Health

Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic

Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic

  • Downloads：3517
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-11-02 09:19:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-08
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sandra Kahn
  • ISBN：1503613585
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Holly McIntyre ，

Fascinating， but it left me somewhat skeptical。 One problem with listening to nonfiction audiobooks is that the hearer does not have easy access to the supporting evidence that is usually provided in the supplemental material; there are so many places in this book where I wanted to see the evidence for the assertions being made。 The premise is this: human facial/oral/dental configuration evolved in the millennia before food was cooked and when infants nursed far longer than is common now and the Fascinating， but it left me somewhat skeptical。 One problem with listening to nonfiction audiobooks is that the hearer does not have easy access to the supporting evidence that is usually provided in the supplemental material; there are so many places in this book where I wanted to see the evidence for the assertions being made。 The premise is this: human facial/oral/dental configuration evolved in the millennia before food was cooked and when infants nursed far longer than is common now and the children developed larger， stronger jaws with plenty of room for all their teeth to come in straight and without crowding。 As humans moved to ever softer cooked foods， earlier weaning， and eventually， baby bottles instead of breasts and industrially produced puréed baby foods， the development of the human mouth shriveled in its development leading to problems with malocclusion and breathing problems such as sleep apnea。 The cure is not modern orthodontics （which the authors assert offers only cosmetic and largely temporary solutions）， but a fundamental change in the diet and exercise of infants and young children to restore the proper growth of more spacious jaws。 The “secret of the universe”， so to speak， is to teach young children to breathe through their nose， not mouth， and make sure that they are given substantial foods that require thorough chewing， not the melt in your mouth processed carbs that make up much of the modern diet。 The simplicity of the theory is appealing， but simple answers are seldom entirely true。 Nevertheless， the book is thought-provoking and worth reading。 。。。more

Melinda Griffith ，

Informative。 Great illustrative photographs。

Masatoshi Nishimura ，

Fun read with lots of pictures。 I saw some criticism about it being too anectodal。 As someone with no background experience， I found the book entertaining with bold claims。 A part that describes ugly woman vs perfectly healthy shape。 Wow。 I never conceptualized beauty that way with chins。 But it certainly gave me the new way to look at people's faces。 In other parts there were pictures about a boy had perfectly fine shape who turned rounded and weirded because of allergy he caught on in his chil Fun read with lots of pictures。 I saw some criticism about it being too anectodal。 As someone with no background experience， I found the book entertaining with bold claims。 A part that describes ugly woman vs perfectly healthy shape。 Wow。 I never conceptualized beauty that way with chins。 But it certainly gave me the new way to look at people's faces。 In other parts there were pictures about a boy had perfectly fine shape who turned rounded and weirded because of allergy he caught on in his childhood。 I never thought such relation exited。 I have severe allergy so that was enough to keep my attention on throughout the book。Granted there must be some overclaims about Aboriginal people having better postures thanks to nose breathing and chewing （wouldn't it more to do with not having a chair and outdoor lifestyle？）。 Either way， it does enough to scare you away espeicallly if you are a mouth breather。 。。。more

Karl ，

Cool thesis。 Now that it's been pointed out I see mouth breathing and poorly formed jaws everywhere， including myself。 Where were they when I was young！ Would be cool to see a large proper study with this intervention。 I like how they highlight how small cultural cues can impact health。On the other hand， I can't believe the author made the claim that only the textural component of food affects development and that the nutritional component doesn't when we know it obviously affects growth of othe Cool thesis。 Now that it's been pointed out I see mouth breathing and poorly formed jaws everywhere， including myself。 Where were they when I was young！ Would be cool to see a large proper study with this intervention。 I like how they highlight how small cultural cues can impact health。On the other hand， I can't believe the author made the claim that only the textural component of food affects development and that the nutritional component doesn't when we know it obviously affects growth of other bones and soft tissue。 Kind of felt like they observed this one thing and they erroneously extrapolated it to be the problem/solution to everything。 。。。more

Farid Talib ，

A book I will recommend to all the people I know that are expecting or have young kids！ What am I saying， everyone needs to read this to be honest。 Had a general idea about mouth breathing vs nose breathing after reasing Breath but with this added to the mix。。。 truly mindblowing！！！

Jeremy Singh ，

Human jaws have shrunk and receded back due to the prevalence is soft foods in modern times resulting in over crowded teeth， smaller airways and mouth breathing。 This is bad and leads to poor health。 Orthodontists should be forwarddonists and promote the development of healthier jaws through chewing and not using braces and other means that further restrict the space in mouth and airways。

