Singh (a doctorate in physics and science journalist) and Ernst (physician and professor specializing in alternative medicine) refer back to survey the not too glorious history of medicine. They show impressively how could keep ineffective and dangerous treatments for centuries, and with what simple method they were finally brought down. This is actually the greatest merit of this work: easy to understand to explain how modern studies on the effectiveness of treatments work - and why they are sorely needed. In essence, "Trick or Treatment" is therefore a passionate plea for evidence-based medicine. Also sworn in alternative medicine will be able to escape the argument difficult, precisely because it takes former practices of "medicine" in the criticism.
Controversial is's in the sequence when four major directions of alternative medicine are considered based on the available evidence: Acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic and Phytomedicine. In short, there is little left - to get some herbal remedies and chiropractic (for back problems) away. For acupuncture, the evidence is weak for homeopathy it is really devastating, the better (methodologically rigorous and larger), the study, the more it appears that homeopathy does not work better than a placebo. What is surprising is not that, but especially in German speaking countries where homeopathy is almost revered religious, such a finding is hard to digest. Even more so than Ernst and Singh take no mince words - there's no pleasantries or politically correct attenuation, but clear words.
The authors defend themselves positively against the usual excuse that the scientific method for the evaluation of alternative medicine would not be suitable, or that science and / or "Big Pharma" conspiratorially defend against new insights. They also argue in detail against the reaction "so what? Then acting's just a placebo", which is often taken as the last straw.
At the very end there's still a quick reference, in the state of research on the most common alternative healing methods will be listed shortly. As in the rest of the book here, a certain focus is on the English-speaking world, some of the methods are hardly known in D / A / CH, the local law here popular Cell salts are missing it.
The German version of the book carries the way the (unfortunately misleading) title Healthy Without Pills - What can the alternative medicine ?.
