The Great Influenza. The epic story of the deadliest plague in History. John M.Barry. 2004. ISBN 1101200979. This is one of the most frightening books i have ever read as well as one of the most fascinating. A history of the growth in us medical care in the early 1900’s in the leadup to the 1917 influenza outbreaks all through the states. The improvements in medical schools were not a government push but one through private benefactors (such as Rockefeller). Govt officials and many medical. / public health officials were ignorant, incompetent and/or corrupt at the time. As there was WWI on there a push to keep morale up – by downplaying the seriousness of the situation. Once the flu hit the overcrowded and often unsanitary huge army and navy yards through the country it ran rampant. killing thousands. Add to that incompetent city officials who ignored the advice of the medical minds, which led to thousands of unnecessary civilian deaths.

The stories of the tireless medical minds who attacked these and other infectious diseases is also fascinating. The author is very skilled in this. Would that more folks read this before the Covid outbreaks and we may have even been speedier in responding. A delight – but frightening as I said.

Soap and water and common sense. The definitive guide to viruses, bacteria, parasites and disease. Dr, Bonny Henry. 2009.  ISBN 9781487008673. Dr. Henry has written a very easy to read  book on what could have been a very technical subject. The logic is clear and the writing concise. The common-sense approach was used throughout the book to ensure the reader was able to easily follow the science.  It’s also an enjoyable read and something for everyone to have reinforced.

The Body. A Guide for Occupants. Bill Bryson. 2019. ISBN 9780385539319.  The latest from one of my favorite authors.  As ever Bryson’s breezy readable style makes for delightful times.  He goes from head to toe and  giving just that amount of detail to keep your interest but not to bore you.  I was very interested (who knew) in his description of infectious diseases and all the trials and tribulations of the pioneers in that field of medicine. He has interviewed many knowledgeable people in order to give you the most up to date info.  Highly recommend this one.

The Plant-Based Runner. Jonathan Cairns. 2019.   A short diary of one man’s growth in ability to run marathons and ultra marathons.  It is quite inspirational and follows his path. The plant based aspect is important to the author and you may find it. If you have any desire to be healthier and run more, than this book may get you off the couch.  The suggestions for food etc all seem to align with other plant based guides.

Robin. Dave Itzkoff. 2018. ISBN 9781627794244.  A detailed and fond look at the life of Robin Williams.   Reading this book feels like a page by page preview to tragedy. It is a heartfelt autobiography that allows us to revel in the many favorite Robin Williams moment.  The author has tried to be objective and truthful in all his work.   Clearly and concisely written it is worth the time to learn more about this wonderful comic.

Clean Gut. The breakthrough plan for eliminating the root cause of disease and revolutionizing your health.  Alejandro Junger . M.D. 3013 ISBN 9780062075864.  The author won plaudits for his first book Clean and this is next one.  I have been reading quite a bit on this subject,  partially in looking at dietary methods to help reduce the insulin resistance symptoms of my pre-diabetes.  This book is very well aligned with Microbiome.  Popular writing these days is looking more at our gut and keeping it healthy.  Easy to read and very telling with its examples and depth of knowledge shown by these researchers/doctors. If you are interested in alternative to popping p ills etc, I suggest this is a good book to start with .

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Estimated Funding Gaps in Medicare and Social Security (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Ageless Generation. How advances in biomedicine will transform the global economy. Alex Zhavoronkov.2013. ISBN 9780230342200.

A provocative and inspirational book. In a relatively few pages, the author has summarized what Kurzweil talked about in Fantastic Voyage , Live long enough to live forever ( 2004) plus he has added the incentive that our Medicare and Social Security systems are unsustainable.

I took a few elements to heart.  With present issues of  a growing skills gap, fewer replacement workers and increased longevity it makes great sense for skilled workers to work until 70 or longer.  This takes pressure off pensions, mediacre and retains mental acuity. I like to say I tried to retire three times and its not for me.  A few more holidays a year interspersed with some amazing interactions with up and coming companies is just about right.

The second item I agree with is that there are no penalties in our system for people whose life style contributes to their eventual huge resources drain on the system.  I talk about smokers,  heavy drinkers,  overly sedentary people who are a series of heart attacks and extended care  just waiting to happen. There is no eventual financial pressure on people who live a  self abusive lifestyle ( except early loss of employment income).   Japan has an annual belt size test that is gaining some ground in their fight against obesity.

A worthwhile read for everyone and it just might change your attitude to growing old. And the author believes that is a very good thing.

Cover of Fantastic Voyage (Special Edition)

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Dr. Neal Barnard`s Program for Reversing Diabetes. Dr. Neal D Bernard. 2007. ISBN 9781594865282.  I am always trying to hack my body to beat back diabetes.  So far I have had lots of success.  However Bernard talks about reversing diabetes without using drugs, which really piqued my interest.  He is the first for me to have made a compelling argument as to why pre- diabetics  like me can plateau. He advocates for those who are still having a struggle with diet and cholesterol etc to adopt a more aggressive vegetarian approach.  He wants us to eliminate dairy and meat protein., since even lean chicken and fish still contain fat, lots of it = cholesterol .  I have been moving along with the low GI  starch complex foods, eating more beans, vegetable protein and lots of fruits & veggies.  So to quit meat, eggs & dairy etc was not a big step.  The benefits of doing this while in this  really warm climate is that I immediately stopped heating up after meals and feeling so stuffed for hours, plus fruits and veggies are really cheap and plentiful.  I feel great.  I have been eating my face off with fruits, beans, veggies, corn tortillas etc, along with beer and have lost weight, without having access to my daily at home weight and aerobics regimes ( Its too damn hot, anyway) . The book is a bit repetitive , but it contains some good recipes and tips on where to get stuff.  All in all, I am enjoying the change.

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The pH Miracle For Diabetes. The revolutionary diet plan for type 1 and type 2 diabetics. Robert O. Young (Dr.)  & Shelly Redford Long. 2004.  ISBN 0446691003.  The author, a microbiologist, noted in his research that there was more to the diabetic increase in our populations than could be explained by what the medical profession was saying.  Not all diseases are caused by germs, but depend more on contributory factors within the patients own body.  Yes for Type 2 , obesity is a big one, evidently for every excess 10 pounds you carry your A1C goes up by a point ( and today most of us only have about 2-3 points to play with until we are pre-diabetic) .  Young’s premise is that our North American  diet is over acidic and it is this over acidity that wrecks havoc on our body.  To right this one has to do a fairly significant dietary makeover  Certainly increasing your raw veggie intake is a part of this as is the elimination of  acidic meats  (cold water fish is is quite good).  The tech industry is certainly full of folks like  Ellison and Jobs who are real advocates of raw foods. The book is a good easy read and  makes sense.  So if this is of interest to you, it is not waste of time.  Lots of recipes in the appendix.

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The 4 -Hour Body. An uncommon guide to rapid-fat-loss, incredible sex and becoming superhuman.Timothy Ferriss. 2010. ISBN 9780307463630.  At 550 pp and pushing 3 lbs, this is not just a book, its a bible.  Timothy always delivers excellent value in his books, videos and blogs, with each page bringing another nugget – getting the job done, with the most efficient effort- in the least amount of time. His online  references add almost as much info again.  If you follow his blog, much of this has been there. But now the wealth of info is in one place with the logic and proof.  I can testify that his strength gaining workouts really work. He is also very generous with references to the experts in all fields.  If you have a Kindle this is the book to get on it – and then its with you everywhere.  Great vacation read, plus each section stands on its own.

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