Rachel Gonzales ，

This was an interesting book。 I have jaw issues myself and wondered if this would shed some light on the origin of my problems。 While my issues were different， the read of how mouth breathing can change children's over facial structure and long-term health was super interesting。 I've read other reviews that talked about the odd photos， but I listened to this。 On that note， the narrator was terrible。 He had a low voice and was very monotone， so at times it was even hard to understand。 I will say， This was an interesting book。 I have jaw issues myself and wondered if this would shed some light on the origin of my problems。 While my issues were different， the read of how mouth breathing can change children's over facial structure and long-term health was super interesting。 I've read other reviews that talked about the odd photos， but I listened to this。 On that note， the narrator was terrible。 He had a low voice and was very monotone， so at times it was even hard to understand。 I will say， I pay more attention to how my children hold their mouths， breath and chew now more than I ever did。 Not sure how research-based the information was， but it was interesting nonetheless。 。。。more

Elicia ，

Slightly repetitive， but also really interesting。 Will want to circle back for exercises。

DJ Kilby ，

This is an extremely compelling and fascinating book， but it requires properly calibrated expectations beforehand。 You should begin this book knowing that the central theory requires that the authors ‘cover their bases’ — meaning that they have to review somewhat dry and esoteric material。

Sarede Switzer ，

Excellent and eye opening！

Keven Wang ，

Wow。 Amazing insights。 It threads the needle for me between posture， dental oral health and sleep apnea tendencies。 Highly recommend you read James Nestors” Breath” before diving into this one。 This ones adds in some technical and academic perspectives

Bethany ，

This book explained in more depth the information I learned from a periodontist about why malocclusion （and subsequent pulling of adult teeth） is so prevalent in our modern world。 This author takes the conclusion a step further， into obstructed airways/sleep apnea。 （Although obstructed airways can also cause a narrowing of the jaws as well）。 I need to do more research to see just how much I believe the author's claims， because there was a lot of supposition and anecdotal information and photogra This book explained in more depth the information I learned from a periodontist about why malocclusion （and subsequent pulling of adult teeth） is so prevalent in our modern world。 This author takes the conclusion a step further， into obstructed airways/sleep apnea。 （Although obstructed airways can also cause a narrowing of the jaws as well）。 I need to do more research to see just how much I believe the author's claims， because there was a lot of supposition and anecdotal information and photographs。 But an interesting read to get the gears turning on a subject that may be pertinent to many， especially parents。 。。。more

Ietrio ，

Maybe the epidemic is of small minded Governmental bureaucrats posing as experts only to sell you merchandise from their favorite Corporation。 Of course， Kahn is not an ignorant。 His personal practice spans over two millennia and he can say with certainty this used not to be a problem with the kids who were visiting his witch doctor hut back in 100 AD。

Elizabeth ，

3 ⭐

Mark Ficken ，

Game changer for breathwork。 This doesn't change you thinking， what will？ Game changer for breathwork。 This doesn't change you thinking， what will？ 。。。more

