Eat, Drink, & Be Merry: America's Doctor Tells You Why the Health Experts Are Wrong

by Dean Edell and David Schrieberg

Book Overview

Discusses current misconceptions about health and health fads, showing how some books about diets and exercise overstate their cases, leading to needless consumer panic. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060191554
• ISBN13: 9780060191559
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Sex, Weight, Health and Happiness

Edell challenges his readers to think by providing mountains of medical research (in easily digestible form). His genuinely folksy charm pokes at our preconceptions. He offers alternatives and, without preaching, tells us why he belives that the media and the self-help gurus are driving us mad by inevitably trying to sell their own products whilst scaring and belittling us into cycles of depression, another fad, another depression.Here's what the book recommends: Go out and mow the lawn (burns 486 calories); dance with partner (burns 288); garden (burns 587). Oh, and sex! Engage in it often, do what pleases you and your partner. Sex cures headache, raises cardio functioning, relaxes, induces feelings of well-being, and is a drug-free soporific. In short, do what you like, stay active and most of all, enjoy it.One painfully kind chapter covers a group "unacceptable" fat women who must sneak off to swim when the pool's closed to regulars. (Apparently, they offend "regular" people.) This wonderful hour with the "chubs" sums up Edell's warmth and decency. It also lightens all our burdens by allowing us to enjoy this group's simple pleasure. They're sweet and fun; we see another option.Here's Edell's essential truth on staying fit: "The relative risk occurs between the lowest level of fitness and the next lowest level of fitness." Thus, anything beyond moving from a sedentary, really bad diet to moderate exercise and a decent diet is somewhat frivolous--unles you take great pleaure in hours at the gym and drinking celery shakes. Being neither pushy nor dogmatic, Edell gives many examples-- backing up their veracity with medical data gleaned from credible, longitudinal studies.The point here is that we've been struggling, emotionally and physically, to live up to various, ever-changing standards. We force ourselves into regimens that hurt, and ultimately, we fail. To Edell then, don't do it. You'll pay too heavy a psychological price.Of course I recommend this book. Edell is still fighting for us. One hopes that we as a nation fight back against the neuroses-makers. That said, it's very tough giving it a five-star rating-- those are precious and to be rarely given. But, this a fine book for its genre, so five stars it is.

What's Not To Like?

Let's face it: radio airtime these days is just brimming with cranks, cretins, and political wackos. For those of us who have had our fill of Dr. Laura and Rush And The Dittoheads, a man like Dean Edell represents a veritable breath of fresh air. Ex-hippie Edell is an erudite, intelligent, and compassionate radio M.D. who cuts through the multilayered nonsense surrounding contemporary health issues and to provide information and wisdom over the airwaves daily. Consequently, to now have available a full-length book by Dr. Edell is a wonderful thing, indeed. Edell makes his living answering on-the-air listener questions about health issues. He does not prescribe, he shies away from on-the-air diagnoses, and he never bullies his listeners the way certain other talk show hosts habitually do. Instead, he listens, he supports, and he offers sensible advice based upon the latest medical information available. Edell and his staff review health and medical journals by the score, trying to sort out the good studies from the bad, the useful conclusions from the quackery. As a result, he is always worth listening to, and in this case, definitely worth reading.Edell does not simply proffer "information"; to be sure, his own viewpoint and values are integrally a part of the presentation. But in doing so, he combines knowledge and critical thinking with compassion and a humanistic concern for others. The resulting formulations are in my opinion wise, mature, good-humored, and learned. Overall, his philosophy is represented by the title of the book, "Eat, Drink & Be Merry." This does not mean we should live our lives with desperate and reckless abandon (since "tomorrow we may die"), but instead that we should accept basically who we are, live in the moment and enjoy life, rather than fretting uselessly over how *long* our lives will be and whether or not our physical appearance is as perfect as that of various movie stars or models. In supporting this philosophical conclusion, Edell demonstrates that drastic dieting and strenuous exercise are of limited benefit to most people, that most people who live to be one hundred years old spend those last decades in ill health, and that to a great extent, "happiness" itself is an elusive product of inborn disposition, rather than the result of following any particular formula, strategy, or philosophy. Edell shows courage (and to my way of thinking, common sense) when he questions the ferocity of our various wars on drugs, arguing that neither long-term heroin use nor casual recreational marijuana use are nearly as destructive to society overall as are the legal use of alcohol and tobacco. No, he does not come out and advocate any particular policies, but his message that we should rethink our current drug laws and policies is quite clear.Overall, Edell eschews health fanaticism of all types and urges us to "lighten up" in our approach to health issues. A diet high i

Common sense + science= happier, healthier you.

By utilizing straight talk and scientific studies, Dr. Dean has written an important and immensely readable health book without all of the BS that you find in others. He tells you what you probably already expect- you kookie "I'll just eat protein and fat until I drop 40 pounds or my kidneys fail" folks, and shows how you may be better off improving your mental health instead of yo-yoing your weight every summer. The book is a nice combination of fact and amusing anecdotes that keep the pages turning. So grab a carrot, turn off the T.V., and get MERRY.

Dr. Dean rules

Dean Edell's book is a simple, easy to read, no nonsense book that covers everything from fitness, dieting, food and sex. Tired of the media influence that contributes to misperceptions about how to achieve healthy bodies, fed up with doctors who encourage fad dieting and other harmful "medical" treatments. Dr. Edell intelligently debunks these misconceptions based on evidence presented in prestigious medical journals and his experiences as a physician. This book will help change your health and fitness lifestyle, safely and enjoyably.

Don't let facts get in the way of our beliefs? Hmmm!

This is a terrible book for close-minded, prejudiced,"don't confuse me with the facts -- my mind's made up!" typeof people, but an eye-opener for everyone else. Dr. Edell brings a degree of level-headedness and logic to our everyday lives that is refreshing, entertaining, and enlightening. Always willing to adapt to new circumstances and adopt new ideas, his overriding message can probabaly be summmed up in one simple phtase: "Show me the proof!"While the author is a doctor and the book is about health, it is actually more about enjoying life thasn just living it. The subjects are interesting: drugs, diseases and, yes, sex (none of us would be here without it no matter how dirty you may feel it is, Dr. Edell points out); but the treatment of those subjects is what makes this book a delight to read. Cell phones causing brain tumors? Electric transmission lines causing cancer? Here we find not hype and hypervole, not ratings-boosting sensationalism, but simply a true and unbiased discussion of the scientific facts as we have them today. All this -- and it's a fun read too!