SKEPTICAL National Capital Area EYEfiles.ncas.org/eyes/SE-15.1.pdf · “Psychic” Readings Theory, Practice and Showbiz of Talking to the Dead by Helen E. Hester-Ossa continued

SKEPTICAL EYE○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

• encourages critical and scientific thinking • serves as an information resource on extraordinaryclaims • provides extraordinary evidence that skeptics are cool

Vol. 15, No. 1 2003

National Capital Area

nyone can talk to the dead, but dothey talk back? This was one of

the questions posed by Ray Hy-man, Ph.D., Professor Emeritusof the University of Oregon at

a day-long seminar sponsored by the NationalCapital Area Skeptics (NCAS) on March 1,2003, at the University of Maryland, College Park.

NCAS President Chip Denman openedthe workshop by introducing distinguishedskeptic, Ray Hyman. “For today’s workshop, Ithought we would bring in a guest speakerwho could bring a level of expertise beyondwhat we could provide from within our group.Ray Hyman has been involved with the Com-mittee for the Scientific Investigation ofClaims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) from thebeginning. He is a skeptic who remains oncordial grounds with the psychic community.With that, I give you Dr. Hyman.”

Hyman laughed at the introduction, andstated “It used to be that my good friendRandi (a well-known debunker of paranormalclaims) was the “bad cop” and I was the “goodcop.” I think that has reversed. I talk to them,but they don’t talk to me. Anyone can talk tothe dead, but do they talk back? Chip said Iam on good terms with the psychics, but if Iam, it’s only because they will tell me the dirton each other.”

The Psychology of“Psychic” ReadingsTheory, Practice and Showbiz of

Talking to the Dead by Helen E. Hester-Ossa

continued on page 13

“My goal is to introduce you to the psy-chic reading: any context in which someonegives someone else a description of them-selves, sometimes emphasizing the past, thepresent, or the future. It is ‘psychic’ becausethe source of information is paranormal or oc-cult, somehow outside science.”

A

photos by Helen Hester-Ossa

prez sez 2

James Randi:ModernDowsing 5

Bob Park’sSevenWarning Signsof VoodooScience 9

ChiropracticPsychosis 11

media notes 15

about NCAS 16

Skeptical Eye Vol. 15, No. 1 2003○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○2

Dear Skeptical Eye reader:

It has been my im-mense pleasure and honorto serve as NCAS presidentsince 1998. I’ve beenblessed during my presi-dency with a hard-working,enthusiastic board that hasbeen instrumental in put-ting together our programsand leading our projects.We’ve had many astound-ing workshops, shows, lec-tures, and other

accomplishments. Without the board’s effortand that of volunteers from the membership,NCAS would cease to function. Thank you toall of you who have helped make the past 4years so exciting and successful!

I am honored to turn the leadership ofNCAS to cofounder, spokesperson, and pastpresident Chip Denman. Under his experi-enced and expert guidance, I am confidentNCAS will continue to flourish and fulfill itsmission of spreading critical thinking and sci-ence literacy.

National Capital Area Skeptical Eye (ISSN 1063-2077)is published by the National Capital Area Skeptics, POBox 8428 , Silver Spring, MD 20907.

Copyright © 2003 National Capital Area Skeptics. Signedarticles are the opinions of the authors. Opinions ex-pressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position ofthe editors, the Board of Directors, or the National CapitalArea Skeptics.

24-hour phone number: 301-587-3827e-mail: [email protected] Eye input: [email protected]: http://www.ncas.orgNCAS discussion group: [email protected]

NCAS Board of DirectorsChip Denman, presidentGary Stone, vice presidentMarv Zelkowitz, secretaryGrace Denman, treasurerPaul Jaffe, past president

Doris BlochJonathan BoswellSharlene DeskinsHerb M. FederhenJim GiglioStephen J. Goodson

Editor/DesignerPhotographerHelen E. Hester-Ossa

recycled paper

Eugene OssaWalter RoweTim ScanlonScott SnellJamy Ian Swiss

prez sezpastby Paul Jaffe

You can help NCAS by making a tax de-ductible donation in addition to your member-ship fee or by volunteering. NCAS has nopaid staff, and all donations go directly to sup-port activities and projects. As a 501c(3) non-profit organization, all donations to NCAS arefully tax deductible. You can always reachNCAS by calling 301-587-3827 or byemailing [email protected].

Thanks again for your support, and stayskeptical!

Yours truly,

Paul JaffeOutgoing PresidentNational Capital Area Skeptics

UFO or skeptic?

