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Revision as of 03:50, 3 November 2009
 Cover of first edition | |
| Author | Simon Singh, Edzard Ernst |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Alternative medicine |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Publication date | 2008 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 0593061292 |
| OCLC | 190777228 |
Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial (North American title: Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine) is a 2008 book about alternative medicine by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst. Singh is a physicist and the writer of several popular science books. Ernst is a professor of complementary medicine.
Contents
The book evaluates the scientific evidence for acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal medicine, and chiropractic, and briefly covers 36 other treatments. It finds that the scientific evidence for these alternative treatments is generally lacking. Homeopathy is concluded to be completely ineffective: "It's nothing but a placebo, despite what homeopaths say".
Although the book presents evidence that acupuncture, chiropractic and herbal remedies have limited efficacy for certain ailments, the authors conclude that the dangers of these treatments outweigh any potential benefits. Such potential risks outlined by the authors are contamination or unexpected interactions between components in the case of herbal medicine, risk of infection in the case of acupuncture and the potential for chiropractic manipulation of the neck to cause delayed stroke.
Reception
The book received generally good reviews. The New England Journal of Medicine reviewed the book and said this about the authors: "Simon Singh is a physicist and science journalist, and his coauthor, Edzard Ernst, is a physician and professor of complementary medicine. Ernst is one of the best qualified people to summarize the evidence on this topic." The Daily Telegraph found the book to be "a clearly written, scrupulously scientific examination of the health claims of key areas of alternative medicine: acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic therapy and herbal medicine. The results are stark. In no case, apart from in some limited ways in herbal medicine, do any of these 'therapies’ work. On the contrary, they can be life-threatening." The journal Nature tempered a generally positive review of the book with a concern that the authors' sense of certainty "mirrors that of the proponents of alternative therapies, leaving each position as entrenched as ever."
The book drew criticism from consumers and practitioners of alternative therapies. The British Journal of General Practice published a review by Jeremy Swayne (former Dean of the Faculty of Homeopathy) that was critical of the book and its argument.
Subsequent libel case and freedom of speech
Singh was sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association for comments he wrote in a column in The Guardian about the book. U.K. advocacy group Alliance for Natural Health criticized Ernst and the book, claiming it was unscientific and drew conclusions from flawed studies.
References
- ISBN 0393066614
- ^ Murcott, Toby (2008-06-12). "Complementary cures tested". Nature. 453: 856–857. doi:10.1038/453856a. Retrieved 2009-01-21. Cite error: The named reference "nature" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- Metcalf, Fran (2008-06-20). "Alternative medicines draws fire". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- Marcus, Donald M. (2008). "Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine". New England Journal of Medicine. 359. USA: Massachusetts Medical Society: 2076–2077. doi:10.1056/NEJMbkrev0805020. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- Leggatt, Johanna (2008-11-08). "Complementary medicine: seeking out alternatives". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- Book review of "Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine." New England Journal of Medicine Volume 359:2076-2077 November 6, 2008 Number 19
- Owen and Cousins, Paperbacks: reviews. Daily Telegraph, 10 May 2009
- Kapp, John (2008), "Book Review: Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial" (PDF), Forsch Komplementarmedizin, 2008 (15): 238–239, retrieved 24-Oct-2009
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - Swayne, Jeremy (1 October 2008), "Book review: Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial", British Journal of General Practice, 58 (555): 738–739, doi:10.3399/bjgp08X342525
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Singh, Simon (2008-04-19). "Beware the spinal trap". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- Eden, Richard (16 Aug 2008). "Doctors take Simon Singh to court". Mandrake. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Starling, Shane (2008-04-25). "CAM criticism not justified, says ANH". NutraIngredients.com. Retrieved 2009-01-21.