Tag: medical trauma

How 99 Ways to Die Might Save Your Life-a book review

In this post I review “99 Ways to Die and How to Avoid Them.” Dr. Ashely Alker, an emergency physician, humorously outlines various health risks and preventive measures. Combining personal anecdotes with medical insights, she emphasizes the importance of awareness in avoiding fatal incidents and advises readers to prioritize health habits over misinformation, and seeking medical care as soon as possible.

99 Ways to Die

And How to Avoid Them

by Ashely Alker, M.D.

Published January 2026 by St. Martin’s Press

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for sending this book for review consideration.

Why would a medical doctor write about ways to die? Aren’t they supposed to keep people alive?

Yes, and that’s why Dr. Ashely Alker, a “death escapologist”, wrote 99 Ways to Die. As an emergency medicine specialist, she says this book is bad for business. Reading it, and following her advice, may keep you out of her emergency room. Better yet, it may save your life.

Dr. Adler briefly shares her pre-medical life and education, including overseas study for a master’s degree in public health. She relates personal experiences with illness and the healthcare system, which led her to medical school and residency.

The table of contents reads like a textbook of emergency medicine, in that it includes both illnesses and situations that can lead to illness. Some of them you have no doubt heard of.

  • Heart Attacks
  • Cancer
  • Ebola virus
  • Nuclear blast radiation

But have you heard of

  • Schistosomiasis,
  • Mad Cow disease,
  • Venomous agent X,
  • Takotsubo cardiomyopathy

And you’ve heard of but may not believe can be deadly.

  • Influenza,
  • Measles,
  • High Blood Pressure,
  • Pregnancy,
  • Health Influencers (yes, she really wrote this)

She devotes ample discussion to infections, both bacteria, viral, fungi, and even parasites. One whole chapter is on vaccine-preventable infections (obviously, she advocates vaccination)

One of the top five frequent causes of death is accidental trauma, which is often overlooked in discussions of preventive medicine. Not Dr. Adler. She details the ways things like drugs, animals, vehicle crashes, crime, sports, weather, and war can harm and kill us. And don’t forget the dangers of food and water!

You may be thinking this book must be highly technical. She does use scientific names and terms, which she explains in simple language. Her tone is engaging and conversational. She is blunt, sometimes humorous, but always perfectly serious.

She shares stories of her own patients with these conditions; details changed for privacy. Is some of it gory or scary? Maybe, depending on your comfort level and how much you want to know about the human body and how it can be misused and abused.

Disease and death affect all of life and history, as she points out in discussing the impact of the influenza epidemic of 1918 and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. I found her discussion of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in World War II particularly poignant.

The initial blasts killed over 200,000 civilians, with many more dying later from radiation illness. In her review of biological and chemical warfare, she suggests we consider carefully who we put into power.

 From this book, you will learn that health is more than knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol. Our risk of disease is more due to where and how we live, and our socioeconomic status. The most important number for your health may be your zip code in the United States.

None of us expect to die from an automobile collision, hypothermia, homicide, drowning, tornado, poisoning, insect bite, or war, but we might and she explains how to avoid it. Common sense things-wear a seat belt, dress for the weather, apply insect repellent, don’t believe medical misinformation you read online. Learn CPR and save someone else’s life.

I’m a physician and worked in ERs, but I still learned from her book. So, I believe you will also. Her main takeaway is to value and care for your body, you only have one. As she wrote in her dedication

May we all be alive this time next year.

Dr. Ashely Alker

Read an excerpt

Note: She does not intend this book to replace advice from your own personal physician. References to CDC recommendations are to those issued before January 1, 2025.

The Author

Ashely Alker, M.D., M.Sc., is an emergency medicine physician on a mission to improve public health. While completing her master’s degree, Dr. Alker studied at Harvard School of Public Health’s multinational institute in Cyprus. She lived near the United Nations Green Zone and worked in humanitarian affairs at the Unit for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture.

After graduating from the George Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Alker served as a healthcare advisor for a member of the US Congress. During her residency in emergency medicine at the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Alker became a technical consultant and medical screenwriter, improving medical accuracy on over twenty shows, including TV and film for Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Disney.

Her nonprofit, Meaningful Media, connects writers, artists, and reporters with certified public health experts to develop scientifically accurate messaging.

Images in this Post

The book image and Dr. Alker’s photo are from her website.

What do you think?

What do you think about a physician writing a book about dying?

What is the most unusual, bizarre, or unexpected cause of death that you know about?

How will reading this review and/or the book impact your idea of what will cause your own death?

Exploring the HEART of Health

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Use this search box for related posts on this blog or other topics of interest to you.

