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Category: Book Reviews

Sunday House Call, #327, November 7, 2010 Dan Gardner of the Ottawa Citizen joins Dr. Barry Dworkin to discuss his new book, Future Babble: Why Expert Predictions Fail – and Why We Believe Them Anyway and how careful thought must be given to any ‘definite’ answers.

It seems as a society we are sleepwalking towards a myriad of preventable diseases. I say this because after reading another of Dr. Richard Béliveau’s masterful books on how our lifestyle, eating habits, and food choices are intricately linked with our physical, emotional and spiritual health, the evidence is compelling. In his new book, Eating [...]

Original broadcast date: September 20, 2009 Our breadth of understanding of the reams of medical information reported in the media is dependent in part on our understanding of the history of medicine. This history includes our human response to change and our willingness to accept new ideas and engage in healthy debate when conflicts arise. [...]

Original broadcast date: August 9, 2009 The statistics are compelling and disturbing. An article written by Val Jones on the website Science Based Medicine notes the following: -    Pfizer Global Security raids resulted in seizure of 11.1 million counterfeit tablets, capsules and vials in 42 countries in 2008. Pfizer seizure of counterfeit drugs in 2008 [...]

Original broadcast date: July 12, 2009 We like to believe that we are a rational species. If, the assumption goes, we are presented with information that is cogent, specific and valid, we will respond by incorporating these ideas for the betterment of our lives. What we decide to eat and drink is a world onto [...]

Original broadcast date: June 21, 2009 It is a jungle of medical information out there on TV, radio, newspapers and journals. Reports appear daily espousing or refuting the latest finding to cure our ills and prevent disease. The contradictions abound and foster confusion for the public and health practitioners alike. It is creating a situation [...]

Original broadcast date: March 29, 2009 If there is one quote that epitomizes the plethora of ideas expressed in physician and Guardian columnist Dr. Ben Goldacre’s book bad science, it is this from paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science, Steven Jay Gould: “ When people learn no tools of judgment and merely follow their [...]

Every year millions of people flock to complementary and alternative therapists offering a vast array of treatments ranging from acupuncture to biofeedback to urine injections. Millions more purchase over-the-counter alternative medications, such as glucosamine, herbs, and homeopathic remedies. While consumer motivations for turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) vary, there is one common element [...]

Original broadcast date: April 20, 2008 We are the safest and healthiest human beings who ever lived, and yet irrational fear is growing, with deadly consequences — such as the 1,595 Americans killed when they made the mistake of switching from planes to cars after September 11. In part, this irrationality is caused by those [...]

Food science is a major topic for discussion on Sunday House Call. To me, there was one seminal interview that beautifully encapsulated the exciting science and discovery of the biochemistry of foods and the role they play in fighting cancer.


The interview in June 2006 featured Dr. Richard Beliveau, author of Foods That Fight Cancer: Preventing Cancer through Diet. To date, 200,000 copies of the book have sold in Canada, an incredible number given that 5,000 is considered a best-seller.


As we discussed in our last interview of June 25, 2006, phytochemicals in the foods we eat can play a significant role in cancer prevention and overall health; literally a non-toxic version of chemotherapy. Our current Western diets seem to have weakened our body’s ability to fend off certain types of cancer among other diseases. In short, our society’s food choices have become divorced from reality and from our biology and physiology.


It seems the next logical step was to expand on the science and, at the same time, produce a book on how to incorporate these foods into our diet. With that in mind sprung his next book, Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer.


  • Dr. Richard Beliveau, author of Foods That Fight Cancer: Preventing Cancer Through Diet and Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer, Biochemistry professor and Chair in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer at the University of Quebec at Montreal and director of the Molecular Medicine Laboratory at Sainte Justine Hospital. He is also professor of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal.

Stories of trekking through jungles, deserts and mountainous terrain, avoiding poisonous snakes, armed militias, crocodiles, lions, snakes, swarms of bats and zebra stampedes, is the stuff we associate with the adventures of Indiana Jones. What one person defines as a treasure quest may not seem like any quest anyone else would want to take. The [...]

Why do we choose certain foods over others? Why do we overeat when most of the time it is not due to hunger? How does food advertising influence us and does it shape our lifestyle? How many decisions do we make each day with respect to food selection? The actual number may be much greater [...]

There are many claims being made about the positive health benefits of vitamins, minerals and other supplements. However, current research is showing that less publicly-recognized phytochemnicals in the foods we eat can play a significant role in cancer prevention and overall health; literally a non-toxic version of chemotherapy. Our current Western diets seem to have [...]

Although many people are aware of the effects of alcohol abuse on family and friends, missing from this equation is a child’s reaction to a parent who drinks too much.

I first heard Dr. Dean Edell while driving with my family to St. Louis by tuning into his radio talk show. His no nonsense approach to medical claims and treatments were on the mark. Never condescending and always open to new ideas, he bases his opinions on solid research and evidence. He says that he most appreciates difficult questions because it forces him to evaluate the available data and evidence to find a credible answer.

Alex is eight years old. His father, who quit his job from the police department, is depressed. Alex is uncertain what he should do. His father does attend his soccer games and pays little attention to him. Alex wants to quit soccer because he thinks he is no good.