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Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial

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Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial (Paperback)

by Simon Singh (Author), Edzard Ernst (Author)

3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)

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Product details

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Corgi Books (7 May 2009)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0552157627
ISBN-13: 978-0552157629
Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm

Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,521 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#21 in Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Complementary Medicine

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Product Description

Daily Mail, April 8, 2008

"a definitive - if controversial - guide to what works, and what doesn't. It makes indispensable, if sometimes alarming, reading"
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Sunday Times, April 20th 2008

Fearless, intelligent and remorselessly rational. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)

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43 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting insight, 18 May 2008

By	Mrs. Hazel E. Hayden - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial (Hardcover)

Any thinking person would likely agree that the public is largely capable of making its own mind up when it comes to matters which may have a bearing on their own health. So it follows that any valid evidence which might influence a decision by an individual on what might be beneficial or prove harmful in the treatment of a condition of their own health should be welcome.

I found a wealth of such information in the pages of "Trick or Treatment?" and am grateful to the authors for the depth of their research which I could never have mustered the resources to embark on myself. Professor Ernst is clearly a champion of evidence-based medicine with loyalty only to the patient.

The importance of highlighting the possibility that some herbal remedies can seriously interfere with the impact of prescription drugs can surely never be underestimated and I unreservedly commend this work which emphasises that point without overstating it. The point is also made that some so-called remedies are a complete waste of money which, if so, might be better invested in the purchase of this book.

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41 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars made my mum give up her Arnica 30C globules!, 3 Aug 2008

By	Dr. C. Becker (Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial (Hardcover)

I have been meaning to write a review of Trick or Treatment for some months now and had a lot of sophisticated ideas how to phrase it. In the meantime, I had sent my mother a "care package", with dried cranberries, organic Earl Grey tea and a copy of Trick or Treatment. She called me last weekend and said:

"This book is so full of suspense and so extraordinarily well written. I understand what you mean now. I guess I will have to give up my beloved Arnica globules then. It *does* make sense that they cannot work if there is nothing in them. To bad that the German version does not come out until next year, I have some friends who should read this book."

There, that sums it up: Singh and Ernst obviously struck the right tone and paced the book appropriately for the educated user of "alternative medicine" to follow and accept the conclusions of many careful trials. That is excellent, because I myself somehow never muster the patience to go through the details, why this or that "alternative" is not even worth trying.

The only point that I found irritating (and so did my mum) is the sparseness of literature. Few sources are cited and they only refer to the chapter rather than a specific statement. This is something that would be worth amending in future printings and/or in other language additions. I want all necessary references in the book I am reading and don't want to be refered to another book of the author for background.

A must read for:

Any person in the medical field, so they understand who and what contributes to healing (the colour of the pill often as much as the ingredient).

Anyone with a longer lasting medical condition (since they are the prime "target" for most of the CAM methods and practitioners).

Any parent (most CAM products are essentially "Wellness" and parents should realize that they can generate "Wellness" for their child without the stringent rules of homeopathy, or the potentially dangerous upper spine manipulations of a chiropractor).

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23 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Medical Myth Buster, 8 Jun 2008

By	Loretta J. Marron "The Jelly Bean Lady" (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial (Hardcover)

This book should be compulsory reading for every medical student, doctor and the worried well. It is easy to read and it explains both the history and research now available for many traditional and some very creative placebo treatments and products.

I recommend this book to anyone with an open mind to science and medical research.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, interesting statistics and very well researched
I bought this book after listening to both of the authors for an hour or so at the Hay-on-Wye literature festival a couple of years ago. Read more

Published 9 days ago by Oscarik

5.0 out of 5 stars Educational without being dull
This book (along with Ben Goldacre's Bad Science) gave me the knowledge and tools to properly assess the efficacy of alternate medicines in a reasonable and rational way. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Jason Delport

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Waste Your Money
Another "expert" trying to make a buck. Most of Mr. Ernst's facts can be disproven with simple internet searches. Read more

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3.0 out of 5 stars A bit one-sided for those in the know
I comment only on the coverage of acupuncture in this book as I don't have the experience or expertise to comment on the other therapies (not that this stopped Dr. Read more

Published 8 months ago by ACJ

3.0 out of 5 stars Rigourous research poorly presented.
This book starts with a chapter explaining the scientific method, and particularly the nature of the type of clinical trials designed to evaluate the value of medical treatments... Read more

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