The Genetics of Health: Understand Your Genes for Better Health

I had the pleasure of reading this book on the beach last week, yellow highlighter in hand.  This was not my typical "beach read", but I found this book fascinating.  (And learned quite a few things that I shall work into our lifestyle.... one of which is the doctor's info on skeletal strengthening, which will be helpful to Multiple Myeloma patients.)

From the publisher:

Take charge of your health by understanding the connection between our evolutionary past and our future wellbeing with this practical guide to personalized health and nutrition—from distinguished physician Dr. Sharad Paul.

Recognized as one of the best in his field, surgeon, academic, and philanthropist, Dr. Sharad Paul combines everyday health with evolutionary biology and explains how to improve your overall wellness by following a diet and exercise plan according to your gene type. Starting with our brains, this book covers everything from skin and muscles, to hearts, diets, and stress management. Throughout, Dr. Paul shares key information and provides steps to improve our daily wellbeing—impacting everything from our energy levels to memory retention to our overall longevity.

Our evolutionary past and genetic makeup determine how and why the body works the way it does and how it all combines to make us unique individuals. Presenting a compelling blend of medical mysteries, patient stories, and science, Dr. Paul has developed a revolutionary approach to wellness that will result in beautiful skin at any age, a healthier diet for muscle endurance and skeletal strength, a more resilient and efficient heart, better mood and memory balance, and more.

“Reading Dr. Paul’s book is like taking an exhilarating journey through the shifting landscape of genetics, health, and evolution.” (Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize winner for The Emperor of Maladies: A Biography of Cancer)

“Dr. Paul has been described in the media as 'one of the most inspiring, intelligent and compassionate men you are likely to meet.’ TIME magazine, in 2008, called him ‘Open Heart Surgeon.’” (New Zealand Medical Association, in awarding their highest award in 2012)


“We need Dr. Sharad P. Paul. In the same sense as the world needs historians-philosophers-sociologists for the history of mankind, the world needs a physician-philosopher-literate for narrative medicine. Only a distinguished physician such as Dr. Paul, with a sense for ‘stories,’ understands the importance of narrative medicine when improving patient-physician communication. He is the Sigmund Freud and Arthur Schnitzler of our times.”  (Harald Kittler, PhD, professor of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna and international thought-leader in the field of dermatology and skin imaging)

Dr. Sharad P. Paul, MD is a skin cancer surgeon, family physician, academic, skincare expert, evolutionary biologist, storyteller, and social entrepreneur, as well as an adjunct professor at Aukland University of Technology. Born in England, with a childhood in India, he is a global citizen who lives Down Under. In 2003, he received a Health Innovation Award and in 2008, was featured in international editions of Time. He has been called a Renaissance Man by New Zealand Herald’s Canvas magazine and a polymath by Good magazine. In 2012, he was awarded the New Zealand Medical Association’s highest honor, the Chair’s Award. He has spoken at ideas conferences like THiNK alongside Robert De Niro, Tina Brown, David Barash, and V.S. Naipaul. He recently won the acclaimed Ko Awatea International Excellence in Health Improvement Award for Leading Health Improvement on a Global Scale.

This is a hardcover book of 272 pages loaded with helpful, easy to understand charts and graphs.  I recommend this book to anyone who is the least bit health-conscious.

AMAZON LINK HERE