Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Hardcover)

by R. Barker Bausell PhD (Author)
Key Phrases: placebo boost, experimental attrition, opioid blocker, Making Valid Inferences, Therapies Are Hypothesized, Few Loose Ends (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A biostatistician, author and Senior Research Methodologist at the University of Maryland, Bausell looks at the alternative methods used by more than 36 percent of Americans to treat pain and illness by posing the question, "Is any complementary and alternative medical therapy more effective than a placebo?" In short, his answer is no; what, then, is actually happening in patients (and professionals) who swear by the medical utility of such complementary and alternative medicines ("CAMs") as acupuncture, deep breathing exercises and megavitamin therapy? Step by step, Bausell builds a rigorous case against CAM, beginning with a look at the history of CAMs and placebos, then the "poorly trained scientists" and flawed studies (among more than 300 analyzed for this book) that have historically supported CAM's efficacy. A breakdown of the placebo effect's hows and whys follows (are people hardwired for susceptibility?), along with a look at "high-quality studies" and "systematic reviews" (including an Italian study that finds natural opioid secretion in the brain responsible for the perceived benefits of placebos) which largely support Bausell's answer. Entertaining and informative, with plenty of diverting anecdotal examples, Bausell offers non-professionals and pros a thorough look at the science on CAM, along with a complementary lesson in the methods of good medical research.
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Review

"Hang up your lantern Diogenes, an honest man has been found. Barker Bausell, a biostatistician, has stepped out of the shadows to give us an insider's look at how clinical evidence is manipulated to package and market the placebo effect. Labeled as "complementary and alternative medicine," the placebo effect is being sold not just to a gullible public, but to an increasing number of health professionals as well. Bausell knows every trick, and explains them in clear language." --Robert L. Park, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, University of Maryland, and author of Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud
"At Skeptic magazine there is no topic for which we receive more requests to comment on than alternative and complementary medicine. It is big business with big claims and big demands on it to produce, but there is very little science behind most of it. Unfortunately, what has long been lacking is a well-written, clear, and concise analysis of its major claims to which we can direct our readers. That problem has now been remedied by R. Barker Bausell's authoritative and highly readable analysis Snake Oil Science, which should be read by anyone contemplating the use of any of the hundreds of alternative and complementary medical treatments out there that promise hope but usually deliver disappointment."--Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American, and the author of Why People Believe Weird Things
"Anyone who reads Bausell's rigorous scientific analysis of the risks and benefits of complementary and alternative medicine will be left wondering why they are spending so much on so many useless products."--Jerome P. Kassirer, M.D., Tufts University School of Medicine, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, New England Journal of Medicine, and author of On the Take: How Medicine's Complicity with Big Business Can Endanger Your Health
"The book is aimed at the consumer, and it is written in a simple, entertaining style such that the consumer will understand it and enjoy reading it. So the consumer should and, I'm sure, will buy this book. But in addition I would also warmly recommend it to healthcare professionals who work in CAM or have an interest in this area. They will not easily find a harder hitting, more eloquent, or smarter critique of CAM!"--Edzard Ernst, M.D., Ph.D., Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, UK
"Readable, entertaining and immensely educational...[Bausell] writes with a sense of humor and palpable compassion for all involved."--New York Times
"...An overview of alternative and complementary treatments. [Bausell] explains why most such treatments can't possibly do what their proponents claim, but he rarely takes on the scoffing tone that many skeptics use when discussing these issues."--ScienceNews
"His book is highly informative, easy to read and full of entertaining wit and humor...I warmly recommend it to healthcare professionals who work in CAM or have an interest in this area. One would have to search hard and long to find a more eloquent or intelligent critique of CAM!"--Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies


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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (October 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195313682
• ISBN-13: 978-0195313680
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #186,978 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great explanation of why so many get hoodwinked, January 26, 2008

By	J. Seidman "Jim" (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bausell does a great job in this book of explaining why Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is so popular, even though there's no good evidence that it works. To do this, he goes through several steps.

He explains how both consumers and medical practitioners could be convinced of the efficacy of CAM when it's not there. He explains the basics of good research, especially using a placebo control. He shows how bad most CAM research is. He provides compelling evidence that the placebo effect, at least for pain relief, is a real, physiological phenomenon. And he pulls this all together to show that CAM is no more effective than placebo.

I've seen criticisms that he lumps all CAM together. That's true, because every CAM technique suffers from the same two characteristics: there is no scientific basis for why it should work, and the research on it lousy. Most CAM therapies don't lend themselves towards placebo controls - how do you do a sham chiropractic adjustment? In fields such as homeopathy and acupuncture where there are good placebos, placebo-controlled trials are overwhelmingly negative. That's probably why most trials don't use placebos.

Note that Bausell doesn't say that CAM doesn't work. On the contrary, he just says it's no more effective than placebo. Since placebo effects are real, CAM effects are real, and CAM practitioners can provide some real relief. Does that put them on a par with allopathic (mainstream Western) medicine, which can provide treatments that greatly exceed the placebo effect? Of course not.

The book would have benefited from a discussion of how any CAM treatment that can survive quality research then ceases to be CAM. For example, he talks briefly about willow bark, which contains aspirin, and how it used to be an herbal remedy. There are other medicines or treatments that started as CAM and have moved into mainstream medicine as they were proven. This condemns CAM perpetually to be a wasteland of ineffective treatments. But Bausell doesn't really make that point, which I'm sure will leave some readers wondering if their local practitioner may this time have the miracle cure that's the one exception.

But that's a minor criticism for a book that tackles a very ambitious topic. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who cares about their health or their health care dollar.

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expect a bi-modal rating for this book, December 25, 2007

By	James V. Porto "Jim Porto" (Carrboro) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Those who appreciate any effort to improve critical thinking within the public will rate this book highly.

Those who are CAM practitioners, researchers, or devotees will say that this is a simplistic book because it doesn't take into account the sophistication that their particular CAM therapy requires to understand its effect.

Its worth repeating Bausell's conclusion: "CAM therapies are nothing more than cleverly packaged placebos." This is sure to annoy about 36% of the population.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understand how smart people support support questionable medical solutions, December 17, 2007

By	T. Nash - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book helped me understand why some very smart people I know spend so much money on products I thought were of questionable value. The author minimizes the emotional and subjective by focusing on facts that have only recently been established, with emphasis on why alternative medical solutions help some individuals.
I highly recommend to anyone trying to find a solution for complex, lingering medical problems. It will be a tremendous help for discussions with your medical advisor.
Also recommend to anyone involved with friend and family considering new medications where you are concerned about their medications (whether recommended by a licensed physician, alternative medical advisor or from self help reading).