Review by bet22 -- Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks

[bet22]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks" by Morton E Tavel, MD.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks A Physician’s Advice by Dr Morton E. Travel is an informative book touching on issues of health. The book has 62 chapters and is divided into three parts.

The first part of the book covers health tips. Dr Travel talks about health and wellness that can be incorporated into our daily lives. He starts off the chapter with the issue of weight loss, and goes ahead to list the four general means used by most people in attempting to shed off pounds, he goes through the four methods in details and concludes by recommending the best method to adopt. The first part is full of other interesting and factual health tips, covering 32 chapters of a broad array of health issues.

In the second part of the book, the author debunks the common myths and misconceptions that are fed to the population. He begins the first chapter of the section by talking about the belief of conspiracy theories about health. According to the author, 49% of U.S adults agreed with at least one medical conspiracy theory and at least 18% agreed with at least three or more. He goes on to cover in details other myths on various topics including fortified foods, genetically modified foods, bottled water and radiation of foods among other topics.

In the third section, the author talks about the various scams that take place, especially in dietary supplements market. The author goes ahead to give examples of the diet supplements that are out there in the market and the statistics of the damages caused by such products. What comes out clearly is that the supplements market is not well regulated and the FDA does not have enough powers to deal with this issue. He also touches on the issue of false cures offered by practitioners of alternative medicines and cautions the reader to be wary of such practitioners. The author goes ahead to expose other scums that are common for example the use of athletes as shills to promote useless products among others.

The book is very informative and the good thing about it is that it’s not just a onetime read, the reader can use this book as a reference guide to living a healthier lifestyle by referencing the author’s recommendations on the healthy foods and the foods to avoid. The book is very factual and in some cases, the author even goes further to provide links and resources that the reader can use to access further information. Dr Travel also does a good job in debunking some of the common myths that have been held as gospel truth by most people for a long time. The book covers a wide array of issues relating to health and wellness and the author uses his biomedical background to point out some interesting issues backed up by research and scientific studies.

Dr. Travel also sheds light on some very pertinent issues, for example the negative effects that a nonfactual publication had on the rates of vaccination worldwide, since then some parents still have vague distrust of vaccines and Dr Travel tries to convince them of the importance of vaccines since a massive amount of research has proven their effects in allowing millions of people to avoid disease and death. I found this issue particularly important and I strongly agree with the author on the importance of vaccination. He also properly articulated the issue of genetically modified organisms and demystifies the long-held myths. I have to admit, I was a bit sceptical about the safety of eating genetically modified foods but after reading this chapter I have gained much knowledge and insight on this issue and also the importance of GMO especially in the developing countries to alleviate hunger and malnutrition. I was also particularly thrilled to learn about the relation between chocolates and brain function. According to the book, recent research suggests that chocolates can provide a boost to the brain function, wherein it seems to slow the progression of mental decline that occurs with ageing, being a lover of chocolates myself this was an interesting insight.

The book is clear and easy to read and although in some parts there is a lot of medical jargon, the author does well to ensure that his points come out clearly. Despite the fact that Dr Travel covers a wide array of issues, I particularly found that the chapter on polygraphs did not fit into the overall theme of the book, however, it was very informative.

I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in living a healthy lifestyle. The book is well researched and full of practical and applicable advice that is backed up by facts and scientific research.

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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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[SPasciuti]

This book definitely sounds worth reading. I"d actually never heard of it before now. Admittedly, I've always wanted to learn more about healthy living but never really been able to bring myself to do because I could never determine what sort of reading material to trust. So often I end up with accounts that one thing is good for me and a few years later I"ll hear accounts that it's the worst possible thing I could be eating/drinking. I think milk was one that really got to me, actually.

I may have to look into reading this. The medical jargon will likely be very boring to me, but if it's as factual as you say it is and seems trustworthy, I think it's definitely worth the read. Thanks for your review!

[Paul78]

Thanks for a well written review. Dr. Tavel indeed has provided many useful tips on healthy living besides dealing with myths and scams. On polygraph I would agree with you.

[kdstrack]

Nice review. I agree with your comment that this would be a good reference book with the wealth of information it contains. It's also interesting how he starts out with weight loss to get everyone's interest piqued.