Customer Reviews

Health Myths Exposed 2nd Edition

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After I had read the first edition of this book, which was loaned to me by a friend, I bought the second edition. It is a quick read, and I was glad I had read it. Shane organizes his chapters around the specific myths like "FDA-Approved Drugs are Safe and Effective" and "Drug Approval is Based On Science" or "Cholesterol is Bad for You." From there he brings in information in a very concise way that illustrates why these statements are myths. There have been whole books written on just one of these topics, and they have their place, in a more detailed investigation of the subject. But the beauty of this book "Health Myths Exposed" is the concise presentation of the essential arguments showing that so much of what official medicine teaches and preaches is simply not true or not helpful.

Every time I go anywhere near a doctor it seems they are pushing another drug. Rcently, I have had to refuse Lipitor about a dozen times. A decade ago they were trying to get me to accept hormones. One doctor did everything except hold me down and pour them down my throat. A decade later, we read all the articles about how those hormones were maybe not such a good idea after all, and for all the reasons I initially refused them. Sadly, many people are less cranky than I am, and do not contradict their doctors, but just swallow whatever is being touted.

My health is not the best, I am already taking seven different drugs, and I do not see how another like Lipitor can do anything positive for me. The doctor says heart disease is the major cause of death, but I say being alive is the major cause of death. In any case, there is no proof that Lipitor can prevent heart attack in a woman who has not had one. I strongly suspect that my troubles began as the result of drugs I took years ago, combined with a diet I thought was healthful, but was not. For the past 8 or 10 years, while I was having to fight off prescriptions for hormones and then Lipitor, not one single doctor ever did a two hour glucose test to determine that I had type 2 diabetes. If I could have known that, way back when it must have started, and changed my eating habits and begun helpful supplements, the problems I have now with my heart and neuropathy might never have develped. Every doctor kept telling me I had "idiopathic" neuropathy, instead of actually doing the simple blood test, while they were trying to get me to take Neurontin off-label and antidepressants and hormones and Lipitor!

The problem for us patients is the dissonance between what the authority of the doctors tells us, and what someone who ought to know like Shane tells us. One thing that upsets me is the use of the term "side effect." That is my only criticism of Shane's book. He uses that term. Drugs are toxic chemicals which interfere in a profound way with the normal functioning of our bodies. When we swallow them, they have effects on us. None of the effects are "side" effects, all are plain and simple effects. Use of that term is kind of like sleight of hand, meant to distract us into not looking closely at what is happening. Even though Shane uses that term, he also gives us the insight to help us recognize how and why drugs are developed, which is not necessarily for our best interest, but rather to make a business successful and lucrative, or, at best, simply to squash symptoms, not restore us to health. The information he gives us in this book is also very revealing about the whole cholesterol issue, and his discussion of ephedra is very revealing, illustrating how, in FDA/AMA land, the natural substance is rendered into a chemical, which is dangerous, but the discussion then becomes muddied, and the safe natural substance is banned.

For me, one reason Shane's book is so valuable is that it is a tool the consumer can use to gain some perspective. Many people who would not wade through a long book delving into all the research regardng the cholesterol theory could and would pick up this book, and get some essential information to counteract all the pressure that big medicine and big pharma and big advertising direct at all of us all day long.

This is a great way to get more inside information on how drugs really work in our bodys. I have owned this book ever since Shane had it printed. Some of the people I showed this book to, they have so much faith in the doctors and do not question the drugs they are given. Now they question the doctor. I know the drug company's are padding the doctors pockets to promote their drugs. Since reading this, and changing his diet, my boyfriend is completely off high blood pressure medication. Shane has been a great source of imformation for years for me and my family.

Want to experience TRUE HEALTH? Read this book. You will be amazed at what it reveals. Research is manipulated to benefit the drug companies manufacturing these toxins for one purpose, financial gain. Ever wonder why nutritional supplements are never touted as being beneficial? They cannot be patented and horded for profit. Instead, synthetic derivatives (drugs) are manufactured and touted as "Life Saving". Revealing what the media knows, but is afraid to tell, is why Shane's book is "OVER THE TOP". Look around you, listen to what people talk about. When the topic of conversation turns to "What drugs are you on?" we are in trouble. This is not health, it's a testament to our ignorance of health and our delegation of it to our M.D.'s. Stand up, take control, be responsible for your own health, LIVE 10 EXTRA YEARS!! Read this book twice, look at the research, research that research, be skeptical, learn how to regain your health and you'll soon see the deceptive ways of "BIG PHARMA". I have seen patients lives transformed in a matter of weeks,(by stopping statin use) now they believe. They've taken control, educated themselves on the drugs efects, feel great and are LIVING again. Best of all NOW THEY QUESTION THEIR M.D.'s decisions regarding drug scripts. They are happy, I am happy, you will be too. Well worth your time and money! You can't put a price on your health. JUST DO IT!!

