There were some very thought provoking comments (some of them sent privately) in response to my posting on the ethics of faith healing. In one of the comments, Erin made a very telling observation that I’ve been thinking about and which prompted me to revisit the topic.
Those of us who do not believe in a god who intervenes in daily life tend to think of faith healing (if it works at all) as purely a placebo effect whose success depends on people believing that there is something real going on. As I said before, I have a real problem with how to deal with this.
On the one hand, the rationalist/skeptic in me wants to actively debunk all faith healers as, at worst, cynical con artists who are preying on the gullible for monetary gain or for fame and glory, or at best as self-deluding people who genuinely believe that they have some sort of gift. Even if a few people are of the latter kind, allowing them to propagate the belief that faith can heal allows the charlatans amongst them a greater chance of swindling others.
On the other hand, the humanist in me wants to keep out of the issue since I don’t want to jeopardize the chances of a “cure” for a few people, even if it is placebo induced.
In these types of discussions, we tend to contrast the placebo effect (which is based on an illusion) with the effects produce by modern medicine, which is assumed to be based on science and is thus real. But Erin points out that the medicine-as-science versus placebo-as-quackery distinction isn’t as clear-cut as one might imagine.
On the third floor of Allen building (where my office is) is the Dittrick Medical History Museum. It consists of just two rooms but contains enough devices and descriptions of past treatments to make me glad that we live in the current age. If one goes back in medical history, one finds all kinds of treatments that were once fully endorsed by the medical establishment and are now discredited. Some of them (such as bleeding using leeches) are pretty bizarre. The museum is free and open 10:00 am-4:30 pm Monday through Friday, and well worth a quick visit.
So what are we to make of these past treatments? Based on current science, we have no reason now to think that they should work, so any success they had must have been due to the placebo effect. But since the medical establishment believed in those treatments then, they must also have been considered science at that time. One assumes that the physicians of that time recommended these treatments with complete sincerity and achieved some “cures”. What distinguishes them from the sincere faith healers of the current times?
Can we maintain the distinction between science and the placebo? Some argue that we cannot. I have heard it said that: “The history of medicine is the history of the placebo.” This may be a little strong but it has enough truth in it to be disquieting. What if current medical treatments are also placebos? It could be that a few generations from now, people will marvel that bodies were once cut open with sharp knives or that strong chemicals were introduced into the bloodstream, all in the name of medicine-as-science.
One way to get around the problem is to think that past generations of medical scientists were simply wrong and that we are fortunate to happen to live in an era when science has come into its own, producing real cures, and that our current successful treatments are permanent. Some science triumphalists extend this argument across the board, arguing that current scientific knowledge, unlike that of its predecessors, is right in its essentials and that all that awaits us in the future are minor improvements, tinkering at the boundaries.
I am always a little wary of assuming that we live in a special time in history, whether it is a high point (as asserted by the science triumphalists) or an especially low point (as asserted by those Christian fundamentalists who think the country has gone to the dogs and want to return it to a previous era by putting religious symbols in the public sphere and overthrowing evolutionary theory). While changes have undoubtedly occurred and in some cases for the better, we may not be too different from our predecessors in our ability to distinguish good science from bad, or science from non-science.
One thing that has definitely improved is our research protocol methods. At least with double-blind clinical trials, we can have some confidence that some of the medical treatments we use are truly beneficial. But that still does not solve our problem of the ethics of faith healing and whether we should try and debunk them, whether the practitioners are sincere or not.
That’s the trouble with true ethical dilemmas. There is no obvious right answer.
POST SCRIPT 1
Tom Tomorrow spells out how supporters of the Iraq war avoid reality.
POST SCRIPT 2
As usual, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show has the best take on Pat Robertson’s latest idiocy and the coverage of it (via onegoodmove).
Some Meditations For Soul
Awakening
These are helpful in consciously uplifting oneself into moving on the
higher spiritual path. These do not have any direct tangible benefits.
Still these function as a core foundation of spirituality that is all
about realizing the soul.
Soul is the single dormant prime mover of human body and mind. It
operates invisibly, yet is consistently in observing mode over long
period of time initiating moves in accordance to its ascension path.
These patterns have subtle effects on the body and mind that is simply
in moving on the soul realization pathway. Consciously allowing a free
flow of this soul energy is an essential requirement for experiencing
complete wellness.
The below meditations lead an individual systematically into the depths
of core spirituality. These must be undergone sequentially, that is,
one after another allowing for a period of settling for the energies.
1.
Meditation For Spiritual Development: This is
recommended for every person involved into any form of applied
spirituality through light work or energy work. This establishes a deep
connection with the higher-self consciousness. The individual gets more
deeply connected naturally with any of natural energy that may be used
in any process of spiritual healing or prayer. The energy and prayer
sessions become more relaxing and effective shifting into a new
dimension. This draws in the soul energy at the body level.
2.
Meditation For Spiritual Positioning: This is
an essential meditation for every spiritual practitioner that is in
free will moving on the ascension path. It is through this that an
individual gets deeply connected with one’s own specific
ascension path. This properly aligns the individual progress path with
a harmony into all. This meditation draws in the soul energy at the
mind level.
3.
Meditation For Unifying Body, Mind and Soul:
This remarkably shifts the individual on the ascension highway of
attaining Mukti, Moksha and Nirvana. This meditation opens an entire
world of transformations to the individual as the soul energy makes a
shift into dominant mode both upon the body and mind level. One should
get into doing this meditation only when one is mentally prepared to
dedicate oneself into the core spirituality. This meditation is not
recommended for those who are heavily trapped into the existences of
the material world.
How To Learn These?
These meditations are conducted through Live Class!
To learn these, you can either visit our Krish Wellness Center or
organize a class at your place.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
I operate a licensed massage therapy practice in Austin, Texas. I don’t necessarily believe in “faith healing” however, in my own practice, I have seen dramatic improvements in my patients overall health and well being from my own holistic and alternative healing methodologies and techniques. I also practice certified hypnotherapy for weight loss, quitting smoking, and past life regression, I have had really remarkable results from my hypnotherapy sessions too.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
An interesting read. Although I have a very practical nature and would have been classed as sceptical a few years ago, my personal experiences have taught me to remain open minded. Of course, as with any area of life, there are potential for the less than scrupulous and for fraudsters, but equally so there is room for the odd miracle!
Surely the fact that placebos can work at all must indicate that we actually have our own extraordinary ability of healing everyday.
Our ability to heal (ourselves or others) is very much linked to our belief and emotional energy, not our intellectual thoughts.
To have faith in ourselves and our own innate abilities is a right we all possess.
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom
There are different kind of how to cures your disease it will depend on your beliefs. I want to share how I cure my arthritis. Arthritis is a disorder characterized by painful and swollen joints. There are over 100 different forms of arthtritis and each is differentiated from the rest by observation of clinical signs and symptoms. The three most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. Recent studies have shown that Xanthones have no harmful influence on blood coagulation and increases blood perfusion rate in the kidneys, thereby enhancing renal function while helping in the regulation of salt and fluid balance in the body. Kind Regards, Tom