Full Description
More relevant than ever as the Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the globe, False Alarm (Originally released in 2008) reminds readers to look closely at the facts as the media covers the national pandemic news and spread of the virus, as well as reinforces the notion that we must arm ourselves against fear tactics that inhibit our abilities to properly make decisions in a world of uncertainty.
Life today for citizens of the developed world is safer, easier, and healthier than for any other people in history thanks to modern medicine, science, technology, and intelligence. 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. In False Alarm, Siegel identifies three major catalysts of the culture of fear—government, the media, and big pharma. With fascinating, blow-by-blow analyses of the most sensational false alarms of the past few years, he shows how these fearmongers manipulate our most primitive instincts—often without our even realizing it. False Alarm shows us how to look behind the hype and hysteria, inoculate ourselves against fear tactics, and develop the emotional and intellectual skills needed to take back our lives.
Contents
Preface. Introduction: The Fear Epidemic. PART I: FIGHT OR FLIGHT. 1. Why Are We So Afraid? 2. It Works for Animals but Not for Us. 3. Our Culture of Worry. 4. Playing Politics with Fear. 5. Disasters: Real or Imagined. 6. Finding Things to Worry About. 7. Profiting from Fear. PART II: BUGS DU JOUR. 8. Anthrax. 9. Insects, Pox, and Lethal Gas. 10. SARS. 11. Flu. 12. Cows, Birds, and Humans. PART III: HEALING FEAR 13. The Fear Prophets. 14. Is There a Cure for Fear? Afterword. Bibliography. Index.
