Dr. Edzard Ernst has garnered fame as the first Professor of Complementary Medicine in the world, an appointment he held at the University of Exeter. Although his initial training was at a homeopathic hospital in Germany, Dr. Ernst is now a vocal critic of homeopathy and other forms of alternative medicine that he considers not to be evidence-based. He believes that Britain spends way too much on unproven and disproven alternative therapies and advocates research into the effectiveness, safety and cost of both alternative and complementary treatments. Dr. Ernst is no fan of “integrative” medicine, which in his view is often passed off as the “best of both worlds,” but is often a cover for quackery. He is a harsh critic of “detox” products and has come into direct conflict with Duchy Originals, a company originally launched by Prince Charles, which Ernst claims ignores science in favour of make-believe and superstition. “Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial,” a best-seller co-authored with Simon Singh, is an entertaining and provocative appeal for science-based medicine.
This presentation is now available via webcast, and on television on Canal Savoir.