Who can you trust, and who is ripping you off? Can science decide what is best, or do the old wives' tales really tap into ancient, superior wisdom? In their scrutiny of alternative and complementary cures, authors Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst also strive to reassert the primacy of the scientific method as a means for determining public health practice and policy.
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Please share with us. Interesting read. This book aims to explain the most common alternative therapies - acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, homeopathy and herbal medicine - and analyze their usefulness based on the same method as mainstream medicine is rigorously tested.
The book details the history of clinical trials based on scientific method and explains simply and thorougly. It is thanks to clinical trials that medicine profession began to emerge from the dark ages years ago and that we can now see our GP's without risking ou This book aims to explain the most common alternative therapies - acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, homeopathy and herbal medicine - and analyze their usefulness based on the same method as mainstream medicine is rigorously tested.
It is thanks to clinical trials that medicine profession began to emerge from the dark ages years ago and that we can now see our GP's without risking our lives. However, alternative therapy somehow escapes the normal laws applied to drugs and treatments as they are "natural" and "traditional".
The authors are very open minded in presenting the evidence. However, the evidence clearly states that at best, alternative medicine has some mild positive benefits mostly due to the placebo effect and down-right lethal at worst.
At the end of the book, ten most important sources of alternative medicine misinformation get a bashing - inlcuding the WHO. This only confirms my suspicion that the WHO has been lead astray and is now too profit-oriented for its own good. Alternative medicine is a billion dollar industry. Money spent on things that mostly do not work.
For example, homeopathic medicine contain not a molecule of active ingredient, so how can anyone be surprised that it does not work? Acupuncture and chiropractic therapy have fuzzy mystical origins, as do many other alternative therapies. This book confirmed that alternative medicine is little better than witch-craft and psychic mumbo-jumbo.
I would rather spend my money on therapy and medicine which has been proven to work, than rely on alternative therapies which is all hype, mostly placebo effect, relatively uncontrolled by legislation and potentially dangerous. This book is superbly written, riddled with fascinating facts and an absolutely must-read for anyone who has ever taken as much as an aspirin. Clear, concise, easy to read and highly entertaining. Jul 11, Jenny rated it it was amazing.
I'd been hoping to find a book like this. It was well done and interesting. The introductory chapter and explanation of the history of clinical trials was well done. Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Chiropractic, and Herbal Medicine are examined in detail, and there is a nice appendix with summaries on a plethora of other alternative therapies I'd been hoping to find a book like this.
Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Chiropractic, and Herbal Medicine are examined in detail, and there is a nice appendix with summaries on a plethora of other alternative therapies. I would say it's a must read for anyone interested in alternative medicine, and if you do read it, I'd love to talk to you about it or just hear a note about what you thought about it.
The discussion on the placebo effect and the ideas about why alternative medicine is increasing so hugely in popularity were also very interesting. Here are a couple of the things that stuck out to me: I had no idea that homeopathic remedies were THAT dilute, or that the practice had gained such a huge following in Europe. Homeopathic hospitals? I found the chiropractic chapter surprisingly negative. Makes me want to dig a little deeper. If all they said was true, I'm surprised it's not making headlines.
Basic summary was Chiropractic is useful for back pain but not much else, and neck adjustments can be fatal! One of the shining examples of "alternative" medicine triumphs over "conventional" medicine was echinachea. It really does shorten the duration of the common cold. But, naturally, taking too large a dose for too long is not without some negative side effects. It's neat that this plant used appropriately can do what no over the counter drug can.
And with my pro-natural-birth leanings I would have appreciated a little side note by the way, maternity care is not very evidenced based , but I suppose the topic must be curtailed to fit in a single volume book, and the authors did the job of addressing the subject quite nicely. The only critique I had that they should have indexed or footnoted their book with the studies they cited.
It would add a little more weight to their work to say "We read all the clinical trials and mega studies, and they said x, and by the way here are the references" and to just say "Trust us, we did the research and the results are this. May 01, Jennifer rated it it was ok. I only read the section of this book that related to chiropractic care. The authors seem to make the fatal assumption that the double-blind study it the only valid test of a medical treatment.
Although the book seemed well researched and accurate in the facts presented, it was written with a clear bias against non-allopathic medicine. Since they claim that they are presenting a scientific and unbiased view, they have clearly failed in their goals. I actually believe that the time I spent on this I only read the section of this book that related to chiropractic care. I actually believe that the time I spent on this book was wasted. View all 3 comments. Oct 31, Eva rated it did not like it.
