I was gifted an audio copy of this by @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And I’ll start by saying.. audio is not my thing. However.. it’s a controversial read, one that leaves no stone unturned and no topic is off limits.. that I did love. Each chapter a new myth is unpacked and a somewhat obvious reminder that all decisions should be researched just like each choice made has consequences. Chapter 3 on vaccinations I’m sure would be a hot topic for most given the world we live in right now! A common theme often mentioned is that people ‘like’ stories.. not facts. Stories have the power to tap into emotion, to expand the mind and to shift beliefs. Facts do not. Facts reflect truth, but it’s not often wanting to be heard. Stories though, can also breed false beliefs, which is often convenient and can also bring a shared sense of belonging. Which brings the question, how to ignore ‘fake news’ and how to protect against misleading rumours? It’s important to always have an open mind and a healthy level of skepticism. And to ask yourself, do you trust the source of where the info is coming from??? 3 big ones for me.. trauma isn’t inherited, suicide isn’t contagious and pills cannot cure racism. Of course, people need to make decisions that are personally right for them.. and it’s up to them to decide what sources they trust and wish to tap into to make what they believe are ‘informed ones.’ But does beg the age old Q though.. is knowledge really power..? Or does it just breed more doubt. Definitely interesting!

This book was less why we fall for medical myths and more how we fall, less underlying psychological and cultural factors and more of a catalog of anecdotes. Because of that, the book felt a little unfocused, meandering from debunked vaccine / autism links to ebola responses to horrifically true discussion of US doctors purposely infecting Guatemalans with syphilis. The underlying theme seems to be that health and medicine are complicated, and beware of anyone posing easy answers and cure-alls. The stories and chapters in and of themselves are interesting and discussed in great detail. But this book felt more like a journalistic tour of current medical controversies rather than a coherent argument or story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for providing me with a copy of this audioARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dr Seema Yasmin is a doctor and a reporter, who has worked for the CDC and most recently has been actively talking about coronavirus. Viral BS is a book that talks about some fairly common health stories and how much truth is in each of these.

I really liked the short and snappy chapters. Each one dealt with a different topic, and Dr Yasmin clearly set out each premise, the stories surrounding it, and the current research findings. I thought it was interesting that some of these were in fact mostly truthful, and it was a little worrying that some of the misinformation we get is due to inflammatory media headlines. I also liked how the book was clear with its language - there wasn’t too much doctor jargon, so it was easy to follow.

I listened to the audio, which was narrated by Dr Yasmin, and it was really good to listen to. She had a nice pacing, and her British accent was easy to understand. I also thought that it gave something a little extra as she quite clearly knows the material really well.

Definitely a really worthwhile book to listen to if you’re interested in a doctor’s perspective on some of the stories and myths around healthcare.

Great read!
Viral BS looks at the biggest medical myths and pseudoscience, where they came from, and what truths exist within them, I really enjoyed this and found that some myths I actually believed as science.
Highly recommended for all.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book from NetGalley and HighBridge Audio in exchange for my honest review

This book is a (much needed in our day and age!) look at some of the most common misconceptions and conspiracies related to health and wellness. The author speaks from a wealth of knowledge, much of it gleaned from years of personal experience. A fantastic, well-written book that should be required reading for anyone with access to a web browser.

This book was archived before I was able to listen to it. I was only granted access a couple of days prior, and was not able to download it in that time. The premise is interesting, and the narrator sounds good on the excerpt, albeit a bit slow. Giving it 3* to be average, but am happy to be given access to it and amend my review once I have been able to listen to it.

Dr. Seema Yasmin is a wonderful author and audiobook narrator. The writing style works hard to stick to story-telling, since as she reminds us there is a reason children want "a bedtime story, not bedtime facts." If you have any sort of scientific bent, you'll be fascinated by the chemistry and biology lessons and the weird modern history of "Viral BS" that plagues the semi-literate world. The chapter that describes the anti-vaccine prophet/profit, totally discredited Andrew Wakefield's corrupt chain of money-making schemes that have resulted in thousands of unnecessary measles breakouts and deaths and are at the core of today's anti-vax movement that is keeping COVID alive and well and killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world. In a rational society, this debunked and defrocked "doctor" would be tried for murder, not just stripped of his medical credentials. As this book reminds us, humans aren't even close to rational.

Loved it! Definitely needed this during the coronavirus pandemic!
4.3 stars

Viral BS is collection of short chapters, each focused on a specific question that includes medical myths, misinformation delivered in the form of propaganda, wild new “scientific ideas” as well as episodes of unethical medical practices that have occurred over the years.

I really liked all the myths Dr. Seema Yasmin focused on. I was even happy to see that there were a few that I have never even heard of. The way the chapters were laid out was really enjoyable. The Q&A format in addition to the shorter sections really made this book easy to listen to and it didn’t feel too overwhelming. Dr. Yasmin really opened my eyes to how misinformation is spread. I mean, everyone on Instagram knows about all the celebrities pushing that weight loss tea. But the fact she talks about how these fads are spread around by people who have no idea how dangerous these products are really hit home.

The little snippet at the end “Dr. Yasmin’s bullshit detection kit” was superb addition! It is a really helpful tool, especially now with all the conspiracy theories going on about the pandemic and the vaccines.

I thought this book was a great read! I really liked the layout and contents of the chapters and I highly recommend this book to everyone. Let’s break down all the misconceptions and false information that are out there.

Thank You to Seema Yasmin and HighBridge Audio, for the digital audio ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for a candid review!

A fascinating book.

This book is well written, interesting and comes across as well researched.

It takes into account people’s background and any other factors that comes into play when people make decisions about health but then puts across her scientific view very intellectually.

I enjoyed the narrator, she added to the experience on the whole.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.