How Not To Die

If you're of the squeamish-type, you're probably not familiar with the Discovery Channel show Dr. G: Medical Examiner. The show features Dr. Jan Garavaglia, who is the chief medical examiner for the District Nine Medical Examiner's Office in Florida. On the show, Dr. G presides over numerous autopsies, using forensic science and technology to determine causes of death. I find this show fascinating. I think it's amazing how much you can learn about a person just by looking inside their body. Like all other TV personalities, Dr. G has jumped on the bandwagon and recently published her book, How Not To Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer and Healthier. She takes what she has learned from conducting autopsies to develop what she thinks are the most important things we can do to live healthier and longer lives. But if you've been paying any kind of attention to current health information, or ever read any of Dr. Roizen's books (You: The Owner's Manual), or have any common sense at all, most of the tips she provides won't be new to you. Mainly: don't drink, smoke, or use drugs, don't be fat, drive safely, use good hygiene, get regular exams, take a more active role in your health care and treatment, and reduce stress. Like I said, nothing earth-shattering here. But I did learn two useful things: 1. If you are in a car crash, it's better to have the window either all the way up or all the way down, but a window half open can be a bad thing. I don't think she really explains why, but I'll take that into advisement. (I have seen a new commercial for a car that is smart enough to know an impact is about to occur and will roll the windows up, so she must be on to something.) 2. Be careful of your doctor's tie. They frequently come into contact with a lot of germs and are rarely washed, so ties can harbor a lot of germs. I never thought about that. Fortunately, my doctor is a woman and my dentist wears scrubs, but it's a good thing to keep in mind. What I liked best about the book were the descriptions of various autopsies Dr. G has conducted and how she was able to determine the cause of death. For instance, she can usually tell a heart-attack victim from the way their stomach looks. Most people mistake a heart-attack for heartburn and will therefore take a bunch of Pepto, so when she performs the autopsy, the stomach is usually coated in pink. If you're interested in learning about the human body, this book has some interesting medical cases, but if you're expecting new secrets for living longer, you'll be disappointed.