I was really frustrated by this book. So frustrated that I returned it with about 50 pages left to read. I'm not even sure I can tell you exactly why I didn't like it, but I found the attitude of the authors some what holier-than-thou, and not really very helpful or useful.
It's particularly ironic that I didn't like the book, since I agree with most of what they said. Jan 30, Justin Chiu rated it it was amazing. Simon Singh is a brilliant science author who makes difficult concepts easy to understand. In this book, he examines the evidence for and against alternative medicine as well as diving into the history of medicine and the randomised control trial.
Very easy to read and he's very direct with his analysis, not pulling any punches if he feels a particular therapy lacks evidence. Trick or Treatment didn't have to carry me very far, I was already severely dubious of any from of alternative medicine, and it may in fact have made me reconsider my own point of view on a number of the treatments that apparently have some claim to efficacy, despite the authors' overwhelmingly negative conclusions with regards to the efficacy of alternative treatments.
However, I don't know whether I really appreciated its overall tone, which, while informative, struck me as too impassioned to b Trick or Treatment didn't have to carry me very far, I was already severely dubious of any from of alternative medicine, and it may in fact have made me reconsider my own point of view on a number of the treatments that apparently have some claim to efficacy, despite the authors' overwhelmingly negative conclusions with regards to the efficacy of alternative treatments.
However, I don't know whether I really appreciated its overall tone, which, while informative, struck me as too impassioned to be as neutral as they claimed to be. I agreed with their arguments, and I too was shocked and outraged when they presented the evidence and theory behind some of these treatments, homeopathy in particular.
Unfortunately I don't think their arguments will be nearly as convincing when faced with someone who has a vested interested, or even a strong belief, in the treatments they describe. A lighter touch would probably be more convincing, and might have made it a slightly easier read. That said, I came out of this book feeling significantly more knowledgable on the subject than I was when I started.
The references that I followed up on proved solid and intriguing, which leads me to believe that the authors' position is both well researched and dependable.
I thought it was interesting that one of the authors, Edzard Ernst , is an expert in the field of Complementary and Alternative medecine, and has even practiced homeopathy. I should note that the book is written from a British perspective, and that all of the references to healthcare, costs, etc I didn't mind this, as Canada's healthcare system seems fairly close to the UK system, and the majority of the information the book provides is location agnostic.
Dec 13, Mike rated it really liked it. So a while back a friend of mine used acupuncture to help with some nausea issues. I teased her about it and said it was just the placebo effect. Then I heard that some studies indicated that acupuncture may truly be useful for certain kinds of pain and nausea. In order to confirm this, I wanted to find a trusted source. I'm rather new to the skeptical community, but I have already heard much about Simon Singh and his battles with British libel laws to tell the truth about chiropractics.
So I th So a while back a friend of mine used acupuncture to help with some nausea issues. So I thought he would be a good person to trust.
I was very happy with my choice. The book is quite well written. It's not just a dry account of peer-reviewed studies. It tells the stories of how various forms of alternative medicine became so popular, some of which are very strange and interesting. The book also weaves in stories of how evidence-based medicine came to take hold in Western society. It's amazing how far medicine has come in just a couple centuries.
So many people contributing in small ways that add up to change the world. And Florence Nightingale is so much cooler than they bothered to teach me in high school. As for my friend's acupuncture, well I guess it's still unclear whether or not acupuncture works beyond placebo for nausea. Further evidence may well show that it's useless, but at the time of her treatment, there was some apparently legitimate positive evidence.
So it was a legitimate choice and I should probably go apologize. Nov 11, Angela G. Gentile rated it it was amazing. Simon Singh and Professor Edzard Ernst team up in "Trick or Treatment: Alternative Medicine on Trial" to bust the myths of the effectiveness of some of the most popular complementary and alternative treatments.
He was formerly a clinical doctor and studied homeopathy. Singh has a Ph. Ernst and Singh put together an impressive lineup of reasons why unorthodox and ancient treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic and herbal medicine are mainly nothing more than a placebo and also come with risks.
This controversial stand on alternative treatments has me convinced, as I am a scientific-based kind of believer — especially when it comes to healthcare, risks and providing false hope. I am a cancer survivor and have done my due diligence of researching treatments and cures, both orthodox and integrative. I consider myself very open-minded, and if there are little costs and little risks involved, I am willing to give anything a try.
