The Skeptic’s Guide to Health, Medicine, and the Media

By: Roy Benaroch, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Roy Benaroch

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

As consumers of medical news, how can we know whether the article we just read is based on solid science or is just an ill-informed attempt to grab readers? Professor Roy Benaroch of Emory University School of Medicine provides just the direction we need in The Skeptic’s Guide to Health, Medicine, and the Media. In 24 fascinating lectures that address the most important health issues of our day - heart health, obesity, longevity, the opioid crisis, the stigma of mental illness, alternative medicine approaches, toxins in the environment, and more - Dr. Benaroch tells us how to recognize the good reporting and the bad.

With his guidance, you’ll create a “Skeptic’s Toolkit”, asking the questions that take you past the headlines and beyond the way health news is typically reported. You’ll learn six specific questions to always keep in mind as you read any article in print or online: What’s the source of the article? Is the evidence presented strong enough to be valuable? Is someone trying to sell me something? Is this study about people like me, and are the factors they’re measuring in the study important to me? Does the report present a viewpoint from scientists not directly involved in the study? And is the story itself sensible, fitting in with what we already know? Armed with these questions, you’ll be able to find valuable information to help inform your own health care decisions, without falling prey to snappy-sounding articles that have no basis in solid science.

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

©2019 The Great Courses (P)2019 The Teaching Company, LLC

loved it

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Dr Benaroch's books! This one was very educational and properly utilized the information in this book will make you much wiser to the things you hear in the media! not just regarding medicine but everything that the media tells us!

Excellent information to help people critically assess medical stories

Dr. Benaroch provides laymen with tools to assess stories about various health issues in the news and on social media sites. He takes each medical issue and specifically analyzes information relating to that issue from a number of news stories. For instance, he discusses how many details were taken from an original research paper and whether those details were accurately reported. Dr. Benaroch also analyzes the research papers themselves to determine how well the study was done. Finally, he helps people to see through deceptive stories from companies who basically want to sell a medical product or medicine. I would love to listen to this program again, and I will definitely listen to or read other publications by Dr. Benaroch!

Another great series by Dr Benaroch

I’m a huge fan of Dr Benaroch’s Grand Rounds courses and was giddy when I saw he had another set out, especially on taking a rational view of medicine in the media. Like the other titles it is a very approachable and informational series of lectures using real works examples and current trends. Very valuable and with Dr Benaroch’s excellent presentation is highly recommended. .

Review of Health topics

An evidence based look at health claims often seen in the media. This course offers an excellent review of science and the scientific method when looking at media and medical reports.

Excellent

Very well done. Makes it very clear that medical information through the media is often wrong due to laziness, politics, and ignorance.

Educational and Enjoyable

Listened to all of Dr Benaroch's audio courses and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Learned quite a bit. Definitely worthwhile.

The Story Behind the Story

This lecture series made me more aware of factors that can skew the media's coverage of health issues. The powerful influence of vested interests and partisans of all stripes is apparently much more pervasive than I had naively assumed. Despite the course's title, Dr. Benaroch is not a hardcore skeptic.* He cites several examples of the media's positive role in raising public awareness, and he most certainly does not encourage listeners to automatically reject every single piece of medical journalism they come across. Rather, Dr. Benaroch invites us (and equips us) to adopt a more critical frame of mind so that we may better discern "the story behind the story" in the medical news we consume. Dr. Benaroch's lecture style is professional, pleasant and extremely polished. This is a well-delivered course of broad general interest.

* I like Dr. Benaroch's definition of a skeptic as one who reserves judgement in the absence of conclusive evidence.

Excellent. More Like This Please

Skepticism presented at its best, thoughtful, considered, to the point, and with an assured command of the best facts and evidence as of the time of recording. Magnificent. Thank you to all concerned. Encores please, as appropriate.

Excellent guide to health news

This audiobook offers a comprehensive guide to understanding how to follow and use medical, and other health-related, sources of information. It is easy to follow and provides many real-world examples.

A Good Listen

You can tell the lecturer is a doctor rather than a media scholar, but the basic information for critical thinking is here. And he has a pleasant voice and speaking style.