Health tips, myths, and tricks
Subtitle: a physician's advice : health information to liberate us from "snake oil"
By: by Morton E. Tavel, MD
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Brighton Publishing LLC
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Mesa, Arizona
Language: eng
Number of pages: 293
ISBN-13: 9781621833406
Subjects: Quacks and quackery; Medical care; Consumer education; Consommateurs; Éducation
Description: "Dr. Tavel is a physician specializing in internal medicine and cardiology. Now retired, he managed patients for many years and held a faculty position (clinical professor) at Indiana University School of Medicine, regularly instructing medical trainees at all levels. While the general public clamors for good, sound medical advice, they often find that advice from companies that sell products on television, or from individuals who promote treatments stemming from self-serving agendas. Information obtained this way is often faulty, unbalanced, and, sadly, blatantly fraudulent. Surrounded by all this noise, mainstream physicians are seldom heard from: moreover, few are willing to devote the time necessary to expose those ubiquitous misconceptions and to provide countering advice stemming from sound scientific research. Making matters even more treacherous are the various branches of "alternative medicine" that feature untested or worthless treatments, placing patients at risk of being exploited, losing money, and damaging their health. Although such alternative methods are largely employed by non-conventional and unlicensed practitioners, occasional wayward "real" doctors step across these boundaries and promote dubious methods to large audiences on television and other media. Dr. Tavel now steps across those boundaries in his latest hard-hitting work of medically sound advice and insights: 1) TIPS about health and wellness that can be incorporated into one's daily life that, hopefully, will create a healthier and longer physical outlook, less waste of money and maybe even lower body weight (if you are one of those many with excess fat storage). 2) The second section concerns the subject of MYTHS, that is, common misconceptions about almost anything regarding our physical makeup and how we relate to the world around us. 3) the final section, TRICKS, is devoted to various stratagems that are designed to take your money in exchange for useless--or dangerous--Snake Oil products or information. Despite the division into three sections, there is in fact much overlap, because if one believes many of the myths, this may cause one to forego measures (tips) that may have afforded better health. On the other hand, mythical beliefs may cause us to fall easy prey to those dreaded scams, and the Snake Oil that we all desire to avoid. Dr. Tavel has drawn from an eclectic collection of material that includes his personal biomedical background, scientific publications, media reports deemed accurate, and many other trustworthy sources from the most reliable, and scientifically documented information."--Back cover
Table of contents: title: TIPS: Aids to losing weight: come effective, some useless, some dangerous; title: East a good breakfast: was mother right or wrong?; title: Tans fat consumption and health; title: Coffee and health: good, bad, or indifferent?; title: Green tea: possible health benefits; title: Chocolate: is it rally good for what ails you? Now it may even help the brain function; title: Some foods to avoid; title: Do cranberries deserve top billing over turkey at Thanksgiving?; title: Fish consumption: some safety issues; title: Shellfish: nutrition and health; title: Some foods are better than you may think; title: Olive oil and health; title: Sodium: its danger and sneaky ways it enters our diets; title: More about salt: hidden killer in restaurant and processed foods; title: Potassium: a great dietary constituent; title: Hypertension (High blood pressure) and the dash diet; title: Red meat: should you curtail it?; title: Red wine and cardiovascular disease: "The French paradox"; title: Arsenic in food: what are the concerns?; title: What to do about a cold; title: Dietary supplements: some good, some useless, and some dangerous; title: Artificial sweeteners; title: any worth?; title: Why junk food is "double trouble"; title: Cigarette smoke inhalation: how bad is it?; title: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes): good, bad, or indifferent?; title: A few tips about pain-killers; title: Heartburn: some important facts and suggestions; title: Can we prevent premature aging of the Skin with sunscreen?; title: Sleep nice or pay the price!; title: Back pain: a common problem often misunderstood and over-treated; title: The many benefits of regular exercise; title: Nasal allergies: a few tips.; title: MYTHS: Belief in conspiracy theories about health; title: Some irrational fears never die; title: Energy drinks: what's all the hype about?; title: The fortified food myth; title: Genetically modified (GM) foods and mass hysteria: the facts; title: Should you consider buying and consuming organic foods?; title: Gluten-free diets: a mistake for most folks; title: Bottled water: another great; title: and costly; title: myth!; title: Myths about hard and soft water; title: Wifi: mythical and unfounded fears; title: Hand drying: paper towels or blower?; title: Probiotics and health: a mixed bag; title: facts and myths; title: Raw milk: buyers beware!; title: Radiation of foods: safe or unsafe?; title: Allergies: myths exposed; title: Commercial air travel: how safe is it?; title: The polygraph ("lie detector") test: itself the biggest lie; title: Stretching before exercise: another myth; title: Medical tests and yearly checkups: are they really necessary?; title: TRICKS: False cures: don't be a sucker!; title: Snake oil rises again; title: the anatomy of a typical scam; title: The use of professional athletes as shills to promote useless products, A.K.A. "Snake Oil"; title: More about dietary supplement: seldom indicated and potentially dangerous; title: Alkaline water: another scam designed to take your money; title: Human growth hormone to prevent aging: another snake oil; title: Scams presented by the "legitimate" drug companies; title: Beware of the media health "authorities"; title: "Detoxifying" the body of unwanted substance: another blatant scam; title: Standard medical care or chiropractic treatment?