Killing Us Softly: The Sense And Nonsense Of Alternative Medicine (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
Offit gives straightforward arguments debunking celebrity quackery and peppers the text with interesting quotes. He does seem to have some empathy for families of autistic children and people with a cancer diagnosis like Billie Bainbridge. However, I have some bones to pick with Offit as his unwavering support for traditional medicine and hubris ignores research will further advance understanding and treatment of conditions, and that science does not always have definitive answers. For example, he flat out denies the condition of Chronic Lyme Disease and the suffering these patients experience, though the CDC acknowledges a condition properly known as 'post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome'. Offit claims Steve Jobs' cancer was "treatable", many conditions are "treatable" but are they curable? What is the quality of life with harsh treatments? Steve Jobs did live much longer than other pancreatic cancer patients (though I wish he hasn't dabbled with alternative medicine). I fully trust science-based medicine and vaccines, but Offit's approach is sadly lacking and I doubt will convince skeptics and vaccine deniers. Sadly politics, infighting within the scientific community, and the interests of pharmaceutical and insurance companies share much of the blame with rejection of science-based treatment as lack of science literacy and access to quality health care. Honestly, my only complaint was that it was too short. He could have and definitely should have put a chapter about "toxins" and detoxes near the beginning. instead he is constantly referring to healers' use of coffee enemas, which i know still happens but just doesn't seem as relevant. Most people I know are not getting coffee enemas (are they...? i guess they wouldn't have mentioned it even if they were.)Also, a big complaint is that he does not have a glossy photo of a smiling Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover. Because he is essentially preaching to the choir, and beautiful actresses are the only ones anybody wants to take medical advice from nowadays. This was pretty even-handed and had a great exploration of the "placebo response" (because it is not just an 'effect' since there are real physiological reactions that can occur. who knew?). Thesis statement: there should be no "alternative" or "complementary" or "homeopathic" medicine, there is only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't. and creating the false dichotomy only serves to prevent some medicines from being regulated and tested before being sold to humans.
What do You think about Killing Us Softly: The Sense And Nonsense Of Alternative Medicine (2013)?
Very interesting stuff. Made me rethink whether I want to be taking some of my multi/vitamins.
—coololive22
Excellent, in depth look at what the "alt med" industry is all about.
—sama
Rec by Skeptic's Guide to the Universe
—NinjaStacie09
