It's a good idea -- a look at how alternative medicine holds up under scientific scrutiny -- but I'm very obviously not the audience for the book. I picked it up because Singh is an excellent writer, but this book holds the reader's hand far more than I need. Chapter one, for example, is on what the scientific method is and why it's a valid way to examine things. The chapter on acupuncture walks the reader very slowly and carefully why acupuncture isn't real medicine, using very small words and very basic concepts to get the point across. It's a great book to hand off to people who believe in alternative medicine, but reading it is very difficult when one is not a moron. So I've put it down. ( )

The two authors have an interesting mix of background: Simon Singh is a Particle Physicist who has made a career in science broadcasting and writing, while Edzard Ernst is the world's first professor of complementary medicine.

From my perspective as a scientist, the willingness of the public to embrace unproven alternative medicine (often based on irrational and superstitious thoughts) has been nothing short of astonishing. In the year of the 60th anniversary of the UK's most important social development since the Second World War - the National Health Service - it is rather depressing to see the descent into mediaeval superstition. This book aims to reveal the truth about alternative medicine, and set it in the context of modern evidence-based medicine. And, in my opinion it succeeds very well indeed.

The opening chapter covers the emergence of the idea of clinical trials, with the early example by which the use of lemons as a cure for scurvy was discovered. This is set in the context of unhelpful treatments such as blood-letting. The book then moves on to a detailed treatment of four major systems of complementary medicine: acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic therapy and Herbalism. These chapters are well-structured, using the discussion of the validity (or lack of validity) of these "therapies" as a framework on which more detailed discussions of the nature of evidence, particularly the importance of double blind trials, and meta-analyses are presented. This structure works very well in my opinion.

The authors conclude that most of the benefits accruing from these "therapies" are effectively a placebo effect, and spend the sixth chapter discussing the ethics of practising medicine while using a dishonest placebo strategy,

Finally, and appendix summarising 36 or so alternative therapies, many of which are frankly absurd.

To summarise, this book is a clearly written description of alternative "therapies" in the context of modern evidence-based medicine. Excellent. ( )

This is the third book I've read this year that examines the evidence for and against alternative medicine, so much of the ground it covers was already familiar to me. Despite that fact, I enjoyed this book a great deal and think it is likely to be the most accessible to those who have personal experience with alternative medicine.

The authors take an in-depth look at the four most popular modalities in the alternative medicine world: acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic and herbal medicine. They briefly discuss the history and public perception of each before they analyze what science has to say about the true effectiveness of these techniques.

The authors are not shy about stating those cases in which science does indicate possible effectiveness of these modalities, such as acupuncture for pain and nausea, chiropractic for low back pain, and certain herbs for various specified conditions. They take things a step further, however, by comparing these treatments with their conventional counterparts in terms of both cost and risk. While chiropractic may be effective for certain types of back pain, it has not been shown to be more effective than conventional therapies, is usually much more expensive, and carries a rarely discussed but very real risk of stroke, leading the authors to recommend against it.

Though the bulk of the book is spent on the four most popular CAM treatments, the appendix contains brief summary of their findings for 36 other CAM modalities from Ayuveda to spiritual healing that I found particularly informative.

I hope that the authors' willingness to give credit to those therapies that do warrant further study will make this book more likely to be read by those who could best benefit from this information. Unlike the authors of Suckers and Snake-Oil Science, Ernst knows this world from the inside. He is world's first professor of complementary medicine and also a former homeopath.

As the authors discuss, the placebo effect, the empathetic nature of CAM practitioners, and the preference we give to anecdotal over scientific evidence are likely to continue keeping the public confused about the true effectiveness of some of these methods. Those who would like to make certain they are getting good value for their hard-earned cash before trying one of these treatments, however, will find this book an invaluable resource. ( )

Singh is among the very top tier of science writers, but this examination of alternative medicine is quite a departure from his usual topics. Perhaps because of the seriousness of the subject, this lacks some of the wittiness of his previous efforts, but it's certainly an important, well-written, and, one hopes, influential book. ( )