Not just any old faith healer

[aargh57]

This one is young and has a tattoo:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2669788&page=1

I was watching GMA this morning and this story was on. Nothing new, just wondered why they chose this guy but then they said he was only 19 and had a tattoo. Well then, I guess it's newsworthy if he's got a tattoo. The T.V. piece was just as sad as the article, a 10 second byte by a university professor that was skeptical and the rest of the piece mainly centering on anecdotes of a few patients. One woman in Minnesota who's cancer disappeared after going to the faith healer and another young woman who's cancer hadn't grown in the last few months. The last part of the article is particularly disturbing to me (bold emphasis is mine):




Science or Scam?


Adam says what he does can be completely explained by science. Edgar Mitchell — who walked on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission — says he recognizes the science behind Adam's work. "It's about channeling energy and resonating with the person," says Mitchell.



Mitchell has spent the last 30 years exploring the science of the paranormal. "The principles of quantum physics explain many of these intuitive mystical aspects of attention and intention," says Mitchell.



Other scientists don't agree. "I'm sure he's wrong, because that's not the way science works," says Bob Park, a physicist at the University of Maryland. "Whether Adam is a fraud or not, I don't know because I haven't tested him."



Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School and the Mind/Body Center says it does not surprise him that people improve or are even healed after going to Adam.



"We have within ourselves self-healing capacities that can be turned on by belief and expectancy," says Benson. "When you're in pain or you're suffering, you can't [turn them on]. It's very difficult to believe that you could heal yourself."



Benson says that's why Adam's role, as an external healer, is so important.



Whether or not science can defend Adam's work remains in question. One thing, however, is undeniable: This teenager gives some people the hope they need.

[Minarvia]

I read the article in your link. So, he has successes AND failures. Sigh... I hope too many people don't put too much of their hopes on him.
I've always wondered about the successes in cases like this. Is there a reasonable explanation for them? If so I don't know the explanations. I've read that people have been cured, tumors disappear, the crippled can walk again even for years afterwards. I do not believe in Faith Healers, but the "cure" cases do make me wonder what does happen in that person to make him/her well.

[MichelQC]

I read the article in your link. So, he has successes AND failures. Sigh... I hope too many people don't put too much of their hopes on him.
I've always wondered about the successes in cases like this. Is there a reasonable explanation for them? If so I don't know the explanations. I've read that people have been cured, tumors disappear, the crippled can walk again even for years afterwards. I do not believe in Faith Healers, but the "cure" cases do make me wonder what does happen in that person to make him/her well.

Simple;

1- Placebo effect
2- Misdiagnosis
3- Spontaneous Remission
4- Outright lies

Take your pick, :)

[Fnord]

I'm of two minds on this.

1.0.0) He's so good at fooling people that he's begun to believe his own lies.
1.1.0) People believe in him only because he has not yet been exposed as a fraud.
1.2.0) Some people will believe in anything, regardless of the truth.

2.0.0) Let him regenerate my finger IAW Mr. Randi's challenge, and I'll believe...
2.0.1) ... no, I'll publically endorse him and sing his praises 24/7!
2.1.0) It's only about 3/8" of flesh and bone.
2.2.0) Should be easy enough for any person that can cure cancer.

- Fnord of Dyscordia -

[Minarvia]

Simple;

1- Placebo effect
2- Misdiagnosis
3- Spontaneous Remission
4- Outright lies

Take your pick, :)

Hah! :p Those answers were so obvious I don't know how they never occurred to me. I'd totally forgotten about remission, didn't even think of misdiagnosis, and I definately underestimated the power of the placebo effect. As for the lying, well, I guess I am still guilty of trying to believe the best of people most of the time, especially the ones who are ill. I think to myself, why would THEY lie? The "healer" lying is obvious, but the victim? Maybe he/she just needs to believe.

As for Fnord, his part 2 replies are quite compelling and well said! That would be a great test, indeed!

[fls]

Hah! :p Those answers were so obvious I don't know how they never occurred to me. I'd totally forgotten about remission, didn't even think of misdiagnosis, and I definately underestimated the power of the placebo effect. As for the lying, well, I guess I am still guilty of trying to believe the best of people most of the time, especially the ones who are ill. I think to myself, why would THEY lie? The "healer" lying is obvious, but the victim? Maybe he/she just needs to believe.


That people lie to themselves is one of the biggest reasons for the perpetuation of these scams.

But having eavesdropped on numerous patients' attempts to explain to friends and family their condition (immediately after I have gone over it in detail with them (in plain language)), I'd say another big chunk is misunderstanding. A patient has a lump. The doctor says "we need to rule out cancer", but the patient hears "you have cancer". Or the doctor says "half the people with your condition survive for six months or longer", but the patient hears "you only have six months to live". Or the doctor says, "you have a condition called X. We don't know the cause of this disease, but there are several drugs that you can try that may be effective." The patient says, "the doctors don't know what I have, so they're going to experiment on me with some drugs."

If the information about the diagnosis and prognosis for the condition is coming from the patient and not a doctor, it's likely that some of these "miracle cures" are simply the expected result, and the patient did not understand or realize this. What is very telling is that none of these miraculous results ever make it into the medical journals. Weird and wonderful results, such as the spontaneous remission of a cancer or reversal of a severe disability would astound the physicians that had been caring for these people. It would certainly be worthy of a case-report. That the attending physicians don't seem to think it's worthy of remark suggests that the results aren't special.

And I notice that when I have a patient that uses a sCAM therapy in conjunction with the evidence-based treatment I offer, the credit for recovery is usually given to the sCAM therapy.

Linda

[grayman]

It's been discussed here (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=66037&highlight=faith+healer+adam), and here (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=27911&highlight=faith+healer+adam).

Nothing wrong with keeping us updated. Best way to destroy a fungus is to keep exposing it to light. :D

[Miss Whiplash]

Hasn't Edgar Mitchell been wandering in the Twilight Zone fore the past 30 odd years? He seems to be linked to paranormal subjects quite frequently.

[Skeptic Guy]

Yes, much to my disappointment...Mitchell has long ago left this earth for Planet Woo.

I would bet anyone who got better under Adam's "care" was still taking their chemo or radiation therapy.

Oh, and Happy B-day Vampire!

[JonnyFive]

That people lie to themselves is one of the biggest reasons for the perpetuation of these scams.

That definitely makes a lot of sense. I also have to wonder if the people most likely to try to go to a faith healer are also more likely to be confused about the actual nature of their problems. Perhaps general medical ignorance / distrust of doctors plays a role?

[RichardR]

Adam's healing knowledge was given to him by a blackbird (http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2006/07/adam_the_healer.html). What more do you need to know?

[JonnyFive]

Adam's healing knowledge was given to him by a blackbird (http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2006/07/adam_the_healer.html). What more do you need to know?

That's it, I'm sold.

[YouBelieveWHAT?]

Naah, not for me.

However, if it had been a magpie......

YBW

[aargh57]

From what I could see in the GMA piece it looked like this guy was playing to pretty big, packed house, venues (all at $99 a pop). Over the course of the year I would imagine that he sees tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of people at these things. Just by pure chance (I would think) a few of these would go into remission. Main reason I posted was because it was on GMA and the way it was reported actually made me a little angrier than the guy himself. I know these guys are out there and thanks to grayman's links I do remember him now in the commentary, but it's a shame when they get exposure like this. I don't particularly like morning "news" shows because they're usually about entertainment more than news but when they start reporting on bunk with open arms it upsets me.