The Cure for Everything: Untangling Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness, and Happiness [Hardcover]

Timothy Caulfield (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 24, 2012

A bold look at how commercial agendas distort the real science behind health and fitness studies and misinform the public about how to live a healthy life
 
Researcher Timothy Caulfield talks with experts in medicine, pharmaceuticals, health and fitness, and even tries out many of the health fads himself, in order to test their scientific validity, dispel the myths, and illuminate the path to better health.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A Freakonomics for the health industry.”—Justin Sorbara-Hosker, Indigo Lifestyle blog

“[An] entertaining and thought-provoking slam.”—Publisher's Weekly

“[The] Cure for Everything is insightful and entertaining…Gently and with humour, Caulfield guides readers through the funhouse world of health sciences.”—National Post (Canada) 

“Timothy Caulfield is a science nerd. He’s also a health nut. And he’s fed up with all the bogus diet claims, expensive fitness programs and weird information that poses as scientific fact. . . . [He] spent a year combing through research and interviewing top scientists. He also exercised like a maniac and ate an ultra-healthy diet. His search for the truth resulted in . . . The Cure for Everything!”—Nancy J. White, The Toronto Star

About the Author

Timothy Caulfield is the research director of the Health Law and Science Policy Group at the University of Alberta, where he holds appointments in the Faculty of Law and School of Public Health.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (April 24, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807022055
• ISBN-13: 978-0807022054
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Timothy Caulfield is the author of "The Cure for Everything: Untangling Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness, and Happiness" (Beacon Press, 2012). As a researcher in health law and policy, Timothy Caulfield has spent almost two decades analyzing science issues and has been involved in science and health-policy decisions related to almost all the topics addressed in this book. He teaches biotechnology in the Faculty of Law and is the editor for the Health Law Journal and Health Law Review at the University of Alberta. He has published close to two hundred peer-reviewed articles in the world's top science journals, including Science, Cell, the Lancet, Nature, and Biotechnology, and in the popular press.

Photographer Copyright Credit Name: Akiko Taniguchi, 2011

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! Where has this book been all my life? May 7, 2012

By M. Hennecke

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read a lot of diet and fitness books and consider myself pretty knowledgable, but this book blew apart a lot of what I thought I knew. Tim Caulfield marshals the fact to argue that working out is great for your heath, but has very little to do with weight loss. That stretching is a waste of time, and possibly harmful. That building muscle isn't going to burn significantly more calories. That a long even-paced jog isn't nearly as good for you as a tough workout with weights. Nuggets like this are all through the book, revealed in a light and witty manner as you follow the author on his own personal journey to solve the not-so-simple mystery of what to eat and how to workout to be fit, trim and healthy. Mr. Caulfield lays out a clear and well-researched blueprint for health and weight loss that really comes down to hard work and common sense. No gimmicks. No vitamins. No workout videos sold separately. Mr. Caulfield is a health policy analyst, not a trainer or a doctor with a product line to sell. His only interest is in untangling the messages we hear in the media every day and sorting out those with a solid basis in science. I really felt as I read this book that I was getting to the bottom of things at last. This will be the book I wrap in birthday and Christmas paper most often this year.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Science with style May 31, 2012

By Lawgix

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

There is no shortage of health based books that preach the mantra "exercise more, eat less". Timothy Caulfield's book is no exception. What sets this book apart from all others is the blend of science with style. Timothy Caulfield takes on the health industry with a ruthlessly empirical approach. While keeping an open mind (he presents himself as a guinea pig) he puts theories to the test and tells us the truth. No recommendation is made until the scientific evidence supports the conclusion. To convey his message, Professor Caulfield employs a self-effacing, intimate and humorous style. There are some surprising revelations, a hint of conspiracy and even a few cliffhangers, making this book read more like a spy novel than a fitness manual. Professor Caulfield confirms what you likely already know: that there are no quick fixes. He makes it clear, though, that if you are broken, you can be fixed and you hold the key to the cure.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A brutal, yet empowering weak-up call February 10, 2012

By F. Dumaine

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

In this publication, Timothy Caulfield offers a stunning contribution to public health. The book sheds light on so many realities surrounding health and fitness that you are left wondering how anyone could afford not to read it. Just like watching pro golfers, his untangling of facts and realities is done in a way that looks so effortless that you just know there is a tonne of experience and thinking behind all the findings he presents.

Some may find the book rather depressing (everything gets a good beat-up, from stretching, to running, yoga, homeopathy, mainstream medicine, etc.), but in reality it is remarkably empowering. It allows people like myself to keep running, but to know exactly what to expect from it (and loosing weight is not one of these things).

With this book, Caulfield won't make too many friends among the multi-billion dollar industry of health and fitness, but he can rest assured that those of us who are just trying to live a healthy life will be forever grateful that he found the courage to publish it.