A review of Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis by James L. Oschman. London: Churchill Livingstone, an imprint of Harcourt Publishers Limited, 2000. 274 pp. ISBN 0-443-06261-7 “ENERGY MEDICINE” INCLUDES therapeutic touch, craniosacral therapy, homeopathy, acupuncture, and numerous other alternative medicine practices. It usually implies a vitalistic philosophy: something immaterial produces life and health in a
The God Code: The Secret of Our Past, the Promise of Our Future, by Gregg Braden, Hay House, Inc., Carlsbad, California, 2004. Seek and you will find. You can find prophecies in the Bible and Nostradamus – they are surprisingly accurate (at least in retrospect). Children find animal shapes in the clouds; adults find Jesus
Stephen Barrett, M.D. Harriet Hall, M.D. During the past year, a few companies have begun offering genetic testing combined with guidance on diet, supplement strategies, lifestyle changes, and/or drug usage which they claim can improve health outcomes. This article explains why such testing should be avoided. Until recently, hereditary tendencies were determined mainly by examining
Harriet Hall, M.D. Stephen Barrett, M.D. Nicholas Perricone, M.D., has written three similar books: The Wrinkle Cure [1], The Perricone Prescription [2]; and The Acne Prescription [3]. All contain many claims that are questionable, controversial, fanciful, unsupported by published evidence, or just plain wrong. Although he mentions standard skin-care treatments, sometimes favorably, his books provide
I’ve been discussing “alternative medicine” with a friend who is very intelligent but has no training in science. She uses chiropractic, magnets, vitamins, and acupuncture, and she says she doesn’t care what science says because science can be wrong, she trusts her personal experience more, and if something “works” for her, she doesn’t care how
My trip down the rabbit hole started when an ad in the newspaper caught my eye: “Do you have a good brain or a bad brain? One simple test may tell you… call today for a free brain exam.” I started to worry. I had always thought I had a pretty good brain, but what
ABSTRACT Background: Chiropractic is based on a theory that most disease results from spinal subluxation and interference with nerves. The theory is not supported by experimental evidence nor recognized as plausible by medical scientists. Chiropractic manipulation is known to cause infrequent but devastating complications including death and paralysis. Despite this knowledge, chiropractic has been increasingly
ABSTRACT Background: “Vitamin O” is being sold as an oxygen supplement. Direct analysis has shown that it contains no oxygen. A scientific study published on the manufacturer’s website claims to have demonstrated the presence of oxygen in the product indirectly, by demonstrating increases in blood oxygen in anemic subjects taking the product. Objective and design: The study
After reading some particularly egregious nonsense, you have probably asked yourself; “How could anyone in his right mind believe that?” There is an answer to your question. In. fact, the person who believes the nonsense will usually provide the answer himself if you give him half a chance. Go to the source. Read the believer’s
A KK store opened on June 24th in Tacoma, and people started lining up 12 hours before the 5:30 a.m. opening, with sleeping bags and “the enthusiasm usually reserved for a ‘Star Wars’ film, Oprah or a rock concert.” At midmorning, people were still waiting an hour in line to get a doughnut. According to