Drop Dead Healthy by A. Jacobs (books to read to increase intelligence .TXT) 📕

wreaks havoc on, 55

mind-expanding activities for, 168–70

“Miracle-Gro” for, 175

as muscle, 165–67

odor workouts good for, 297

real painkiller and placebo identical to, 122–23

shrinkage of, 3

testing of, 166, 171–73

on two-way street, 329

uploading of, 112

watching sports might be good for, 164

brain cancer, 188–89

brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), 175

Brain Resource Center, 171, 176

Brain Trainer, AJ’s deletion of, 168

brainwaves, 266

learning control of, 176–77

tracking of, 172

Brandt, Allan, 215

Bratman, Steven, 92

all health advice boiled down by, 89

on hazards of orthorexia nervosa, 87–90, 98, 347, 364

Brazil nuts, 89, 106

breakfast, 17

cereals, 96, 363

protein and fats for, 363

breast cancer, 15, 92, 273

HRT and, 284

orgasms helpful in lowering rates of, 104

stress as cause of, 142

breastfeeding, child’s IQ raised by, 300–301

breathing, 215–21

deep, 216–18

nose vs. mouth, 215–16

in sexual activity, 105

stomach-, 217–18

Breus, Michael, 264–65

broccoli, 92, 93

Brock, Pope, 283

Bronzaft, Arline:

classroom noise pollution studied by, 56

on her unpublished novel of murder, sex, and noise, 57, 60

noisy refrigerator of, 55

talking noise with, 54–57

Brownie/Greenie (anole lizard), 152, 189

Brynner, Yul, Jim Fixx in afterlife epiphany featuring, 31

bubonic plague, 152

Buck, Linda, 298

Burney, Fanny, her 1810 mastectomy described by, 115–16

butt:

getting off the, 63–71, 123

proper positioning of, 316

where to put it while sitting, 318

California, health viewpoint of, 7

Calorie Restriction movement (CR), 17–21

savoring meditation in, 20–21

Calorie Restriction Society, 18–21

calories, burning of:

by being cold, 210

Fitbit’s stats on, 108–9

by iced drinks, 276

ideal apartment temperature for, 2

by just standing, 66

by laughing, 144

by missionary-position sex (for men), 105

by running vs. walking errands, 65

by sitting, 66

by us vs. our grandfolks, 64

Campbell, T. Colin, 92

Canadian Family Physician, 104

cancer, 64, 241

likelihood of its showing up, 27

optimism linked weakly to recovery from, 71

positive thinking misapplied in, 141–42

stress believed a cause of, 142

see also specific cancers

cancer prevention, 7

coffee advocated for, 15

exercise as aid to, 32

marriage and, 46

tepid water advised for, 275

candles, hazardous, 338–39

Capgras syndrome, 131

car accidents, 335, 341

sleep-related, 258, 259

carbohydrates, carbs:

dangerous sugar concentrations in, 93

high-glycemic and starchy, 93

see also specific carbohydrates

cardio (aerobic) exercise, see aerobic exercise

cardio fetishism, 307

cardiovascular system:

noise and, 55

teeth and gums linked to, 193–95

carpal tunnel syndrome, 310

carriage return, benefit of, 309

carrots, 90, 361

Carson, Rachel, 188

Casper the Friendly Ghost, 213–14

cat ownership, 151–52, 359–60

cat scratch fever, 152

caveman (Paleo) movement, 36–44

fundamentalist vs. reform people in, 38

meat-heavy diet of, 37, 38, 40–41

squatting advocated by, 136

Caveman Workout, 36–44

idea behind, 36–37

natural running in, 39–40, 42

prowling tiger imitated in, 30, 39–40

sprinting half-naked through the park with, 42

TV coverage of, 38, 40, 41

wisecracks inspired by, 37

cavewomen, paucity of, 41

cayenne peppers, 17, 356

ceilings, noise-reducing, 56

celery and peanut butter, erotic hopes for, 106

cell phones:

deaths of drivers on, 341

Marti’s cautions on brain-frying risks of, 7, 188–89

cells:

life span of, 112

number at work in our bodies, 27

Centers for Disease Control, 27, 77, 152

harrowing list of ways you can die or be injured issued by, 335–36

Central Park:

barefoot running in, 207–8

biking around the Great Lawn of, 277

Caveman Workout meeting in, 36–43

Christo’s Gates in, 69–70

Jacobs boys lost and found in, 332–33

jogging through, and taking cab home, 44, 47

smashing logs in, 248

Strollercise in, 246, 247

as wilderness, 36

cereals, breakfast, 96, 363

cerebral cortex, 167

Cezanne, Paul, optical issues of, 327

chairs:

disease ascribed to overuse of, 64

hand-shaped, 306

see also sitting

chameleons, 152

Chanel, Coco:

as bronzing’s godmother, 239–40

Nazi ties of, 240

Charlatan (Brock), 283

chemicals, spokespeople for, 187

chess, pizza eater’s loss in, 19–20

chest press machines, 35

chewdaism, 24, 84, 355

chewing gum, 198–99

with xylitol, 199

chew-per-mouthful ratio, 50

“Chicken Dance Elmo,” noise reduction of, 57

child abuse, 341

American cheese accused of, 185

children:

as barbells, 354

discussing mortality with, 110–12

parents’ fears vs. true causes of harm to, 341

risks of plasticware for, 369

sunlight vs. artificial light for, 331

tricky combination of slow eating and, 24

see also Jacobs boys

chimpanzees:

flossing by, 41

help from testicles of, 283

China, Finger Fitness understood in, 307

China Study, The (Campbell), 92, 93

Chinese medicine, 121

chocolate:

dark, antioxidant haul in, 14

dark, in superfood salad, 60

natural, 16

in Vice Diet, 13–16, 330

cholera, 91

cholesterol:

coffee as booster of, 15

effect of dog owning on, 151

chopsticks, take-along, 355

Christakis, Nicholas, 162

Christmas, fasting on, 20

Christo, 69–70

chromosomes, protective caps for, 31–32

Cigarette Century, The (Brandt), 215

cigarettes, 214–15

circadian rhythm, disruption of, 7, 350

civilization, toasting the slow death of, 187

Clomid:

how it works in men, 284

reasons for AJ ending use of, 287

side effects of, 284–85

Coan, James, 308

Coca-Cola, 17, 95

cockiness, vision aided by, 329

coffee, in Vice Diet, 13–16

cold remedies, medically mixed view of, 72

colds:

antibiotics best avoided for, 79

cold rejected as cause of, 211

handwashing urged for prevention of, 78

humming also tried for prevention of, 1

why each side of the germs debate doesn’t get any, 78, 80

collagen, 60, 237

colonics, 135

colonoscopies, 135

colorectal cancer, 64, 135

colorectal health, 131–37, 132

Complete Book of Running, The (Fixx), 29

Complete Idiot’s Guide to Triathlon Training, The (Katai and Barr), 277

compression suit, 98–99

concentration:

neurofeedback as aid to, 176–77

noise’s potent effect on, 55

Coney Island eating contests, kale vs. hot dogs in, 60

conservatives, as obsessively clean, 82–83

Cookie Diet, 13

cookware, nonstick, 369

Copenhagen, World Laughter Day in, 144

Cornell University, 18, 21, 46, 83, 92, 96, 276

correlation and causation, confusion of, 91

cortisol, 110, 141, 144, 201–2

Council on Science and Health, 187

counting backwards, 173

Cousins, Norman, 146

cow brains, supplier found for, 40

CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, 263–64, 346

crankiness, as in underfed New Yorkers, 271

Crawford, Matthew, 305

creatine supplements, 84

Crohn’s disease, 136

CrossFit training, working out to exhaustion at, 247–48

crossword puzzles, 168

Cruise, Tom, dropped as celebrity crush, 192

Crumb, Robert, 315

Crunch, 34–36

pole-dancing classes at, 34

CR Way, The (McGlothin and Averill), 18, 362

cupping, 123–24

cursing, pain reduced by, 125

curtains, vacuuming of, 82

C-word, 125

Dairy Queen, 15

Dalton, Pamela, 297, 299

Damon, Matt, AJ’s workout more strenuous than his, 192

Darrow, Clarence, on genetic improbabilities, 26

Darth Vader, push-up breathing of, 215–16

David vs. Goliath, nerdish outcome of, 173–74

DDT, malaria deaths ascribed to ban on, 188

death:

accidental, 335–36

closure provided by, 10

Jacobs boys’ interest in, 110–12

debates:

on barefoot running, 208–9

cardio (aerobic) exercise vs. slow fitness, 158–61

cigarettes vs. candy, 215

diet, see diet debate

domestic, see Jacobs, A. J.; Jacobs, Julie Schoenberg

on flossing methods, 197–98

on germ theory, see germ debate

good chemistry vs. toxic chemistry, 183–91

on healthiest man alive, 43

on nerds vs. jocks, 173–76

on purest and safest water, 272–75

on realism vs. delusional optimism, 130

on sugar toxicity, 229–32

of toilet sitters vs. squatters, 136

decibel meter, findings with, 58–59

Degas, Edgar, why indoor scenes were preferred by, 327

de Grey, Aubrey, 111–12

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, 36

dementia, marriage and, 46

Denmark, helmet use in, 340

dental hygienist, glowing teeth promised by, 196

dental spa, 195–97

toes and ankles squeezed at, 195

dentists, horrifying revelations of their former methods, 196

DePinho, Ronald, aging in mice reversed by, 31–32

depression, 122, 139, 241, 259,