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

by Simon Singh (Author), Edzard Ernst (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam Press (21 April 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0593061292
  • ISBN-13: 978-0593061299
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 158,164 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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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"


Sunday Times, April 20th 2008

Fearless, intelligent and remorselessly rational.
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Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial
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Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial 3.9 out of 5 stars (35)
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Big Bang: The Most Important Scientific Discovery of All Time and Why You Need to Know About it 4.8 out of 5 stars (31)
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Customer Reviews

35 Reviews
5 star:
 (21)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
42 of 52 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)   
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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39 of 49 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)   
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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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A very therapeutic book, 25 Nov 2008
By JA Foxton (Worcester, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is a very well-structured and well-written book. It opens by considering the case for evidence-based medicine before moving onto its four main chapters. These deal primarily with acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic and herbal medicine. Where there is favourable evidence then this will be mentioned.

The book then concludes by examining some of the more general issues including an analysis of the main culprits who promote alternative medicine. In addition, there is an appendix which gives a one page analysis to about 30 other therapies. I would imagine that this would cover more or less everything which someone is likely to encounter.

I read this book in parallel with 'Suckers' by Rose Shapiro and would highly recommend anyone else to do likewise. If you have a particular interest in osteopathy then Shapiro's book considers it in greater depth. Another book which might be worth investigating would be 'Irrationality' by Stuart Sutherland. One of the things which he highlights is the widespread statistical illiteracy which is found within the (orthodox) medical profession. He argues that a good understanding of statistics is one of the few things which gives some protection against making irrational decisions.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

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
Published 4 days ago by Figbelly

4.0 out of 5 stars The answer to the question is trick
There's always a danger with books like these that the very detailed, point-by-point refutation of the beliefs and practices in question lends the practices and beliefs a kind of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by possiblejersey

5.0 out of 5 stars A really interesting and informative read
This is a very serious, scientific examination of alternative treatments which is at the same time extremely interesting and readable. Read more
Published 3 months ago by P. D. Foster

5.0 out of 5 stars Persuasively Argued
I'd normally rate this as four stars, because while it is very good it is not flawless. I'm going to rate it as five though to act as a minor counterbalance to some of the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Michael Heron

5.0 out of 5 stars If "alternative medicine" were proven to work, it would just be called medicine
Well-researched, well-written and well-balanced book that looks at the scientific evidence for a range of "complementary" and "alternative" therapies and finds it woefully... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Doc Bee

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 5 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
Published 5 months ago by E. M. Barratt

1.0 out of 5 stars Truth On Trial
Ignorance is a dangerous failing, but when mixed with arrogance it produces a lethal cocktail. I am uncertain whether this pair can really be so lacking in understanding of their... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Howard C.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book everyone should read
Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst have written a brilliantly lucid account. They describe clearly how modern medicine works, how evidence for and against treatments is gathered and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by G. B. ROBINSON

1.0 out of 5 stars Rubbish from beginning to end
This book contains 19 major flaws which wholly invalidate it as a scientific work. Indeed the authors' own statements contradict their argument. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Reviewer

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