks for your encouraging comment. The book very beneficial to me as well. I could believe the author's advices because of his wide experience in the field of medicine. Sometimes I go back and re-read some sections. I'm glad you also enjoyed it.