Killing Us Softly: The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine

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More people than ever are using alternative medicine. But, as expert Dr Paul Offit explains, these untested therapies are ineffective, expensive and even deadly.Now that homeopathi c remedies are offered on the NHS, it’s clear that various therapies once considered alternative or complementary, have become mainstream – prescribed to burn fat, shrink prostates, alleviate colds, reduce stress, eliminate pain and prevent cancer. At the same time, uptake of effective vaccines such as MMR has fallen – a disturbing trend which, in the case of the MMR, has lead to a sharp rise in the number of measles cases.In ‘Killing Us Softly’ Paul Offit reveals, alternative medicine – an unregulated industry under no obligation to prove its claims or admit its risks – can actually be very harmful. In ‘Killing Us Softly’ he exposes how: Homeopathic asthma preparations and bogus cancer cures have replaced life-saving medicines. Acupuncture needles have pierced hearts, lungs, and livers and transmitted viruses, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. Chiropractic manipulations have torn arteries. Megavitamins increase the risk of cancer and heart disease—a fact well known to scientists but virtually unknown to the public. Using real-life case histories to back his argument, Dr Offit shows us why any medical treatment – alternative or conventional – must be properly evaluated. ‘There’s no such thing as alternative medicine. There’s only medicine that works and medicine that doesn’t.’ Show more