It also seemed to be one big advertisement for St. I liked the fact that Ernst has a history in homeopathy and he took the time to research many of the alternative and complementary therapies according to scientific-based evidence. Many of these therapies have been studied and he has dug up the dirt and given us a couple quick reference tools to refer to.
He also strongly urges people to let their doctor know what herbs they are taking as they can interfere with pharmaceuticals. His second guide will be discussed below. There are many references throughout the book giving examples of how people with cancer often seek alternative therapies or at least are recommended by others to seek them.
Although this information is out there, people continue to use it to this day. This is true for many other alternative treatments. The authors list ten culprits why these unproven and disproven treatments continue to be used, promoted and wrongfully touted as effective. It is an actual eye-opener, especially when we realize the power of the media, universities and alternative gurus such as Deepak Chopra and Dr.
Andrew Weil. The authors include a definition, background, evidence and conclusion and reassure the reader these therapies have been rigorously investigated against scientific evidence and meta-analyses where available. This is a well-written book which has helped me open my eyes to the reasons why these alternative therapies are still around, despite the truth, that they are nothing more than placebos and some come with risks that are rarely talked about.
Placebos that are harmless offer nothing more than psychological benefits. Where there is belief and hope that something will work, it most likely will. As long as there are little risks, little costs and big rewards, people will continue to seek out these treatments.
Some people feel that doing something is better than doing nothing — as the placebo effect works in mysterious ways. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the truth about alternative medicine and would rather put their efforts, resources and hope into reliable, scientific-based, effective medical treatments and cures. The other book I read on this topic came up with the same conclusion about the placebo effect — "Do You Believe in Magic?
Angela G. Gentile, M. Jul 26, Robyn rated it it was ok Shelves: popular-medicine. This book gives accurate, scientifically tested facts about complementary and alternative medicine and the surrounding community. It includes some very interesting anecdotes and comparisons, as well as some excellent suggestions for the future of medicine. That being said, the writing style is atrocious.
Don't get me wrong, Simon Singh can undoubtedly write very well. However, he uses a scathing, critical style when discussing alternative medicine, whether he is discussing treatments that work or This book gives accurate, scientifically tested facts about complementary and alternative medicine and the surrounding community.
However, he uses a scathing, critical style when discussing alternative medicine, whether he is discussing treatments that work or treatments that don't. His tone can come across as patronising and derogatory at times in a way that is extremely offputting.
I am very glad I read this book because of the scientific research and facts. I just wish it had been written in a less cutting manner. Jan 01, Baal Of rated it it was amazing. Extremely thorough, even-handed overview of the current state of alternative medicine from a scientific viewpoint.
In depth coverage of acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, and herbal medicine, with an excellent supplemental section giving single page overviews of a whole laundry list of alternative approaches. The authors fulfill their intent to approach the subjects with an attitude of determining what actually works, what has been shown not to work, and where the research is lacking or unce Extremely thorough, even-handed overview of the current state of alternative medicine from a scientific viewpoint.
The authors fulfill their intent to approach the subjects with an attitude of determining what actually works, what has been shown not to work, and where the research is lacking or uncertain. The fact is that most of these so-called alternative therapies do not meet most of their claims, but in the few cases where there does seem to be evidence, the authors are clear and fair. Dec 25, Wrenn1 is currently reading it.
The ratings here on this book appear to reflect the opinion of the "choir". If you believe strongly in something find a book that confirms your belief so you can tell yourself you were right. Mar 10, Mike rated it it was amazing. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This one gets 5 stars because it has valuable information that I think everyone should know.
Otherwise, I give it 4 stars because the authors repeat themselves too much toward the end and I think some of the chapters could be shorter I often have this complaint. Why are books so long! In this case, it might be because they are not sure if the reader will skip around or only read certain chapters so they felt like they needed to repeat context for each topic.
Now, having made that minor complain This one gets 5 stars because it has valuable information that I think everyone should know. Now, having made that minor complaint let me affirm my admiration for Simon Singh. I think his is an absolutely fantastic writer I am even amazed that he could say the same thing so many times in so many different ways!
That book catapulted me into my engineering degree and on to my PhD. Simon and his co-author Edzard Ernst, MD, begin by reviewing the scientific method and tell a number of very interesting stories about historical events that helped pave the way to the gold standard of medical research: the randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Their story telling is as a great as their stories. Did you know that George Washington was essentially killed by his doctors through bloodletting?
I think the authors do a fine job easing the facts onto their readers who might be believers. They are carefully sensitive and help explain why the large misconception persists.
