Book + Product Reviews:
Three Books on Race: A Review
One of the things coinciding with the COVID pandemic, has been the explosive growth of social justice movements, including “Black Lives Matter.” Perhaps it was the spate of police killings of unarmed Black men and women–combined with the racial inequities in health care and economic opportunity laid bare by the pandemic–that sparked the conscience of our nation, leading to mass demonstrations.
As a self-identified “progressive” I sympathized with the cause. But at the same time, I realized there was just so much that I really did not know….
“The DeFlame Diet” by David Seaman, DC, MA
Dr. David Seaman graduated from New York Chiropractic College in 1986. He quickly migrated from chiropractic practice to a broad range of research. His specialties include inflammation, nutrition and pain. Out of his work has come a series of books focused on the effects of low grade inflammation. In this review, I will focus on his first book, The DeFlame Diet. The central tenet of Seaman’s work is that a vast number of Americans live in a perpetual state of low-grade inflammation; a state he refers to as “flamed.” Seaman notes that…
“Revolution of the Soul” by Seane Corn
Revolution of the Soul is the debut book by yoga instructor Seane Corn. It is an autobiography recounting her transformative journey of healing trauma and answering the call to remedy social injustice through her non-profit Off the Mat Into the World. Corn’s naked writing style coupled with her coming of age story is a captivating read. Her life is filled with contrasts reflecting the challenges we all face but struggle to overcome. The backdrop is Manhattan’s pre-gentrified lower east side in the 80’s with its socially marginalized outcasts of drug addicts, punks, underground LGBTQ scene and AIDS crises. There are colorful and thought-provoking…
“The Digital Health Revolution” by Kevin Pereau
In The Digital Health Revolution, Kevin Pereau describes a new world of medicine: a digitized world. He takes us from electronic health records (EHRs) to new self-monitoring devices that provide continuous feedback about blood pressure, heart rate, and how many steps we take each day. Knowing the number and type of calories we have taken in, how active we have been (or not), and our blood sugar levels, can be very helpful. This information provides a pathway to prevention, and often reversal, of many of the chronic diseases that plague us today. Eighty per cent of all illnesses we suffer from fall into this category.
Sit/Stand Desks: A Review And Critique
Both my patients and non-patients ask me about sit/stand desks. They are all the rage. Many of the workplaces I visit are open-plan and stocked with various versions of these up/down desks, which enable computer workers and others who rely on monitors to change positions throughout the day.
The popularity of the sit/stand desk has given rise to a burgeoning market. There are lots of choices at a variety of price points. There are several things that determine the best choice for an individual or a company: They include space, look, ease of use and budget. I’d like to describe the pros and cons of some of the top models in the marketplace.
“Decisive Intuition” by Rick Snyder
Condition is a health news and information website. So why am I reviewing a book about business coaching? Rick Snyder’s Decisive Intuition: Use Your Gut Instincts to Make Smart Business Decisions would seem to belong squarely in the business section of the bookstore. But this book is about much more than business….
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“The United States Of Opioids” by Harry Nelson, JD
There is a growing canon of work on the opioid epidemic. The best of these books include “Dreamland” by Sam Quinones, “Dopesick” by Beth Macy, and “Chasing the Scream” by Johann Hari. Each tells the story from a different angle. Together, they describe the confluence of heroin, Oxycontin, and fentanyl, the complicity of Big Pharma, and the failed “war on drugs.” There is a new book to add to the list…
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“A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression” by Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe
“Food Will Win the War,” was a slogan propagated by the U.S. Food Administration, as it provided fertilizer to American farmers, who in turn produced food for American troops during World War I. The Allies were well fed. American soldiers consumed an average of 5,000 calories per day, while French and British troops consumed slightly fewer, at 4,000 calories per day. The Allied Forces defeated the Germans, who received barely enough…
“Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker, PhD
If you are a health care professional of any stripe or caliber this book is a must read. But you don’t need to be a health care professional to understand the urgent, powerful message of this book. Why? Because the “decimation of sleep throughout the industrialized world is having a catastrophic impact on our health, our life expectancy, our safety, our productivity and the education of our children.”
“The Creative Destruction of Medicine” and “The Patient Will See You Now” by Eric Topol
Perhaps nobody in healthcare today challenges the status quo quite like Dr. Eric Topol. He now has two books under his belt: The Creative Destruction of Medicine, and, The Patient Will See You Now. In both, Dr. Topol explores how digital technologies are changing the healthcare landscape. The analogy he uses when describing this change, is the printing press. Yes, it’s that big!
