by Charles Davis & Mike Nichols ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2016
An intensely, deeply argued recasting of what it means to be healthy that may pose difficulties for patients but provides...
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
An ambitious book presents a revolutionary approach to fitness, diet, and exercise.
This volume seeks to reimagine medicine in an attempt to emphasize a preventive patient strategy that can combat degenerative, chronic disease and prolong life. Ever the iconoclasts, Nichols (Eat Real Food Or Else, 2016), a medical innovator, and his patient, Davis, a Stanford-educated engineer, provide an argument that debunks many popular medical myths that have led people who seek a healthy lifestyle astray. Eating whole grains, avoiding fats, going for long-distance runs— the authors attack these and other commonly held presumptions about how to promote and maintain wellness with lucidity and vigor. The hypothalamus, the body’s “master regulator” of the key physiological processes that govern health, acts as if humans still lived as hunter-gatherers seeking to enhance their survival. This accounts for why some people who do extended aerobic exercise actually gain weight. The hypothalamus thinks the body needs to store fats to meet the demands of these long periods of physical stress. “The agricultural revolution had the net effect of pushing our hypothalamus out of its normal equilibrium, and into a place where it could no longer regulate and operate properly,” the authors argue. Consumption of starches, even whole grains, has messed up humans. To understand how the hypothalamus, and consequently lipids (fats), sugars, and other nutrients, functions, the patient must order tests outside the current regime permitted by health insurance companies and physicians. The authors encourage patients to join forces with their doctors to explain and engage the rather elaborate health strategies that they advocate. Written in a clear, straightforward manner, the book still features an argumentative edge, and why not? Nichols and Davis take on many false medical saws with an enthusiasm and thoroughness that provide strong scientific evidence for their discussion. The convincing book also displays a number of cartoon drawings and sidebars that attempt to lighten the load. Would that all patients had a Dr. Mike in their corners.
An intensely, deeply argued recasting of what it means to be healthy that may pose difficulties for patients but provides solid evidence for effective prevention strategies.Pub Date: March 28, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9862520-0-6
Page Count: 440
Publisher: Golden Lotus
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
More by Charles Davis
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Jim Dent ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 16, 2011
A superb work that paints the resilient athlete as a fierce competitor and an unforgettable sportsman.
Heartfelt biography of a Texas football star whose life was cut short by cancer.
Inspired by interviews with coaches, teammates and friends and a 1971 autobiography, award-winning sportswriter Dent (Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football, 2007, etc.) tracks Freddie Joe Steinmark’s early years and burgeoning career with the Texas Longhorns. From his childhood in 1950s Denver, Colo., Steinmark’s interest in sports flourished, carefully groomed and profoundly encouraged by his father, a self-made athlete turned cop who’d sacrificed a professional baseball career to raise his son. “A small child with fragile bones” yet dubbed “a born winner” by early mentors, Steinmark’s diminutive stature proved a surprisingly suitable match for his steely, fearless determination on the field. Dent budgets his narrative wisely, proffering equal parts sports achievement and personal accomplishment in tracing his subject’s incremental ascent to greatness as he earned the admiration of fellow teammates like star quarterback Roger Behler. As the Longhorns’ “golden boy” key safety, the “155-pound peach-fuzz kid” exhibited drive and tireless perseverance on the gridiron, making him a respected letterman under Coach Darrell Royal. However, soon after a game-saving field performance, Steinmark suffered a crushing blow when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer that would eventually claim his life at 22. Dent also includes the story of Steinmark’s shyly romantic courtship of high-school sweetheart Linda Wheeler, an intensive love that endured throughout their tenure together at the University of Texas. The author also bolsters the biography with a fond foreword from current Texas head coach Mack Brown, who, to this day, continues to memorialize Steinmark’s legacy by bringing his photograph along to the team’s away-games.
A superb work that paints the resilient athlete as a fierce competitor and an unforgettable sportsman.Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-312-65285-2
Page Count: 307
Publisher: Dunne/St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
More by Jim Dent
BOOK REVIEW
by Jim Dent
BOOK REVIEW
by Jim Dent
BOOK REVIEW
by Jim Dent
by Lenore T. Coleman and James R. Gavin, III ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 31, 2004
Authoritative and, most helpfully, accessible.
Self-help guide for diabetes sufferers, mostly in question-and-answer format, with an emphasis on helping racial and ethnic minority diabetics.
Coleman is a pharmacist with a doctorate in her specialty, Gavin a Ph.D. and M.D. Aside from acknowledgments and a foreword signed by Gavin alone, their voices and expertise are indistinguishable, offering lucid, simple solutions for diabetes patients. Gavin relates watching his great-grandmother endure debilitating pain as a result of diabetes while he visited her as a youngster. He remembers hearing adults mention that sugar killed her, and he wondered how something that tasted sweet could cause so much harm. As an adult, he realized that his great-grandmother's affliction could be controlled through treatment. The authors focus on Type 2 diabetes, the most common form in minority populations. An estimated 18.2 million Americans are diabetic, with perhaps 5 million unaware of their situation. About 11 percent of U.S. diabetics are African-American, and about 8 percent are Latino. The question-and-answer format begins with an overview section about diabetes, with an emphasis on risk factors. Section Two covers management of the disease, including nutrition, exercise, blood-testing, oral medications and insulin use. In addition, the authors continually recommend smoking cessation, as well as instructing patients on the readiness of self-treatment. Section Three explains the complications—high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease—that could arise if the condition remains untreated or treated ineffectively. The questions in all of the sections are worded simply, and the answers are usually free of medical jargon. Though the sudden shifts in tone and voice are occasionally jarring, the writing remains clear enough to distill the facts. The real downside here, though: patronizing, laughable illustrations that degrade the overall product.
Authoritative and, most helpfully, accessible.Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2004
ISBN: 0-9746948-0-0
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.