Canadians and Americans visit alternative health-care practitioners more often than primary-care physicians. They spend billions a year on various dietary interventions and treatments such as homeopathy, reflexology, energy healing and magnet therapy in spite of a lack of evidence of efficacy.

While therapists in these areas cannot furnish scientific evidence, they can offer patients charisma, time and hope. Often that is all that is needed. Alternative practitioners readily capitalize on the fact that many diseases are self-limiting and resolve by themselves.They are also very adept at using the placebo effect to great advantage.

While in most cases alternative therapies are innocuous, that is not always the case.

Whatever one's views on alternative medicine may be, there's no question that the subject merits attention and discussion. There may be some gems among the rocks. But finding them requires some careful science-based sifting followed by examination of the results under the microscope.

These two sessions will be presented in this year's Symposium:

November 7 • 7:00-9:00 pm

Centre Mont Royal
1000 Sherbrooke Street West (corner Mansfield)

Harriet Hall MD
Former U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeon,
Author of "SkepDoc" column in Skeptic Magazine

Paul Offit MD
Professor of Vaccinology,
University of Pennsylvania
Author of "Autism's False Prophets"

Robert Park PhD
Emeritus Professor of Physics,
University of Maryland
Author of "Voodoo Science"

November 8

6:00-7:30 pm
Fieldhouse Auditorium, Room
132, Leacock Building,
McGill University

EDZARD ERNST MD, PhD
Professor of Complementary
Medicine, University of Exeter
Author of "Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial"

Moderator:
Joe Schwarcz PhD
Director, McGill Office for Science and Society

ABOUT LORNE TROTTIER:

Lorne M. Trottier is co-founder of Matrox, a privately held group of companies known around the world for its innovative computer graphics, video and imaging products. An electrical engineering graduate of McGill University (BEng 70, MEng 73), Dr. Trottier was awarded an honorary McGill Doctor of Science degree in 2006. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and recipient of the Quebec government's prestigious Prix Lionel-Boulet.

Dr. Trottier has a passion for scientific education and the Trottier Family Foundation has been a generous supporter of McGill's efforts in this area. The Foundation also sponsors the Lorne Trottier Public Science Symposium Series annually at McGill.