Alternative medicine is a growing influence in health care today.
More and more of our patients are utilizing both traditional
(conventional) medicine and some combination of alternative
treatments in their search for better health and wellness. Unfortunately,
many physicians have relatively little knowledge or
experience with the various forms of alternative medicine that are
practiced. Whether you plan to recommend alternative therapies
to your patients or you cringe when your patients admit to taking
herbs, every physician should have at least a basic understanding
of the types of treatments that are being used and their potential
interactions with our more traditional therapies. This book serves
as a very useful guide to the various types of alternative medicine
that are available to the public.
The editors of this desktop guide are physicians and scientists
from the United Kingdom and United States who have taken on
the task of attempting to bring the light of science to bear on the
widely disparate practices of alternative medicine providers.
There is increasing scientific study of these previously unscientific
methods of diagnosis and treatment. Some therapies have
clinical merit, while many apparently do not. The authors review
the relevant literature in the same way that a peer-reviewed
journal would, assessing the scientific strengths and weaknesses
of the various studies that have been published on the benefits of
alternative medical therapies.
The Desktop Guide to Complementary and
Alternative Medicine: An Evidence-Based
Approach
By Edzard Ernst, Max H.