Book Review: Placebo Review of an important book on the placebo by Dylan Evans.	Alternative, Complementary, CAM? Alternative, complementary, or what? A note on terminology.
Why So Popular? The expanding appeal of alternative therapies is one of the most striking changes in medicine in the last 20 years. Why is this the case?	Key Ideas in Alternative Medicine Certain key ideas are repeatedly quoted by enthusiasts for alternative medicine. However, the intellectual validity of most of these notions is questionable.
Cartesian Dualism and the Concept of Medical Placebos Doctors often regard the placebo effect as somehow unreal, "merely psychological". However, this attitude is based on an unconscious and unacknowledged Cartesian dualism. (Temporarily suspended becaus of spam attack.)	Orthodox vs. Alternative Theories of Disease One of the most characteristic claims of alternative medicine is that it offers a more profound explanation of disease than does orthodox medicine. This claim arises from fundamental differences in the idea of what constitutes a cause.
Why Me? Patients often ask "Why me?" This is as much a metaphysical as a scientific question. A scientific (though not a metaphysical) answer is available in the new branch of knowledge called Darwinian medicine.	Anton Mesmer and Samuel Hahnemann Anton Mesmer and Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, have a surprising amount in common. Here I trace the outline of Mesmer's career and identify the similarities between his ideas and those of Hahnemann.
Is Acupuncture CAM? Acupuncture is usually thought of as CAM, so why do I continue to teach it, given that the articles on this page are mostly critical of CAM?