Skeptical Eye Vol. 15, No. 1 2003 ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ 3

prez sezpresent

by Chip Denman

Paul Jaffe and Chip Denman

First the bad news: NCAS membershiphas declined from a high of around 300to around 120—comparable to our start-

up number in 1987. On January 12, the Boardof Directors held a special all-day session toreview the organization’s goals and accom-plishments, and to consider how NCAS canprovide the most value-added to retain andrecruit members.

And the good news: that session resultedin a lot of great ideas from a dedicated andcommitted Board.

We began with a review of various decla-rations NCAS has made in the past about ourpurpose and mission.

The NCAS Bylaws (1988) contain ourformal statement of purpose:

The purpose of NCAS is to activelypromote critical thinking and the scien-tific method; to encourage the criticalinvestigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scien-tific point of view; and to disseminatefactual information about the results ofsuch inquiries to the scientific commu-nity and the public. The organizationdoes not reject claims on a priorigrounds, antecedent to inquiry, butrather examines them objectively andcarefully.

Over the years, we have described thegroup in less formal ways:

■ Encourages critical and scientific thinking■ Serves as an information resource on ex-

traordinary claims■ Provides the extraordinary evidence that

skeptics are cool

From the beginning, our brochures andother materials have emphasized aspects ofcommunity and fellowship as a reason to join,even though this is not formally written intoour charter:

■ “You want an opportunity to meet otherconcerned and intelligent people.”

■ “You would like to be actively involved inthe work of an organization with peoplewho believe that good thinking and a goodtime are not mutually exclusive.”

■ “Members work together to create a com-munity with special programs and socialevents.”

■ “Volunteers form grassroots efforts to sup-port responsible treatment of paranormaland other extraordinary claims.”

In a group brainstorming exercise, we re-viewed the history of NCAS by listing events,activities and projects—large and small, one-time and on-going. We tried to identify thosethat provided the most value to the organiza-tion and our members, and quickly realizedthe difficulty of making reasonable compari-sons.

Nonetheless, we looked to our history totry to answer the question, “Why would some-one want to belong to a group of skeptics inthe first place?” Several themes emerged:

NCAS is a source of useful informa-tion. It provides members with a senseof identity and community and an orga-nizational voice. And most of all, NCASprovides an opportunity to do some-thing: to develop personal skepticalskills; to be a grass-roots activist (writeletters, to participate in online libraryefforts, judge at science fairs etc.); andto have fun.

All of these fit well with our formal orga-nizational purpose, but also explicitly add a“sense of community” dimension. As we goforward, we are resolved to evaluate our ac-tivities, current and future, and make sure thatthese elements are pro-vided for.

We intend to maintainseveral current activi-ties—such as the NCAS-share email discussion,science fair judging, andonline library projects—more or less unchanged:

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But we are considering changes in a num-ber of areas:

Public Lecture SeriesYou’ve already seen a first step, with cof-

fee and cookies after the talk to encouragefolks to mingle and exchange ideas. We willimprove publicity by targeted mailings to spe-cific reporters that we think might be espe-cially interested in particular topics. We willtry to find a balance between a limited numberof “big name” speakers, along with smaller,more discussion oriented meetings. And we’llbe more forthright in providing attendees withboth membership information as well as feed-back forms on the program.

Membership ContactNew members will receive a welcome let-

ter. Current members will receive renewal let-ters, rather than just a note included with theShadow. And the Board will publish a regularfinancial report so that members will knowhow their money is being spent.

NCAS Websitewww.ncas.org is a valuable asset, but it

can be improved. Behind the scenes, we willmove it to a more robust and secure environ-ment. This will allow us to add features suchas online renewals and other transactions. Wewill also increase the information content withfeatures such as special topic Q&As and evenvideo clips.

Skeptical EyeFrom the very beginning of NCAS, the

newsletter has been one of our most importantways to keep members informed. Like manyall-volunteer organizations, we had trouble

maintaining a regular publication schedule.Board member Sharlene Deskins will be join-ing editor Helen Hester-Ossa on the produc-tion team, specifically with an eye onscheduling. Former editor Carol Krol—now ajournalist in NYC—will revive her “MediaWatch” column, summarizing weirdness asseen in other media. In addition, we’ll be add-ing features such as reports on board meetings(such as you are reading now), and moretimely reporting and even contributed articlesfrom our public speakers. We also are lookinginto the prospect of moving away from paper,and re-creating the Eye as an on-line publica-tion.

Other ActivitiesA semi-new initiative will be regular Fri-

day the 13th activities. We had one socialevent last September, but the plan is now toestablish every Friday the 13th as a specialevent. June 2003 is next. We don’t exactlyknow what sort of activities these will be, butwe are looking for a bit of a twist—perhapsit’s an opportunity to meet folks from “theother side.”

