Customer Reviews

How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner

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From: www.BasilAndSpice.com
Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life!

Book Review: How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner (Crown Pub., 2008) by Jan Garavaglia, M.D.

A FirstLook Review

Dr. Jan Garavaglia is also known as Dr. G: Medical Examiner on the Discovery Channel's hit series. In real life she is a forensic pathologist in District 9 of Orange County, Florida. Her district sees about 1100 cases (bodies) a year. She determines the cause of death.

The purpose of How Not To Die lies in the fact that most medical examiners' labs in the United States see deaths for the following reasons:

* 10 % are homicides
* 40% are premature natural deaths
* 40% from accidents
* 10% are suicides

Dr. G writes, "There are other actions you might not be aware of that can save your life." Though many of us believe in an appointed time of death, Dr. G believes that fate lies with genetics and luck, and "a lot of us make our own bad luck."

Following upon the heels of her successful television show with this book, Dr. G hopes to alert society to the benefits of forensic pathology. This science allows doctors to warn us about ways to save our lives. Using actual case studies and sometimes graphic scientific descriptions, Dr. G motivates the reader into health and safety contemplation. She adds various lists and data to improve the reader's comprehension--for example:

* 10 Questions to Ask a New Doctor
* Symptoms Not to be Ignored and What They Could Mean
* Screening Tests Needed for Women and Men
* Commonly Confused Medications
* How Not to Die in the Hospital
* Finding a Trustworthy Hospital

Reading How Not to Die reminded me of a young boy who went into our local hospital for ear tubes several years ago. He died on the operating table. Why? A medical mishap occurred when a drug, which should not have even been in the room, was mistakenly given to him.

Dr. G writes that life is precious and death has taught her to live a healthier, happier life. Her 10 major lessons out of which the books evolves:

1. Know your numbers: Body Mass Index, blood glucose level, blood pressure, LDL and HDL cholesterol
2. Listen to your body--seek attention if something doesn't feel right
3. Follow medical directions from your doctor and those on any medications. To avoid injury follow instructions.
4. Practice good hygiene--wash your hands. Protect yourself when necessary.
5. Drive carefully--wear a seat belt. Observe road rules.
6. Just say no to smoking, illegal drugs, drinking too much.
7. Watch your step--think before you act.
8. Have a good time. Include humor and laughter in your life.
9. Don't go it alone. Form close relationships and live a longer life. "Caring for others helps us care for ourselves and brings added meaning to our lives."
10. Remember what matters. Set priorities by putting family first. What did you do with your life's years?

How Not To Die is a book written from a scientific viewpoint, but explained so that the general public can understand what happens inside a forensic pathologist's lab. It's fascinating. Dr. Garavaglia is truly a captivating author, drawing us in, and then sounding an alarm of warning.

Did you know:

The most common cause of death while traveling is a heart attack. And 30% of people who die suddenly from a heart attack have no prior symptoms.

Each year 800,000 American seek medical attention for dog bites, half of them children.

Chewing tobacco (snuff) contains 28 carcinogens.

A motorcyclist is 37 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than someone in a car.

Nearly 1/3 of adults take 5 or more medications, putting them at greater risk of a medical interaction with other drugs, food, alcohol, herbs, or tobacco.

An excess of 500-600 milligrams of caffeine each day can cause anxiety, nausea, and heart palpitations.

The most commonly abused prescriptions drugs Dr. G sees: methadone, oxycodone, benzodiazepines, hydrocodone, fentanyl.

How Not to Die is not the usual wellness book. It's a wake up call to what we're all in denial about: death. Yes, we'll all die one day, but about 80% of these cases could potentially be prevented until a later date in life. Read the book. Save your life.

5 Stars

Dr. Jan Garavaglia is the host of the Discovery Channel's "Dr. G: Medical Examiner" and the author of "How Not to Die," with valuable "lessons on living, longer, safer, and healthier" lives. Dr. G. is a forensic pathologist who performs autopsies in Orange County, Florida. The knowledge that she gains from investigating how and why someone passed away unexpectedly serves many purposes: It can bring closure to the decedent's family, solve crimes, and settle lawsuits. In addition, Dr. G. hopes that the living will learn from the dead that it pays to follow common sense rules about diet, exercise, mental health, and accident prevention "to avoid an early trip to the morgue."

The author loves her work and it shows. She speaks with relish about the challenge of solving the tricky puzzles that she faces. Dr. G methodically examines each body, takes notes and photographs, makes microscopic slides, and sends fluids out to the toxicology lab. She also factors information from the individual's medical history into the equation. All of this leads to the doctor's findings about cause and manner of death.

Dr. G's chatty writing style, colorful and fascinating case studies, compassionate attitude, and insights into her own life combine to make this an entertaining, educational, and lively book. Aficionados of "CSI" will find Dr. G's stories particularly engrossing, since they are sometimes dramatic, unusual, and at times, gruesome. Fortunately, Dr. G. has a sense of humor that makes even such grim subject matter a bit more palatable.

Much of the author's advice is obvious: Be your own advocate if you are hospitalized, avoid abusing alcohol and other drugs, get regular checkups, do not ignore symptoms of illness, drive defensively (with seat and lap harness securely fastened), and make sure that you eat properly, exercise, and get plenty of sleep. Some of the recommendations that Dr. G. passes on, however, may prove surprising. For instance, an untreated dental infection can cause bacteria to migrate to the bloodstream, resulting in multisystem organ failure, so don't neglect your teeth and gums. The author emphasizes the crucial role of psychological well-being since the mind and body are so closely interrelated. Social connectedness, self-esteem, and a sense of purpose can affect a person's attitude and contribute to his longevity.

"How Not to Die" contains useful and informative charts, a list of resources and Web sites, a bibliography, and a thorough index. As Dr. Garavaglia says in her epilogue: "Life has its challenges at times, and death is inevitable. We just don't have to help it along."

I couldn't wait to read this book, but it left me disappointed, like tuning in to Dr. G's show only to find out it's a rerun! It is a good read and well written in Dr. G's caring candid no nonsense easy to understand style, but for me it fell short of my expectations. All the cases she describes in the book are ones from her TV show, so if you are a regular viewer, a good part of the book will be like watching those episodes again.

The advice she gives on healthy living is sage and sound, but it is things most all of us already know: i.e. exercise, eat healthy, see your doctor regularly, don't smoke, do drugs, drink & drive etc. Of course, maybe someone will actually listen to Dr. G, so the book will undoubtedly do some people a lot of good! Nonetheless, if you're a Dr. G fan, buy the book anyhow and it would probably be fascinating for someone interested in forensics who does not watch her show since all the cases she describes would be "new" to them. Don't get me wrong, I love Dr. G and her heart is in the right place! I really hope her book helps people to make changes towards a healthier lifestyle and or to seek out the considerable resources she gives for help with specific lifestyle and health problems.

What a great book! It is full of practical advice and information on how to lead a healthier and safer life. Dr. G's plain spoken, no-nonsense writing style is so easy to read and understand. Her case studies are powerful and cause one to think about the real effects of one's behavior on one's body. I think this book should be required reading for everyone! Don't hesitate to buy this book. You'll find yourself referring to it again and again!

Surprisingly enough, this book is a real page turner. I enjoy Dr. G's TV show, so when I saw her book I had to get it. It is a very interesting and informative read, with sound advice on so many topics. Her respect for the deceased and their family is so profound one wishes that some of her colleagues who treat the living would follow her lead. Dr. G.'s book is full of common sense and at times, borders on the spiritual. Her lively, down to earth personality comes through on every page.

Previous reviewers have stated a number of different things about this book. Personally I would have liked to have seem a little greater depth in some areas. However I am a little biased. The book is clearly written to reach the general public, the majority of which is NOT medically trained, never having attended medical or nursing school, or having been a medic in the military. Nonetheless it should not be overlooked that what Dr G did attempt to do with this book is extremely important. Early in her book she explained herself that one of the reasons she became a medical examiner was because she had become frustrated by living patients she had seen in medical practice who continued to neglect their health despite sound medical recommendations made for their own good. Sadly for some the only way to reach them is to point out that if they do NOT take better care of their health death oftentimes become the inevitable result. True, Dr G makes a number of common sense recommendations a lot of us are already familiar with but do we follow them? It strikes me how much she cares for the families of the deceased. I lost my own father in August of 2007 from aortic stenosis, in part a condition that could have been prevented with better diet and exercise. It was a devastating loss, one for which a great deal of healing was required. Like Dr G, I am a Catholic and believe as she does that there's a heaven and a hell. I appreciate her stating explictly in her Introduction to her book that "I don't believe that we go through this world just to end up on a slab. You can look at the faces of the dead and you know something is missing. It's the soul and it has departed from the body." Coming from a medical examiner who has worked with hundreds of dead "patients", making incisions into countless bodies, removing numerous organs for measurement, studying a myriad of cells through slides, this was especially meaningful to be informed. I think that rather than being critical of Dr G's work we should appreciate its timely appearance in an era where fast food and fast living continue to remain the standard.

Dr. Jan Garavglia, M.D. is a forensic pathologist, Chief Medical Examiner for District Nine, Florida and tv show star as well showing us the "inner working" of what she does and of course she solves the mysteries of "her patients" for lack of a better word and doing so brings peace to the families and knowledge to people interested enough to tune in to what she is generously sharing with us. She profoundly cares about helping people and does so far more effectively through the unconventionally route she has chosen!

