A Consumer S Guide To Alternative Medicine

An assault on bogus healing claims, certainly a justifiable campaign. Detracting from the credibility of the author's itemization of unproven cures is his failure to explore the holes and fallacies of conventional medicine. Many people who've experienced the discrepancy between what conventional medicine "knows" and what it really knows will continue to seek help elsewhere. At least this compendium can alert seekers to some snake oil sales techniques. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Learn the benefits—and hazards—of certain dietary supplements The term “dietary supplement” can include vitamins, minerals, herbal, and botanical products. Consumers freely use supplements for the promoted claims of benefits, but often without consideration of the potential risks. The Consumer's Guide to Dietary Supplements and Alternative Medicines is a critical, balanced look at the different classes of supplement products and whether many claims of benefits are true or simply product hype. Respected supplement authority Dr. W. Marvin Davis exposes what is truth, what is fiction, and what is not known for many supplements you may be taking. If you take dietary supplements—or even think about taking them—this book clears the mystery behind the product claims. The term “dietary supplement” can include vitamins, minerals, herbal, and botanical products. Consumers freely use supplements for the promoted claims of benefits, but often without consideration of the potential risks. The Consumer's Guide to Dietary Supplements and Alternative Medicines is a critical, balanced look at the different classes of supplement products and whether many claims of benefits are true or simply product hype. This book, by respected supplement authority Dr. W. Marvin Davis, exposes what is truth, what is fiction, and what is not known for many supplements you may be taking. If you take dietary supplements—or even think about taking them—this book clears the mystery behind the product claims. The Consumer's Guide to Dietary Supplements and Alternative Medicines brings you the benefit of Dr. Davis's extensive knowledge about physicians, the pharmaceutical industry, and research in pharmacology and toxicology in order to shatter misconceptions about supplements and the supplement industry. The book's no-nonsense discussion about this much-hyped industry is even-handed and straightforward, and provides clear-headed advice every consumer of supplements needs. The guide explores various supplements' interactions with prescription drugs, the placebo effect as a factor for beneficial claims, historical instances of supplements that have proved hazardous to consumers, and receiving directions for supplement use from an unconventional medical/healthcare practitioner. It clearly explains the potentials of supplements through the use of illustrative clinical case studies from medical literature in simplified, easy to understand language. This extensive source is comprehensively referenced and includes tables of supplements with their possible benefits and hazards. The Consumer's Guide to Dietary Supplements and Alternative Medicines exposes the truth about: therapeutic fundamentals of supplements why there is strong resistance to supplements as unconventional remedies by physicians the pharmaceutical industry’s perspective on supplements six major myths about dietary supplements liver “support” remedies soy formulations cancer “cures” the “fountain of youth” actions of hormonal and antioxidant products vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes new biochemicals—such as alpha-lipoic acid and choline derivatives carotenoids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids aloe vera the unappreciated pharmacology of ascorbate historical instances in which consumers have avoided catastrophe the future of the supplement field much, much more! The Consumer's Guide to Dietary Supplements and Alternative Medicines may be the best available resource of important information for every concerned, health-conscious consumer considering dietary supplements of any kind.

This book outlines the benefits and dangers of alternative medicine, drawing on scientific research to show which treatments work, which don’t, and how to use them. It offers a balanced, unbiased perspective backed by science.

21st Century Science Collection.

The best evidence-based guide to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for practicing physicians! This new resource provides the comprehensive guidance on CAM therapies physicians need to responsibly counsel their patients and integrate these techniques into their own practices. Features:

Mainstream medicine in America focuses on symptoms rather than causes of chronic illness and poor health. Medical education is influenced to a great extent by pharmaceutical companies and focuses our attention dangerously onto drug therapies. Conventional medicine practice has been failing miserably to control or treat the chronic disease entities afflicting our population in the modern era. Integrative medicine concepts and practice offer people much safer and often more effective options for achieving and maintaining health, as well as combating most forms of chronic disease. The keys include understanding what it really takes to promote human health in a broad sense and what the underlying causes of chronic disease truly are. Thinking Outside the Pill Box contains an explanation of how our medical system came to be so defective and ineffectual, a thorough look at the important factors influencing human health, and an in-depth discussion of many common underlying causes of chronic illness in the modern world. It is designed as a self-help book for both the reader and their future generations.

Learn to identify Internet-based complementary/alternative medicine resources you can trust! This well-organized book takes a commonsense approach to getting the most out of the Internet when it comes to finding reliable information on complementary and alternative medicine. Author Lillian Brazin teaches classes on finding and evaluating health information on the Internet. In this book, she shares her years of experience in using and evaluating medical Internet sites to teach you to spot authoritative resources and avoid misinformation, sales pitches, and out-and-out quackery. In addition to showing you where to find the information you need, this book stresses the importance (the how and why) of working closely with your physician to get the best results from your complementary/alternative medical experience. More than 20 “screen shot” illustrations give you a preview of what to look for on various sites! The Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine on the Internet will show you how to separate the wheat from the chaff when confronted with hundreds of Web sites purporting to provide reliable information. This jargon-free book addresses vital questions, such as: How can I be certain that the information I find is correct? How can I locate a Web site that was recommended to me? How do I start out to research a particular health problem? What do Internet terms like .com, .edu, .gov, listservs, :), BTW, LOL, flames, “netiquette,” etc. mean? This book will also help you understand controversial “hot topics” that include: the Pilates exercise method that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis helped popularize in the 1960s is trendy again, with Pilates studios in most major cities supermarket supplements, such as St. John's wort, gingko biloba, and vitamins A-Z: how can I find out which, if any of them, are for me? the validity of celebrity endorsements for supplements and alternative therapies While providing you with the skills to find the information you seek, this book reflects the author’s cautious perspective. The Internet can be frightening and overwhelming because there is so much information to sift through, digest, and evaluate. The Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine on the Internet (first in the new Internet Guides to Consumer Health Care series from The Haworth Information Press) will help you identify Internet resources for complementary and alternative medicine that you can trust.