There was also discussion about revivingthe Special Interest Groups (SIGs) as providedfor in the NCAS bylaws, as a mechanism forencouraging participation. There were a fewSIGs in the first year or two after NCASformed, but they were topic-based (e.g., Alter-native Medicine) and ultimately faltered dueto a lack of specific goals. If we revive theSIG idea, they would be project based, suchthe Online Library SIG, or the Skeptical EyeSIG. Topical SIGs might also be formed butthese would also have a targeted outcomesuch as organizing a presentation for the on-going Lecture Series.

Now more than ever, we need your per-sonal input and direction. The Skeptical Eyecould become your personal soapbox for ex-pressing your skeptical views. You could or-ganize an SIG, work on the website, orsuggest a speaker for the Lecture Series. Mostimportant of all—tell us what matters most to you.

Chip DenmanPresidentNational Capital Area Skeptics

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Especially Notable NCAS Activities: Judging and special awards at local science fairs NCAS-share email discussion group Online library (e.g., Condon Report) Public lecture series Shadow of a Doubt monthly calendar Skeptical Eye newsletter Special events (e.g., séance, Penn & Teller, Randi) Weekend workshops www.ncas.org website


continued on page 6

James Randi:Modern Dowsing

by Helen E. Hester-Ossa

Critical thinkers met at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on April 6-7, 2002 for a weekend workshopsponsored by the National Capital Area Skeptics entitled “Skepticism 2002: Beyond the Basics—Advanced and Recent Topics For Skeptical Thinkers.” James Randi, internationally recognizeddebunker of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims, presented his take on modern dowsing.

James Randi immediately caught the atten-tion of the audience in the window-linedconference room overlooking the

confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoahrivers when he said, “I became aware in thelast week that the DOE just spent $408,000 ontesting a new dowsing rod. I have been re-sponsible over the years for testing manydowsing rods, and they didn’t work. I couldhave done that for $1.00.”

A dowsing rod, according to Webster’sDictionary, is a forked rod believed to indi-cate the presence of water or minerals, espe-cially by dipping downward when held over avein. Usually the forked ends are held in thehands of the dowser.

Randi first encountered the whole phe-nomenon of dowsing and wrote about it in hisbook, Flim-Flam!. For the most part, he be-lieves that dowsers are basically honest butdeluded people. There are a few exceptions:

“One guy in Australia who was showingus [through dowsing] where pipes in a housewere had worked on the city’s planning com-mission. We told him we were going to lookat one particular house, then waited [to seewhat he would do]. The man went to City Halland looked at the plans. We told him wecaught him in the act and didn’t do the testwith him.”

(The test refers to Randi’s long-standingchallenge to psychics that now stands as a$1,000,000 prize administered by the James RandiEducation Foundation. It remains unclaimed.)

In another instance of dowsing chicanery,one dowser had a box with a meter and dialson it. He had a crystal (it turned out to beacrylic) that detected if any current went intothe box. The meter indicated if current wasflowing. He would lean over the box and then

proceed. The meter did not go all the waydown to zero when there was no current, so hehad to lean over to see if the meter was on themark or above it. When Randi covered themeter, the dowser got 9 out of 20 correct,which is exactly what you would expect out ofrandom chance.

Other than these two examples of cheat-ing dowsers, “No other dowsers have I foundtrying to cheat,” says Randi.

Testing the Dowsers’ AccuracyRandi runs open and blind tests on the

dowsers to eliminate a variety of excuses theymight concoct when they inevitably fail. “Onething I found out is that they love to make ex-cuses immediately after when things fail,” saidRandi. “You have to ask them in advance ifthey feel up to it, if conditions are right, etc. Ifthey say things aren’t quite right, we don’t dothe test.”

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Randi said that another common excusefollowing failure is that “something waswrong.” So, if Randi is going to have thedowser do 20 blind tests, he first has them do20 tests where the containers are open and thecontents are visible. “They have to get thattest 100 percent correct, because they can seeif, for example, the coin is in the cup.”

“When we do the million dollar test,” saidRandi, “well, we have never done the milliondollar test, because no one has passed the pre-liminary test.”

After the dowser does the open test andhas been 100 percent successful, then Randihas them do the blind test. “You would thinkthere couldn’t be any excuses,” says Randi,“but there is always another excuse. We hadten cups on the floor, and the dowser movedthe cups around on the floor to miss ‘buriedanomalies.’ We used ceramic JREF [JamesRandi Educational Foundation] coffee mugsnumbered on the bottom. He placed them onthe floor and rearranged them. He said heneeded 5 feet between them and he rearrangedthem to be closer, so I made him agree thatthere was enough distance between them. Hebrought in some sacagawea coins and somegold flakes. He used the y-shaped dowsingstick to do the tests, got 20 out of 20—100percent correct.”

