Teeth: Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America


Mary Otto - 2017
    Otto’s subjects include the pioneering dentist who made Shirley Temple and Judy Garland’s teeth sparkle on the silver screen and helped create the all-American image of “pearly whites”; Deamonte Driver, the young Maryland boy whose tragic death from an abscessed tooth sparked congressional hearings; and a marketing guru who offers advice to dentists on how to push new and expensive treatments and how to keep Medicaid patients at bay.In one of its most disturbing findings, Teeth reveals that toothaches are not an occasional inconvenience, but rather a chronic reality for millions of people, including disproportionate numbers of the elderly and people of color. Many people, Otto reveals, resort to prayer to counteract the uniquely devastating effects of dental pain.Otto also goes back in time to understand the roots of our predicament in the history of dentistry, showing how it became separated from mainstream medicine, despite a century of growing evidence that oral health and general bodily health are closely related.Muckraking and paradigm-shifting, Teeth exposes for the first time the extent and meaning of our oral health crisis. It joins the small shelf of books that change the way we view society and ourselves—and will spark an urgent conversation about why our teeth matter.This is an alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781620971444.

The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living


Jeff S. Volek - 2011
    As a result, doctors, dietitians, nutritionists, and nurses may have strong opinions about low carbohydrate dieting, but in many if not most cases, these views are not grounded in science.Now, whether you are a curious healthcare professional or just a connoisseur of diet information, two New York Times best-selling authors provide you with the definitive resource for low carbohydrate living. Doctors Volek and Phinney share over 50 years of clinical experience using low carbohydrate diets, and together they have published more than 200 research papers and chapters on the topic. Particularly in the last decade, much has been learned about the risks associated with insulin resistance (including but not limited to metabolic synd

Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live


Marlene Zuk - 2013
    Contrary to what the glossy magazines would have us believe, we do not enjoy potato chips because they crunch just like the insects our forebears snacked on. As Zuk argues, such beliefs incorrectly assume that we’re stuck—finished evolving—and have been for tens of thousands of years. She draws on fascinating evidence that examines everything from adults’ ability to drink milk to the texture of our ear wax to show that we’ve actually never stopped evolving. Our nostalgic visions of an ideal evolutionary past in which we ate, lived, and reproduced as we were “meant to” fail to recognize that we were never perfectly suited to our environment. Evolution is about change, and every organism is full of trade-offs.From debunking the caveman diet to unraveling gender stereotypes, Zuk gives an analysis of widespread paleofantasies and the scientific evidence that undermines them, all the while broadening our understanding of our origins and what they can really tell us about our present and our future.

The Trouble with Testosterone and Other Essays on the Biology of the Human Predicament


Robert M. Sapolsky - 1997
    Best of all, he's a gifted writer who possesses a delightfully devilish sense of humor. In these essays, which range widely but mostly focus on the relationships between biology and human behavior, hard and intricate science is handled with a deft touch that makes it accessible to the general reader. In one memorable piece, Sapolsky compares the fascination with tabloid TV to behavior he's observed among wild African baboons. "Rubber necks," notes the professor, "seem to be a common feature of the primate order." In the title essay of The Trouble with Testosterone, Sapolsky ruminates on the links, real or perceived, between that hormone and aggression.Covering such broad topics as science, politics, history, and nature, the author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers writes accessible and interesting essays that explore the human struggle with moral and ethical problems in today's world. 20,000 first printing.

Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous


Gabriella Coleman - 2014
    She ended up becoming so closely connected to Anonymous that the tricky story of her inside–outside status as Anon confidante, interpreter, and erstwhile mouthpiece forms one of the themes of this witty and entirely engrossing book.The narrative brims with details unearthed from within a notoriously mysterious subculture, whose semi-legendary tricksters—such as Topiary, tflow, Anachaos, and Sabu—emerge as complex, diverse, politically and culturally sophisticated people. Propelled by years of chats and encounters with a multitude of hackers, including imprisoned activist Jeremy Hammond and the double agent who helped put him away, Hector Monsegur, Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy is filled with insights into the meaning of digital activism and little understood facets of culture in the Internet age, including the history of “trolling,” the ethics and metaphysics of hacking, and the origins and manifold meanings of “the lulz.”

