Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine

by Simon Singh, Edzard Ernst

Overview

“For anyone who has ever wondered about the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of such alternative therapies…offers fascinating and clearly presented information” —Susan Okie, Washington Post

Whether you are an ardent believer in alternative medicine, a skeptic, or simply baffled by the range of services and opinions, this book lays to rest doubts and contradictions with authority and clarity. In this groundbreaking analysis, more than thirty of the most popular treatments—including acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology, chiropractic, and herbal medicines—are examined for their proven benefits and potential dangers. What works and what doesn’t? Whom can you trust, and who is ripping you off? While guiding the reader through a wide range of alternative cures, Trick or Treatment hones in on narrative case histories that illustrate the pros and cons of alternative medicine. Ultimately, in its scrutiny of alternative and complementary cures, this book strives to reassert the primacy of the scientific method as a means for determining public health practice and policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393337785
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	10/19/2009
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	882,888
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Edzard Ernst, based at the University of Exeter, is the world’s first professor of complementary medicine. He is the author of numerous books for professionals, including The Oxford Handbook of Complementary Medicine.

Simon Singh, science journalist, tv producer, and best-selling author, lives in London. His books include Trick or Treatment, Fermat’s Enigma, The Code Book, and Big Bang.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 How do You Determine the Truth? 6

2 The Truth About Acupuncture 39

3 The Truth About Homeopathy 91

4 The Truth About Chiropractic Therapy 145

5 The Truth About Herbal Medicine 191

6 Does the Truth Matter? 236

Appendix: Rapid Guide to Alternative Therapies 290

Futher Reading 329

Acknowledgements 333

Picture Credits 334

Index 335

Editorial Reviews

"Clear and vivid, and the historical anecdotes provide a valuable perspective on the subject…Meets the need for a current, evidence-based survey of alternative therapies."

New England Journal of Medicine

"A powerful indictment of medical treatments based on anecdotes and conjectures rather than on established science. The book describes scientific evaluation of all forms of conventional and alternative medical treatments, with fully developed chapters about acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic therapy and herbal medicine…Vital."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Fred Bortz

"Entertaining as well as informative…The examination of evidence is comprehensive, forensic, and for champions of these therapies, damning."

Nature - Toby Murcott

"Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst sort fact from hype in Trick or Treatment…Why is it, the authors ask, that smart people believe the oddest things? In this question lies a welcome assumption: Readers are smart. And this diagnosis sets Trick or Treatment apart from the multitude of books about alternative medicine on the market today."

San Francisco Chronicle - Holly Tucker