The book evaluates the scientific evidence for acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal medicine, and chiropractic, and briefly covers 36 other treatments. It finds that the scientific evidence for these alternative treatments is generally lacking. Homeopathy is concluded to be completely ineffective: "It's nothing but a placebo, despite what homeopaths say". Although Trick or Treatment presents evidence that acupuncture, chiropractic and herbal remedies have limited efficacy for certain ailments, the authors conclude that the dangers of these treatments outweigh any potential benefits. Such potential risks outlined by the authors are contamination or unexpected interactions between components in the case of herbal medicine, risk of infection in the case of acupuncture and the potential for chiropractic manipulation of the neck to cause delayed stroke. The book is very critical of Prince Charles' advocacy of alternative medicine and the actions of his now-defunct The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health. Trick or Treatment is dedicated, in an ironic fashion, to the Prince.
Contents
The book contains six chapters: How do you determine the truth? The truth about acupuncture The truth about homeopathy The truth about chiropractic therapy The truth about herbal medicine Does the truth matter?
Reception
The book received generally good reviews. The New England Journal of Medicines review said this about the authors: "Simon Singh is a physicist and science journalist, and his coauthor, Edzard Ernst, is a physician and professor of complementary medicine. Ernst is one of the best qualified people to summarize the evidence on this topic." The Daily Telegraph found the book to be "a clearly written, scrupulously scientific examination of the health claims of key areas of alternative medicine: acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic therapy and herbal medicine. The results are stark. In no case, apart from in some limited ways in herbal medicine, do any of these 'therapies’ work. On the contrary, they can be life-threatening." The journal Nature tempered a generally positive review with a concern that the authors' sense of certainty "mirrors that of the proponents of alternative therapies, leaving each position as entrenched as ever." Trick or Treatment drew criticism from consumers and practitioners of alternative therapies. The British Journal of General Practice published a review by Jeremy Swayne that was critical of the book and its argument. A review by Harriet A. Hall on Quackwatch stated that some negative reviews of Trick or Treatment demonstrated "an appalling poverty of thought"; articulating that since the reasoning behind the author's conclusions is solid, critics instead deny the methods of science, misrepresent the book's contents and use ad hominem attacks against the authors.
Singh was sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association for comments he wrote in a column in The Guardian about the book. In 2010, after 2 years, the BCA dropped the case after the court of the appeal found that Singh was expressing opinion, rather than stating facts. The presiding judges commented that "this litigation has almost certainly had a chilling effect on public debate which might otherwise have assisted potential patients to make informed choices about the possible use of chiropractic".
