Provides facts to dispel common medical misconceptions, covering topics including the healing power of magnets, bottled water vs. tap water, and healing power of aromatherapy "Christopher Wanjek uses a take-no-prisoners approach in debunking the outrageous nonsense being heaped on a gullible public in the name of science and medicine. Wanjek writes with clarity, humor, and humanity, and simultaneously informs and entertains. " -Dr. Acknowledgments.Introduction: The Roots of Bad Medicine.PART I: I SING THE BODY ECLECTIC.10 Percent Misconception, 90 Percent Misdirection: The Brain at Work.Big Brain, Little Smarts: Brain Size and Intelligence.Blinded by Lies: The Eyes Have It.All in Good Taste: How the Tongue Works.Scrubbing Your Liver: The Demystification of Detoxification.Refer to the Appendix: Useless Organ or Helpful Player?Going Gray? Not Today: White Hair and Its Causes.Samson's Delight: Baldness Cures.The Race Is Off: Race Defined.PART II: GROWING OLD.Losing One's Mind: Memory Loss and Aging.Getting Stiffed: Vitality and Aging.Illness Gets Old: Aging and Disease.See You in 2150: The Long and Short of Life Span.On and On: Longevity and Genetics.PART III: ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU SICK.The Plague Lives! The Black Plague in the Modern Age.Cold Comfort: How to Catch a Cold.The Ill-Advised War on Bacteria: Are All Bacteria Bad?Radiating Misperception: Radiation, Pro and Con.Swimming with Sharks: Sharks and Cancer.Mutating Misconceptions: What Your Genes Say about Your Future Health.PART IV: EATING IT UP.Learning Your Alpha-Beta-Carotenes: Antioxidants, Pro and Con.The Unbearable Heaviness of Being: Fat People and Food.Not Milk? Milk and Your Health.Organic Reasoning: The Benefits of Organic Food.Water, Water Everywhere: Bottled Water vs. Tap Water.The Whole Grain Truth: Are Whole Grains Healthier?PART V: THE RETURN OF THE WITCH DOCTOR.The Delusion of Dilution: Homeopathy X 50.Magnetic Charm: Magnets and Your Health.Reversal of Fortune: The Viability of Ayurveda.Something Smells Funny: Aromatherapy As a Cure.Suffocating Trends: Oxygen--How Much Is Too Much?The Ultimate Hands-Off Approach: Touch Therapy, Qigong, and Falun Gong.Getting to the Root of the Problem: Herbs As Alternative Medicine.A Shot in the Arm: The True Dangers of Vaccines.PART VI: RISKING IT ALL.Toxic Avenger: The Science of Toxicity.Peer-Reviewed for Your Pleasure: How Health Studies Work.Candy Adds Years to Your Life: And Other Important Health Study Findings.We're #1: Rating America's Health.PART VII: JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES.I'm Not a Reporter, but I Play One on TV: The Accuracy of Television Medical News.Rambo VI: The Quest for Hearing: Guns and Their Aftereffects.Knocked Out, Loaded: Imagined Violence and Real Problems.Heartbreaker: Hollywood Style.Epilogue: Tomorrow's Promise: Bad Medicine on the Horizon.Appendix: More Bad Medicine.Recommended Reading.Bibliography.Index.