Hype: A Doctor's Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims, and Bad Advice - How to Tell What's Real and What's Not

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018

An engaging and informative look at the real science behind our most common beliefs and assumptions in the health sphere

There is a lot of misinformation thrown around these days, especially online. Headlines tell us to do this, not that---all in the name of living longer, better, thinner, younger. In Hype, Dr. Nina Shapiro distinguishes between the falsehoods and the evidence-backed truth. In her work at Harvard and UCLA, with more than twenty years of experience in both clinical and academic medicine, she helps patients make important health decisions everyday. She’s bringing those lessons to life here with a blend of science and personal stories to discuss her dramatic new definition of “a healthy life.”

Hype covers everything from exercise to supplements, diets to detoxes, alternative medicine to vaccines, and medical testing to media coverage. Shapiro tackles popular misconceptions such as toxic sugar and the importance of drinking eight glasses of water a day. She provides simple solutions anyone can implement, such as worrying less about buying products labeled organic or natural, and more about skipping vaccines, buying into weight-loss fads, and thinking you can treat cancer through diet alone. This book is as much for single individuals in the prime of their lives as it is for parents with young children and the elderly.

Hype provides answers to many of our most pressing questions, such as:

*Are online doctor ratings valuable and what conditions can you diagnose online?
*What’s the link between snoring and ADHD?
*What does “Doctor Recommended” and “Clinically Proven” mean?
*Do “superfoods” really exist?
*Which vitamins can increase your risk for cancer?
*Do vaccines introduce toxins into the body?
*What’s the best antiaging trick of the day that’s not hype?
*Can logging “ten thousand steps a day” really have an impact on your health?

Never has there been a greater need for this reassuring and scientifically backed reality check.