He got one out of ten on the actual tests.

“The way we did the blind tests, Mike[the dowser] and I would step outside andclose the door, someone would go inside andplace the item under the cup, move all the restof the cups, then Mike and I would step backin the room. Mike would say that he was get-ting something between 3 and 4, and I wouldtell him, ‘No, it doesn’t work that way, youhave to pick only one.’

“It was very interesting to hear, as it al-ways is, the excuses why he didn’t get it right.One excuse was mirror images. He said hewas getting distracted by two sets of Encyclo-pedia Britannica that had gold stamping (it’snot gold, it’s brass). When we told him thegold coins he used had no gold in them, hewas genuinely surprised.

“He’s a salt-of-the-earth guy, not stupidand not real smart, but somewhere in-between,a typical American.”

Why does dowsing appear to work? Whydoes the dowsing rod suddenly point down-ward as if attracted to something?

“Systems are in poor equilibrium for howdowsing rods work,” says Randi. “It’s hard tokeep in a neutral position. The movements ofyour body, the unconscious actions, are veryslight.”

“Ideomotor response shown in a time ex-posure shows that their hands are moving allover the place. We did another test with se-quins on a hand and a light that showed thatthey were moving their hands.” Despite this,Randi says, no matter how many tests you do,you will not take away a dowser’s belief thatthey are really dowsing.

To show the contradictions amongstdowsers, themselves, Randi said that half thedowsers say you must wear rubber footwear toinsulate you from the ground and the otherhalf say you must NOT wear rubber footwear.

Randi explained that people who becomedowsers are usually talked into it by otherpeople and are convinced they actually do it.“They always want YOU to do it, but I know Ican do it as well as they can, which is to say,not at all,” said Randi.

As a profession, dowsing doesn’t have abig payoff, said Randi. “No one comes outrich. Ninety percent of the surface of the earth

modern dowsing continued from page 5

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has water within drillable distance, so I wouldlike someone to find me that DRY spot.”

High-Tech DowsingRandi then turned his attention to a high-

tech dowsing rod. “The Quadro Tracker Rodgets its name from a guy named Quattlebaumand a guy named Roe. I found out that someschool system in Florida was paying some-thing like $15,000 for this tracking device.They had a box full of chips that were labeled“marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine.” Theywould snap the appropriate chip on the side of

the rod and wander around with it. It had elec-tronics that were embedded in acrylic epoxy,not connected to anything. The school super-intendent would walk down the corridor andthe rod would point at #9, the locker of aknown pot user. When we tested it, it didn’twork. The superintendent acknowledged thatit might not work, but later, when I got to myfax machine, there were complicated excuseswhy it hadn’t worked.”

After the dismal failure of the QuadroTracker in the test, Randi wrote the FBI andother agencies about the fraud and received noanswer. However, 24 hours after Randi con-tacted them, the FBI arrested Quattlebaum andRoe. “I received no acknowledgment from theFBI,” said Randi philosophically.

According to The Skeptic’s Dictionary, byRobert Todd Carroll, “On January 19, 1996,the FBI Economic Crimes unit seized the mer-chandise and records of the Quadro Corpora-tion and arrested its officers. In April, 1996, afederal judge issued a permanent injunctionagainst Quadro Corp, which was convicted ofengaging in a mail and wire scheme to defraudcustomers, under statutes 18 U.S.C. 1341 and1343.” http://skepdic.com/quadro.html

Randi was given the privelege of seeingthe high-tech precision with which the chipsare manufactured. “To tune the chip to a sub-stance, they took the substance over to a mo-lecular whatever (it looked like a Canon

modern dowsing continued from previous page

continued on page 8

“You willneverdisconvincethe truebeliever.They willcontinue tobelieve.”

James Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is bestknown as the world’s most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientificclaims.

Randi has pursued “psychic” spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers, investi-gated homeopathic water “with a memory,” and generally been a thorn in the sides of those who tryto pull the wool over the public’s eyes in the name of the supernatural.

He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a Fellowship from the John D.and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1986.

On October 19, 1993, the PBS-TV “NOVA” program broadcast a one-hour special dealing withRandi’s life work, particularly with his investigations of Uri Geller and various occult and healingclaims being made by scientists in Russia.

He is the author of numerous books, including The Truth About Uri Geller, The Faith Healers,Flim-Flam!, and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. Hislectures and television appearances have delighted — and vexed — audiences around the world.