The Scientific Approach to Intermittent Fasting


Michael VanDerschelden - 2016
    It involves alternating cycles of fasting and eating, instead of eating all hours during the day. It isn’t a diet, but rather an eating pattern. It does not include any rules about what foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them. As noted by Time magazine, intermittent fasting is becoming so popular because of one reason – it works. It works whether you are trying to lose weight, or just improve your biomarkers to achieve optimal health. In a nutshell, it is the way we are designed to eat. It allows us to use fat as our primary fuel instead of carbohydrates by adopting the way our ancestors used to eat. Unlike so many diets out there, this is not the latest ‘fad diet’ portrayed in popular media. Dieting is a multi-billion dollar global industry, and there is not a shred of evidence people are becoming slimmer as a result. In fact, the opposite is true. The percentage of obesity keeps increasing and has now reached epidemic proportions all over the world. Intermittent fasting, however, has proven to be a safe and effective approach that promotes not just fat loss, but actually improves overall health in ways no other lifestyle modification could do. What differentiates intermittent fasting from any other diet is the extreme abundance of high-quality, peer-reviewed research to back up all of its claims and results. It also serves as the way humans were physiologically designed to eat, period. I truly believe this is the most powerful intervention out there if you’re struggling with your health, weight, or any chronic disease. In addition, the other benefits it has to offer are nothing short of spectacular. The list of health benefits includes, but are not limited to: 1. Massive fat burning and weight loss 2. Increased human growth hormone production 3. Enhanced brain function 4. Insulin sensitivity 5. Improvement of beneficial gut bacteria 6. Reduction in cancer 7. Leptin sensitivity 8. Ghrelin hormone normalization (hunger hormone) 9. Elimination of sugar cravings 10. Reduced oxidative stress 11. Increased lifespan and longevity In this book we will go over the many benefits intermittent fasting can bring to you. It is also going to cover the specific ways you can implement this fasting regimen in your life, as well as going over common questions and concerns you might have. The scientific health benefits we go over are very important. A lot of these benefits will seem exaggerated, but this is simply a review of the scientific literature and is not mere opinion on my part.

Your Personal Paleo Code: The 3-Step Plan to Lose Weight, Reverse Disease, and Stay Fit and Healthy for Life


Chris Kresser - 2013
    But what happens when we hit a wall and weight loss stalls, energy flags, or we're tired of restricted eating? We're not cavemen anymore, so why should we follow a strict caveman diet? In YOUR PERSONAL PALEO CODE, Chris Kresser uses the Paleo diet as a baseline from which you can tailor the ideal three-step program-Reset, Rebuild, Revive-to fit your lifestyle, body type, genetic blueprint, and individual needs. Kresser helps further personalize your prescription for specific health conditions, from heart disease and high blood pressure to thyroid disorders and digestive problems. Along with a 7-day meal plan and delectable, nutritious recipes, YOUR PERSONAL PALEO CODE offers natural solutions and an avalanche of groundbreaking advice on how to restore a healthy gut and immune system; how to eliminate toxins; which fats to eat liberally; how to choose the healthiest proteins; and much more. Best of all, you only have to follow the program 80% of the time; there's room to indulge in moderation while still experiencing dramatic results. Based on cutting-edge scientific research, YOUR PERSONAL PALEO CODE is designed to be flexible and user-friendly, with helpful charts, quizzes, and effective action steps to help you lose weight, reverse disease, and stay fit and healthy for life.

Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior


Temple Grandin - 2004
    She has a perspective like that of no other expert in the field, which allows her to offer unparalleled observations and groundbreaking ideas.People with autism can often think the way animals think, putting them in the perfect position to translate "animal talk." Grandin is a faithful guide into their world, exploring animal pain, fear, aggression, love, friendship, communication, learning, and, yes, even animal genius. The sweep of Animals in Translation is immense and will forever change the way we think about animals.*includes a Behavior and Training Troubleshooting Guide Among its provocative ideas, the book:~argues that language is not a requirement for consciousness--and that animals do have consciousness.~applies the autism theory of "hyper-specificity" to animals, showing that animals and autistic people are so sensitive to detail that they "can't see the forest for the trees"--a talent as well as a "deficit".~explores the "interpreter" in the normal human brain that filters out detail, leaving people blind to much of the reality that surrounds them--a reality animals and autistic people see, sometimes all too clearly.~explains how animals have "superhuman" skills: animals have animal genius.~compares animals to autistic savants, declaring that animals may in fact be autistic savants, with special forms of genius that normal people do not possess and sometimes cannot even see.~examines how humans and animals use their emotions to think, to decide, and even to predict the future.~reveals the remarkable abilities of handicapped people and animals .~maintains that the single worst thing you can do to an animal is to make it feel afraid.

The South Asian Health Solution


Ronesh Sinha - 2014
    South Asians, who are predominantly Indians and Pakistanis, make up one-third of the world's population and have the highest prevalence of heart disease and diabetes. Dr. Ronesh Sinha, an internal medicine specialist in Silicon Valley, CA, recipient of the 2013 Silicon Valley Business Journal Health Care hero award, and TEDx speaker, specializes in helping patients of South Asian heritage moderate heart disease risk factors and obesity trends with a comprehensive lifestyle modification approach that has delivered exceptional results.Dr. Sinha's The South Asian Health Solution is the first book to provide an ancestral health-based wellness plan culturally tailored for South Asians. In particular, South Asians living outside of India in countries such as the United States, England, and Canada, show an even greater disease risk due to their immersion into western dietary and lifestyle habits.The book covers some of the following topics: South Asian-specific risk factors and how to accurately interpret cholesterol and body composition readings; Key lifestyle changes for weight loss and disease prevention; Three common cultural myths that lead to unhealthy habits; How to effectively manage sleep, stress and fatigue; And specific tips for women, children, and seniors.The South Asian Health Solution explains complex medical circumstances and terminology in an easy to understand voice, allowing the reader to grasp the how's and why's of dietary and lifestyle modification to prevent disease. The book dispenses practical dietary and medical advice, based on proven techniques used in the author's South Asian consult practice and company wellness programs, that recognizes and respects unique South Asian cultural challenges and barriers that can often hinder progress. Each chapter features a detailed case study of one of Dr. Sinha's actual patients (names changed), lending authenticity and real-life application to the material covered, and ends with a checklist for patients, healthcare providers, and even companies looking to keep their South Asian employees healthy.

Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues


Martin J. Blaser - 2014
    In Missing Microbes, Dr. Martin Blaser invites us into the wilds of the human microbiome where for hundreds of thousands of years bacterial and human cells have existed in a peaceful symbiosis that is responsible for the health and equilibrium of our body. Now, this invisible eden is being irrevocably damaged by some of our most revered medical advances—antibiotics—threatening the extinction of our irreplaceable microbes with terrible health consequences. Taking us into both the lab and deep into the fields where these troubling effects can be witnessed firsthand, Blaser not only provides cutting edge evidence for the adverse effects of antibiotics, he tells us what we can do to avoid even more catastrophic health problems in the future. http://us.macmillan.com/missingmicrob...

Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness


Pete Earley - 2006
    But it was only when his own son-in the throes of a manic episode-broke into a neighbor's house that he learned what happens to mentally ill people who break a law. This is the Earley family's compelling story, a troubling look at bureaucratic apathy and the countless thousands who suffer confinement instead of care, brutal conditions instead of treatment, in the "revolving doors" between hospital and jail. With mass deinstitutionalization, large numbers of state mental patients are homeless or in jail-an experience little better than the horrors of a century ago. Earley takes us directly into that experience-and into that of a father and award-winning journalist trying to fight for a better way.

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket


Benjamin Lorr - 2020
    What does it take to run the American supermarket? How do products get to shelves? Who sets the price? And who suffers the consequences of increased convenience and efficiency? In this exposé, author Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on this highly secretive industry. Combining deep sourcing and immersive reporting, Lorr leads a wild investigation in which we learn the secrets of Trader Joe's success from Trader Joe himself, why truckers call their job "sharecropping on wheels," what it takes for a product to earn certification labels like "organic" and "fair trade," the struggles entrepreneurs face as they fight for shelf space, including essential tips, tricks, and traps for any new food business, the truth behind the alarming slave trade in the shrimp industry and much more.

An Edible History of Humanity


Tom Standage - 2009
    An Edible History of Humanity is a pithy, entertaining account of how a series of changes—caused, enabled, or influenced by food—has helped to shape and transform societies around the world. The first civilizations were built on barley and wheat in the Near East, millet and rice in Asia, and corn and potatoes in the Americas. Why farming created a strictly ordered social hierarchy in contrast to the loose egalitarianism of hunter-gatherers is, as Tom Standage reveals, as interesting as the details of the complex cultures that emerged, eventually interconnected by commerce. Trade in exotic spices in particular spawned the age of exploration and the colonization of the New World. Food's influence over the course of history has been just as prevalent in modern times. In the late eighteenth century, Britain's solution to food shortages was to industrialize and import food rather than grow it. Food helped to determine the outcome of wars: Napoleon's rise and fall was intimately connected with his ability to feed his vast armies. In the twentieth century, Communist leaders employed food as an ideological weapon, resulting in the death by starvation of millions in the Soviet Union and China. And today the foods we choose in the supermarket connect us to global debates about trade, development, the environment, and the adoption of new technologies. Encompassing many fields, from genetics and archaeology to anthropology and economics—and invoking food as a special form of technology—An Edible History of Humanity is a fully satisfying discourse on the sweep of human history.

Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back


Michele Simon - 2006
    People are starting to ask who is to blame and how can we fix the problem, especially among children. Major food companies are responding with a massive public relations campaign. These companies, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Kraft, and General Mills, are increasingly on the defensive. In response, they pretend to sell healthier food and otherwise position themselves as "part of the solution." Yet they continue to lobby against commonsense nutrition policies. Appetite for Profit exposes this hypocrisy and explains how to fight back by offering reliable resources. Readers will learn how to spot the PR and how to organize to improve food in schools and elsewhere. For the first time, author Michele Simon explains why we cannot trust food corporations to "do the right thing." She describes the local battles of going up against the powerful food lobbies and offers a comprehensive guide to the public relations, front groups, and lobbying tactics that food companies employ to trick the American public. Simon also provides an entertaining glossary that explains corporate rhetoric, including phrases like "better-for-you foods" and "frivolous lawsuit."

Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us About Human Behavior


Nancy L. Segal - 1999
    Through them we are able to uncover new information concerning the genetic and environmental factors affecting who we are. Studies using identical and fraternal twins hold the keys to understanding our intellectual abilities, personality traits, social attitudes, and behavior. In Entwined Lives, Dr. Nancy Segal brings together cutting-edge information with illustrative case histories of twins and their families. In addition to the fascinating stories of identical twins reared apart and reunited as adults, Dr. Segal provides insights into the unusual language patterns of twins, how twin studies affect legal decisions, the role of fertility treatments in twin and "twinlike" conceptions, and more. This groundbreaking book explores the ways in which twins enhance our knowledge of human behavioral and physical development, while shedding new light on the nature/nurture debate and on the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychology.