When this much-needed collection of critical essays was first published in 1985, it provoked controversy because never before had the various branches of the holistic movement in medicine been analyzed and discussed with such care to determine if the claims made for these methods and procedures could be substantiated. The stakes were high (and they still are!), since each year many desperate people attempt to secure physical relief by spending their hard-earned money on a vast array of exotic treatments: acupuncture; therapeutic touch; rolfing; reflexology; homeopathy; herbal medications; biofeedback; chiropractic; chelation therapy; megadose vitamin therapies; iridology; visualisation; and others.