In 1996, the James Randi Education Foundation was established to further Randi’s work.Randi’s long-standing challenge to psychics now stands as a $1,000,000 prize administered by theFoundation. It remains unclaimed.

—from www.randi.org


copier), took out the sample of crack cocaine,copied it, took out the picture thus produced,cut up the picture, and put the piece of the pic-ture in the ‘chip.’”

Quadro is back in business in England,now, with a product called “The Mole,” whichthey sold to the Royal Engineers!

Randi says he contacted Quattlebaum andRoe and offered them the million dollars ofhis challenge if they could demonstrate that

Enjoying the view from Hilltop Hotel, overlooking the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, from left to right: Bob Park, James Randi,Chip Denman, Paul Jaffe, and Jim Giglio.

modern dowsing continued from page 7

“We may disagree with Randi on certainpoints, but we ignore him at our peril.”

—Carl Sagan

their device works. They haven’t taken Randiup on his offer.

Randi concluded with one bit of advice:“You will never disconvince the true believer.They will continue to believe.”


Bob Park is on a mission to expose voo-doo science, so Dennis Lee’s state-ment, “. . . find out why you may

never have to pay another energy bill again,”riles him up. Park says the centerpiece of Den-nis Lee’s presentation is a perpetual motionmachine, but that he really sells dealerships,and the dealers are still sitting out there wait-ing for delivery of the goods.

“Several years ago I got a call from Date-line and they asked me to go to Hackensack,New Jersey, for a demonstration of a perpetualmotion machine. What had caught Dateline’seye was an ad that said “Never pay an electricbill again.” The demonstration actually tookabout 5 hours. When the demonstration, whichstarted late, began, there were 900 peoplewaiting in a hot parking lot of a closed downbusiness. Dennis Lee said he had a sore throat,so his wife was going to give the demonstra-tion. They didn’t let the camera crew in beforethen because they were setting up.”

Why were they so late? “Dennis Lee washaving his aura smoothed,” says Park. “Hiswife began giving the demonstration, but itwas faltering, and Dennis Lee kept correctingher. His voice got stronger and stronger, be-cause ‘God wants me to tell you about this.’”

Park said Lee’s perpetual motion machinewas based on permanent magnetic motors,which he called the Fisher motor, with amodel on stage. “Back behind the screen therewas a loud bang. Dr. Fisher himself came outand apologized that the machine wasn’t work-

Bob Park’s Seven WarningSigns of Voodoo Science


ing because the room was too warm,” saysPark. “The Fisher engine was first called theGam G Zero motor. You take a liquid that isjust below room temperature, you vaporize it.Dr. Fisher picked ammonia, which wouldevaporate and drive the piston, liquefy be-cause it cooled down, run back through anddrive the piston again, and so on.”

According to Park, this would violate thesecond law of thermodynamics. “Fisher usedCO

2 instead of ammonia. They used a working

fluid that operated under high pressure. Whatwas actually happening was that the modelwould have run, but it would have been run-ning on compressed CO

2. The work you have

then to compress the gas would have kept itrunning, but not indefinitely.”

NBC never ran the program, said Park.“They were pretty sure no one on Datelinewould be interested in this.”

Long ago, Dr. Robert Fludd also consid-ered per-petualmotion be-cause farm-ers had totravel to wa-ter mills togrind theirgrain, saidPark.Fludd’s ideawas that hedidn’t have

Robert L. Park, author of Voodoo Science—The Road from Foolishness to Fraud, is Professor ofPhysics and former chairman of the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland. He alsodirects the Washington Office of the American Physical Society. Author of more than a hundredscientific papers on the structure of crystal surfaces, he is a prolific writer of op-eds for the New YorkTimes and other papers, and a regular contributor of science features for the Washington Post. Afrequent commentator on TV news programs, Park posts a weekly electronic column on scienceissues (http://www.opa.org/WN/). Bob Park was one of the honored speakers at the National Capital Area Skeptics April 2002weekend workshop entitled “Skepticism 2002: Beyond the Basics: Advanced and Recent Topics ForSkeptical Thinkers” held in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.


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to have a stream,just a reservoir ofwater that wouldbe recycled. Thatviolates the firstlaw of thermody-namics, which isconservation ofenergy. When youdrop a ball, itdoesn’t bounceback to yourhand, becausethere is energyloss.

In anotherexample of afraudulent per-petual motion ma-

chine, Parks said a 1986 Washington Postdescribed a perpetual motion machine. It hadbeen developed by a “Simple backwood tink-erer” named Joe Newman in Mississippi. Themachine produced more electricity than it tookto run it. “Experts” examined the machine andsaid it worked just as Joe Newman claimed.However, it was connected to the local powerline. “There is no claim so preposterous thatyou can’t find a Ph.D. in physics to vouch forit,” said Park.

