If I may... Quackwatch has been known for bashing pretty much every alternative therapy in existance, even those that have been rigorously proven via scientific study. Barnett and his gang have been filing lawsuits left and right, and constantly failing to assert themselves themselves as a scientific authority - I remember at least one court case where the judge clearly denounced them for claiming to be such. While these fellows may seem brave for bashing alternative medicine, let's consider how courageously they strike at their own profession's flaws.
Let's consider the JAMA (journal of american medicine) study that confirmed 225,000 people died in America in the year 2000 alone because of "modern medicine". Of these, may were killed via unnecessary surgery and the side effects of drugs that were prescribed "correctly" and that were not overdosed. By contrast, homeopathy, naturopathy and other such forms of medicine have caused little, if any, harm.
Let's consdier that, under "modern" medicine, diseases such as childhood cancer soared in ways that remain officially inexplicable. There are good reasons for those epidemics, documented by a host of people which, if you stick by Stephen Barnett's tenets, you'll probably never so much as hear about. "Modern" medicine has had absolutely no success in curing chronic illnesses - all it does is temporarily and ineffectively relieve their symptoms, while creating new ones (side effects).
Let's think about how Prozac or Aspartame was never challenged by Barnett. This alone says plenty about his affairs.
Let's also remind ourselves that, many years ago, a fellow tried to speak up for increasing hygene in hospitals, where doctors were effectively going from the morgue to their scheduled C-sections without so much as washing their hands. When this fellow made his declarations, he received no more than ridicule from fellow doctors. Think of how Stephen Barnett would have reacted to his claims. Also consider how, earlier in medicine's past, doctors were using mercury and arsenic in what were often pathogenic doses. Think of how Stephen Barnett would have supported these instead of the more powerful and harmless homeopathy.
Finally, let's consider the income of big pharmaceutical companies - the industry as a whole is estimated to make one trillion a year. When you consider how cheap many alternative therapies are (in some cases, they're completely free) and how they emphasize consumer education, it's ridiculous to assume alternative medicine is a hoax meant to devour profits from innocent victims.
Now, ask yourselves... Why isn't quackwatch reporting the faults of "modern" medicine? Why is it seemingly opposing everything that isn't bonud by the standard medical dogma?
Probably because their tactics work on the public at large. People find it all too easy to dismiss something as "quackery" when so-called experts slander it, even if they bring forth no serious evidence. This has led to the entrenchment of false scientific paradigms as well as a thorough crackdown on new, empirical discoveries. There's a wonderful book concerning this phenomenon, and quite a few related others - I'd mention its name, but it seems people here might think I'm out to sell something.
In regards to the EFT site, have a look at it. Have a look at every article posted on it (certainly more than you'd find on a regular hoax site), and check the various links. Since the manual is free, and you can find plenty of tips on such sites as mercola.com, try doing EFT yourself. As you will eventually learn, it works on even the most skeptical of people. More importantly, nobody's asking you for any money, and indeed, you're not required to visit any kind of therapist. It's something you can very easily do for yourself, completely free, in the privacy of your own living room.
This assumption that EFT is a hoax run by a pair of wackos has little support. Notice, for instance, the summaries of a few research studies done on it.
http://www.eftsupport.com/research_eft.htm
http://www.emotional-freedom.com/tapping-works.htm
http://www.energypsych.org/research-eft-treatment.htm
In addition to this, notice how many case studies and articles you can find on the EFT site... Hundreds, at any rate. People wouldn't devote so much effort to a simple hoax. It's highly unlikely it would earn a profit, considering the labor involved and the low number of people likely to buy the CDs.
Notice the number of MDs and "mainstream" psychologists that are currently using the technique. Ask yourself why these people, who integrated EFT into their psychology programs, would ever do this if the whole thing was a hoax. Take your time to analyze the various EFT sites and newsletters. Finally, try it yourself. It's free, it's painless and it works. I find the claims of "brainwashing" ridiculous - nothing in the manual or similar resources shows any hint of greed from the makers of EFT, and instead of telling readers to have their friends buy CDs, Gary Craig actually encourages people to make free copies and distribute them.
It bothers me to see how people choose to pass on something like this only because a would-be expert happens to dismiss it. Both practicioners and scientific studies can attest to its value, whether it comes from meridians or simply the diversion of tapping. As for quackwatch, I suppose
this site can present an adequate rebuttal of its contents without me having to write an essay on the subject, though there are certainly plenty of other critiques worth perusing.
I've only done EFT for a few sessions, and the benefits have already been more than obvious. Again, I emphasize this, it's *completely* free - the CDs sold on the original site are designed not for the patients, but for helping new practicioners self-train. Furthermore, I doubt people would challenge deep breathing or regular affirmations in the same manner as EFT, even though there are likely hundreds of books and CDs on these subjects. No one's claiming affirmations are a hoax... Why judge EFT as one?
