A Consumer's Guide to "Alternative Medicine": A Close Look at Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Faith Healing, and Other Unconventional Treatments - Softcover

Butler, Kurt

9780879757335: A Consumer's Guide to "Alternative Medicine": A Close Look at Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Faith Healing, and Other Unconventional Treatments

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0879757337 ISBN 13: 9780879757335

Publisher: Prometheus Books, 1992

Butler disposes of the myths and madness perpetrated by fringe practitioners, bogus nutritionists, "health pornographers," and the "quackery mafia." Laying bare the absurdities and dangers of some popular diets and the unethical behavior of health gurus, he also shows how some unscientific "healing cults" are getting their dogma written into state law, defrauding the public and siphoning off billions of healthcare dollars.

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From the Author:

The comments posted about the book are absurd.
The Booknews comments reveal a strong pro-quackery bias. There have been scores of books about the shortcomings of conventional medicine, but very few about the quackery industry. As is evident from the title, this book is about so-called alternative medicine, not conventional medicine. Apparently the author of the comments believes the methods are sacred cows and not subject to critical review. Critics of quackery always get this reaction from those indoctrinated by the quackery industry. According to them one is never supposed to be critical of "alternative medicine" unless one is also simultaneously critical of conventional medicine. But the reverse is never true. Books critical of conventional medicine need not comment on alternative quackery to be praised and embraced. The reviewer identified as Reader from California does not mention one fallacy in the book, but condemns the whole thing. Apparently he/she believes in laetrile for cancer (it doesn't work and causes cyanide poisoning), chiropractic for systemic diseases (a massive swindle and dangerous fraud), homeopathy for everything (the silliest scam ever), massive enemas to cure whatever ails you, crystal healing, iridology, astrology, past-lives therapy, UFO abduction therapy, Kirlian photography diagnosis, and all the other rot the media and the quackery industry have indoctrinated the public into believing. He/she probably also believes Deepak Chopra's claim that he can levitate and live forever, and every other fairy tale that passes as "alternative medicine." I challenge these critics to point out fallacies and untrue statements in the book rather than just venting their anger because I expose the scams they have come to believe in.

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