Content tagged with “health” under

“This is a sobering book. It’s about dying, and what we can and should do at the end of someone’s life. But it’s a necessary book. The American medical system is designed to keep people alive, no matter what. But is that always the right answer? When is life not worth living? The book is not about…”

“I love Atul Gawande, but I didn’t love this book. It wasn’t what I expected, which I normally take as my own fault, but I don’t think it’s what anyone would expect from this book. But, first, the book is really interesting. He has a total Malcolm Gladwell thing going on with this book – it’s a…”

“This is a book about pooping. Not personally, but as a species. How we deal with our poop, around the world. It’s what I call a ‘vignette book.’ Over 10 or so chapters, the author tells disconnected stories that each explain some aspect of the story of poop. Examples: The World Toilet Conference…”

“An interesting book, mainly about addiction. I was a little disappointed with this, because I wanted it to be more about ‘casual’ dopamine, like overeating and spending too much time on our phones. But it goes hard into scary addictions. It starts with (and continually revisits) a guy with a very…”

“A shockingly good book about the history of the greatest disease Man has ever known. The author tracks the history of cancer from when it was first identified in 4,500 BC through to the present day. The approach is holistic – the author examines cancer clinically, scientifically, politically,…”

“A good look at the Christian/Biblical teachings behind physical fitness and a health diet. Turns out, sloth and gluttony are the two deadly sins we tend to cast a blind eye to, because they’re considered socially acceptable sins. Not an Earth-shattering book. If you’re looking for practical diet…”

“I love Steven Johnson. He’s one of my favorite authors. He writes mainly about the history of science and technology. This book is about the history of how we began to live longer. The average lifespan has gone up so much in the last couple of centuries, and what caused that? Here’s the list:…”

“This book could be boiled down to three words: ‘Eat more plants.’ That’s it. That’s the whole book. This is one of situations where someone has a small idea, and they just beat the hell out of it for 275 pages because they had to get to a trade hardcover length to get on the shelves at Barnes and…”

“Thrilling story of a cholera outbreak in London in the 1850s, and the physician who tracked down the source. At the time, illness was thought to come from ‘bad air,’ but a physician named John Snow mapped the illnesses and determined that they were clustered around a water pump in Broad Street. No…”

“A very mainstream self-help book, with the ‘hook’ that it digs deep into the hormonal science of the brain. It discusses happiness in terms of four chemicals – endorphin, serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine – why they make us happy, and what we can do to maximize their levels. It’s…okay. The book is…”

“A client is considering a project having to do with community health, so I read this for background. It’s an introductory textbook and succeeds in providing a broad view on the topic. I was surprised at the range of factors that play into community health: disease, addiction, injuries, environment,…”

“I love the idea of this book, but I think the practical application is going to be tough. Basically, the book seeks to teach ‘mindful’ eating practices, which is the idea of eating intelligently – understanding when and why you’re eating, not eating more than you should, etc. Basically, the book…”

“This is a book about the start of the pandemic and how public health officers and departments responded to it. It’s sort of a sequel to The Fifth Risk , which was about how the Trump administration failed to staff critical government departments. I didn’t love it, largely because of Lewis’s writing…”

“This book is…different. I think you have to be a certain place emotionally and mentally to appreciate it, and I just wasn’t there. Cecily Strong is one of my all-time favorite SNL players. She’s hilarious. I bought this book brand-new, specifically because I wanted to support her. You need to…”