Review by Doctor Colin -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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Doctor Colin
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- Latest Review: "Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks" by Morton E Tavel, MD
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Review by Doctor Colin -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
[Following is a volunteer review of "Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks" by Morton E Tavel, MD.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Health Tips, Myths and Tricks
Dr Morton E Tavel
This is a book which takes a no-nonsense approach to health issues. Dr Tavel relies on the conclusions of exhaustive scientific studies and clearly has little time for some of the claims made by practitioners of alternative medicine. The book is in three parts and has sixty-two chapters though some of them are extremely short, sometimes only a page or two. The first part of the book (tips) is about general health and wellness; the second part (myths) looks at common misconceptions and health-related conspiracy beliefs, while the third and final section (tricks) explores stratagems that have been designed by less-than-scrupulous companies to market what the author considers to be useless products.
Dr Tavel is a retired specialist in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease and he consistently stresses the benefits of a healthy and balanced diet. Part 1 is mostly about what you eat and drink - and sometimes what you shouldn’t. The author begins by tackling the ever-present problem of obesity and what might be done about it but he dismisses “instant” fat-loss claims. He gives information on various foods and drinks to avoid and provides a list of everyday items that could even take you to an early grave. He lists some common chemicals that occur in popular food which should be avoided whenever possible. But it’s not all doom and gloom and Dr Tavel recommends foods and beverages that are really beneficial to health. The author then touches on several other health matters such as painkillers, skin ageing and sleeping pills.
Part 2 looks at common misconceptions about health issues and outlines the misinformation about energy drinks, vaccines, GM crops, organic foods, bottled water, hard and soft water and other topics. Part 3 exposes scams and various products that Dr Tavel considers “false cures”. He reserves his venom for those pharmaceutical companies that sell drugs at inflated prices and companies that promote ineffective diets or claim that their products are made to some kind of “secret formula”.
A couple of my friends are practising medical doctors and I could sense them nodding enthusiastically in agreement with some of Dr Tavel’s pronouncements. He is clearly a person who doesn’t mince his words, though if you have any faith in alternative medicines” you will probably disagree vigorously with many of his comments on the subject. He bundles together treatments such as acupuncture, homoeopathy and detoxifying dismissing them all as pretty well useless. However, I was pleased to see that many of the items he recommends are regularly on my shopping list, including red wine. Interestingly, Dr Tavel shares his name with a well-known wine production region in the southern Rhone Valley.
The first part of the book is probably the most useful and engaging. I certainly enjoyed reading it and could imagine many friends finding it useful and thought-provoking. However, in the second part I can’t help feeling that the author is selecting unrelated – almost random subjects - that seem to take his fancy. I didn’t quite see the relevance of a somewhat lengthy discussion on lie detectors for example, or the imagined risks of Wi-Fi networks. Part 3 seemed to me of even less practical value. I found his tirade against drug companies, justified though it might be, was just a bit wearisome to read though anyone with a passing interest in pharmaceutical products would probably find it fascinating.
Under the circumstances, I rate this book 3 out of 4. I couldn’t give it a top rating because it could have been better organised and in Part 2 some subjects could effectively be omitted altogether. The uneven chapter lengths could have been organised in a more satisfying matter. The book would benefit from professional editing and could be shorter and more succinct as a result. Even so, Dr Tavel raises some important issues and despite its several shortcomings, the book – especially the first part - would be of considerable interest to people who care about the health implications of what they eat and drink.
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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3 out of 4 stars
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Health Tips, Myths and Tricks
Dr Morton E Tavel
This is a book which takes a no-nonsense approach to health issues. Dr Tavel relies on the conclusions of exhaustive scientific studies and clearly has little time for some of the claims made by practitioners of alternative medicine. The book is in three parts and has sixty-two chapters though some of them are extremely short, sometimes only a page or two. The first part of the book (tips) is about general health and wellness; the second part (myths) looks at common misconceptions and health-related conspiracy beliefs, while the third and final section (tricks) explores stratagems that have been designed by less-than-scrupulous companies to market what the author considers to be useless products.
Dr Tavel is a retired specialist in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease and he consistently stresses the benefits of a healthy and balanced diet. Part 1 is mostly about what you eat and drink - and sometimes what you shouldn’t. The author begins by tackling the ever-present problem of obesity and what might be done about it but he dismisses “instant” fat-loss claims. He gives information on various foods and drinks to avoid and provides a list of everyday items that could even take you to an early grave. He lists some common chemicals that occur in popular food which should be avoided whenever possible. But it’s not all doom and gloom and Dr Tavel recommends foods and beverages that are really beneficial to health. The author then touches on several other health matters such as painkillers, skin ageing and sleeping pills.
Part 2 looks at common misconceptions about health issues and outlines the misinformation about energy drinks, vaccines, GM crops, organic foods, bottled water, hard and soft water and other topics. Part 3 exposes scams and various products that Dr Tavel considers “false cures”. He reserves his venom for those pharmaceutical companies that sell drugs at inflated prices and companies that promote ineffective diets or claim that their products are made to some kind of “secret formula”.
A couple of my friends are practising medical doctors and I could sense them nodding enthusiastically in agreement with some of Dr Tavel’s pronouncements. He is clearly a person who doesn’t mince his words, though if you have any faith in alternative medicines” you will probably disagree vigorously with many of his comments on the subject. He bundles together treatments such as acupuncture, homoeopathy and detoxifying dismissing them all as pretty well useless. However, I was pleased to see that many of the items he recommends are regularly on my shopping list, including red wine. Interestingly, Dr Tavel shares his name with a well-known wine production region in the southern Rhone Valley.
The first part of the book is probably the most useful and engaging. I certainly enjoyed reading it and could imagine many friends finding it useful and thought-provoking. However, in the second part I can’t help feeling that the author is selecting unrelated – almost random subjects - that seem to take his fancy. I didn’t quite see the relevance of a somewhat lengthy discussion on lie detectors for example, or the imagined risks of Wi-Fi networks. Part 3 seemed to me of even less practical value. I found his tirade against drug companies, justified though it might be, was just a bit wearisome to read though anyone with a passing interest in pharmaceutical products would probably find it fascinating.
Under the circumstances, I rate this book 3 out of 4. I couldn’t give it a top rating because it could have been better organised and in Part 2 some subjects could effectively be omitted altogether. The uneven chapter lengths could have been organised in a more satisfying matter. The book would benefit from professional editing and could be shorter and more succinct as a result. Even so, Dr Tavel raises some important issues and despite its several shortcomings, the book – especially the first part - would be of considerable interest to people who care about the health implications of what they eat and drink.
******
Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
View: on Bookshelves
Like Doctor Colin's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks" by Morton E Tavel, MD