Richard A. Bove, D.C.

People its time we stood up and took charge of our own health!! Why are we allowing an industry that is modivated ONLY by profit to determine the quality of our health care? ALL drugs interact with cellular energy production. We keep hearing about all the 'side effects' what they really are are TOXIC reactions. Our bodies are NOT made to take in a POISON to try to heal it! MD's only work with symptom suppression, they never try to find out what the real cause of the symptom is and cure that. We can not heal or be healthy by symptom suppression. For anyone seeking the truth this book is a must have!!

Shane Ellison's writing is full of zeal and not for the weak of heart... those who are easily offended or not ready to consider the notion that they may be gambling their lives on a set of distortions or deceptions passed off by mainstream medicine as truth. That said, I suspect these folks may be exactly the people who most need to hear what he has to say. This book may have its share of controversial opinions, but what compels me is its abundance of life saving FACTS.

While Shane's writing style is aggressive, and may feel extreme to some, I believe his message is critical for people who need to make educated decisions about how to manage their own health and wellness (and that would be, well, all of us). If you would like to know more about how medical "statistics" get distorted and misrepresented, how to accurately interpret what statistics REALLY mean, and why an ever growing portion of the population has come to believe that prescription drugs may not be our best course of treatment, then this book is a "must read". Filled with examples of statistical contortionism, big Pharma deceptions and case studies of devastating implications for those who fall victim to them, "Health Myths Exposed" will provide a rude awakening for those who unknowingly accept the traditional medical protocols as "best practices". In the least, it will make you think... best case, it may save your or a loved one's life.

Working in the health industry through and after college I was amazed on how this book captured the truth on practices I saw first hand. I have read both editions can attribute the book to losing over 20 pounds and getting myself away from being the pharmecutical slave I had become at the age of 25. If you care about your family, kids and your own health this book is a must! Ellison's thorough research leave no question about the accuracy of his claims. This is a must read!!!!

Though I agree 100% that it is the The Big$$$$ that Big Pharma throws at doctors and the FDA that REALLY determines which drugs are available regardless of whether they are effective or even safe for human consumption, and that there is nothing natural about the man-made concoctions that are so highly touted on the TV all of the time as the cure-all for every ill known to mankind (not much different than the Victorian Snake Oil Salesman), I was disappointed in this book in that it didn't really give much information on more natural alternative medicines, or foods. It's all well and good to say "we need to take responsibility for our own lives and well being", but some of us need/want a little more guidance than links to websites that give more information....for a price. And that information doesn't come cheap, either!!

I try to avoid prescription drugs (and doctors) as much as possible and rarely take them. I stopped HRT years ago because I figured menopause is a natural part of life and generations of women before me have survived it without the help of a prescription, so why was I taking this garbage? Unfortunately, I have had to have four surgeries in two years and I have refused the prescription pain killers simply because the side effects are worse than the pain! I've gotten by quite well with the OTC stuff.

In summary, the book is informative and a quick read, but I wish it just went a little deeper into the 'habits that will attract wellness" that is mentioned in the closing. The book is a bit like an infomercial....it's a teaser to go to the websites and buy the product.

It is about time Americans begin to take charge of their own health!! This book revealed so much amazing information, and should be required reading of at least every American, not to mention doctors worldwide. Shane presents clear, concise, objective data. There are no gray areas in the book. Some of this information is shocking, but it needed to be presented. The drug companies spend so much money on mesmerizing the public with what appears to be a pill that will solve their problem so life will be nirvana. They have a soft-spoken actor or actress that slyly reviews all the fine detail about the drug while the viewer is engrossed in the wonder of the advertisement. If you are sincerely interested in your health and the health of your loved ones, take the time to read this book and find out what's really going on in the pharmaceutical industry!

Being in the Health Care system I find this Book "Health Myths Exposed"

A must read for everyone!! I found the imformation in the Book to be most accurate. Carol Taylor Canada

This is a good book for anyone who wants to learn the truth about certain medicines that are sold that are labelled as good for you but do the complete opposite just to earn some money for the big drug companies.

Buy it if you really care about your health.