What is it that a scientifically literatepublic needs to know?

According to Park, the responsibility restswith physicists to speak out on issues. “Wehave to have more reporters who are scientifi-cally trained. Michael Gillen, the chief sciencecorrespondent from ABC, has a Ph.D. fromCornell. The first time I saw him in action,they announced they were going to have aninterview with Dr. Patterson, who had discov-ered a new source of energy. Pattersonclaimed he had invented tiny beads coatedwith metal that heated up when you passedwater through. Lo and behold, there’s Dr.

Patterson with this information, and Gillenwas obviously transfixed by this. A year laterMichael Gillen is on ABC and announces thatthey never received so much mail as on Dr.Patterson. That started off with a picture ofDr. Patterson, and they say that there havebeen big discoveries since then.”

Gillen went on to say that CETI (CleanEnergy Technologies Inc.) not only producesenergy, but neutralizes radiation. At any rate,they set up a demonstration. At the end, theradioactivity was down to less than half.

“I don’t know exactly how they were do-ing this, but if they had moved the Geigercounter from the flask to the beads, theywould have seen the radioactivity on the flaskgo down and on the beads go up,” said Park.

Park concluded by saying that “Way backwhen Robert Flood built that perpetual watermill, he did a great service, because he madepeople start to think about the conservation ofenergy.

voodoo science continued from page 9

There is no claim sopreposterous that you can’t finda Ph.D. in physics to vouch for it.

Seven Warning Signs ofVoodoo Science

1. The discovery is pitcheddirectly to the news media

2. A powerful“establishment” is said tobe suppressing thediscovery

3. Information is withheldthat would allow otherscientists to check theresults

4. A scientific claim reliesheavily on anecdotalevidence

5. A discovery is said to becredible because it hasendured for centuries

6. The discovery was madein isolation

7. No plausible theory at allis offered for a miraculous“discovery”


Frederick Kourmadas, DC, CCSP, CSCSof Manassas, Virginia, has a bone topick with his fellow chiropractors, or is

that a spine? A frequent contributor to theSkeptical Eye, he brings a skeptical view tothe practice of chiropractic. Last yearKourmadas spoke at an NCAS-sponsored lec-ture on two related topics: “Chiropractic Psy-chosis” and “Quackery in Chiropractic.”

According to Kourmadas, if you don’tknow a little something about a topic, it’s dif-ficult to know if something is credible or not.His mission is to educate people about whatchiropractors can and can’t do.

What is “chiropractic psychosis?”■ Delusional paradigms of health; e.g., vital-

ism, somatovisceralisms■ Self-referenced, proprietary systems of

diagnosis and treatment■ Subjective reality fallacies; e.g., doctor’s

“philosophy” affects outcomes■ Lack of any self-correction mechanisms■ Incorporation of numerous other psychotic

belief systems (various “alt-med” faith-based systems)

■ Acknowledgement of only the science thatsupports preconceived biases

■ Equivocation fallacies (60,000 definitions)■ Profound intellectual dishonesty

“Chiropractic psychosis is pandemic inthe institutions and publications of the chiro-practic profession,” says Kourmadas. “Whensomeone has been consistently and systemati-

Chiropractic Psychosis andQuackery in ChiropracticA Chiropractor’s Look at the Profession

Her brother-in-law, a pediatricchiropractor, told her, for example, thatshe shouldn’t take her children to gettheir vaccinations, but should take themto the chiropractor. I said that was nuts.


cally trained over 20 yearsto believe something, theyare out of touch with reality.”

“About 3 years agowhen we bought a house theneighbor across the streetwas very happy that we hada little boy to play with herchild,” said Kourmadas.“Her brother-in-law, a pedi-atric chiropractor, told her,for example, that sheshouldn’t take her childrento get their vaccinations, butshould take them to the chi-ropractor. I said that wasnuts. Another time she asked me if chiroprac-tors take classes to be . . . insane? Herbrother-in-law said she didn’t have allergiesanymore because he had taken a course onchiropractic allergy elimination.” . . . Hunh?”

Kourmadas takes exception to the profes-sional website that says, for example, “A chi-ropractor is a physician engaged in thetreatment and prevention of disease as well asthe promotion of public health and welfare.”“Bogus,” says Kourmadas. “Basically, chiro-practors treat back pain—they are limitedmusculo-skeletal specialists!” Chiropractorsdeal with “subluxations” where the bones areout of alignment, but still touching (disloca-tion would mean they’re not touching anymore).This treatment is known as “Adjustment.”


