Customer Reviews

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Healthiness: Dr. Dean's Straight-Talk Answers to Hundreds of Your Most Pressing Health Questions

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Dr. Edell's new book is packed with good advice for those of us who want truthful answers to questions about health care. His encyclopedic knowledge, based on the best available science, is combined with reason and common sense in a way that every reader can understand and appreciate. Best of all, he pulls no punches in exposing pseudoscientific "alternative" healing methods that contaminate good health care and pose a threat to the health and well being of consumers. I highly recommend this book for persons who want a complete, interesting reference book that provides reliable health information in an easy-to-read question-and-answer format that allows readers to pick and choose topics that interest them most.

There are several things I really like about this book:

1) To me the most important thing is that this book is not sensationalistic or seeking to palm of unproven treatments for this or that. Dr. Edell seeks to give sound medical advice in a commonsense manner that is based on science rather than anecdote or wish.

2) The style of the book is in a tried and true question and answer format. The questions are relevant to people's present concerns and the answers are to the point, clear, and at times quite witty which adds to the enjoyment of reading the book. There are also little side boxes throughout the book that bust various myths or provide quick insights into topics in the popular media.

3) It is organized in sections that make finding what you are interested in reading about easy to find.

4) The book is loaded with websites and places to go for further sound information on various topics.

I am a person that thinks most of what is written about health should be shredded and recycled as soon as possible and preferably not printed in the first place. However, this is a terrific book that I would gladly hand to anyone looking to read about any of the topics it includes. You will have to make your own conclusions about the advice Dr. Edell gives, but I found this book to be useful and convincing.

I like this book. Even though I dislike talk shows and switch the radio channel when Dr. Edell is on. It was the first chapter that made me want to read the rest of the book. Sure most people know why they or other people are F A T. But Dr. Edell goes a step further and answers honest questions with honest answers that are devoid of PC nonsense. Although I admit I winced with his Alternative medicine chapter, because there are east-west or traditional and eastern medicine trained physicians like Dr Andrew Weil whom I respect and recommend. Overall the book is good and has more good than bad in it. So read it and take what is helpful and ignore the rest.

I'm not someone who normally buys medical guides. This one came to me as a gift, and I have really enjoyed it. I found it to be well written and well organized, neither too technical nor too basic. The format makes the information accessible. As a special added bonus, it's entertaining. I liked it.

You know how most health books are a snore? Well, this one's informative AND entertaining. I enjoy Dr. Dean's radio show and this book has all the health questions that pique my interest when I'm listening. A good candidate for a permanent spot on the bookshelf and I'll refer to it often.

As a mother of 2, this book will join my other more traditional health books on the book shelf. My husband and I really enjoyed the "readability" of this book. We like the family health aspect as opposed to the childrens health books we already own. Reading Dr. Edell is like getting a second opinion. We can also relate to his common sense take on things, since this is how we live our lives.

This brand new book written by Dr. Dean Edell contains a wealth of health care and related information of value to all. Dr. Edell has been a "regular" on numerous programs for years. The book is written in a convenient question and answer format. Topics range from weight, diets, sex, children, infections, Botox and much, much more in its nearly 600 pages. You'll find out where to obtain useful information and what info to discard. Many additonal resources are provided by Dr. Edell. This is an inexpensive book you'll refer to for years, and maybe will help you avoid buying useless cures, and maybe avoid an unnecessary trip to the doctor. Well worth the money.

This is the first book of its kind I've owned, and I find that if I keep it handy, I frequently pick it up during commercials when I'm watching the news or a movie. Invariably, I come upon some helpful tidbit of healthful information that will serve my family well or maybe do nothing more than satisfy my curiosity.

With its simple, to the point format, looking up specifics is easy and quick.

As a fellow physician in the trenches of modern health care, reading any book by Dr. Dean Edell gives me hope. We live in a world gone mad with access to information (some reliable, some pure nonsense) and in a country obsessed with health, longevity, and quick miracle fixes. America's best known physician has long been a beacon of reason and rationality in the practical pursuit of better health, and his latest contribution, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Healthiness, thank goodness, is no exception.

The good doctor tackles obesity, our sex lives, cosmetic medicine, ADHD, alternative medicine, health screening and just about every other issue preoccupying the average baby boomer with fair, balanced, well-researched straight talk. This book should come as a relief to so many Americans who have found only frustration and failure in their futile search for the next quick-fix diet or the elusive Hollywood sex life.

He provides many answers to questions in these areas. But what's better, Dr Edell helps us ask the right questions in the first place. Not "how do I lose fifty pounds before my next reunion" but rather, "how can I understand this excess weight and fatigue and then realistically address it?" Not, "how can I have more sex with my spouse like the people on TV" but rather "what are the issues coming between my spouse and myself that make our sex life less satisfying for us than it could be?"

Movies, television, magazines and now the Internet marketplace have so distorted our concept of what a healthy and happy life can or should be. However, this entertaining, entirely human book (it includes hundreds of actual questions from readers/listeners) cuts through the hype and brings the media-tossed reader back to terra firma. And when it's all said and done, that's the healthiest place to be.

Both of Dr. Edell's health books are on the recommended reading list for all my patients. This is not because I agree with everything he says - I tend to be a bit more aggressive in my health screening recommendations, for example - but because his rational, logical, evidence-based approach to making health-related choices is the only one that will take the reader beyond the placebo effect in maximizing their longevity and wellbeing.
- John Corso, MD author of: Stupid Reasons People Die, An Ingenious Plot for Diffusing Deadly Diseases.

Dean Edell, M.D. does not tell you anything that you have not suspected all along. When you get conflicting reports from the government on what is good for you and what is not or when both diets work and neither diet works then it is time to ask what is going on here. Figuring out what is right for you in several health categories including diet, sex, alternative medicine, and many more, is not rocket science but can be confusing. Dr. Edell has a clear and simple way of sorting though all the muck, and soon you too can see how simple the answer is.

The book is divided into the different areas mentioned and each section includes a question and answer session. So try to stump him with specifics as even those questions have a clear answer. Many times it may just being conservative with a wait and see attitude rather than going off the deep end with some fad.

I have modified my life somewhat in accordance with this book and am now re-reading to see if I missed anything significant. This is not dogma but common sense.

If you wish to go beyond this book on a specific subject there is a page of URLs to various specialty organizations such as "American Cancer Society."