Don't Swallow Your Gum!

Customer Reviews

• Medically excellent  Jun 28, 2009 (14 of 14 found this helpful)

  As a medical doctor I am very pleased with this book. The authors have done something very unlikely -- they wrote an fun, entertaining book that is also scientifically and medically excellent. Well researched, well-referenced and easy to use. Quite a public service!
  
  CEC

• This book will save the internet!  Jun 3, 2009 (9 of 9 found this helpful)

  Using solid medical research and some really funny storytelling, these two doctor-authors debunk so many commonly forwarded myths that it can save the internet. I get so many email forwards that could have been easily nipped at the bud if the sender has just read this book. Think of how much more time we'd all have, and how the internet would be free and clear of such dispelled myths!
  
  So the next time someone sends you an email about the evils of antiperspirant, organ donations, or the advantages of peeing on jellyfish stings, just send them a copy of this book! The short chapters make for easy on-the-go reading, and the numerous citations in the index make for some interesting follow-up research.

• A fun and informative book!  May 28, 2009 (13 of 15 found this helpful)

  Do you want to be able to correct your mother on the myths about citrus when she foists vitamin C tablets on you when you have the sniffles? Perhaps just rattle off some interesting tidbits of knowledge at a summer BBQ when everyone is slathering themselves with spf 1000 sunblock? This book is rife with great nuggets of medical information presented in bite-size chunks. A fun and informative collection of essays on commonly believed medical myths that will occasionally make you feel smarter than your doctor.

• Very interesting  Jun 9, 2009 (5 of 5 found this helpful)

  About: Doctors Vreeman and Carroll tackle common beliefs about health and the human body including the Five Second Rule, double dipping and how much water one should drink. The book is organized into six groups of myths: the body, diseases, sex and pregnancy, babies and children, what we eat and drink, and myths that spark debate and controversy.
  
  Pros: Quick read, interesting, lots of myths tackled, well written, references in back.
  
  A Few Things I Found Interesting:
  
  * Yellow urine doesn't mean you are dehydrated, neither does being thirsty
  
  * You can't "beat" a breathalyzer
  
  * A mosquito's buzz is just the flapping of its wings
  
  * Once the irritating oils are washed off, you can't get poison ivy from someone's poison ivy rash
  
  * Putting butter on a burn is a bad idea
  
  * Green mucus from your nose doesn't mean you need antibiotics
  
  * Poinsettias aren't that poisonous. No people have died from poinsettia poisoning
  
  * Vitamin C doesn't prevent colds
  
  * Sugar does not make kids hyper
  
  * Twins don't skip a generation
  
  Cons: No in-text citations, would have liked to see a further reading and other resources section.
  
  Grade B+
  

• The best gift!  Jul 13, 2009 (4 of 4 found this helpful)

  Fantastic read and a great conversation starter! We recently received this book as a gift and set set it on our coffee table- it's been sparking an incredible amount of laughter and debate ever since.
  
  You would not believe some of the myths that we've believed as truths for so long... who knew that sugar doesn't make kids hyper or that turkey really doesn't make you tired? The research to back up each busted myth is easy to read and very interesting!
  
  We love the book and can't wait to give it to our friends and family for upcoming birthdays and holidays. Happy Myth Busting!