3 out of 4 stars
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The book “Health Tips, Myths, And Tricks” by Morton E. Tavel is a useful piece. As the title suggests, the pages provide information about health and nutrition; myths that are currently circulating the internet and other media, and suggestions on how to deal with false information presented on television.
The first section starts describing aids in losing weight, how some methods and supplements can be dangerous to the human body or have several side-effects. It’s composed mostly by nutritional knowledge and, sometimes, warnings against a specific food. There was no surprise when I found that this section included one chapter about green tea and another one about coffee, two popular beverages.
Information on current issues such as scams by drug companies, “detoxifying the body” or alkaline water is necessary. In that way, as buyers, we can be conscious of what we purchase and ingest; that responsibility is encouraged in the third section of the book, where the author places careful examples of common scams that companies use to sell products.
In the best aspects of the book, I could mention good resources and research; that element adds to the fact that the author is a health professional. His writing style makes the text easier to read and understand, and the addressed issues are of general interest. This work encourages the reader to visit a doctor when necessary and to avoid alternative treatment, which can be risky for the overall health; that is, in summary, what I liked most about the book.
Two of the topics included in the second section (“Myths”) seem out of place; they are interesting, don’t get me wrong, but the whole text focuses on health, and they don’t seem directly related to it. The safety of commercial air travel and the polygraph (“lie detector”) test should be topics for another book. The format and style of the book could be better; consistency with the font would have been a good choice, as well as smaller titles. I found some grammatical errors while reading the first pages, thing that should be absent from a professional book. That’s what I didn’t like about it.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because of the apparent quality of the information that it provides. Two stars would’ve been harsh for such a useful text, but four stars are too much considering the editing choices. The adequate audience for the book ranges from teenagers (14 years old) to the elderly, as the book gives advice that applies to everyone in that range.
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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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