This post is a book review for Brush Your Teeth! and other Simple Ways to Stay Young and Healthy by Dr. David S. Ostreicher.
Focusing on the big picture items when it comes to our health, like eating organic or drinking pomegranate juice, get headlines and attention. These things are important, but sometimes it is the smaller daily decisions that we do not think too much about that have the most impact on our health.
Common sense approach to health
With all the health headlines such as heart disease and obesity, we forget that we are living longer today than 100 years ago. Sure our food supply might not be as nourishing, there is more pollution, and we are all getting fatter.
At the same time, we can expect our children to live even if they are a couple months premature. There will be complications, but the majority of the time we can expect to cuddle them in our arms at home after a hospital stay. It is rare for children to die in infancy unless it is from an accident. If we take care of ourselves, it is not unusual for us to be bowling at 84 years old like one of my bowling team members.
Brush Your Teeth! is focus on the common sense health stuff that within our control. As I mentioned before, your health is a three legged stool — genetics, physical exercise, and your eating habits. We cannot control our genetics, but physical exercise and our eating habits are all within our control. Whether or not you choose to take control, that is another story.
Targeted Audience
Brush Your Teeth! is probably suitable for someone who is confused about what areas to focus on when it comes to improving their health.
Table of Contents for Brush Your Teeth!:
Chapter 1: Brush your teeth
Since the author was a dentist at one point during his career, it is not surprising to find a chapter on periodontal disease. Our teeth is a good indicator of our overall health. This chapter gives a good discussion linking periodontal disease, inflammation, and other other health issues.
Chapter 2: Wash your hand
Hand washing is the single most important thing within our control to stop infectious diseases. This chapter is a discussion on germs (the good and bad kind), antibacterial soaps and wipes, when we need to wash our hands, and how to wash our hands. That is right – according to this book most of us get it wrong.
One of my pet peeves is people who do not wash their hands after using the public restrooms. Ok, so they get their germs all over the door handle. I can deal with that by either using a paper towel or my sleeve to open the door.
But what irritates me above all – are people who head straight to the paper towel dispenser as they get out of the stall. They use their dirty hands to get a paper towel from the towel dispenser, tuck the paper towel in their arm pit, and then proceed to washing their hands. Thank you for putting your nasty germs all over the towel dispenser handle! Yes - people with clean hands like me really appreciate your thoughtfulness!
Chapter 3: Eat Right
The author attempts to discuss healthy eating in the next 30 pages. As we all know, healthy eating sounds simple, but is a lot harder to implement.
Chapter 4: Think Right
I am a firm believer that the only thing within our control is how we react to things. We cannot control people and there are many events in our lives that we cannot control. This chapter talks about the need for positive thinking.
Though I am not a Pollyana, I have to admit that I am generally an optimist. I am always the one telling my husband to “have a little faith, it will all work out.” That is not to say that I do everything within my power to make it work out all right. Engineers in general are big planners and I am no exception. And I know it is also a result of the strong relationships in my life with my husband, my parents, my siblings, and with my friends.
Knowing that there are people to count on makes it easier for me to not stress the little stuff. Actually I do not even stress the big stuff much when I know that it would eventually resolve itself.
Chapter 5: Exercise Right
30 minutes a day, everyday. ‘Nuf said.
Chapter 6: Sleep Right
Here is an interesting fact – “by the time you are 30, the amount of deep sleep you get in a night is about half of what you got when you were 20.” Hmmm….
Chapter 7: Don’t play with matches
This chapter is a discussion about preventable accident.
It devote a couple pages to driving. All I can say about that is that if you take stupid risks while driving, try not to take someone out with you. This might sound harsh, but I feel no pity for stupid and drunk drivers. It is the innocent bystanders and other drivers that become victims who get my empathy.
Recommendation
I would probably recommend Brush Your Teeth! for a someone who might be confuse about health headlines and is unsure about where to focus as they start their journey towards a healthy lifestyle. But for health and fitness bloggers and other health minded individuals, we might already know the common sense health topics covered in Brush Your Teeth!. Of course, that is not say to that we do not need a reminder every once in a while.
Until next time and thanks for stopping by Small Steps to Health.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Good review- it might be a useful gift for friends who want to live healthy but don’t know where to start!
@ Sagan – Thanks for the comment.