A provocative and illuminating hypothesis boldly challenging long-held beliefs on diabetes and its varying methods of...
A veteran physician offers an eight-week approach to reversing Type 2 diabetes through a radical restructuring of dietary and lifestyle practices.
Poothullil (Eat, Chew, Live, 2015) spent more than two decades steadfastly researching hunger, satiation, weight gain, and blood sugar sensitivity, and this controversial guide presents his revolutionary theories for eliminating diabetic illness from the human body. The author believes that sometimes “existing science turns out to be wrong.” In his estimation, Type 2 diabetes is brought about not by irreversible insulin resistance, but by lifestyle choices, which patients can control and, in doing so, effectively reverse their conditions. He supports this conclusion with a series of comprehensive chapters explaining the biology of bloodstream glucose and the nature and statistics surrounding the gradual increase in diabetic cases worldwide. Believing and factually substantiating that the overconsumption of grains is the true culprit, Poothullil discredits old medical beliefs about pancreatic dysfunction or insulin resistance. Instead, and quite revisionistically, the doctor presents eight curative steps toward achieving and maintaining a blood sugar level below the diabetic threshold. Tempting and thought-provoking, the book urgently advocates gradually eliminating dietary grains, closely monitoring weight loss, and devoting increased attention toward hunger awareness, eating behaviors, and better balanced nutrition. Dispensing more universal advice, Poothullil discourages the consumption of noncaloric sweeteners and sodas while advocating that regular exercise and mindful food choices be incorporated into daily habits to maximize the health benefits of his doctrine. He also cites a 70-year-old experiment using infants weaned from breast milk (naturally, with no adult meal experience) who were given a wide selection of organic food choices and then monitored for nutrition levels and systemic healthfulness. With such a progressive departure from more standard Type 2 diabetic treatments, Poothullil recommends to those interested in his methodology to always work closely with their primary care physicians to best apply and monitor the progress and success of his medical plan. Though it certainly has its target audience, the volume also provides sections of useful, health-positive reference material in the concluding portion, with carbohydrate and nutrition comparison charts and follow-up reading suggestions for those curious but unaffected by blood sugar imbalances.
A provocative and illuminating hypothesis boldly challenging long-held beliefs on diabetes and its varying methods of control.Pub Date: July 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9984850-0-3
Page Count: 198
Publisher: New Insights Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Useful but disappointingly commonplace tips.
In a follow-up to The End of Illness (2012), which explored how technological advances will transform medicine, Agus (Medicine and Engineering/Univ. of Southern California) restates time-tested but too often overlooked principles for healthy living.
The author outlines simple measures that average citizens can take to live healthier lives and extend their life spans by taking advantage of modern technology to develop personalized records. These would include a list of medical tests and recommended treatments. Agus also suggests keeping track of indicators that can be observed at home on a regular basis—e.g., changes in energy, weight, appetite and blood pressure, blood sugar and general appearance. He advises that all of this information be made available online, and it is also helpful to investigate family history and consider DNA testing where indicated. Along with maintaining a healthy weight, Agus emphasizes the importance of eating a balanced diet, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and a minimum of red meat. Avoid packaged vitamins and food supplements, and if possible, grow your own vegetables or buy frozen vegetables, which will generally be fresher than those on supermarket shelves. The author also warns against processed foods that make health claims but contain additives or excessive amounts of sugar or fat. Regular mealtimes and plenty of sleep, frequent hand-washing and oral hygiene are a must; smoking and excessive time in the sun should also be avoided. Agus recommends that adults should consider taking statins and baby aspirin as preventative measures. He concludes with a decade-by-decade checklist of annual medical examinations that should be routine—e.g. blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol screenings, from one’s 20s on; colonoscopies, prostate exams and mammograms later—and a variety of top-10 lists (for example, “Top 10 Reasons to Take a Walk”).
Useful but disappointingly commonplace tips.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4767-3095-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Oncologist Agus (Medicine and Engineering/Univ. of Southern California) predicts that the application of advanced technology for modeling complex systems will transform 21st-century medicine.
The author writes that a remark Nobel Laureate Murray Gell-Mann made to him in 2009—“Look at cancer as a system"—transformed the way he views his own specialty and the entire field of preventative medicine. It made him realize that “[r]ather than honoring the body as the exceedingly complex system that it is, we keep looking for the individual gene that has gone awry, or for the one ‘secret’ that can improve our health.” Agus writes that although the ability to sequence the entire human genome is a great step forward, it is insufficient for achieving a significant breakthrough. Even though it may start with a mutation, cancer “is a dynamic process that's happening…far from the confines of a static piece of DNA”—it involves the body's immune system, its ability to regulate cell growth, metabolism and more. Agus directs his university’s Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and is the co-founder of two personalized medicine companies, Applied Proteomics and Navigenics. His hope is that their research will contribute to developing better analytical tools for preventative medicine and for the treatment of cancers. These will address the functioning of the body as a whole, applying digital technology already used by physicists to provide virtual models of cancers and model the action of proteins that regulate cell communication in the body. He also hopes to develop tools that will provide information on the concentration of different proteins in a drop of blood taken from a patient, which may reveal the onset of disease. The author also includes some guiding principles and warnings about certain healthy practices that may not be so healthy. A refreshing change of pace in the medical field, but by venturing beyond his field of expertise to pontificate on a wide range of subjects, Agus makes his otherwise intriguing narrative difficult to follow.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1017-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Free Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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