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chiropractic psychosis continued from page 11

According to Kourmadas, “Chiropractorsare people who know a lot of scientific facts,but they don’t understand scientific process.They don’t have an appreciation of how wegot this knowledge.” For example, saysKourmadas, “Chiropractors say that the ner-vous system controls every system in yourbody.”

“I get in trouble [with others in my pro-fession] because I say stuff like ‘acupuncture

Chiropractors will argue that youare being close-minded if youreject theories like homeopathyand acupuncture, probablybecause you might turn your gunsights on their areas next.

is quackery.’ They don’t like that. Chiroprac-tors will argue that you are being close-minded if you reject theories like homeopathyand acupuncture, probably because you mightturn your gun sights on their areas next.”

“A word about arguing with a quack,”says Kourmadas, “—you are not going to win.The only reasons to engage with a person likethat is if there is an audience that is on thefence who you can influence away from it.”

Fred J. Kourmadas is a chiropractor with an MS in exercise, fitness, and health promotion. “WhenI embarked on my chiropractic career, I thought I was entering a profession that was scientificallybased, and would soon be getting the kind of acceptance from the scientific community that itwas due. Twenty years later, the ‘leadership’ (if you want to call it that) of the profession seems tohave lost interest in science, now that all forms of pseudo-science quackery are in vogue.” Chiropractors posess a unique set of psychomotor skills for the analysis and treatment ofmusculo-ligamentous afflictions. The pseudo-scientific element in the profession holds that weare not “back doctors,” but rather are a comprehensive system of health care that can treat abroad range of organic and even infectious disorders, all by adjusting the spine. This faction willnot ‘go away’ until the public becomes more savvy and seeks out practitioners who practice onfirm scientific foundations.” Fred plans to write about what chiropractors can and can’t do, and how to avoid practitionerswho will lead you down a primrose path of pseudo-scientific dogma.


psychic readings continued from page 1


Hyman went on to say that most of thepeople who do psychic readings who deliber-ately pick up advance information are called“cold readers.” (W.L. Gresham [1948]. Mon-ster midway. NY: Rinehart & Company. Ch 7:The Romany Trade.) Gresham is the first per-son to use the term “cold reading” in the1940s. These cold readers do not necessarilybelieve that they are reaching the supernatu-ral—they are simulating.

However, 97 percent of the people whodo readings are “shut-eyes.” They actually be-lieve they are obtaining their information froman occult source such as astrology, palmistry,tarot cards, numerology, intuition or the like.Even though they have a formula they follow,these people believe as much as the victimthat this paranormal process works.

Hyman himself earned money for collegeby doing palm readings. He studied up on theart and learned all the traditional interpreta-tions of the lines in the hand. He was also akeen observer and received cues from theclient’s dress, posture, general health, jewelry,and other observable cues. At first he didn’tbelieve in what he was doing, but the feed-back was so positive from his “clients” that hestarted to think there was something to it. But,someone bet him that he would be just as suc-cessful if he said exactly the opposite of whathe read. When he did so, the client wasstunned because the reading was so accurate.

“The biggest secret of doing a successfulpsychic reading,” says Hyman, “is to get theclient to cooperate with you.”

Casting a Wide NetAfter listening to 18 hours of tapes of En-

glish psychic Christian Dion on the radio inEngland, Hyman began to notice a pattern.Dion would ask the caller:

1. If there was a problem in last 2 yearsa. Emotional or romantic statusb. Career change or promotionc. Organization of lifed. Move, always overseas (because En-

gland is an island, so where can you go?)e. Travel, either visiting or someone

coming to visit them

f. Legal orfinancial mat-ters, or prop-erty problems

g. Preg-nancy

h. Health2. Then Dionwould saythings are go-ing to get bet-ter in the nextfew monthsor the nextfew years.

When Christian Dion asked one of thepeople who just had a reading if they thoughtit was real, the person said it was “right on.”

In Buffalo, Ray Hyman did radio read-ings, giving general statements that could ap-ply to anyone, then refining it based on theirfeedback.

Hyman would cast a wide net and thensee what he dragged in: “How are you?”“Fine.” “But you don’t sound fine, Emily. Isee that you, or someone close to you, is goingto make a career change.” “Yes, that’s my son.The idiot, he’s burnt all his bridges.” “Well, ifhe’s changed jobs, and there’s no turningback, you might as well stop fighting with himand help him as best you can.”

You need to get the people in a pattern ofsaying yes. With Christian Dion, it was practi-cally a monologue on his part. He didn’t needto convince the caller, but the radio listeners.Talk show host Larry King typically cuts call-ers off after someone like well-known TVnecromancer John Edwards makes a specificstatement, moving to a new caller before thereis feedback.

