1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910828307703321

Autore

Davis Robert J. <1963->

Titolo

The healthy skeptic [[electronic resource] ] : cutting through the hype about your health / / Robert J. Davis

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, : University of California Press, c2008

ISBN

0-520-93323-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (253 p.)

Disciplina

613

Soggetti

Health education

Consumer education

Health products

Quacks and quackery

Health - Information services

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-230) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction : health sellers -- Says who? how we know what (we think) we know -- The news media : eat this! -- Diet books : don't eat that! -- Advertisements : take a supplement! -- Government campaigns : watch your cholesterol! -- Celebrities : get tested! -- Health groups : wear sunscreen! -- Consumer activists : beware of chemicals! -- Anti-aging doctors : don't get sick, don't get old, don't die! -- Guaranteed! over-promising on prevention.

Sommario/riassunto

It happens every day: we pick up a newspaper or magazine or turn on the television and are bombarded with urgent advice about how to stay healthy. Lose weight! Lower your cholesterol! Early detection saves lives! Sunscreen prevents cancer! But in many cases, pronouncements we rarely think to question turn out to be half-truths that are being pushed by various individuals or groups to advance their own agendas. The Healthy Skeptic explores who these health promoters are-from journalists and celebrities to industry-funded groups and consumer activists-what their motives are, and how they are spinning us in ways we often don't realize. This treasure trove of little-known facts, written by a seasoned health reporter, provides invaluable tips, tools, and resources to help readers think more critically about what they're being



told. Becoming a healthy skeptic is vital, Davis argues, because following the right advice can have a profound impact on overall health and longevity. IN TEN ENTERTAINING CHAPTERS, ROBERT J. DAVIS DISCUSSES: * Diets and why they don't work* Dietary supplements * The campaign to reduce cholesterol * Celebrity exhortations to "get tested" * Sunscreen and its promoters' claims * The antichemical activists