I’m often asked whether narrating books results in a better-informed self. While I find most topics interesting, oftentimes the books I narrate have little bearing on my own life, and so they tend not to stick with me. Take The New Tycoons: Inside the Trillion Dollar Private Equity Industry, for example. Others, like Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!, are engaging tales, and quite fun to narrate. As far as useful takeaways, though––not so many. Then a book comes along that’s engaging, recommendable, and figures in to my own daily living. Such was the case with Dr. Jeffrey Bland‘s The Disease Delusion, just released by Harper Audio. Bland explains how a century ago infectious diseases would have been our biggest health concerns––smallpox, cholera, etc. These days, however, modern medicine has all but obliterated such risks. Our society is now plagued by chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Bland contends that the medical establishment treats chronic diseases with infectious disease remedies––that is, pills––rather than seeking to eliminate the underlying causes. Pills lead to more and more pills, as there is often a domino effect that comes with shifts in chemical balance. Why is it that drugs are our go-to solution, when simpler changes in diet, environment, and activity are clearly needed for genuine health repair? Genetics are only a small part of the equation. Personally, and as a result of narrating The Disease Delusion, I’ve made a few small changes to my diet, have added fish oil capsules to my morning regimen (blah!), and have every intention to exercise––really!