It's important to recall the the so-called 'official' statistics regarding the placebo effect state that 30% of all cures worldwide can be attributed to the placebo effect (some say up to 75%).
I've had a number of Network chiro treatments and have experienced generally nothing from them. Possibly because I, too consider hand-waving above the patient sort of the equivalent of aura-fluffing with an eagle feather...it can work if the patient's belief is strongly pervasive enough, but if not, the feather waving will for certain cool you down a bit...sort of like the waving of a fan...
That said, we, as committed health professionals would do ourselves and the entire human community a service of studying the placebo effect with the goal of understanding and harnessing this most powerful human phenomena and developing our understanding into a teachable skill to pass on to our chiuldren...
Hey! It's evolution in action people. We're either growing or dying...
I suggest using this example to inspire us to learn how to develope & maximize our innate & natural self-healing abilities.
The glove has been thrown down.
Peace
John C. =0)
Jan 25, 2010 Rating
Baloney Detection by: Sean
For all readers of this section, if somehow you may have missed it (added 01/25/10), be sure to check out the Baloney Detection Kit video on the main Critical Thinking page on this website (just below the Here Be Dragons video).
Learn the concepts of Baloney Detection and you will be on your way to Critical Thinking in the massage therapy profession.
--Sean
Jan 23, 2010 Rating
p.s. thank-you to Sean by: Elaine
I didn't see Sean's "headline" (or introduction) explaining my contribution to the blog until after I posted the below comment. So I want, although belatedly, to thank him for approving my post even though this is mainly a site for male MTs.
I very much appreciate the importance he's given here to critical thinking on the part of bodyworkers.
Elaine
Jan 23, 2010 Rating
yes, there are people w bad experiences by: Elaine
If you check out the reviews of Epstein's book on Amazon , you'll find a couple of people who claim to have been harmed (worst case) or psychologically abused (best case) by chiropractors practicing "NSA" on them. It's probably not a good idea to quote them here, but one person talks about the pressure to spend more and more money to reach higher and higher "levels," and says that when his body didn't respond positively to the "treatment" that the problem was his own resistance and he needed to come even MORE often, etc etc etc).
Really odious stuff.
Of course, these reviews are in the minority and these reviewers are pummeled by the devotees of NSA making the usual claims about them (the problem lies with them and their bad attitude, etc).
I can say that what I witnessed by the particular chiro I saw in action was pure bs. It may be only this particular chiro, who (as I said) was waving her hands above her clients rather than touching them some of the time, but it seems more likely that this "technique" is common to the field as a whole.
Although a scientist by training, I'm not a complete skeptic when it comes to non-traditional "modalities." I have some faith in "energy healing" as it relates to Chinese medicine - the meridians, chi, etc. But I certainly don't believe that a chiropractor waving her hands over someone can heal them. And that seems to be part of NSA.
Jan 19, 2010 Rating
Good Start on Critical Thinking by: Sean
Thank you for the first submission to the Critical Thinking page!
In regards to figuring out NSA with the links you provided, here are some points to think about.
Epstein?s website lists the name of the study constructed to so-called "prove" NSA, but there is no link to read the actual study.
I do not believe there is no study performed. It probably was. we just don't know anything about it (examples: What was the research question, What was the method used, how was the data collected and how was it analyzed, was it peer reviewed).
Until we get a copy of the original research report, we just won't be able to make any judgments.
If I were selling something legitimate, and was using a research study to support my claims, I would have it readily available, not something a potential consumer would need to ask for.
From the second link, it appears there was a survey performed as research, but surveys are very weak in the line of evidence if used alone. That type of research does not compare a group using NSA against a control group. There's a great deal of subjectivity involved with surveys.
Another red flag here. There are many testimonials used to support the efficacy of this technique. Not a bad way to go. Yes, we want to know what people how actually had NSA done to them feel. But testimonials can be only one-side.
It is extremely unlikely all testimonials are positive. Of thousands who have received NSA, are there no testimonials that NSA was a waste of time and money? If there were any of these, who decided that they should not be published on the website promoting NSA? Could it be the person who might benefit from the selling of NSA classes?
There are many more red flags here, but these are just a few to get us started. Feel free to counter-respond.