Dr. Aletha

Afraid of the Doctor-a book review

“Afraid of the Doctor” by Meghan L. Marsac and Melissa J. Hogan guides parents in preventing and managing medical trauma in children. It offers twelve strategies to support emotional well-being. The authors emphasize addressing both child and parent trauma during healthcare challenges.

Afraid of the Doctor: Every Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Managing Medical Trauma

by Meghan L. Marsac and Melissa J. Hogan

Written by two women who care about children, a lawyer and a psychologist, this book helps parents support their children through medical challenges and prevent or manage medical trauma.

Medical trauma can arise from a severe illness or injury, or from the treatment of a serious medical condition. Either way, this book addresses how these healthcare experiences lead to medical trauma in children, affecting their willingness to engage with medical care.

Afraid of the Doctor

Every Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Managing Medical Trauma

The authors’ goal is to give parents knowledge and skills to understand and address medical trauma, to better care for their child’s emotional and physical well-being during medical challenges.

The book offers twelve strategies parents can use to prevent and reduce medical trauma and support their child through medical interventions or chronic conditions.

Readers learn these strategies through character stories, anecdotes, step-by-step guides, examples, and research. These strategies can be adapted for specific groups, like very young children or those with cognitive or communication challenges.

Parents can experience trauma from managing their child’s medical challenges. The authors include tools for parents to recognize and address their response to medical trauma while caring for their child. 

Read Sample from Book

Meet The Authors

Meghan L. Marsac

Dr. Meghan Marsac is a pediatric psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky and Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

She is a leader in the field of pediatric medical trauma, having multiple publications. Her primary goal is to improve the experience of living with medical conditions for children and families.

Dr. Marsac serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and Journal of Traumatic Stress. Dr. Marsac has spoken extensively on understanding and promoting adjustment to injury and illness in children and their families.

She is CEO of the Cellie Coping Company, which has distributed over 2000 coping kits to families of children with medical conditions.

Dr. Marsac trains medical teams in trauma-informed medical care. Clinically, Dr. Marsac promotes evidence-based practices to help families manage medical treatment and emotional adjustment to challenging diagnoses and medical procedures. 

​She is the mom of two energetic, loving boys. They enjoy playing outside, playing tag, reading, playing video games, and creating projects.

​

Melissa J. Hogan

Melissa J. Hogan, JD, has a child with a rare, genetic disease who has faced a countless number of surgeries, specialists, and as a result, medical trauma. In addition to advocating for her son’s needs, she consults on clinical trials in rare and neurodegenerative disorders. Her articles have been published in several medical journals.

She founded the leading research and advocacy foundation in Hunter syndrome, Project Alive, which has raised millions of dollars for research.

She has worked as a healthcare attorney and speaks on health care and educational advocacy, rare diseases, and clinical trials.

She lives with her three sons and a service dog outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Authors’ Recommended Resources

After the Injury

Health Care Toolbox

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Resource to Download: What is Child Trauma?
c09d8214-c91f-43a0-a19c-486e2eca3ee6Download

Why I recommend Afraid of the Doctor

I found this book browsing at my local library. I had never seen a book addressing this topic so I am glad to find this one.(I put affiliate links in this post.)

This book made me wonder how many children may have experienced trauma from encounters with me as a physician, not something I intentionally caused. I realized procedures that health professionals and even parents consider routine, like an X-ray or drawing blood, can be traumatic to children.

I recommend this book to every parent who wants to prepare their child for encounters with the healthcare system, especially for children with medical needs that require frequent and invasive contact.

The authors present the information in a straightforward, easy-to-understand format, utilizing twelve effective strategies. They explain what to do, how to do it, and offer examples of children and parents who used the strategy.

By the end of the book, we have followed each child’s story and see how they and their parent successfully managed medical trauma.

I recommend this book. If you don’t need it, you probably know someone who does. Do them a favor and forward this review to them.

This information is current as of the date of original publication or update but may have changed by the time you read this. Do not use this information for diagnosis or treatment purposes. Before making health decisions, discuss with a qualified healthcare professional.

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Use this search box for related posts on this blog or other topics of interest to you.

Dr. Aletha

Another review- a book that teaches kids about the human body

HUMAN BODY Learning Lab-book review

“Human Body Learning Lab” by Dr. Betty Choi offers an engaging exploration of the human body for curious kids. Dr. Choi, a pediatrician and mom, provides an easy-to-understand guide, complete with hands-on activities. The book also includes important disclaimers for parents. Written for kids aged 5 to 9, it’s a valuable resource for parents and…

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