Description
Book SynopsisHow to identify and see through deceptive and unethical health marketing practices Health scams come in all shapes and sizes-from the suppression of side-effects from prescription drugs to the unproven benefits of 'traditional' health practices-taking advantage of the human tendency to assume good intentions in others. So how do we avoid being deceived? Professor of Nursing, Bernie Garrett explores real-world examples of medical malpractice, pseudo and deceptive health science, dietary and celebrity health fads, deception in alternative medicine and problems with current healthcare regulation, ending with a simple health-scam detection kit. And he looks at how these practices and ineffective regulations affect our lives.
Table of ContentsIntroduction (The art of the con; Are we obsessed with our health? Science in the age of alternative health; Trust me, I'm not a doctor; Where's the harm? I want to believe) ; Bad medicine (The rise of modern medicine; Big Pharma; Dubious private clinics; A matter of trust; Ineffective remedies and diagnoses; Major medical blunders; Conspiracy theories - just because you're paranoid...; Is modern medicine safe?) ; Health scams (What is a health scam? The nature of deception; A profusion of health scams and devious practices; Pandemic scams; Conspiratorial thinking); Alternative medicine (The alternative medicine business; What's in a name; Integrative medicine and research; Alternative medicine and health claims; Is it safe? Regulation and education; A growing phenomenon); Health, fame and fortune (Success and irrationality; Health and celebrity; Celebrities and the anti-vaccination crisis; Absolute certainty - tunnel vision and success; Cargo cult thinking; A matter of trust; Are we all gullible? Who is the target? Mixing it up with half truths; Science, but not as we know it; Naturally it's good for you; Clinical significance and importance; Make it simple; Social influence; The rise of social media; Internet health scams; The psychology of scanning and susceptibility to persuasion; Risk of deception; Trust and maintaining authority) ; We will make you like our products; Conclusion: who do you trust? (The myth of perfect health; Being proactive about health; Avoiding ineffective interventions; Regression to the mean and the trajectory of illnesses; The power of placebo and nocebo; Taking back charge of your health)
