The New York Times guide to alternative health : a consumer reference / by Jane E. Brody, Denise Grady, and the reporters of the New York Times.

New York : Times Books/Henry Holt, 2001.

xvii, 394 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

1st ed.

Includes index.

Patients seek kinder, gentler cures: alternative medicine as a social trend -- Offerings many, rules few: the booming alternative industry and its frustrated regulators -- Some help, some harm, many remain mysterious: herbal remedies -- They are essential, but not in megadoses: vitamins and minerals -- A pill for every purpose: other supplements, from andro to zinc -- Acupuncture, magnets, massage, and exercise: alternative therapies -- Prayer, laughter, meditation, and the power of placebos: the mind-body connection -- Menopause, breast cancer, and wrinkles: a lucrative market: women and alternative medicine -- Skeptics, misadventures, and charlatans: cautionary tales -- Gingko candy bars and ketchup for what ails you: food as medicine.