YOU Are the New Prescription
Simple Shifts. Real Health. Lasting Change.
Written by a physician, YOU Are the New Prescription is an empowering and holistic health and well-being guide.
Raja Ramaswamy’s holistic self-help book YOU Are the New Prescription urges small, intentional lifestyle changes to promote health and well-being.
Contrasting two family events—a death by suicide and a successful heart surgery—the book reflects on the importance of overall health. Rejecting fad diets and quick fixes, it suggests making small changes whose impacts build up over time. It also asserts that all change requires taking action, and it builds toward a reflective action plan.
Proffering knowledge and encouragement, much of the material names potential health issues and recommends preventative methods, beginning with mental health topics that emotional, social, and physical well-being are said to stem from. Heart health is also addressed, in addition to timely topics like the impact of ubiquitous technology on children and adults: “Our physical health is also at risk due to the sedentary lifestyle that long hours of screen use often foster.” Further, the guide breaks down health topics by gender, with detailed information on what men and women in particular should focus on. A concise discussion of children’s health concludes the guide.
The prose is direct, complementing the book’s focus on empowering everyday people toward change. It makes efforts to distill complex concepts into clear explanations. Familiar-sounding encouragements, as with the argument that “small, intentional choices can create lasting change,” appear. However, several concepts receive repeat attention, as with coverage of the importance of mindfulness, sleep, nutrition, and exercise. This repetition occurs in each thematic section, with variations only in the concrete examples, as with coverage of how alcohol affects the mind, heart, and body.
There’s repetition to the book’s structure, too. Each part includes a personal anecdote to set up its theme, as with stories about a heart attack and a child’s ignored request to dance. After naming medical reasons for making personal changes, actionable steps are suggested, alongside the tip to choose one or two steps a week. Bullet-point summaries help keep the rationales behind the recommended changes fresh, though. Throughout, the book prompts self-reflection in a way that complements its calls to action toward a healthier future.
Encouraging people to start by making one change, followed by another, YOU Are the New Prescription is an empowering and humane health and wellness guide that encourages consistency and approaching personal well-being via small steps.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
