Healing, Hype or Harm?: A Critical Analysis of Complementary or Alternative Medicine (Societas Book 8)

Arrived last week, still reading it, it is as anticipated, a page turner.

Vital and informative text that should be read by everyone alongside Ben Goldacre's 'Bad Science' and Singh and Ernt's 'Trick or Treatment'. Everyone should be able to made informed choices about the treatments that are peddled to the desperate and gullible. As Tim Minchin famously said 'What do you call Alternative Medicine that has been proved to work? . . . Medicine!'

A disappointing & unsettling book. I have an interest in homeopathy & was shocked to discover the many factual inaccuracies presented here. Mr Ernst also sees fit to use (and draw conclusions from) research that has been widely criticised in the scientific community as flawed. (Shang et als Meta-Analysis). This book is a piece of propaganda, nothing more. I cannot comment on the other chapters, but I presume they are of the same level of scholarship. I'm concerned that a supposedly reputable scientist would put his name to this piece of propaganda & I worry about the state of science in the UK.... has it ceased being about exploring our incredible world & merely become another wing of big-business? Alan

It is surprising that this publication does not have pictures on every page. There are also far too many words of more than one syllable. It is, after all, clearly aimed at the mentality of the average 'Sun' reader.