Each chapter covers a major alternative medicine. I think because they believe the claims of this multi-billion dollar industry are often knowingly dishonest. After hundreds of clinical trials homeopathy does not demonstrate absolutely any benefits, besides the placebo effect. Furthermore, the underlying theory of homeopathy defies all modern understanding of biology, physics, and chemistry.
In addition to these main chapters, the appendix provides a quick summary for 36 other alternative medicines and therapies. All of these have undergone extensive clinical tests. Some have been subjected to hundreds of scientific tests.
Here are few I cared about: Aromatherapy — clinically shown to provide effective short term calming, but everything else is just a placebo Cleansing diets — not useful for any illnesses Detox through various means — not useful for any illnesses Ear candling — proven to be useless Hypnotherapy — useful for pain, anxiety, irritable bowl syndrome, stress, and insomnia, but nothing else Magnet therapy — useless Massage therapy — useful for musculoskeletal pain, anxiety, and depression, but nothing else Meditation — clinically proven to be effective for pain, anxiety, stress, and lowering blood pressure, but nothing else Muscle testing — useless Naturopathy — the associated lifestyle change is useful for anxiety, stress, and overall well being Reflexology — a foot massage can help with pain, anxiety, and stress, but everything else is rubbish Reiki — useless I think my favorite part of the book was learning about the phenomenal power of the placebo.
It is also because many of these therapies like chiropractic and acupuncture require multiple visits over extended time periods, so the body heals itself anyway. In the case of homeopathy and herbal remedies, it is often because the manufacturer has dishonestly laced the medicine with conventional medicine.
They dedicate a chapter to the question of whether or not these therapies should be continued and even encouraged since they provide an effective placebo. They also discuss the frustration people have with conventional medicine. They admit that for thousands of years, up until the era of modern medicine which is only about years ago, medicine actually did more harm than good. Modern medicine does not actually claim a cure for these illnesses, so instead is admittedly treats only the symptoms.
For this reason, the authors argue that one thing that could improve the situation is if conventional doctors would start giving a little better TLC. And also take time to remind patients about the importance of good nutrition, exercise, rest, and relaxation. Here are a few other interesting things I learned. Mao Zedong revised acupuncture from near obsolescence in order provide a cheap medical treatment that could be prescribed by his government run health care program. Adolf Hitler did the same with homeopathy.
Different colored pills give a stronger placebo for different ailments. For example, green is best for anxiety and white for indigestion.
Bigger pills are more powerful. Shots are better than pills. Doctors in white coats are more effective. Placebo treatment is more effective if it is exotic, mystical, ancient, natural, applied so as to felt, or visually interesting when applied.
Notice that acupuncture has all these things. Sep 24, D rated it really liked it. In short: stay far away from acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic therapy, and herbal medicine. The evidence for this was clear and concise 10 years ago when this book was written and more of it has piled up since then.
I was prompted to read this book after several suggestions to buy an EMF protection pendant or a similar product. Dumbfounded and somewhat depressed, I was directed to trawl through a gob of tripe which was supposed to be sufficient to convince me. Unfortunately for them, Popular In short: stay far away from acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic therapy, and herbal medicine.
Unfortunately for them, Popular Science , perhaps the oldest and most reliable science magazine, reassures us that "bracelets can't protect you from electromagnetic radiation-and you don't need protection anyway.
Of course, this is not enough for true believers. It's never enough. So I turned to this book for the purpose of commiseration. It's a short, accessible read for the layman who wants to make good decisions for himself and the people around him.
It does just that. It goes just deep enough so that an informed decision can be made. A short history of modern medicine and science is given, which helps the reader to truly appreciate some of the greatest gifts bestowed upon humanity, courtesy of the European spirit.
In the same way, background information for each of the major branches of alternative medicine is given, cutting through the foggy yarns spun by advocates. Clinical trials are explained, which is the method by which we solve problems. Next, the results of clinical trials are given. This simple formula is repeated throughout to book to prove that orthodox treatments come out on top every time. If we have the proper way to find answers to medical questions, we should not be timid in asserting our judgments, regardless of whatever bodies of knowledge we may be marginalizing.
Opinions and feelings are always secondary when it comes to such dire matters. Some interesting points from Trick or Treatment. Western medicine advanced much more quickly than Eastern due to the practice of human dissection. The Chinese are a prime example.
