Like many who have read this book, I saw Dr. Agus when he appeared on The Daily Show and thought he made a lot of excellent points about health and the need for preventive health care - the interview convinced me to buy this book. While there were a few chapters or portions of chapters here that I found interesting and informative, I was primarily really disappointed with this book. Dr. Agus offers chapters on nutrition and vitamins/supplements that are written with a surprising amount of negative bias, and a perspective on their use that can only be described as "old school" - most doctors working today seem to have a much greater understanding and appreciation for at least the basic supplements in use today, than is presented here (in particular I found his treatment of vitamin D problematic). At the same time, much of the book shows a very positive bias for pharmaceuticals - while I'm not opposed to taking medications by any means, I also would not go so far as to suggest that every person over the age of 40 should be on statins (drugs that, though life-saving for some, can also come with a host of serious side effects), or that the flu vaccine is appropriate for everyone and can ultimately aid in preventing cancer (by reducing illness and therefore, inflammation). Chapters that effectively make the case for common sense health initiatives such as increasing daily exercise, improving sleep quality, and keeping to a routine schedule whenever possible, are the reason I gave the book two stars, rather than one. However, much of this is old news now, and may not be reason enough for a reader who is already somewhat reasonably informed about recent health research to pick up this book. Dr. Agus states at the beginning of this book that his intention was to write his "musings"; certainly, there is room in the literature for the collected, recorded anecdotal experiences and ideas of successful doctors. However, this should not be confused or conflated with an unbiased examination of health topics - a book incorporating research rather than anecdotal evidence should study all sides of a topic before drawing conclusions, taking into consideration more than just the cherry-picked studies that support the author's original supposition. Additionally, although he is very up front with his personal (financial) involvement, much of the book does read as an extended advert for proteomics/genomics, and the new testing that can be done - for a price - at companies like the one that Dr. Agus founded. While some of the advice for good health in this book is sound, it can surely be found in better books, or even on the pages of magazines and newspapers. Interesting. Not what I was expecting. Agus unpacks how we can stave off illness and disease through targeted preventative measures; various "lifestyle algorithms." While I appreciated his attack on "certain mythologies that swirl in health and wellness circles", the net result of reading this books was to take your mothers advice: get rest, eat right, exercise often, don't worry so much. And he didn't need to take 335 pages to make his point.
What do You think about The End Of Illness (2012)?
Not a very good book. Get more sleep and move around a lot. Hmmm...
—gang
Interesting book, but a lot was simple common sense.
—kinzransom
