I've developed a kind of affinity in the recent past for books that destroy my faith in things (religion, the country, other people, etc.) and this one os no different.
Grant already reviewed this one, so I won't go too in depth. I kind of feel like the book's title i a bit of a misnomer simply because "Snake Oil Science" conjured up the image of dastardly characters in old-west stories trying to sell cat urine to balding men. What the book is really about is the placebo effect and how it plays into the supposed effectiveness of CAM therapies. The author makes it very clear that most proponents of CAM therapies are not dishonest, but misled.
The only other thing I thought was weird was that after spending 300 pages talking about why CAM therapies don't actually have a chemical of biological effect on the body, he says in the last chapter that we should use them anyway because the placebo effect will make them seem like they're working. (that is, unless you read the book....)
Still, all-in-all, it's kind of dense and boring sometimes, but it's pretty cool stuff and will save me a lot of money on magnets. 6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment