Readers' rating:
Published Aug 2005
256 pages
Genre: Science, Health and the Environment
Publication Information
Life today for citizens of the developed world is
far safer, easier, and healthier than for any other people in history. Modern
medicine has all but wiped out many diseases that once were common killers.
Science and technology have given us countless devices that protect our bodies
from injury, secure our property, and warn us of impending disaster. And
modern intelligence gathering can pinpoint threats to our domestic security as
they arise. So why is an epidemic of fear sweeping America? The answer,
according to nationally renowned health commentator Dr. Marc Siegel, is that
we live in an artificially created culture of fear. From the anthrax panic to
the SARS "epidemic," from "official" rumors of bioterror to Orange alerts to
West Nile virus—the media continually bombard us with breaking news of yet
another super-bug, terrorist plot, or natural disaster that's about to wreak
havoc. Most of the time the disasters never materialize. But even if they did,
the odds that any of us would suffer harm from them is infinitesimally small —
especially when compared to the much greater risks of dying in a car accident
or from coronary heart disease.....
'[Siegel's] thorough research illuminates the biological, political,
psychological and sociological facets of this important topic, and offers an
alternative to the current landscape of perpetual high drama and pathological
fear. I enthusiastically endorse his efforts, and urge readers to take his
message to heart. This is a terrific and groundbreaking book.' - PW
'Marc Siegel is an articulate voice of reason in a world beset by hype and
hysteria. We would be well advised to listen closely to what he has to say." -
The New Yorker
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