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Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us  By  cover art

Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us

By: Steven Novella, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Steven Novella
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Publisher's summary

True or false: Eight glasses of water a day are mandatory for staying hydrated. Vitamin C protects you from catching a cold. Natural foods are always better for you.

What do these nuggets of so-called medical wisdom have in common? They're not true. They're myths, half-truths, and misconceptions - pieces of information so familiar we take them for granted without truly considering the scientific truth behind them.

In today's information age, such medical myths are all around us. And using them to make decisions about your own health can be harmful. Even deadly. That's why it's critical to understand the accuracy of medical information and discover the truth about everyday health and well-being.

That's the core of this important series of 24 eye-opening lectures from an acclaimed neurologist, educator, and science broadcaster. Dr. Novella will give you evidence-based guidelines for good health, enhance your ability to be better informed about common medical myths, and strengthen your skills at assessing medical information and advice.

An essential aid for any home, the lecture series is divided into three sections that focus on specific aspects of health. "You Are What You Eat and Drink": Get pointed looks at proper hydration, the routine use of multivitamins, natural foods and probiotics, antioxidants, and more. "Fighting Diseases": Sort out truth from fiction regarding vaccines, the supposed link between vaccination and autism, chronic diseases, and other subjects. "Exploring the Alternatives": Investigate the claims behind herbal medicines, homeopathy, acupuncture, and other alternatives that aren't as worthwhile as they claim to be.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2010 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2010 The Great Courses

What listeners say about Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us

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Beware the detractors

Would you listen to Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us again? Why?

There is a plethora of information here--much more than can be retained from one listening.

What other book might you compare Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us to and why?

These lectures remind me of the Freakanomics series of books. In fact, I started listening to Think Like a Freak right after I finished this one, and it has some medical stories in the first chapters that could have fit well in this series.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

At the end, he lists a number of myths that some doctors still believe. Something to think about when next you visit your doctor.

Any additional comments?

I find it amusing to read reviews that allege that this listen has "half-truths" or that it lacks evidence. This course is all about scientific studies and evidence. Where we don't know something, he tells us. He tells us what science and medicine have been able to prove and their degree of certainty. The only reason I can discern for the detractors comments is that a pet medical myth of the reviewer (homeopathy? supplements? acupuncture?) is attacked in the book and therefore there cannot be any proof. Just because the reviewer disagrees doesn't mean the lecturer is dealing in half truths. Thus the need to de-myth-ify medicine. True, there is no list of sources in the lectures from Audible, but that is because Audible, for some reason, does not supply us with the guides that accompany the course. They say it is not necessary for enjoying the course. While it may be true that it is not necessary, it is certainly useful--especially in this case. Listeners who really want this information may need to go to the Teaching Company and buy the lectures again to get the study guide. Very sad, especially since audible does provide study guides for the Modern Scholar series of courses and for many other Audible titles as PDF files that can be downloaded. Perhaps if we lobby Audible, we can get them to include the study guides for the Great Courses as well. How about it, people?And detractors: What particular myth did you hate hearing debunked? Enquiring minds what to know.

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Great Listen for Anyone!

Would you listen to Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us again? Why?

Yes. Because I do not necessarily catch every detail in real time. Often I fall a bit behind because the preceding point still has my attention. Some points I wish to commit to memory. The lectures by Dr Steven Novella are AMAZING. Exciting, informative, fun.... He is a great teacher with a fluent vocabulary. I want to remember to again use some of those words. And I want to have my myths clear! Sure I will be arguing regarding some of them that are so entrenched.

Have you listened to any of Professor Steven Novella’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes and this one was very worthwhile yet lighter. No regrets!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and repeated many "lectures/chapters".

Any additional comments?

Audible!! Obtain content rights for more books featuring lectures on any topic by this man!!! Amazing .... This one the lighter & easier to review of the two I have. NO ONE should be intimidated to go with this book of lectures. No dense scientific or biological knowledge is required to take away an excellent experience with information we all can use!

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It's a book to expose lies using selective data.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It's a book on half truths that uses selective data to prove his hypothesis. It's very disappointing.

What did you like best about this story?

Some of it is presented with good humor.

What about Professor Steven Novella’s performance did you like?

It's fine.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No.

Any additional comments?

Reader beware. Steven Novella is basically an advocate for the Pharmaceutical industry. He promotes everything that is promoted by mainstream health practitioners and uses half truths to prove his half truths. He doesn't take a truly open approach. He dismisses the majority of naturopathic medicine and basically promotes the use of most vaccines and drugs despite the obvious and well known side effects.

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It just starts with myths.

What made the experience of listening to Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us the most enjoyable?

Even though I keep up with health and science news, I had some false information. The dispelation of myth is just the start of the real subject of this course. To start, the information is understandable to a layperson. In addition, it was released this year, 2013 and the information is up to date. The information is biased, but only toward fact. Science based medicine is the subject here. What is known, what is not known, what works, what doesn't, and what will harm you. In the process of describing a myth (and most he gives the history of as well), he must tell you how a biological process actually works. This bolsters the the understanding of your own biology and health, and is quite educational. As I said, I keep up with science, so most myths were obvious to me, but not the biology I learned while listening. The timing of this course is perfect. There are ill people spending money, time and hope on snake oil, others buying products they don't need for health problems they don't have, or don't even exist. Harm is coming to people from mis-information. The vaccination non-controversy is covered here as well, thankfully another platform for reliable factual information. I learned much that will effect my diet henceforth. It was solidified for me that supplements are unnecessary with a healthy diet, sans a specific deficiency which should make itself readily apparent. I decided to stop using medical marijuana because his explanation of the difficulty with dosing in addition to isolation of the active ingredient(s). During the lecture on problems with supplements, I realized why my results are so varied and unreliable. And, smoking a drug is the worst way to administer it. In my case the benefit doesn't justify not only it's risks, but obvious harm. It was costing me $300 /mo. Thanks Steve!

