Abigail Zuger, M.D.
Mind Over Matter: Debunking Alternative Medicines - The New York Times
Dr. Paul A. Offit, the chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, is known for his defense of childhood vaccinations and his debunking of misconceptions surrounding infections and vaccines. In his book, "Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine," he takes on the field of alternative medicine, dismissing most treatments and substances as unproved or dangerous. He acknowledges the efficacy of only a few supplements, but argues that the placebo response is the real source of relief for many alternative therapies. Dr. Offit also highlights the dangers and deception found within the alternative medicine industry, including the stories of those who have died from treatable diseases due to shunning conventional medicine.
Dr. Offit gives a nod to 4 of the 51,000 supplements on the market: omega-3 fatty acids to prevent heart disease; calcium and vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women; and folic acid during pregnancy to prevent spinal-cord defects in newborns. As it happens, several months ago — presumably after the book went to press — an influential national task force found the evidence for calcium and vitamin D to be unconvincing. So that reduces the list of sensible supplements to two. (View Highlight)