Due to their squeamish, qualmish superstitiousness, along with their propensity for blind groupthink and obsession with propriety, Confucian collectivism discouraged dissection. Though it may have revealed the most important and beneficial secrets in the universe, they simply refused to cut a single centimeter into human flesh. Because of this, their medicine, as well as their general scientific knowledge, was based merely on external appearance.
Much weight was given to tradition, nature, elders, propriety, balance, symmetry, etc. Quaint and poetic ideas such as these spawned practices like acupuncture, rife with hearsay, conjecture, and anecdote. Since they had no knowledge of human anatomy, they used their imaginations to come up with the idea that we have Chi Meridians inside of us. Sure enough, a lie repeated frequently enough becomes a travestied truth.
Now, we have needle-pokers all around the world. Europeans had the prudence to actually seek the truth. They cut people open and figured out how they worked. This unique perspective and approach was and continues to be at odds with much of the known world. Some ideas are truly better than others, and these come from particular people, places, and cultures. A second point is an intimation of a sort of "poor privilege. The most sought-after treatments were harmful, such as bloodletting.
There was also a general lack of hygiene when it came to practitioners and facilities. Therefore, it was often safer to not be treated at all. As a general rule, it is thought that the wealthy exploit the poor at every turn, having unfair advantages over their counterparts in all situations. Here we see an interesting exception to the rule.
The third point concerns the noble actions of the NSDAP in regard to clinical research and globally beneficial scientific progress.
In short, I blame Churchill for homeopathy. Simon Singh really goes full Dinesh D'Souza on this one. The West is the Best! Jun 25, Amber rated it it was amazing Shelves: non-fiction , own-it.
Jun 08, Elaine Nelson rated it really liked it Shelves: history , science , health , non-fiction. More seriously, I like the detailed approach to these fairly common "alternative" techniques. The authors start with a history of evidence-based medicine and the application of the scientific method to human health, before going on to each of the modalities in particular.
And throughout they introduce and reinforce scientific techniques for evaluating proposed remedies. Plus they personalize science by describing how the techniques evolved and the people involved. It had never occurred to me, btw, that placebo also boosts the benefits provided by truly effective techniques.
I've not been much for alternative medicine, but even I was surprised at the evidence in some aspects. Except for homeopathy. The whole idea of it makes me giggle. Chiropractic in particular -- some years back I saw a chiropractor for overpoweringly bad and frequent headaches. My regular doctor hadn't been a lot of help: I had some medication that provided symptom relief, but whacked me out and didn't reduce either the severity or the frequency.
To his credit, the chiropractor suggested massage which I think gave genuine relief and didn't encourage me to keep going after the headaches started to trail off. But after reading this, I have to wonder about my crazy popping neck, which didn't used to do that at all.
Ultimately, it's my take that the headaches were somewhat psychosomatic, and were eventually "cured" with therapy and later antidepressants. But anecdote! In any case, very engaging and thought-provoking. Includes an appendix with quick reviews of a couple dozen other modalities. Caveats: I'm not sure how effective this would be with someone who was really into alternative medicine, except that one of the authors is a former homeopath.
The tone occasionally tips into LOLcrackpots! Feb 25, Todd Martin rated it it was amazing. Trick or Treatment takes a scientific look at the evidence for and against Alternative Medicine. Acupuncture — There is no such thing as Chi or Meridians. Some evidence exists for minor and temporar Trick or Treatment takes a scientific look at the evidence for and against Alternative Medicine.
Some evidence exists for minor and temporary relief of pain or nausea, however as more data comes in these are looking more and more like placebo effects. The treatment as a whole should be considered quackery. Homeopathy — The substances contain no active ingredients, water does not have a memory. The entire theory is nonsense. Unmitigated quackery.
Chiropractic — There is no such thing as sublexation or innate intelligence. Some evidence exists for minor and temporary relief of back pain, however these conditions are often better and less expensively treated through conventional medicine. Manipulation of the neck can kill you. Largely quackery. Herbal Medicine — A mixed bag. Some herbal medicines have been shown to be effective, many are not useful, have harmful side effects and are expensive. Do your homework before using.
The book then details evidence for many other alternative therapies and why perpetration of these frauds matters. Other quackery includes: magnet therapy, colonic irrigation, aromatherapy, feng shui, oxygen therapy, spiritual healing and prayer. Trick or Treatment is highly recommended.
My only criticism is that they ignore the fact that big Pharma often manipulates drug trials in order to return the results they desire.
One look at recent drug recalls tells a different story. Let the patient beware. Jun 27, Michelle rated it really liked it Shelves: health , academic , popular-science , research , reference. This methodical assessment of the clinical evidence of the effectiveness of alternative medicine treatments is straight-up brutal - but hey, that's science for you.
