The New Alchemists

Dr Bernie Garrett is a Professor at the University of British Columbia, School of Nursing. He was a renal clinical nurse specialist for 15 years before becoming a nurse educator and holds a PhD in information Science. Dr Garrett currently works in the fields of health technologies and deceptive healthcare practices, and frequently writes on issues of science and technology. He is the author of Empirical Nursing: The Art of Evidence Based Care; Fluids & Electrolytes: Essentials for Healthcare Practice; and co-author of the popular Clinical Pocket Reference for Nurses series which has sold over 60,000 copies to date.

Introduction (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)