Bookwatch
I wanted to recommend a few of the best science-based books I've read recently:

•Balance: A Dizzying Journey Through the Science of Our Most Delicate Sense, by Carol Svec.

Masterful and highly entertaining science writing from Svec, who makes a complex subject -- our vestibular system -- a fascinating read. The review I posted on Amazon:

Carol Svec's "Balance" Is Smart, Beautifully Written, Entertaining -- Great Science Writing

It is so hard to write clearly and entertainingly (while not shorting the science), and Carol Svec does this so well in "Balance." It is such a clear rendering of a complicated topic -- the vestibular system -- and it's a great read. I highly recommend this book.

•Lore of Nutrition: Challenging conventional dietary beliefs, by Tim Noakes, M.D., and Marika Sboros.

Here's the writeup from Amazon:

In December 2010, Professor Tim Noakes was introduced to a way of eating that was contrary to everything he had been taught and was accepted as conventional nutrition 'wisdom'. Having observed the benefits of the low-carb, high-fat lifestyle first-hand, and after thorough and intensive research, Noakes enthusiastically revealed his findings to the South African public in 2012. The backlash from his colleagues in the medical establishment was as swift as it was brutal, and culminated in a misconduct inquiry launched by the Health Professions Council of South Africa. The subsequent hearing lasted well over a year, but Noakes ultimately triumphed, being found not guilty of unprofessional conduct in April 2017. In Lore of Nutrition, he explains the science behind the low-carb, high-fat/Banting diet, and why he champions this lifestyle despite the constant persecution and efforts to silence him. He also discusses at length what he has come to see as a medical and scientific code of silence that discourages anyone in the profession from speaking out against the current dietary guidelines. Leading food, health and medical journalist Marika Sboros, who attended every day of the HPCSA hearing, provides the fascinating backstory to the inquiry, which often reads like a spy novel.

Conveniently, I posted a review on that one, too.

Gripping read -- plus the dietary science you need to know

I started this book when I had a lot on my plate, and I meant to just turn to it from time to time. Nothing doing. I couldn't stop turning to it. This is a gripping story -- filled with shocking misconduct by those going after Noakes. What makes it worse -- beyond the injustice done -- is the damage to public health that continues by those going after Noakes for what seem to be careerist goals (preserving their unscientific advice as the status quo).

•Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick, by Maya Dusenbery.

An excerpt from the Amazon blurb about the book:

In Doing Harm, Dusenbery explores the deep, systemic problems that underlie women's experiences of feeling dismissed by the medical system. Women have been discharged from the emergency room mid-heart attack with a prescription for anti-anxiety meds, while others with autoimmune diseases have been labeled "chronic complainers" for years before being properly diagnosed. Women with endometriosis have been told they are just overreacting to "normal" menstrual cramps, while still others have "contested" illnesses like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia that, dogged by psychosomatic suspicions, have yet to be fully accepted as "real" diseases by the whole of the profession.

Dusenbrry is the editor of the site Feministing. I have issues with a good bit of the content there, but I didn't let that sway my assessment of this book. It's very good -- especially the chapter on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which, tragically, a friend of mine has been debilitated by.

I was especially struck by how women seem to be taken more seriously -- and believed more -- in the emergency room and in other arenas of medical care when they bring a man along with them.

•Rigor Mortis: How Sloppy Science Creates Worthless Cures, Crushes Hope, and Wastes Billions, by Richard Harris.

Terrific book -- clear writing and an easy (and shocking) read. The Amazon blurb about the book:

American taxpayers spend $30 billion annually funding biomedical research, but over half of these studies can't be replicated due to poor experimental design, improper methods, and sloppy statistics. Bad science doesn't just hold back medical progress, it can sign the equivalent of a death sentence for terminal patients. In Rigor Mortis, Richard Harris explores these urgent issues with vivid anecdotes, personal stories, and interviews with the top biomedical researchers. We need to fix our dysfunctional biomedical system--before it's too late.