Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine - Hardcover

Ernst, Edzard; Singh, Simon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393066614 ISBN 13: 9780393066616

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008

Synopsis

The truth about the potions, lotions, pills and needles, pummelling and energizing that lie beyond the realms of conventional medicine.

Whether you are an ardent believer in alternative medicine, a skeptic, or are simply baffled by the range of services and opinions, this guide lays to rest doubts and contradictions with authority, integrity, and clarity. In this groundbreaking analysis, over thirty of the most popular treatments―acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology, chiropractic, and herbal medicines―are examined for their benefits and potential dangers. Questions answered include: What works and what doesn't? What are the secrets, and what are the lies? 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.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Prince Charles is a staunch defender and millions of people swear by it; most UK doctors consider it to be little more than superstition and a waste of money.

Welcome to the world of alternative medicine.

In Trick or Treatment? the truth about the efficacy of alternative medicine is rigorously addressed for the first time by the scientist uniquely qualified to do so: Professor Edzard Ernst, the world’s first professor of complementary medicine. Having spent over a decade at Exeter University meticulously analyzing the bewildering evidence for and against alternative therapies, this former practitioner of both traditional and complementary medicine brings no bias to the subject.

Writing with him is the respected science writer, Simon Singh, who also brings his considerable scientific knowledge and scrupulous impartiality to this most controversial subject. Together, they deliver a hard-hitting, yet honest examination of more than thirty of the most popular treatments, such as Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Chiropractic and Herbal medicines.

Whether you are an ardent follower, sceptic or just plain baffled by the subject, Trick or Treatment? is a groundbreaking guide which finally lays to rest the doubts and contradictions that have dogged this subject for so long. Written with authority, integrity and clarity, this book delivers the ultimate verdict on alternative medicine.

About the Author:

Edzard Ernst, based at the University of Exeter, is the UK’s first professor of complementary medicine.

Best-selling author and science journalist Simon Singh lives in London. His books include Fermat’s Last Theorem, The Code Book, and Big Bang.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0393066614
• ISBN 13: 9780393066616
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352