Mad Kally

IF you click on my link you will see all of these articles, then you can read each one individually. If you are really interested. Maybe, maybe not eh?


Prayer-Related Articles

"Study Yields No Evidence for Medical Efficacy of Distant Intercessory Prayer: A Follow-up Commentary" (a critique of this study by Dr. Dale Matthews), The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine , Winter 2002 [My preliminary article, "An Examination of the Media Coverage of a Prayer Study-in-Progress," was published in The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine , Fall/Winter 1998.]

"Hardly a Prayer on ABC's 20/20 Downtown" (brief commentary about my appearance during the 8/13/01 20/20 Downtown report on "The Power of Prayer"), Skeptical Inquirer, Nov/Dec 2001



"Another controversial effort to establish the medical efficacy of intercessory prayer" (a critique of the Harris group's Archives of Internal Medicine study), The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine , Spring/Summer 2000


"Has science proven the 'divine' health benefits of religion?" (a critique, written at the request of the Secular Web, of a USA Today article, Aug. 1998)


"Examining an Unsolved Mysteries Report of a 'Miraculous' Cure" (of a Florida woman who claimed to have been diagnosed with "breast cancer"), Skeptical Inquirer, Sept/Oct 1995


"Medical Practice Enters a New Age" (review of Healing Words: The
Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine by Dr. Larry Dossey),
Skeptical Inquirer, Summer 1994



"NBC's Cynically Skewed Reporting on the Power of Prayer," Free Inquiry, Summer 1994


"God in the CCU?" (critique of Dr. Randolph Byrd's 1988 study on intercessory prayer), Free Inquiry, Spring 1990


"A Case of Immaculate Abortion?" (evaluation of a gynecologist's miraculous medical claim), Free Inquiry, Summer 1988


"Nonhealing a Nonexistent Tumor" (investigation of TV faith-healer Peter Popoff's claimed cure of a Tampa girl), Free Inquiry, Winter 1986-87


Medical Consultant for The Faith Healers by James Randi (Prometheus Books, 1987)

Nowhere357

Prayer can assist in healing, to the extent that it involves meditation, positive thinking, and maybe creative visualization. (No deity required.) I was going to provide links, but there is so much to choose from - just enter the keywords.

Mad Kally's link debunks intercessory prayer only.

Kally, I tremble at the thought of being hauled before the IPU in the inquisition room. But I will defend the relationship between healing, and meditation and positive thinking, if I must.

Wyz_sub10

I can't tell if echidna and Mad Kally's comments on the placebo affect are in support of what I said or against it.

But I don't disagree with either of the posts. I am saying only that the placebo affect won't address viruses, bacteria, tumors of stab wounds. It can be helpful as a coping mechanism or in cases of psychosomatic problems, as was noted.

Mad Kally

Let's just say that NOTHING is going to heal or cure a terminal cancer patient. They are diagnosed with six months or less to live when they become hospice patients. All we can do is try to make it as easy on them as possible, hopefully with some dignity, respect, and pain control. The laughter, the herbal tea, the relaxation techniques, distraction, narcotics, what ever it takes it to get them to as nice an end as possible. If it makes them feel at peace, who cares if they are eating dandelions or tree bark? My patients stay in their homes to spend their final time with their friends and family in their own familiar environment. I think Home Health hospice is a huge improvement over inpatient hospices.

Nowhere,
Prayer may comfort them at the end, but it is not going to stop the disease process of cancer.


Kally IPU Priestess grrrrr

mike_decock

Anyone heard about arsenic being about 90% effective in curing certain types of cancer? I saw a show on Discovery Channel about that. Pretty cool.

-Mike...

Mad Kally

Terminal cancer patients?!? I think not!

If you want to get the best cancer there is, make it thyroid. All they do is remove the thyroid gland and you take a synthetic thyroid pill called oddly enough Synthroid!

That Discovery channel also has shows about ghosts and talking to dead people, etc.

mike_decock

Yeah, Discovery has a lot of supernatural crap, but their nature and science shows can be informative.

Here's a CNN Blurb on the study done.

-Mike...

Mad Kally

Mike, sorry I yelled like that. I'm getting defensive over my huge post count. I don't want to go over 10,000. There's a thread in MD about it ... sheesshh

MadKally

By the time terminally ill patients meet me they are beyond chemo, radiation or any other type of aggressive treatment. Their cancer is totally incurable and has usually metastasized to the lungs , brain, bone and so on.

You can wave Voodoo dolls over them, have them take homeopathic rememdies (water) Pray your brains out, do a rain dance or whatever you want. (even some arsenic)

They are going to die, there is no turning back or miraculous cures.. and that's that... Some of them call me an Angel of Mercy and it goes through my heart like a knife when I first meet them because I know I will have to watch them die.

Kally

Seraphim

They are going to die, there is no turning back or miraculous cures.. and that's that... Some of them call me an Angel of Mercy and it goes through my heart like a knife when I first meet them because I know I will have to watch them die.

Maybe the mercy they seek is not a lease in life but release from life ...

No one likes to die alone ...