The authors of Trick or Treatment certainly agree that there's no point in mincing words when mountains of evidence show no or minimal clinical effect beyond placebo in treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and energy healing.
Their tone throughout the book is unlikely to change the minds of alt-medicine true believers, but the This methodical assessment of the clinical evidence of the effectiveness of alternative medicine treatments is straight-up brutal - but hey, that's science for you. Their tone throughout the book is unlikely to change the minds of alt-medicine true believers, but the arguments are entirely fair and evidence-based.
If you're on the authors' side already, it's worth reading just to understand how creative researchers have created 'blinded' control treatments for clinical trials - the ones for acupuncture are a trip!
I have sympathy with the disappointed or disbelieving reading this book. It can be hard to hear that a treatment you've been pursuing, which appears to be yielding positive results, is only appearing to yield those results because you believe in the treatment, not because it's actually doing anything substantial to your biology. And then, if you stop believing - the treatment won't work anymore! I myself have toyed with a few of the treatments examined in this book, not fully believing in them, but certainly not dismissing them out of hand except that I may have rolled an eye when my chiropractor claimed to be rubbing 'homeopathic' pain cream on my back.
If anything, my instinct has been to go for ones more based in direct physical effects rather than woo-y spiritual promises, an approach which is also borne out by the evidence in this book. With most alternative treatments, though, ultimately you have to assess whether you're willing to pay for the placebo effect: at what price, and with what risks. Sep 02, Sarah rated it it was amazing Shelves: non-fiction , science. This is an excellent book. I went into it expecting it to be a preaching-to-the-choir experience and thus a bit boring but wanting reinforcement on my thinking , but in fact I found it quite engaging and I learned quite a bit.
The authors present a solid and comprehensive overview of the history of evidence-based medicine, the main techniques involved in clinical trials as well as systematic review and meta-analysis of such trials, the history of the four main alternative therapies considered a This is an excellent book.
The authors present a solid and comprehensive overview of the history of evidence-based medicine, the main techniques involved in clinical trials as well as systematic review and meta-analysis of such trials, the history of the four main alternative therapies considered acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic therapy, and herbal medicine and the clinical trials that have been done to test those therapies.
They discuss both efficacy and safety considerations, the placebo effect, and various ethical points; they present analysis of what has led to the present state of affairs and why so many people believe in unproven therapies; and they lay out recommendations for what organizations, government, doctors, and the media could do differently to make sure people get better information about which therapies have solid evidence behind them and which do not.
In particular I learned quite a bit of surprising information about chiropractic therapy that I was unaware of it is based on a non-scientific theory and can be quite dangerous; there is only mild evidence that it can be effective for back and neck pain and not for anything else , given it has become so mainstream in the USA. After reading this book, I would be very hesitant to go to a chiropractor.
In general, this book has helped me answer the question of how I decide who to trust and what to be skeptical of when it comes to medical treatments, and what to be aware of when considering the options.
I highly recommend it. Dec 27, Andrew rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction. I picked this book up at the library by chance. It is a fascinating exploration of both standard medicine and alternative medicine.
It describes the successes and failures of standard medicine, and how the medical profession continually tests treatments to determine which work and which don't.
It then describes in detail acupuncture, chiropractry, homeopathy and herbal medicine, describing their history, their philosophy and their effectiveness. I never fully understood the first three, so this I picked this book up at the library by chance. I never fully understood the first three, so this was an eye opener for me.
It also then describes the scientific tests to determine their effectiveness. An appendix gives a one-page summary of about twenty other alternative medicines. Most of these have been proven to offer little or no benefit beyond a placebo effect. Which is not entirely surprising. Many homeopathic medicines are nothing more than water that is supposed to have a "memory" of an active ingredient, and one is actually based on a piece of the Berlin Wall. It was interesting to learn that both acupuncture and homeopathy had fallen out of favor in the 's, but were resurrected when Chinese communist and Nazi Germans were looking for nationalistic and cheap methods to supply promised health care to their country.
I would guess that ardent believers in alternative therapies will dismiss the results, but it is food for thought. Most importantly - as a reader - the writing was excellent and compelling Readers also enjoyed. About Simon Singh. Simon Singh. Simon Lehna Singh, MBE is a British author who has specialised in writing about mathematical and scientific topics in an accessible manner. He is the maiden winner of the Lilavati Award.
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