Lies My Doctor Told Me by Ken Berry is a book about health fads and the truth behind a lot of natural health remedies.
4 out of 10 stars. Unfortunately this entire book is based on Berry’s opinion. NO FACTS are given.
Here’s a rundown of the book:
Ch. 1 About the author
Ch. 2 Why doctors lie
Ch. 3 Eating fat is the key to weight loss (paleo diet is the key)
Recommended reading: Eat Fat, Get Thin by Mark Hyman
Ch. 4 Milk is bad
Recommended reading: Whitewash by Keon and Robbins
Ch. 5 Fat is good for your heart and cholesterol
Ch. 6 Whole wheat raises your glycemic index leading to diabetes and obesity
Ch. 7 Food pyramid lies
Ch. 8 Exercise doesn’t make you lose weight
Recommended reading: The Calorie Myth by Jonathan Bailor
Ch. 9 Nuts and seeds are good for you; they don’t cause colon problems
Ch. 10 Testosterone doesn’t cause prostate cancer
Recommended reading: Estrogeneration by Anthony Jay
Ch. 11 Women over 35 need estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone from non-synthetic, bioidentical sources
Recommended reading: The Secret Female Hormone by Kathy Maupin
Ch. 12 Viruses don’t respond to antibiotics
Recommended reading: 10% Human by Alanna Collen and Missing Microbes by Martin Blaser
Ch. 13 Salt is good for you
Ch. 14 Calories don’t determine weight gain or weight loss
Recommended reading: Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
Ch. 15 Calcium doesn’t cause kidney stones
Ch. 16 TSH test doesn’t tell you how your thyroid’s doing
Recommended reading: Paleo Thyroid Solution by Elle Russ and stopthetheyroidmadness dot com (website)
Ch. 17 You need Vitamin D; it’s a prehormone and may prevent cancer (10,000 IU of Vit D3 daily)
Ch. 18 Breast milk lacks vitamin D (pregnant women should take vitamin D supplements)
Ch. 19 Sunlight exposure doesn’t necessarily cause skin cancer
Interesting tidbit: doctors are paid twice as much for calling skin growths they remove “pre-cancerous” which has resulted in medical providers calling ALL skin growths “pre-cancerous” (p. 186)
Ch. 20 Fiber doesn’t produce a healthy gut
Ch. 21 Eating red meat doesn’t cause cancer
Recommended reading: Eat Meat and Stop Jogging by Mike Sheridan
Ch. 22 Carbohydrates are not necessary to good health (and many harm your health)
Recommended reading: Real Food Keto by Moore and Moore; Eat Rich, Live Long by Cummins and Gerber
Ch. 23 Grilling meat doesn’t cause cancer
Ch. 24 Processed meats don’t cause cancer (neither do nitrate or nitrites)
Over 90% of our nitrates come from vegetables. Over 90% of our nitrites come from our own saliva.
“Nitrate-free” and “nitrite-free” meats have nitrates and nitrites (from veg and beet juices) and are not healthier.
Ch. 25 Other food lies
Ch. 26 Grains, sugar, milk, fruit juices, and high calorie liquids were never meant to be part of our diet
Ch. 27 Advice for doctors
Unfortunately the majority of the content of this book comes directly from various Paleo cookbooks debunking food myths that have no backing in facts. That’s it. This book easily could’ve been condensed into half the pages. The rest is fluff. I was very disappointed that the author didn’t included studies proving his thesis, rather he says “do what I do” and then recommends a paleo diet. I already have a ton of paleo books. The surprises for me were ch. 11 recommending hormones for women (all 3) and ch. 17 everyone needing vitamin D (not just people in Washington state where the sun never shines).
4 out of 10 stars. Not really an eye opener.
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