A salesman is demonstrating a new product at a sports store in the local mall. He has a customer stand with his arms extended horizontally to the sides; he presses down on an arm and the customer starts to fall over. Then he puts a bracelet on the customer and… read more "Energy Bracelets: Embedding Frequencies in Holograms for Fun and Profit"
Eric Pearl “Reconnects” with Hands-Off Healing
I first became aware of chiropractor Eric Pearl through the reprehensible movie The Living Matrix. Several months ago I reviewed that movie and described its segment featuring Pearl as follows: A 5 year old with cerebral palsy was allegedly healed by “reconnective healing” by a chiropractor who is shown waving… read more "Eric Pearl “Reconnects” with Hands-Off Healing"
The Living Matrix: A Movie Promoting Energy Medicine Beliefs
It’s boring to try to ferret out reliable health information from dry medical journals. It’s easier and more fun to watch a movie. A new movie promises to change the way you think about your health. To bring you breakthroughs that will transform your understanding of how to get well… read more "The Living Matrix: A Movie Promoting Energy Medicine Beliefs"
Power Balance Technology:Pseudoscientific Silliness Suckers Card-Carrying Surfers
Carrying a Power Balance card in your pocket will supposedly improve your athletic performance and cure what ails you. The alleged mechanism (“frequencies” in an embedded hologram) is laughable pseudoscientific bunk. Remember when professional golfers were wearing Q-ray bracelets to improve their game? The Q-ray folks recently had a run-in… read more "Power Balance Technology:Pseudoscientific Silliness Suckers Card-Carrying Surfers"
The Living Matrix: A Pseudoscientific Infomercial for Energy Medicine
The Living Matrix: A Film on the New Science of Healing is an atrociously bad movie that falls squarely in the tradition of What the Bleep Do We Know? In his book Nonsense on Stilts, Massimo Pigliucci characterized the “Bleep” movie as “one of the most spectacular examples of a… read more "The Living Matrix: A Pseudoscientific Infomercial for Energy Medicine"
Healing Touch and Coronary Bypass
A study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine is being cited as evidence for the efficacy of healing touch (HT). It enrolled 237 subjects who were scheduled for coronary bypass, randomized them to receive HT, a visitor, or no treatment; and found that HT was associated with a… read more "Healing Touch and Coronary Bypass"
Your Insurance Rates Just Went Up
This article about insurance payments for Reiki appeared on a Reiki website: http://www.reiki.org/reikinews/Insurancpayments.htm A major concern among Reiki practitioners has been the inability to bill client’s insurance companies for treatments. However, today there are avenues available to the practitioner. A nurse who practices Reiki and wishes to bill an insurance company… read more "Your Insurance Rates Just Went Up"
Biofeedback and Laser for Allergies
AllergiCare Relief Centers are a chain of franchises started by a man called David Tucker who is not listed as having an MD or any other title. They offer diagnosis of allergies by biofeedback and treatment of allergies by laser acupuncture. They admit that the method is not backed by… read more "Biofeedback and Laser for Allergies"
Weird Offerings at Community College
Periodically the mail brings us a pamphlet from our local community college listing their continuing education offerings. Along with the usual computer, drawing, cooking, and photography classes they include some less conventional subjects. I’m not even going to comment; I’m just going to list a few of them and let… read more "Weird Offerings at Community College"
Gary Schwartz’s Energy Healing Experiments: The Emperor’s New Clothes?
Gary Schwartz says his experiments reveal our natural power to heal based on our ability to sense and manipulate human energy fields. Has he discovered scientific truths, or has he only demonstrated the human talent for self-deception. Gary Schwartz believes many things. He believes in psychics, mediums, and life after… read more "Gary Schwartz’s Energy Healing Experiments: The Emperor’s New Clothes?"