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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
If you like science, this book will fill you with rage. Utter rage. Not because it's ill-researched or badly written, but because other people seem to not like science very much at all.
Many people who are into alternative medicine prefer to "take their health into their own hands" by taking untested "nutritional supplements" instead of actual medicine, and then they die. The argument against Big Pharma is that it's "a business," but so is the peddling of alternative medicine.
There are many chapters that pack a humongous punch (especially the one about how vitamins do nothing -- at best); but this book gets sidelined in railing against the likes of Dr. Oz, Oprah, Suzanne Somers, and Jenny McCarthy. The author's rage against celebrities is totally justified, but I would have liked more factual information on pseudosciences like acupuncture, chiropractors, enemas, and whatever other trendy alternative therapies are coming down the pipeline.
Many people who are into alternative medicine prefer to "take their health into their own hands" by taking untested "nutritional supplements" instead of actual medicine, and then they die. The argument against Big Pharma is that it's "a business," but so is the peddling of alternative medicine.
There are many chapters that pack a humongous punch (especially the one about how vitamins do nothing -- at best); but this book gets sidelined in railing against the likes of Dr. Oz, Oprah, Suzanne Somers, and Jenny McCarthy. The author's rage against celebrities is totally justified, but I would have liked more factual information on pseudosciences like acupuncture, chiropractors, enemas, and whatever other trendy alternative therapies are coming down the pipeline.
Honestly, my only complaint was that it was too short. He could have and definitely should have put a chapter about "toxins" and detoxes near the beginning. instead he is constantly referring to healers' use of coffee enemas, which i know still happens but just doesn't seem as relevant. Most people I know are not getting coffee enemas (are they...? i guess they wouldn't have mentioned it even if they were.)
Also, a big complaint is that he does not have a glossy photo of a smiling Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover. Because he is essentially preaching to the choir, and beautiful actresses are the only ones anybody wants to take medical advice from nowadays.
This was pretty even-handed and had a great exploration of the "placebo response" (because it is not just an 'effect' since there are real physiological reactions that can occur. who knew?).
Thesis statement: there should be no "alternative" or "complementary" or "homeopathic" medicine, there is only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't. and creating the false dichotomy only serves to prevent some medicines from being regulated and tested before being sold to humans.
Also, a big complaint is that he does not have a glossy photo of a smiling Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover. Because he is essentially preaching to the choir, and beautiful actresses are the only ones anybody wants to take medical advice from nowadays.
This was pretty even-handed and had a great exploration of the "placebo response" (because it is not just an 'effect' since there are real physiological reactions that can occur. who knew?).
Thesis statement: there should be no "alternative" or "complementary" or "homeopathic" medicine, there is only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't. and creating the false dichotomy only serves to prevent some medicines from being regulated and tested before being sold to humans.
I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the history of ‘alternative medicines’. Dr.Offit provides big picture themes at the end of the book, which I really appreciated. I am deducting one star because sometimes Dr.Offit would lose the storytelling flow and just list examples, which got a bit dry towards the end. I will also say that one of the main points of the book is that you need empirical evidence and controlled studies to test the efficacy and safety of drugs, but on a few occasions Dr.Offit just provided an anecdote to support a claim he made, which goes against everything he states in the book, but this was an infrequent occurrence.
I would definitely recommend this book!
I would definitely recommend this book!
This is my second time reading a book by Offit, and once again, I am amazed by the meticulous research he’s done and the way he presents his findings. He scrutinises the alternative medicine industry logically, and carefully explains why people continue to believe in alternative therapies.
As a person who wants to become a doctor one day, it’s important to note that the many reasons why patients want to pursue alternative medicine rather than conventional, real, medicine. Educating people will be the best solution to our era’s epidemic of scientific denialism, from anti-vaxxers to patients harmed by non-scientific coffee enemas injected up their rectums.
As a person who wants to become a doctor one day, it’s important to note that the many reasons why patients want to pursue alternative medicine rather than conventional, real, medicine. Educating people will be the best solution to our era’s epidemic of scientific denialism, from anti-vaxxers to patients harmed by non-scientific coffee enemas injected up their rectums.
Fascinating, especially the parts about the intersection of politics and drug safety. I find the subject super interesting so it’s not hard to grab me with the info. Offit asks if it’s ethical to continue practices that don’t have science behind them, because the placebo effect can be beneficial and I wish he had spent more time on that.
3.5 The author did some very interesting research about the supplement industry, and how it was able to block legislation or even shift the legislation more in its favor. Sometimes the book just reads as lists of symptoms, and sometimes the tone is a bit too pat (I think the author views this as a necessary corrective in shaping the dialogue and goes with this instead of a disingenuous even-handedness, which is a defensible choice but sometimes rubbed me the wrong way).
Very interesting and a fast read, and does get more even-handed at the end when discussing the placebo effect/placebo reaction.
Very interesting and a fast read, and does get more even-handed at the end when discussing the placebo effect/placebo reaction.
A good book overall; tells it like it is. But written at a relatively low level intellectually. Really aimed at the popular market, not the serious reader. A much better treatment, scientifically, speaking, in my view, is R. Barker Bausell's unfortunately named Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Preaching to the choir, but I liked it. But I am tired of people getting mad at me when I tell them that there is no such thing as 'alternative' medicine. I think that government regulation needs to be re-introduced to this group, quickly.
This book explains the virtues and pitfalls of alternative medicine. Very informative.