02394cam a2200265 i 4500 367297069 TxAuBib 20190128120000.0 181102s2019||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u bl2018192182 9781501121494 27.00 1501121499 27.00 eng rda TxAuBib rda Warner, Melanie. The magic feather effect [BOOK] : the science of alternative medicine and the surprising power of belief / Melanie Warner. New York : Scribner, 2019. x, 278 pages ; 24 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographic sources and index. We all know someone who has had a seemingly miraculous cure from an alternative form of medicine: a friend whose chronic back pain vanished after sessions with an acupuncturist or chiropractor; a relative with digestive issues who recovered with herbal remedies; a colleague whose autoimmune disorder went into sudden inexplicable remission thanks to an energy healer or healing retreat. The tales are far too common to be complete fabrications, yet too anecdotal and outside the medical mainstream to be taken seriously scientifically. How do we explain them and the growing popularity of alternative medicine more generally? Is there a biological basis for practices like acupuncture, tai chi, chiropractic, and energy healing? Who are the faithful patients and practitioners who tell these stories and speak of such mystical-seeming concepts as qi, chakras, and meridians in the first place? In The Magic Feather Effect, author and journalist Melanie Warner attempts to answer these questions, taking us on a vivid, fascinating journey through the world of alternative medicine. Crossing continents and sides of the debate, visiting prestigious research clinics and ordinary people's homes, she investigates the scientific underpinning for the purportedly magical results of these practices and reveals not only the medical power of beliefs and placebo effects, but also the range, limits, and uses of the surprising system of self-healing that resides inside us. Provided by publisher. 20190128. Alternative medicine.