The book evaluates the scientific evidence for acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal medicine, and chiropractic, and briefly covers 36 other treatments. It finds that the scientific evidence for these alternative treatments is generally lacking. Homeopathy is concluded to be completely ineffective: "It's nothing but a placebo, despite what homeopaths say."
In 1996 using a standard science fair display board, a then nine year old devised a single-blind [1] protocol, later described by other scientists as "simple and elegant," for a study to test practitioners claiming they could feel a "Human Energy Field" for her 4th grade science fair. There were two series of tests. In 1996, 15 practitioners were tested at their home or office on different days over a period of several months. In 1997, 13 practitioners, including 7 from the first series, were tested on a single day. The second series was observed and videotaped by the producers of Scientific American Frontiers. Each of the practitioners to sit at a table and extend their hands through a screen. On the other side of the screen, the girl randomly selected which of the practitioner's hands she would hold her hand over. The practitioners were then asked which of their hands detected her HEF. Subjects were each given ten tries, but they correctly located Rosa's hand an average of only 4.4 times. Some subjects were asked before testing to examine her hands and select which of her hands they thought produced the strongest HEF. she then used that hand during the experiment, but those subjects performed no better. The results showed that the practitioners could not detect the hand more often than chance, and she et al therefore concluded that there was no empirical basis to the HEF.
[1] Single-blind describes experiments where information that could introduce bias or otherwise skew the result is withheld from the participants, but the experimenter will be in full possession of the facts. Double-blind describes an especially stringent way of conducting an experiment, usually on human subjects, in an attempt to eliminate subjective bias on the part of both experimental subjects and the experimenters. In most cases, double-blind experiments are held to achieve a higher standard of scientific rigor.
One medical intuitive was tested using a research instrument specially developed to measure the accuracy of medical intuitive. Apparently the tests weren't randomized and a double-blind was not considered. Yet a diagnosis accuracy rate of 93 percent was achieved. In 1996 a PhD in Intuition and Energy Medicine from Greenwich University appeared on their credentials. Greenwich was an unaccredited institution based out of Australia, and that degree was from a correspondence-based branch of the school in Hawaii. Some people also noticed that the Medical Intuitive, themselve, were the creator and head of the department of Energy Medicine. So just how reliable is the field of Medical Intuition and are New Age credentials in general.
In the study of Table Tipping or Turning William Carpenter, in 1852, did not question the reality of the phenomena, nor the honesty of the people who were involved. He only disputed the explanation, arguing that,
"All the phenomena of the 'biologized' state, when attentively examined, will be found to consist in the occupation of the mind by the ideas which have been suggested to it, and in the influence which these ideas exert upon the actions of the body."
Thus Carpenter invoked ideomotor action as a non paranormal explanation for various phenomena that were being credited to new physical forces, spiritual intervention, or other supernatural causes.
William James concurred:
"Wherever a movement unhesitatingly and immediately follows upon the idea of it, we have ideomotor action. We are then aware of nothing between the conception and the execution. All sorts of neuromuscular responses come between, of course, but we know absolutely nothing of them. We think the act, and it is done; and that is all that introspection tells us of the matter."
The first major scientist to become concerned about the mischief being created by ideomotor action, although he did not know the concept by this name, was the French chemist Michel Chevreul. Chevreul, who lived for one hundred three years, became interested in the experiments of some of his fellow chemists around the beginning of the nineteenth century. These colleagues were using what was known as "the exploring pendulum" to analyze chemical compounds. Chevreul was intrigued, but he remained skeptical. He was surprised, however, to find that the pendulum worked as advertised when he tried it over a dish of mercury. He carried out more tests, however. To see if a physical force was responsible for the movement of the pendulum, he placed a glass plate between the iron ring and the mercury. To his surprise, the oscillations diminished and then stopped. When he removed the glass plate, the pendulum movements resumed. Finally, Chevreul did what none of his predecessors had thought of doing. He conducted the equivalent of what we would call a double-blind trial. He blindfolded himself and then he had an assistant interpose or remove the glass plate between the pendulum and the mercury without his knowledge. Under these conditions, nothing happened. Chevreul concluded,
"So long as I believed the movement possible, it took place; but after discovering the cause I could not reproduce it."
His experiments with the pendulum show how easy it is
"to mistake illusions for realities, whenever we are confronted by phenomena in which the human sense-organs are involved under conditions imperfectly analyzed."
Chevreul used this principle of expectant attention to account for the phenomena of dowsing, movements of the exploring pendulum, and the then current fad among spiritualists, table-turning.The most publicized, elaborate and carefully controlled study of table-turning was reported by Michael Faraday in 1853. Faraday obtained the cooperation of participants who he knew to be "very honorable" and who were also "successful table-movers." He devised an ingenious arrangement to pin down the cause of the movement. And concluded:
"It was easy to see by displacement of the parts of the line that the sitters hand had moved further from the table, and that the latter had lagged behind -- that the sitters hand, in fact, had pushed the upper card to the left and that the under cards and the table had followed and been dragged by it."
Faraday's report was sufficient to convince most scientists that table-turning and related phenomena did not stem from new physical forces or occult powers.
From a study of Clever Hans , the “intelligient horse”, we learn:
“that people frequently give clues about what they are thinking or observing without realizing it. These subtle clues can guide the behavior of other individuals -- or even animals. Sometimes these individuals consciously detect these clues and use them to deceive, but frequently the person being guided by the clues is just as unconscious of them as is the individual providing them.”
