Book review–Don't Swallow Your Gum!: Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health
I just finished reading Don't Swallow Your Gum!: Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health (ISBN:031253387X, 2009) written by Aaron Carroll MD and Rachel Vreeman MD, both pediatricians and researchers at the University of Indiana School of Medicine.
First of all, the book is an amusing, easy read, using terms like “snot” and “poo” to describe bodily secretions. At some 200 pages, it was a quick read, not requiring a lot of time. Obviously, the book was written for a wide audience, debunking many pseudoscientific myths about health. For those of us who demand supporting research, it has a vast list of primary and secondary research citations for further reading. In fact, for me, those citations are going to be invaluable in future articles.
The book goes about debunking silly myths such as “don’t swallow your gum because it will get stuck in your intestine for 5 (10, 20, whatever) years” or the old “five second rule” which we all suspected wasn’t wise. There was one chapter on “double dipping”, which was popularized on a Seinfeld episode many years ago, in which the authors discussed research that showed that double dipping does in fact transfer a lot of germs from the chip to the dip. Not that I would confess to being a double dipper, but I may not be a single-dipper at a party after reading this book!
The authors do take on serious topics. They have a whole chapter on debunking several anti-vaccination movement myths such as “vaccines cause autism.” Though many of us have said this over and over again, the authors make an important statement in very simple terms, “good science is based on widely accepted principles and methods; anecdotal evidence is not research.” It is clear and to the point.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly. At first, I was put off by the humorous style the authors were using, but then I realized that some of these myths are humorous. And I also realized some of us write in very complicated, almost overly technical, language to debunk some of the myths we hear. The authors made the science accessible and fun, and stayed serious when necessary, specifically when discussing vaccines.
Again, the book is going to stay on my shelf (well, not really, since I use a Kindle for reading) because I will use some of their comments to make a good quote, and it will give me quick access to some proof sources.
Read it if you get a chance.
By Michael W Simpson
First of all, the book is an amusing, easy read, using terms like “snot” and “poo” to describe bodily secretions. At some 200 pages, it was a quick read, not requiring a lot of time. Obviously, the book was written for a wide audience, debunking many pseudoscientific myths about health. For those of us who demand supporting research, it has a vast list of primary and secondary research citations for further reading. In fact, for me, those citations are going to be invaluable in future articles.
The book goes about debunking silly myths such as “don’t swallow your gum because it will get stuck in your intestine for 5 (10, 20, whatever) years” or the old “five second rule” which we all suspected wasn’t wise. There was one chapter on “double dipping”, which was popularized on a Seinfeld episode many years ago, in which the authors discussed research that showed that double dipping does in fact transfer a lot of germs from the chip to the dip. Not that I would confess to being a double dipper, but I may not be a single-dipper at a party after reading this book!
The authors do take on serious topics. They have a whole chapter on debunking several anti-vaccination movement myths such as “vaccines cause autism.” Though many of us have said this over and over again, the authors make an important statement in very simple terms, “good science is based on widely accepted principles and methods; anecdotal evidence is not research.” It is clear and to the point.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly. At first, I was put off by the humorous style the authors were using, but then I realized that some of these myths are humorous. And I also realized some of us write in very complicated, almost overly technical, language to debunk some of the myths we hear. The authors made the science accessible and fun, and stayed serious when necessary, specifically when discussing vaccines.
Again, the book is going to stay on my shelf (well, not really, since I use a Kindle for reading) because I will use some of their comments to make a good quote, and it will give me quick access to some proof sources.
Read it if you get a chance.
By Michael W Simpson