The biggest secret of doing asuccessful psychic reading is toget the client to cooperate with you.


psychic readings continued from page 13

How Does It Work?“The meaning a client gets from a psychic

reading is only partially constrained by thespecific words of the reader,” says Hyman. “Ifthe client believes, for whatever reason, thatthe reader is wise and has access to privilegedknowledge—especially knowledge about theclient or the client’s situation—then the read-ing will convey one meaning. If, on the otherhand, the client believes that the psychic hasno special powers and has no occult knowl-edge of the client’s situation, then the identi-cal reading will convey an entirely differentmeaning. Given the client’s assumptions andbeliefs, his or her interpretation of the readingmakes sense.”

“What if what you tell your client iswrong?” asks Hyman. “Believe it or not, itdoes not make much difference. No matterhow specific and concrete you try to be, whatyou say will always be ambiguous. This is be-cause language is inherently ambiguous. Thewords and sentences, in actual communica-tion, convey meaning only in the context of atotal situation. Language is just one compo-nent of this total situation.”

Hyman explained that there is such athing as “belief perseverance”—that you hangonto a belief in the face of contradiction. Even

when you debrief someone and tell them thereading or test was fake, they persist in theiroriginal belief (conveyed by you) that they arecapable or incapable of doing something.

“In everyday folk psychology, there is adifference between perceiving and imagining.Imagination is from within, perception is fromwithout. In our perception, there’s alwayssome contribution from our prior experience.Our experience constrains perception,” saysHyman.

Hyman demonstrated several card trickswhere the audience saw more dots on a cardthan were actually visible, guided by theplacement of his hands over certain portionsof the card.

“The world is very ambiguous, but weperceive it as unambiguous. Therefore peoplecan exploit us. The input should not be lookedat for meaning, but what we bring to it. Thepsychic uses your comprehension and under-standing of words to create an image. The psy-chic says, ‘I am going to say words that willonly have meaning to you.’ Then the psychiccan say anything and you will bring meaningto it.”

The psychic is like a ghostwriter: he re-ceives all the information from the client andrepackages it and feeds it back.

Suggested ReadingHyman, R. (1977, Spring/Summer). “Cold

reading”: how to convince strangers thatyou know all about them. The Zetetic [TheSkeptical Inquirer], 18-37. [Reprinted inHyman, R. (1989). The Elusive quarry: ascientific appraisal of psychical research.Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books.]

Hyman, R. (1981) The psychic reading. InT.A. Sebeok & R. Rosenthal (eds.) TheClever Hans Phenomenon. NY: New YorkAcademy of Sciences. 18-37. [Reprinted inHyman, R. (1989). The Elusive quarry: ascientific appraisal of psychical research.Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books.]

The psychic is like a ghostwriter: hereceives all the information from the clientand repackages it and feeds it back.

Ray Hyman is considered the leading constructive critic ofacademic parapsychology research. A longtime professor ofpsychology (now emeritus) at the University of Oregon,Hyman has taught about the psychology of belief and self-deception and conducted painstaking critical analyses ofpublished parapsychology experiments. An amateur magician, he has critiqued experiments withprominent psychics and other psychic claimants conductedby private scientific and government organizations. Despiteintense controversies, he has managed to maintain therespect of both parapsychologists and fellow skeptics. As awell-informed outside critic, he is often credited with helpingraise the quality of parapsychological research. He hascautioned skeptics on the need to become better informedabout the research they criticize. http://www.hcrc.org/contrib/hyman/hyman.html


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Fox News Doubts Apollo MoonLanding

On November 20, 2002, NCAS member GaryStone wrote the following:

As I was channel surfing at 7:59 pm Nov19, I came across Fox News. NewsreaderSheapard Smith showing footage of the sec-ond Apollo moon landing. While reading textmarking the anniversary of that event, whenthe camera returned to Mr. Smith, he said, “Orsupposedly they did.”

I was outraged!I immediately called the Fox News com-

ments line and told them how sleazy that wasfor a so-called news program to deliberately

distort historical facts, and that their motto,“We report it, you decide” does not let themoff the hook for their complete and utter disre-gard for reality. It makes it clear that they arenot a reliable news source.

Fox News (sic)1-888-369-4762—Com-ments are recorded at the end of a long an-nouncement.

Gary Stonefor myself

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SKEPTICAL National Capital Area EYEfiles.ncas.org/eyes/SE-15.1.pdf · “Psychic” Readings Theory, Practice and Showbiz of Talking to the Dead by Helen E. Hester-Ossa continued