More people than ever are using alternative medicine. But, as expert Dr Paul Offit explains, these untested therapies are ineffective, expensive and even deadly. Now that homeopathic remedies are offered on the NHS, it's clear that various therapies once considered alternative or complementary, have become mainstream - prescribed to burn fat, shrink prostates, alleviate colds, reduce stress, eliminate pain and prevent cancer.

At the same time, uptake of effective vaccines such as MMR has fallen - a disturbing trend which, in the case of the MMR, has lead to a sharp rise in the number of measles cases. In 'Killing Us Softly' Paul Offit reveals, alternative medicine - an unregulated industry under no obligation to prove its claims or admit its risks - can actually be very harmful. In 'Killing Us Softly' he exposes how: Homeopathic asthma preparations and bogus cancer cures have replaced life-saving medicines.

Acupuncture needles have pierced hearts, lungs, and livers and transmitted viruses, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. Chiropractic manipulations have torn arteries. Megavitamins increase the risk of cancer and heart disease-a fact well known to scientists but virtually unknown to the public.

Using real-life case histories to back his argument, Dr Offit shows us why any medical treatment - alternative or conventional - must be properly evaluated. 'There's no such thing as alternative medicine. There's only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't.'