So if a horse can read body language or subtle clues then anyone, including Psychics, Healers and Medical Intuitives, can pick up on that too.
The “REPORT OF A CLERICAL AND MEDICAL COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY INTO SPIRITUAL, FAITH, AND MENTAL HEALING”[ http://www.archive.org/details/spiritualhealing00cleruoft] from LONDON, England in 1914 is interesting.
The following questions formulated by the Committee were forwarded to each witness invited to attend, and carefully considered answers were in most cases given, while much additional information on the subject was elicited in reply to further general questions asked in the course of the interview.
(1) What do you understand by "Spiritual" healing? (2) Do you make any distinction between "Spiritual" healing and "Mental" healing? (3) Do you connect the "Spiritual" healing of the present day with the Gifts of Healing in the Apostolic Church? (4) Do you regard moral excellence in either the healer or the healed as an essential condition for "Spiritual" healing? (5) Do you consider that religious faith' on the part of the sick person is essential to healing by "Spiritual" means? (6) Have you personal knowledge of any cases where any organic disease has been healed by "Spiritual" or "Mental" influences alone? (7) Do you consider that “Spiritual" healing should be exercised apart from both medical diagnosis and supervision?
ABSTRACT OF ANSWERS.
Questions 1 and .2. — The witnesses differed in their definitions of "Spiritual" healing and in their distinctions between "Spiritual" and "Mental" healing. Some regarded the former as involving direct, external, Divine interposition above the ordinary laws of nature. Others seemed to draw no fundamental distinction between "Spiritual healing " and " healing by suggestion," except that the former was of a religious character and applied through religious rites such as imposition of hands, unction, and prayer. Question 3. — ^Most of the witnesses connected the " Spiritual healing " of the present day with the " gifts of healing " of the Apostolic Church, regarding these " gifts " as having been long dormant, though never entirely interrupted. Other witnesses could trace no such connexion. Questions 4 and 5. — There was consider able divergence of opinion as to whether moral excellence in the healer, or the healed, was an essential condition for success in "spiritual healing"; some regarding it as being indispensable in the healer, others as being advantageous though not essential. Most of the witnesses were agreed that while moral excellence was not requisite on the part of the patient, yet faith or at least expectation of benefit, was an important contributory factor. Question 6. — Many of the witnesses gave convincing evidence of beneficial results in cases of functional or nervous disorders, obsessions, alcoholism, drug habits, vicious propensities, etc., through treatment by "Spiritual" or mental influences. No satisfactorily certified case was adduced of any organic disease, competently diagnosed as such, which had been cured through these means alone. The value of religious and mental influences as contributory to recovery was not questioned. Question 7. — A few of the witnesses thought there was no objection to the exercise of "gifts of healing" by persons possessing no medical qualifications; but the greater number were keenly alive to the risk and danger of any independent treatment of disease by persons not medically qualified; and all felt there was room for a closer legitimate co-operation between the Clergy and Medical Profession.
The Committee are of opinion that the physical results of what is called "Faith" or "Spiritual" healing do not prove on investigation to be different from those of Mental healing or healing by "Suggestion."
The term Suggestion is used in this Report in a wide sense, as meaning the application of any natural mental process to the purposes of treatment.
They recognise that Suggestion is more effectively exercised by some persons than by others, and this fact seems to explain the "gifts" of a special character claimed by various "Healers." It is undoubtedly due to the striking benefits which sometimes result from Suggestion that the belief in such claims has been fostered.
Appendix A, on suggestion concluded with:
There is no doubt that a large number of mental processes are, i.e., have become by heredity or education, automatic and so subconscious; and they can be excited by the stimulus of suggestion upon the centres which govern them in the same manner as other function processes; or they can be promoted to greater activity by the temporary removal of disturbing currents of conscious thought. Again, such thought currents can be directed by an effort of will in aid of automatic effort. Thus reading is, with educated people, an automatic process. Concentration may be entirely diverted by outside disturbances, suggesting thoughts quite foreign to the subject matter of the book, but an effort of the will restores the attention of the reader.
Then there’s the case of Philip Aylesford. In 1972 some Canadian parapsychologists undertook an experiment. The members of the experiment attempted to create, through intense and prolonged concentration, a collective thought-form.
The group fabricated the fictitious identity, physical appearance, and personal history of their “Philip Aylesford” who was born in England in 1624. He had an illustrious role in the Civil War, becoming a personal friend of Charles II and working for him as a secret agent. But Philip brought about his own undoing by having an affair with a Gypsy girl. When his wife found out she accused the girl of witchcraft, and she was burned at the stake. In despair Philip committed suicide in 1654 at the age of thirty.
The group began conducting sittings in September 1972 during which they meditated, visualized, and discussed the details of "Philip"’s life. After going for months with no communication, the group attempted table-tilting through psychokinesis.
Some weeks after changing to the séance setting the group established communication with “Philip.” He answered questions that were consistent with his fictitious history, but was unable to provide any information beyond that which the group had conceived. However, “Philip” did give other historically accurate information about real events and people. The group theorized that this latter information came from their own collective unconsciousness.
Stringent single or double blind testing should be mandatory in medicine, Alternative Medicine, the pharmaceutical industry and the food supply, just to name a few.
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