The average person only uses ten percent of his or her brain. Poor light ruins your eyesight. All natural medicines are safe. This book clarifies common medical misconceptions.

A clever, thought-provoking guide that clarifies common medical misconceptions The average person only uses ten percent of his or her brain. Poor light ruins your eyesight. All natural medicines are safe. In this lively and informative guide, science writer Chris Wanjek dispels these and dozens of other popularly held medical myths and misconceptions. The second title in Wiley's Bad Science series, Bad Medicine begins by taking readers on a fantastic journey into the human body to shed some light on how it really works, answering basic questions about blood, how the immune system works, how food is turned to fuel, and much more. The book then sets the record straight on aging, disease, drugs, medical studies, risk, and the most commonly misrepresented medical "facts" reported by the media.

Acknowledgments.Introduction: The Roots of Bad Medicine.PART I: I SING THE BODY ECLECTIC.10 Percent Misconception, 90 Percent Misdirection: The Brain at Work.Big Brain, Little Smarts: Brain Size and Intelligence.Blinded by Lies: The Eyes Have It.All in Good Taste: How the Tongue Works.Scrubbing Your Liver: The Demystification of Detoxification.Refer to the Appendix: Useless Organ or Helpful Player?Going Gray? Not Today: White Hair and Its Causes.Samson s Delight: Baldness Cures.The Race Is Off: Race Defined.PART II: GROWING OLD.Losing One s Mind: Memory Loss and Aging.Getting Stiffed: Vitality and Aging.Illness Gets Old: Aging and Disease.See You in 2150: The Long and Short of Life Span.On and On: Longevity and Genetics.PART III: ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU SICK.The Plague Lives! The Black Plague in the Modern Age.Cold Comfort: How to Catch a Cold.The Ill Advised War on Bacteria: Are All Bacteria Bad?Radiating Misperception: Radiation, Pro and Con.Swimming with Sharks: Sharks and Cancer.Mutating Misconceptions: What Your Genes Say about Your Future Health.PART IV: EATING IT UP.Learning Your Alpha Beta Carotenes: Antioxidants, Pro and Con.The Unbearable Heaviness of Being: Fat People and Food.Not Milk? Milk and Your Health.Organic Reasoning: The Benefits of Organic Food.Water, Water Everywhere: Bottled Water vs. Tap Water.The Whole Grain Truth: Are Whole Grains Healthier?PART V: THE RETURN OF THE WITCH DOCTOR.The Delusion of Dilution: Homeopathy X 50.Magnetic Charm: Magnets and Your Health.Reversal of Fortune: The Viability of Ayurveda.Something Smells Funny: Aromatherapy As a Cure.Suffocating Trends: Oxygen--How Much Is Too Much?The Ultimate Hands Off Approach: Touch Therapy, Qigong, and Falun Gong.Getting to the Root of the Problem: Herbs As Alternative Medicine.A Shot in the Arm: The True Dangers of Vaccines.PART VI: RISKING IT ALL.Toxic Avenger: The Science of Toxicity.Peer Reviewed for Your Pleasure: How Health Studies Work.Candy Adds Years to Your Life: And Other Important Health Study Findings.We re #1: Rating America s Health.PART VII: JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES.
I m Not a Reporter, but I Play One on TV: The Accuracy of Television Medical News.Rambo VI: The Quest for Hearing: Guns and Their Aftereffects.Knocked Out, Loaded: Imagined Violence and Real Problems.Heartbreaker: Hollywood Style.Epilogue: Tomorrow s Promise: Bad Medicine on the Horizon.Appendix: More Bad Medicine.Recommended Reading.Bibliography.Index.