What other book might you compare Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us to and why?

The "Skeptoid" podcast books by Brian Dunning, because they dispel myths as well, just from more varied subjects.

What does Professor Steven Novella bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Obviously he delivers his material with the emphasis he intend when he wrote it. Subtle maybe, but I also listen to his podcast, so hearing him deliver the lectures was a treat.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not at all. There is much information here. In fact, I'll most likely listen again in a month or so.

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Survey of myths behind "alternative" medicine

Would you consider the audio edition of Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us to be better than the print version?

This is a stupid review question from Audible because, first, it assumes the reviewer has the print version and secondly there is no print version of this work!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us?

The section on Homeopathy. It is interesting how a practice which (1) has no evidence of success and (2) no practical basis for working, still persists.

Which scene was your favorite?

This work has no "scenes" per se. Let me just say that if you believe in so called "alternative" medicine you may not like the point of view in this work. Dr. Novella espouses a science based approach to health which is at odds with anything that does not have properly derived evidence to suggest it works.

Any additional comments?

I understand other reviewers comments about the lack of citations. There are some in the lecatures but not everything Dr. Novella references is backed with a citation to research. I understand from reviews of the DVD version of the course, there is a booklet that is included and this has citations and references. All of these "The Great Courses" on Audible have the disclaimer that the works may reference materials that are not important. So this is a request for Audible and the Great Courses people to please work together to provide us with reference notes and supplemental materials for all of these courses.

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Very Disappointed

What disappointed you about Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us?

Quite a lot. For one thing, the lecturer did not back up his statements with evidence that could be easily checked for validity. I checked the PDF that can be downloaded for this course, and it did not actually reference any of the studies that he supposedly has read to support his claims. I could find no citations for any of his's sources and he only verbally referenced a very few studies. Unfortunately, the ones that he did reference were not the ones I was particularly interested in.

What was most disappointing about The Great Courses’s story?

I was very interested in getting some hard evidence about some of these myths, however, since the lecturer made so many vague and unsubstantiated claims about other things, I was unable to rest easy in his conclusions. I remain as in the dark as ever as to the truth or myths behind such things as vaccination safety. I hope to check out some of the books in the bibliography on that subject in hopes that the authors have done a better job of citing their sources.

What didn’t you like about Professor Steven Novella’s performance?

I think he was so eager to cover as many myths as possible that he rushed too much, skipping vital information, making leaps of logic, and being vague on things that really should have been made more clear.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. Frustration. I was very much looking forward to having some of my concerns laid to rest, but now I have more than ever.

Any additional comments?

I would not recommend this book to anyone who is truly looking to establish the truth of medical myths in their minds. There are too many gaps of logic and research. I am concerned that the author is trying to come off as more well-researched than he actually is and possibly may have a hidden agenda of his own. I wish you well in your search for the truth, however I recommend that you look elsewhere for it.

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Kind of misleading tittle

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If anyone expect the author have identified, and want to share any myths, lies or half truth from the medical industry, you are completely wrong.
What the author challenging is layman's believes, 'like techniques to prevent hiccups'!
Further it appears he is passively discouraging any independent thoughts/practices and encouraging you to believe everything what medical industry says.

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A bit repetitive but worth a casual listen

What did you like best about Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us? What did you like least?

No breakthrough here. If you already listened to Your Deceptive Mind, don't bother with this book unless you know medical basic knowledge. The author threaded carefully at certain junctions--which I almost found deceptive for an educator. His statements of "there is no evidence of support [assertion]" were used to fill in for "there is no basis for [assertion]," which any careful listener knows is misleading. Better say, we don't know a whole lot, but here is what we know; as to the things we don't know, they may or may not be true. To refute anything based on the fact that we don't have any evidence to support it is a fallacy.

Would you be willing to try another book from The Great Courses? Why or why not?

Yes. How about a lecture on bio ethics, the differing views about doctor-patient relationships (e.g. UK vs US), informed consent and its limits, funding for research and its influence on what we know--and don't know, defensive medicine, and last but not least, challenges that arise from conflict of interest between doctor and patient. Thank you--Prof Novella is a great narrator.

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Not All Myths

Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Steven Novella?

No

What did you like best about this story?

The Concept.

What aspect of Professor Steven Novella’s performance would you have changed?

It was okay.

Do you think Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, Not by this author. 30% of what he alleged was a myth was only a myth to a closed-minded Western Institutionally Trained Scientist-Medical Person--typically trained to disavow anything not propagandized as "fact" by Big Pharma....

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Debunk Everything

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The course was interesting. Novella is an engaging speaker and easy to listen to. He goes through almost every form of alternative medicine you can think of and punches holes in them. Some of what he says I already knew, some of it was completely new to me. For example, I didn't know the origin of acupuncture and this story is fascinating. Now that I do know I don't have any curiosity about whether or not it will work and I have to laugh when I see people going for it. There were one or two places where I didn't completely agree with what he said and felt that he was promoting the POV of established medicine without questioning the resources too closely. You need to listen with a critical mind and use your logic. It was reassuring that his ideas about vitamins and certain herbs matched my own decisions about them, long established. I have to admit that it was disappointing that there are no unexplored medical miracles available through alternative medicine, but deep in our hearts we already knew that, didn't we?

Would you be willing to try another book from The Great Courses? Why or why not?

Yes, The Great Courses are almost always worth the time and effort. Many members of my family invest in the Great Courses regularly.

Have you listened to any of Professor Steven Novella’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this was the first one.

Did Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us inspire you to do anything?

No. I was already doing everything right, but it was good to have the reassurance.

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