Gary ，

As a book， I want to give it 1-2 stars。 This does not invalidate the subject's critical importance in long-term health and childhood development/habit formation。 Snoring， mouth breathing， soft/processed diet， among other signs may be worth observing and discussing with a health provider （without being a hypochondriac about it）。A bold and provocative title。 The subject matter deserves that， and much， much more。 What is the subject？ I found myself wondering time and again。I feel that this book， at As a book， I want to give it 1-2 stars。 This does not invalidate the subject's critical importance in long-term health and childhood development/habit formation。 Snoring， mouth breathing， soft/processed diet， among other signs may be worth observing and discussing with a health provider （without being a hypochondriac about it）。A bold and provocative title。 The subject matter deserves that， and much， much more。 What is the subject？ I found myself wondering time and again。I feel that this book， at heart， wants to be about our chronically ill civilization。 To pinpoint， maladaptive structural changes that impact the efficacy of day-to-day breathing。 More critically， the insidious， systemic， pervasive ill-effects of obstructive sleep apnea （quality sleep has been getting better coverage and there are many good resources out there）。 Where did things go wrong for us？ Industrial diet。 Social/cultural behavioural shifts。 Superficial standard of care both in expectation and execution。Dr。 Mew and his insights were portrayed with some fondness。 I was especially moved by the included photograph of his lone petition for policy change outside the BDA。 The qualitative case studies and research cited could have been valuable， had they not been diluted with pedestrian accounts。 I feel the urgency， but it was difficult to gain depth through the repetitive， almost nagging tone of the book。That is not to say that the theories don't hold。 For me， the connections were just portrayed too hastily here。 On that note， I think compelling cases can be made without leaning on journal publications。 Maybe this is the handicap of academic reservedness that makes impactful， outward-facing work difficult？ I think this was a difficult undertaking。 This was admitted in the foreword， and the apologies peppered through our about the lack of sufficient long term data。 Chronic illness is a vast topic。 Breathing equally so， and possibly easily dismissed as trivial。 Maladapative structural changes of our jaw and entrained behaviour as a bi-product of civilization is overshadowed by the myopic fixation on aesthetic， alignment， and unfounded confidence in corrective devices。 Effort goes to improve on easily measurable， the complex underlying problems get ignored。 Garbage in， garbage out。Humblest apologies to the authors for any harsh criticism， but thank you for writing this。 I want to say that I am on your side。 But the material needs to be taken to much， much further depth even for myself as a general audience。 I hope this succeeded in planting the seed for change， and I am sure this is only one among your many commitments to health in our times。Again。 I just want to say it is an important subject。 There is a lot that needs to be told， but the picture needs to be much more vivid。I came across this book by circling around writings by:Daniel E。 Lieberman （evolution）Satchin Panda （circadian rhythm）James Nestor （breathing physiology）Matthew Walker （sleep）Jason Fung （insulin）and lastly， by way of a very informative series of ongoing lectures by Andrew Huberman。Would be curious to know if anyone else has resources they could share or add to the list。 。。。more

Shaz Tariq ，

Interesting book， I need to do some extra reading to see the other side of the arguments presented。 The book is short and pretty engaging， I look forward to reading more about the topic。

Kai ，

Uncover Big Dentist！

Chelsea Shurmantine ，

Pseudoscience trash。

David Eldredge ，

Some good info here although it does leave you feeling a little unsure what exactly to change。 Main summary is everyone， but especially kids， needs to rest with mouth closed and teeth lightly touching- This includes time at night and while not talking or eating。 The tongue pressure will expand the palate and teeth pressure will encourage proper jaw height。 In addition they encourage you to never let an orthodontist recommend removing 4 of your teeth for space unless they explain how it will effe Some good info here although it does leave you feeling a little unsure what exactly to change。 Main summary is everyone， but especially kids， needs to rest with mouth closed and teeth lightly touching- This includes time at night and while not talking or eating。 The tongue pressure will expand the palate and teeth pressure will encourage proper jaw height。 In addition they encourage you to never let an orthodontist recommend removing 4 of your teeth for space unless they explain how it will effect your airway， Encourage the eating of chewy foods （although this is loosely defined） even for weaning babies， and breast feeding for as long as possible。 。。。more

Dragana Javorina ，

A short but interesting read on jaw development in westernized societies。 For readers who have a foundational understanding of health and health disorders， the information presented in early chapters might not be ground-breaking。 However， the latter chapters highlight interesting data supporting novel orthodontic interventions in children and adults。

Silvia ，

Jaws reviewed by Tevin Gongo Really good book。 It reminds us that what is common doesn't necessarily mean is normal。 That is crazy to realise that many health issues could be completely out at least better improved just by paying attention to something as simple as keeping it mouth shut lol🙂。 Jaws reviewed by Tevin Gongo Really good book。 It reminds us that what is common doesn't necessarily mean is normal。 That is crazy to realise that many health issues could be completely out at least better improved just by paying attention to something as simple as keeping it mouth shut lol🙂。 。。。more

Dixie ，

Interesting and informative -- the type of book I kept bothering my friends with tidbits from。

Jules ，

The comedian Chris Fleming used to do a bit about meeting the annoying boyfriends of his friends。 It goes like: "One day， I'll meet a boyfriend who's just crawling around on all fours， like 'Did you know people aren't actually supposed to walk upright？' and I'll have to talk to him about his study abroad and modern society。" I kept thinking about it while reading this book， which has some interesting points to make if you care about comparative anatomy。 It also has a lot of half-baked fuzzy idea The comedian Chris Fleming used to do a bit about meeting the annoying boyfriends of his friends。 It goes like: "One day， I'll meet a boyfriend who's just crawling around on all fours， like 'Did you know people aren't actually supposed to walk upright？' and I'll have to talk to him about his study abroad and modern society。" I kept thinking about it while reading this book， which has some interesting points to make if you care about comparative anatomy。 It also has a lot of half-baked fuzzy ideas about hunter gatherers as a whole and misses out on the astonishing diversity of human diets and child-rearing traditions。 If you're not a parent weaning one child and trying to choose an orthodontist for the others， this is sort of a slog。 Still， there are excellent tidbits and the research is impressive。 。。。more

