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93 reviews for:
Do You Believe in Magic?: Vitamins, Supplements, and All Things Natural: A Look Behind the Curtain
Paul A. Offit
4.07 AVERAGE
93 reviews for:
Do You Believe in Magic?: Vitamins, Supplements, and All Things Natural: A Look Behind the Curtain
Paul A. Offit
4.07 AVERAGE
Very well done! I so enjoyed Offit's book on vaccines, and now was glad to see the take on alternative medicine. There are a lot of charlatans out there. He pretty much decimated the nutritional-supplement industry; I kept waiting to see if he'd choose to tackle other nutrition issues, but he didn't really. Alternative cancer treatments, check, megavitamin doses, check. He didn't really go after chiropractic or homeopathy as much as he could have. I mean, homeopathy is an entire system just BEGGING for someone to turn a rational eye on it. (The water remembers? Really? And just how do you have to knock that tube to make it remember????) Yeah. But very interesting, a quite entertaining read.
Paul Offit takes on the world of alternative medicine in this book, questioning the laws that deregulated governmental oversight of the industry, the people who sell it and the drugs themselves. He delves into the long history of alterative medicine and why it's popular. Overall, the book shows a concerning look at alternative medicine, but contrary to what others say, does not dismiss them out of hand.
In the interest of being open and transparent (as Offit thinks the world of alternative medicine should be), I'll admit I am the choir Offit is preaching to. I have a big mistrust of alternative medicine, think listening to celebrities like Suzanne Somers and Jennie McCarthy is ridiculous and fight against those who say it doesn't hurt other people if they don't get their kids vaccinated (because oh, it does. It really does). However, I recognize my own bias and tried to put this book to a good test, not just eagerly nod my head because Offit is affirming my own beliefs. And I feel like he did a pretty good job of being fair and providing strong, scientific evidence for his arguments.
Although it's true that most of the book takes a negative look on alternative medicines, he gives credit where it's due. He recognizes that some supplements (although not many) are helpful and beneficial, like folic acid and Vitamin D (although only certain people really need them). He also gives a lot of credit to the idea of placebos, and again, although some people see this as patronizing, perhaps, it didn't come off that way to me. He gives evidence that the placebo effect can be really helpful, especially when it can REALLY treat patients who would otherwise have to take medicine that would have harmful side effects. That's certainly something that no on should dismiss.
What he's really after is to stop the exploitation that is involved in the industry. He provides hundreds (if not more) of studies that show the many ways in which alternative medicine can harm, whether it's from the actual medicine provided, doctored medicine that isn't what it's advertised or from "healers" who push alternative medicine, which might not harm in itself but also doesn't help, to the point that people don't seek out treatments that would actually help. The industry has NO regulation, and if you think you can trust people who are making a profit from you buying these meds, then I've got a bridge to sell you.
He also places his ire on those pushing the medicine, not those seeking it.
The only quibble I have is that I wish he had used a better citation system for all the evidence he provides. He doesn't cite within the book, just provides a section in the back so that you have to hunt for his evidence. In a book that wants transparency, I would have liked to have seen him make it easier on the readers to verify his information. But don't assume that he doesn't provide the evidence - he does, I checked some of the sources. It just takes a little bit more work to do.
In the interest of being open and transparent (as Offit thinks the world of alternative medicine should be), I'll admit I am the choir Offit is preaching to. I have a big mistrust of alternative medicine, think listening to celebrities like Suzanne Somers and Jennie McCarthy is ridiculous and fight against those who say it doesn't hurt other people if they don't get their kids vaccinated (because oh, it does. It really does). However, I recognize my own bias and tried to put this book to a good test, not just eagerly nod my head because Offit is affirming my own beliefs. And I feel like he did a pretty good job of being fair and providing strong, scientific evidence for his arguments.
Although it's true that most of the book takes a negative look on alternative medicines, he gives credit where it's due. He recognizes that some supplements (although not many) are helpful and beneficial, like folic acid and Vitamin D (although only certain people really need them). He also gives a lot of credit to the idea of placebos, and again, although some people see this as patronizing, perhaps, it didn't come off that way to me. He gives evidence that the placebo effect can be really helpful, especially when it can REALLY treat patients who would otherwise have to take medicine that would have harmful side effects. That's certainly something that no on should dismiss.
What he's really after is to stop the exploitation that is involved in the industry. He provides hundreds (if not more) of studies that show the many ways in which alternative medicine can harm, whether it's from the actual medicine provided, doctored medicine that isn't what it's advertised or from "healers" who push alternative medicine, which might not harm in itself but also doesn't help, to the point that people don't seek out treatments that would actually help. The industry has NO regulation, and if you think you can trust people who are making a profit from you buying these meds, then I've got a bridge to sell you.
He also places his ire on those pushing the medicine, not those seeking it.
The only quibble I have is that I wish he had used a better citation system for all the evidence he provides. He doesn't cite within the book, just provides a section in the back so that you have to hunt for his evidence. In a book that wants transparency, I would have liked to have seen him make it easier on the readers to verify his information. But don't assume that he doesn't provide the evidence - he does, I checked some of the sources. It just takes a little bit more work to do.
This book is well written, and deals with the subject without repeating itself, and given its topic matter, was quite a page turner.
What is most shocking about the book was not the usual cast of charlatans, hucksters and witch doctors one might expect, but the prevalence of highly educated persons. These include Linus Pauling, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954, advocacy of vitamin C as a cure-all substance, or Stanislaw Burzynski’s cancer treatment in Houston.
To my delight, Offit also explores the role of placebo’s in the final part of his book, making the argument that their value has been neglected by science / medicine, giving fraudsters the chance to take advantage of it. To his credit, Offit also doesn’t come across as too snarky, making the book accessible for those that might be on the other side of the fence.
What is most shocking about the book was not the usual cast of charlatans, hucksters and witch doctors one might expect, but the prevalence of highly educated persons. These include Linus Pauling, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954, advocacy of vitamin C as a cure-all substance, or Stanislaw Burzynski’s cancer treatment in Houston.
To my delight, Offit also explores the role of placebo’s in the final part of his book, making the argument that their value has been neglected by science / medicine, giving fraudsters the chance to take advantage of it. To his credit, Offit also doesn’t come across as too snarky, making the book accessible for those that might be on the other side of the fence.