In the book Do You Believe in Magic, by Paul Offit, an American pediatrician, the author discusses the truths and lies in alternative medicine. The reason why alternative medicine is so popular nowadays is because of the “uncaring and dictatorial” style of conventional health care. This disadvantage makes alternative healers seem to be more inviting and human options. Despite the popularity of alternative medicine, the author claims that alternative therapies should be examined with the same level of rigorousness and high standard, because no matter which type of medicine it is, the issue of health can be life or death. Overall, the book believes that alternative medicine should neither be completely bashed nor deified. “There’s only medicine that works and medicine that doesn’t (Offit 11).” What the authorities need to do is to establish scientific standards to regulate all types of treatments.

Although the author does not provide a clear definition of alternative medicine, all treatment methods outside the mainstream healthcare system in the US are considered alternative medicine in the book. Alternative medicine includes faith healers, therapeutic touch, occult, Greek, Chinese, Indian remedies, and “the relatively modern concepts of homeopathy and chiropractic manipulations (Offit 34).” Alternative medicine is originated not only from the distrust of modern medicine, but also from the cultural practices that has been continued for hundreds, even thousands of years in different parts of the world. Much of the alternative medicine nowadays were actually the mainstream medicine centuries ago. The book believes that being categorized as “alternative” should not diminished their effectiveness. In addition to these cultural and historical origins, there are also the types of alternative medicine that originate from the economic interests of pharmaceutical companies and individual practitioners. It is typical for them to promote ideas that are completely unsubstantiated by modern science. Based on the power of lobbying, public relations, celebrity endorsement, religion, and preying on the susceptible, they have made huge monetary gains while making little contribution to public health. What’s worse, some of these alternative medicines even interfere with the treatment of patients and contribute to their death. The author tries to establish the scientific methods of verification as the only way to evaluate all medicines, so that people can benefit from medicines that work and stay away from those who cause harm.

The author has clearly presented his opinion of alternative medicine: that science should be the one and only measure of verification for it. There is an extensive amount of case studies and scientific research referenced in the book to support this opinion. For example, Offit believes that the concept of “natural” has been exaggerated by some alternative medicine propaganda. In the case of vitamins, Linus Pauling, an endorser of vitamin treatment, suggests a vitamin intake of 50 times of recommended amount (Offit 56). This recommendation is not supported by any scientific research. However, there have been extensive research on the detrimental effects of excessive vitamin intakes, as referenced by the author. For example, a research shows an increased risk of death associated with increased vitamin E intake. The number of people included in the research prove that vitamins are not as harmless as they seem. However, the public are more likely to be manipulated by “public relations campaigns” by the vitamin industry, and the side effects are completely overlooked.

The author believes that celebrity endorsement is a main reason that make the problem of alternative medicine even worse. In proving that some alternative medicine does not work, the author has made references to several cases when practitioners and promoters of alternative medicine themselves die from cancer. For example, Linus Pauling, who defended the healing effects of vitamin C for cancer, died of prostate cancer in 1994 (Offit 49). In fact, only months after Pauling denied all the side effects of vitamin C in 1980, his wife died of stomach cancer. The author has also cited examples of celebrities, such as Larry King and Tom Cruise, who have tremendous influence on the public. Therefore, the public becomes more susceptible to alternative medicine propaganda endorsed by famous people. There may also be hidden interest behind such endorsement, in the case of Suzanne Somers’s anti-aging revolution, whose website promotes only her own product (Offit 89). The author further tries to break the myth of celebrity endorsement. With the example of Steve Jobs, Shark Cartilage, Coffee Enemas, etc. (Offit 117), he tells the readers that misuse of alternative medicine is detrimental to celebrities just like everyone else.

The author considers money and politics the two main reasons for detrimental alternative medicine to go unpunished. While the harms of mega vitamins have been scientifically proved for years, there was little regulation by the FDA until 2007. Among the hundreds of health supplement manufacturers in the US, more than half had significant problems. This astonishing lack of management from the authority, according to the author, can only be the result of political interest and lobbying from the major stakeholders of the industry. Meanwhile, there are also an extensive amount of misleading propaganda from these manufacturers, and it is difficult for the public to tell what it truth. The author has also criticized that some alternative medicine has crossed the ethical boundary for money. In the case of parents with children who are ill, they become more susceptible for alternative medicine that has high promises. The treatment approach of alternative medicine can be seductive since the healers can be much more charismatic than the average doctor (Offit 141). The desperate and grieving parents naturally become easy targets.

Finally, the author has clearly identified the how alternative medicine becomes vicious. The major problem of some alternative medicine is that in denial of the scientific truth, they make delusional claims and exaggerations over the effectiveness of their products or methods. As mentioned by the author from the beginning of the book, some alternative medicines do work. For example, “Herbal remedies are not really alternative, they have been part of scientific medicine for decades, if not centuries (Offit 74).” However, the problem it, the regulation and marketing of herbal products goes under-regulated. Claims that are unsubstantiated are made just to increase the sales numbers. The “magical” nature of alternative medicine is revealed by the author: “although mainstream medicine hasn’t found a way to treat dementia or enhance memory, practitioners of alternative medicine claim that they have (Offit 74).” Quoting from Rashid Buttar: “Why would I waste my time proving something that I already know works innately (Offit 149)?”, the author further proves the fraudulent nature of some alternative medicine.

In conclusion, the book has successfully captured the problem of alternative medicine as the author looks deeper into the causes and solution of the problem. By clearing the myths of alternative medicine, the author proposes four ways to identify when alternative medicine becomes quackery. This is important knowledge recommended for all the readers who consider alternative medicine to be a viable option besides conventional medicine. The book has used adequate support to reveal the detrimental nature of alternative medicine misuse, although it may be more balanced with the inclusion of more alternative medicine that works. Overall, it provides an objective view on the issue of alternative medicine, and is highly recommend to anyone interested in healthcare and alternative treatment.