Her beauty is her a dynamic and powerful positivity which you get a feel for immediately as she begins the book thanking each and every person she has autopsied because they allowed her the privilege to learn. I love her "acknowledgements" including to her husband.


She is not a coroner but she explains the origin of the word and system dating back to the 12th Century A.D., England where sheriffs main job was collecting taxes for just about everything (here in NYC there are plenty of scandals & don't even mention the word taxes-someone could have a heart attack) but the sheriffs where stealing all the money and the king figured it out and created the coroner position to keep track of the money and I will give you a big hint dieing even than was expensive!!!! I am fascinated with corruption and I do think living and even dieing in New York is expensive so you can imagine what is running thru my mind as I read this section. Dr. G is fearless and she touches on so many topics from self help, safety tips, health tips and the importance of positive thinking. She mentions the HPV vaccine and while I am pro fighting cancer, I am against this vaccine which was heavily advertised targeting teen age girls and I am guessing there might be some big lawsuits coming so it appears the company hawking this vaccine has stopped the hard core advertising at least for now. My gut feeling is do not get this vaccine. Some of the reading is not easy for me because of the topic but the advice and insights Dr. G shares are worth it.

It is a great book and she includes many empowering tips on including the advice "don't go it alone" and she encourages you to be happy. She has also included a list of resources and websites.



I don't want to be autopsied but if I have to be I would want her to do it. She has such an amazing positive respectful attitude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am just getting into this book. It is very interesting. I am a Nurse and Dr. G is still teaching me things. I just love her. She is so down to earth. This book is easy to understand, and is a good book for a layman to understand.

Dr. G, as I can tell from her TV show, is a font of wisdom, knowledge, and gentle goofy humor, so when her book came out, I did not hesitate to read it. There, beautifully executed (no pun intended unlike Dr G's numerous puns), is Dr. G's advice on how not to end up on her examining table. Her advice is demonstrated though autopsy descriptions, personal anecdotes, medical studies and more.

The book is designed for a lay (no pun intended!) audience, as explains even the simplest and commonist medical terms. Some many find it annoying to have terms like "blood glucose" and "mechanical leg compression devices" explained to them, but Dr. G is not being condescending--she's just being nice. After Mr. Rogers died, I think Dr. G was the soul title-holder for nicest person on the planet. If you read nothing else in her book, I recommend her epilogue, which sums up the major ways of how not to die, and chapter 12, Longevity Rx. Longevity Rx provides much needed reminders and examples on how to "laugh yourself healthy," "cultivate gratefulness," "reconnect with nature," and more.

Many will argue that the advice in this book is just common sense (don't smoke, wear your seatbelt, don't abuse alcohol), so why bother to read it? Thousands of people end up in Dr G's morgue each year, so obviously somebody needs to read it! I think young people should read her book most of all, before they start (or ASAP after they start) smoking, drinking, abusing drugs, driving without seatbelts etc. I'd like to see this book in every high school library and given as graduation gifts.

As a middle-aged adult with an advanced degree in the health sciences and avid viewer, I already knew just about everything in this book, other than Dr's personal stories. However, I'm glad I read it and am happy to have the reminders. There's nothing like sitting on an airplane and thinking about deep vein thrombosis and that clot travelling up to the lungs to make you get up and walk down the aisle. Plus, it takes one's mind off the plane crashing. :-)

If Dr. G decides to do a second edition, I think the book would greatly benefit from photos--not of the dead, but of their organs. I think nothing would hit home on the "don't smoke" advice more than seeing a pair of blackened smokers lungs next to a picture of healthy pink lungs. Seeing a picture of the gnarly green and yellow liver side-by-side with a healthy liver would really drive home the moderation with alcohol message.
A note to viewers of Dr. G's show: If you haven't seen all the episodes, this book contains spoilers, as there is material from many of these episodes verbatim from the TV show. Conversely, if you have seen all the episodes, some of the book will feel like re-runs, as a previous viewer said.

One quibble with the book, but not enough to subtract a star: In her discussion on getting enough dietary calcium, the only food source she mentions is fortified dairy products. It is a fallacy beyond the scope of this review that dairy products improve bone density. I think any second addition should discuss that and recommend plant sources of calcium such as kale, broccoli, almonds, and sesame seeds.

Overall, this book is a quick (for 250 pages) and easy read that should be read by everyone, particularly young people and people who rarely go to the doctor.

P.S. Dr. G mentions that they have music playing in the morgue when they do autopsies. I got a picture in my head of them doing autopsies to the 1977 hit song "Stayin' Alive." :-D

The book is matter of fact, but not very helpful. It does give you several of her case studies (which you can see on her Dr. G show on Discovery channel) and then at the very end she talks about her steps to stay alive longer and its all common sense. I was so disappointed because I love her show and expected it to be helpful and it fell short.

I am glad I didn't buy the book but got it from the library instead.