Always Follow the Elephants: More Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths about Our Health and the World We Live In

by Anahad O'Connor

Paperback Book, Always Follow the More Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths about Our Health and the World We Live In. New York Times columnist Anahad O'Connor uncovers the truth behind a hundred more old wives' tales and conventional-wisdom cures. O'Connor investigates nagging questions of domestic safety, such as whether you can get radiation poisoning from standing too close to a microwave. (You'll actually be exposed to more watts from your cell phone.) He unearths astounding first-aid "MacGyverisms," such as the attempts by Vietnam War battlefield medics and professional sports stars to seal wounds with super glue. (The bottom it works, but can irritate skin.) And he looks into the claim that a pregnant mother with heartburn should expect a hairy newborn (and is as baffled as the scientists who tallied up the clearly evident infant hairdos).

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Health

Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mazola1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always Follow The Elephants is a fun read. It answers those weird little questions we all seem to ask ourselves, but never quite get around to finding out the answers to ourselves. For all those who have ever wondered if you can get hurt by standing too close to the microwave while waiting for your popcorn to pop or whether it's true that chocolate causes acne, this is the book for you. The anwers are informative, brief, and all documented by actual scientific studies. Always Follow The Elephants will frequently sate your curiosity, repeatedly make you say to yourself "wow, I didn't know that," sometimes make you laugh and probably even make you more interesting at cocktail parties.

[Shandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny I picked this up just for kicks and learned alot of those myths my Grandma use to tell me just wasn't right.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read in my chemistry class

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I'm very interested in reading about whether conventional thinking and old wives' tales are based on scientific evidence, this book didn't present it in a way that I enjoyed. Each question was preceded by a semi-related personal anecdote or irrelevant commentary. Each answer gave a very dumbed-down summary of the scientific studies or evidence, usually in only about one paragraph. The "meat" of this book was really only about 25% of the words or less. For a much better example of a book covering similar topics, see Misguided Medicine by Colin Champ.

[Khelath · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is generally quite funny but after a while it got quite tedious to have to read through everything to get to the funny parts. The book is probably good to leave on a bedside table and read for a few minutes every night.

[Camille Danciu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read his other book and I love these fun questions that nag at us finally answered .

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is one thing to hear a myth... and believe it (most people say its true so you would think its legit) and its another when someone not only disproves it, but breaks it down for you to understand! Super! I thought this book was actually quite interesting... some things I didn't really want to know... "sex yoga strengthening positions" but others I had NO IDEA that it was a false myth: "can you become infertile and sick by standing in front of a microwave" "can you tell your babies gender by how the mother is carrying, the babies heartbeat and morning sickness". The cover of the book made me giggle, its kind a strange but very eye catching.

Great book! Recommended to anyone who really wants to know what is behind the warnings and old wives tales your grandma told you!

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing- I don't read the Times so was not aware of his column but it's interesting and a good read. I enjoyed how he structured the different mini-essays in sections; it could have been too random in a way. I wish there were a bit more information and less brushing-off of some of the toxicity in our current Westernized society, and a bit more of an environmental bent, but you can't win them all.

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

O'Connor writes about various health myths, exploring how much truth is isn them--feed a cold, starve a fever; what does swallowing chewing gum do to your insides; does a spicy meal at night cause sleeplessness?
This is a good bathroom book--short 1-2 page segments.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read. It definitely debunks many of the beliefs that are commonly thought to be true. I found some of the questions more interesting than others, but it was easy enough to skim over those and move on to a section more to my liking.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read on the go. Interesting, random facts. Stuff you never knew you wanted to know but are now glad you know :-) Would recommend.

[Sharise · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read for trip to the lavatory.

[Richard Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to "Cross Eyes." Demythilizes old wive's tales, and urban legends about our health. Each section begins with the author's personal experiences as leads.

[Hayley Phoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will increased your general knowledge. It's a nice book to read, currently still reading half way