Hester ，

The central premise is an idea that has been popular with anthropologists and some fringe orthodontists: crooked teeth are a function of undersized jaws due to changes in diet and lifestyle。 Kahn and Ehrlich marshal their supportive evidence， but for anyone who wants to read about this， I would instead recommend Nestor's book "Breath。" This book seems to have more of a how-to emphasis on how to encourage jaw growth in children， but they rarely include children's ages， which make the advice hard The central premise is an idea that has been popular with anthropologists and some fringe orthodontists: crooked teeth are a function of undersized jaws due to changes in diet and lifestyle。 Kahn and Ehrlich marshal their supportive evidence， but for anyone who wants to read about this， I would instead recommend Nestor's book "Breath。" This book seems to have more of a how-to emphasis on how to encourage jaw growth in children， but they rarely include children's ages， which make the advice hard to follow。 They recommend `hard' food and a 'pre-industrial diet，' but they don't say what this is， or what age these foods can be given。 They only give lip service to women who cannot breast feed; I think that this would be a difficult read for women who had had a low supply， or required a medicine that interfered with lactation。Lastly， they seem to hero worship Dr John Mew and share an obsession with him that I found disturbing。 One of the claims is that undersized jaws can lead to undersized airways， which can lead to sleep apnea and a host of life long health problems。 This is a more than compelling reason to study jaw growth。 And yet the authors and the senior Dr Mew seem fixated instead on the attractiveness of children's faces。 They use numerous before and after pictures of children， showing how "beautiful" children became "unattractive" because of their mouth breathing。 It felt shallow and cruel。 This doesn't even touch Mew's beauty contest between identical twins， where one has been treated with traditional orthodontia and the other had been treated with Mew's `orthotropics' system。 The authors seemed to have no moral qualms with the panel judging the brothers' faces。 I finished the book convinced that there is a pressing need to do the relevant research， but I also finished creeped out by the need to rate children's looks。 。。。more

Diwakaran RP ，

When the environment evolves at a much faster rate than the humans there will be problems in adapting and some of them can even produce changes which will be realised when it's too late to act upon。 One such hidden epidemic is discussed here， wherein they talk about the rising health problems linked to the type of food and specifically the way we eat them。 When the environment evolves at a much faster rate than the humans there will be problems in adapting and some of them can even produce changes which will be realised when it's too late to act upon。 One such hidden epidemic is discussed here， wherein they talk about the rising health problems linked to the type of food and specifically the way we eat them。 。。。more

Tova ，

I read this with a shaker of salt after Weston Price was mentioned， but will try the no-device suggestions to strengthen the jaw to encourage a closed mouth posture and nose breathing。

Aram ，

I enjoyed this book。 I was wondering why we as modern humans have such horrible teeth compared to our ancestors and also why we need our wisdom teeth removed。 This book answered most my questions and also left me with some practical advise on how to keep my jaw in shape。

Pap Lőrinc ，

Useful little book， amending my previous knowledge about iatrogenics - in this case about shape of the face， chewing force。I mostly recommend it for raising children， it applies less to ill-developed adult jaws。I found it fascinating that the jaw and teeth are also constantly shifting and reorganizing， and that prolonged correct use can still ameliorate some adult deformities slowly。I'm already chewing a lot， and I'll pay more attention to keep my mouth closed （teeth touching） throughout the day Useful little book， amending my previous knowledge about iatrogenics - in this case about shape of the face， chewing force。I mostly recommend it for raising children， it applies less to ill-developed adult jaws。I found it fascinating that the jaw and teeth are also constantly shifting and reorganizing， and that prolonged correct use can still ameliorate some adult deformities slowly。I'm already chewing a lot， and I'll pay more attention to keep my mouth closed （teeth touching） throughout the day from now on。 。。。more

Shannon Blanchard ，

As a Registered Dental Hygienist， I found this book fascinating！ Loved it all and found myself noticing exactly what they were speaking of in the book。