Suckers

How Alternative Medicine Makes Fools of Us All

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Suckers by Rose Shapiro, Random House
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rose Shapiro ISBN: 9781409059165
Publisher: Random House Publication: September 30, 2010
Imprint: Vintage Digital Language: English
Author: Rose Shapiro
ISBN: 9781409059165
Publisher: Random House
Publication: September 30, 2010
Imprint: Vintage Digital
Language: English

'Alternative' medicine is now used by one in three of us. In the UK we spend an estimated £4.5 billion a year on it and its practitioners are now insinuating themselves into the mainstream. There are methods based on ancient or far-eastern medicine, as well as ones invented in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Many are promoted as natural treatments. What they have in common is that there is no hard evidence that any of them work.

Treatments like homeopathy, acupuncture and chiropractic are widely available and considered reputable by many. Ever more bizarre therapies, from naturopathy to nutraceuticals, ear candling to ergogenics, are increasingly favoured. Endorsed by celebrities and embraced by the middle classes, alternative medicine's appeal is based on the spurious rediscovery of ancient wisdom and the supposedly benign quality of nature. Surrounded by an aura of unquestioning respect and promoted through uncritical airtime and column inches, alternative medicine has become a lifestyle choice. Its global market is predicted to be worth $5 trillion by 2050.

Suckers reveals how alternative medicine can jeopardise the health of those it claims to treat, leaches resources from treatments of proven efficacy and is largely unaccountable and unregulated. In short, it is an industry that preys on human vulnerability and makes fools of us all.

Suckers is a calling to account of a social and intellectual fraud; a bracing, funny and popular take on a global delusion.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

'Alternative' medicine is now used by one in three of us. In the UK we spend an estimated £4.5 billion a year on it and its practitioners are now insinuating themselves into the mainstream. There are methods based on ancient or far-eastern medicine, as well as ones invented in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Many are promoted as natural treatments. What they have in common is that there is no hard evidence that any of them work.

Treatments like homeopathy, acupuncture and chiropractic are widely available and considered reputable by many. Ever more bizarre therapies, from naturopathy to nutraceuticals, ear candling to ergogenics, are increasingly favoured. Endorsed by celebrities and embraced by the middle classes, alternative medicine's appeal is based on the spurious rediscovery of ancient wisdom and the supposedly benign quality of nature. Surrounded by an aura of unquestioning respect and promoted through uncritical airtime and column inches, alternative medicine has become a lifestyle choice. Its global market is predicted to be worth $5 trillion by 2050.

Suckers reveals how alternative medicine can jeopardise the health of those it claims to treat, leaches resources from treatments of proven efficacy and is largely unaccountable and unregulated. In short, it is an industry that preys on human vulnerability and makes fools of us all.

Suckers is a calling to account of a social and intellectual fraud; a bracing, funny and popular take on a global delusion.

More books from Random House

Cover of the book Dark Video by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Ripcord by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Segundo compendio ilustrado y deleitoso de todo lo que siempre quiso saber sobre la lengua castellana by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Oda a la soledad y a todo aquello que pudimos ser pero no fuimos porque así somos by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Snowbots by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Property of a Noblewoman by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Vencer o aprender by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book An Ex for Christmas by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Growing Great Girls by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Ocurre que a veces (Serie Todas para una 3) by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book To Kiss A Spy by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Hooked - Secrets and Highs of a Sober Addict by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Grandma's Remedies by Rose Shapiro
Cover of the book Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century by Rose Shapiro
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy