Parents prefer to pray for the safety of a sick child instead of taking him to the doctor. This is how children who could have easily recovered died
The Hickmans had a baby. He was born two months early, at his grandmother's house, and unfortunately suffered from a bacterial infection and breathing problems due to underdeveloped lungs. The couple knew exactly what they had to do in these critical moments to save the baby's life: they prayed and anointed him with olive oil. Nine hours later the baby died.
The parents did not even try to call for medical help. The father did not do this "because he prayed", and the mother said that as a woman who is a member of the church, she must respond to her husband's will. "It's not my decision anyway," she said at the trial. "I think everything that happens is God's will."
Medical experts testified that the baby had a 99% chance of survival if he had received adequate medical treatment. The parents were charged with murder in September 2011. They are members of the sect "Followers of Christ" - a sect with a long history of resistance to medical treatments.
Neal was 16 years old when her cold progressed to a condition that his relatives believed could be life-threatening. His parents treated him with prayers, oil and the laying on of hands, and did not take him to the doctor. Neil recovered, but became bedridden again about three months later (June 2008). After a week he was no longer able to walk. The father had to carry him to the bathroom. His mother fed him small meals, but Neil was unable to swallow. When he died, no one called the emergency services. It turned out that Neil was suffering from a blockage in his bladder. His parents were found guilty of negligent homicide.
Another shocking story from the last time appears here.
These cases took place in Oregon in the USA. Oregon is one of dozens of states which grant blanket immunity For parents who believe in "healing through faith" (faith-healing) against charges of child neglect and abuse. It is one of six countries that grant immunity on religious grounds even in cases of manslaughter, murder or murder by abuse.
And these are not isolated cases. Research published at the University of California In 1998 he surveyed 172 cases of children who died as a result of "faith healing" in the USA between 1975-1995. 140 of them had a higher than 90% chance of surviving had they received adequate medical treatment. These deaths are attributed to 23 different religious sects in 34 countries.
After three deaths of children in Oregon, the legal protection was removed from parents who do not seek medical treatment and are content with "prayers".
Beyond the shocking stories, the question that interests and bothers me is - what makes people believe that prayers work, to such an extent that they are willing to bet on it in their children's lives? Are these the results of scientific studies?
As of 1988, An extensive search for studies in the field turned up only three controlled studies In them, the effect of prayers on people who were not aware that they were being prayed for was tested. One of them (which was designed amateurishly) claimed positive results, and in the other two (which were carefully designed) no effect was found for prayers.
Further studies carried out afterwards did not find any clear effect. Some did not discover any improvement in the condition of patients who prayed for them, and some found some parameters in which there was a certain improvement among patients who prayed for them, relative to those who did not pray for them. These results can be due to natural random fluctuations or other factors that were not under control.
Contrary to the claims of the believers, there is therefore no research evidence that "prayers" can help the patient, and certainly not in conditions such as blindness, deafness, cancer, AIDS, developmental problems, multiple sclerosis, skin rashes, paralysis and various injuries. The American Cancer Society summarizes the issue unequivocally On its website: "The research evidence does not support the claims that faith-healing is able to cure cancer or any other disease."
Anecdotal stories?
What really about all those people who got up from wheelchairs and started walking in front of an audience of thousands of people?
Take the Catherine Coleman, a well-known American faith-healer. Dr William Nolan decided to check what happened to 23 people who claimed to have been healed by her services. The long-term follow-up he carried out revealed that no one was cured. Worse: one case was of a woman who was supposedly cured of spinal cancer, threw off her supportive corset and ran across the stage at Coleman's command. The next day her spine collapsed, and she died 4 months later.
In 1976, Coleman died following open heart surgery (the prayers of many believers probably did not help this time either).
Nolan describes these cases as well as cases that passed under the hands of other "therapists" in his book: Healing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle.
Lewis Rose, a British psychiatrist who studied hundreds of "faith healing" stories, summarizes in his book Faith Healing: "After 20 years of research, I have not found a single case of a miracle."
Shows of charlatans?
One after another, charlatans emerge who pave the way to their wealth at the expense of the innocence of millions of believers.
One of the thorough investigations done in the field was carried out by the magician James Randi, and his findings are described in his book "The faith healers". Here is an example of one of his revelations (recommended to watch!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUN9FNywMVk
They say - "Suckers don't die, they just change".
In our case the suckers actually die. The charlatans, on the other hand, don't even change!
Crooks masquerading as scientists?
Against the background of the lack of research support, it is no wonder thatOne study from 2001 made him headlines all over the world (And belatedly, what about Israel as well). Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center conducted what appeared to be strictly scientific research. Women who underwent fertility treatments participated in the study (without their knowledge). Thousands of people prayed from afar for the success of 100 women to get pregnant, without them even knowing about it. The results of the study were amazing - the pregnancy rate among the women who prayed for them was twice that of the control group!
Maybe too amazing results? Doubts began to arise among other scientists, questions were directed to the researchers and the university and a great saga began to develop around the sensational research. I will briefly summarize the findings that were revealed (those interested in reading all the details can find them here): the journal that published the article refused not only to publish criticism letters received regarding the article, but even to confirm that it had received them. For months, phone calls, emails and letters regarding the article went unanswered. The three authors of the article also did not agree to address the questions.
Over time it was discovered that the lead author of the article first heard about the study months after its completion and disclaimed any responsibility for its design. The second author left the university and refuses to comment, and the third author (who has published many articles on parapsychology) was investigated by the FBI in connection with huge multi-million dollar frauds for which he was responsible with another person, who also served as a researcher in his spare time (together they Publish an article called "The effect of healing treatment on the recovery rate of front legs of salamanders"). In 2004, the two were charged with using multiple fake identities to commit crimes. The accomplice, who was already in prison, hanged himself in his cell, while our friends - the third author - went to prison for 5 years.
Selective and biased advertising in the media?
The media pursues entertainment and ratings much more than truth and accuracy (hint: where is the money?) For this reason, a sensational study like the one described above will receive tremendous publicity, while studies that did not find a connection between prayers and the health of patients will be lost forever among the pages of remote journals, and this is assuming that the researchers ( or the journals) saw fit to publish them at all (even in the research world "no result" is much less sexy than "result").
"Miracle workers" will get weekly prime-time programs, while programs that present things with a skeptical approach will be pushed to the margins of the science channels, at best.
The media will celebrate one or another rare case of unexplained recovery, and will not review at tedious length the many cases in which the patients finished the treatment without any objective improvement in their condition.
Everything is natural and understandable. But the result is that we lose the ability to distinguish between common and rare, between truth and illusion.
So far we have talked about external sources of false or distorted information.
What are the factors in the personal experience that may make people believe in the power of prayers (or any other treatment that has been researched and not found to be valid)?
A misinterpretation of an error in the original diagnosis?
Sometimes a disease is misdiagnosed. Even more often it is only a suspicion that is refuted by additional tests, if and when they are carried out. Who among us has not personally experienced such a period of panic and breathed a sigh of relief after further tests showed that it was a false alarm?
Some understand that this is a mistake in diagnosis, but some prefer to understand that a first-rate medical miracle took place here!
A person who, during the misdiagnosis stage, began to pray or undergo various treatments, and after a period of time performed another medical examination that did not reveal any abnormal findings, may certainly attribute strong healing powers to prayer/treatment.
I don't know the extent of the misdiagnoses, but it can certainly explain the miracle stories that pop up from time to time, and provide an entire career for people who found new pseudo-medical movements in the wake of the event, claiming that prayers, positive thoughts, a carrot juice diet, plucking nose hairs or anything else that came up On their mind to perform at that time - makes people healthy. A few interviews on popular morning shows, aggressive marketing and here we have another sycamore cult based on a single illusion.
A misinterpretation of natural healing and natural fluctuations in disease?
Many disease states go away on their own. "A cold will pass within 7 days if the patient takes medicine, and within a week if he does not." Prayer or any other treatment given in the case of an illness that passes by itself may be interpreted as a cause of recovery. This is the "after and therefore because" illusion.
In addition, many chronic diseases are characterized by volatility - alternating periods of worsening and benefit (muscle pain, joints, allergies, etc.). Naturally, a person will turn to such and such treatments when he has reached a certain low point, and from there the natural way is only up (regardless of the treatment). When the situation improves, the person stops the treatment and is sure that it helped. After a period of relaxation, his condition deteriorates again and he returns and seeks treatment. This time, too, his condition improves afterwards and he concludes that "the treatment worked again!" And so on. With each oscillation, the person will receive additional reinforcement for the impression that the treatment is working, even if it is completely ineffective (an extreme example of this idea is to stand in front of a traffic light and pray for a green light every time it is red, and be happy that the prayer helped every time it is green. Who does not notice that traffic lights tend to change alternately , will probably be convinced that his prayer is the most effective and reliable thing that exists).
A misinterpretation of the placebo effect?
The placebo effect can explain an improvement in the feeling and even in the physical condition in cases where prayer or any other ritual is performed when the patient is aware of it and believes that this may help him. The very supportive human presence, the expectation of pain relief as well as a decrease in the level of mental stress - all these probably contribute to improved activity of the immune system and physical coping with pain. At the same time, it is important to emphasize that the placebo effect does not work on everyone, and the extent to which it works varies from case to case.
The benefit, if it occurs, originates in the patient himself and not in mysterious powers exercised by the therapist.
The fact that the very belief in the effectiveness of the treatment affects the patient for the better, does not mean that one should be satisfied with the wonders of the placebo in all those cases where there is a proven conventional treatment for the problem. After all, even the proven treatment has its placebo effect, which strengthens it even more.
That is, we must compare a treatment with proven medical value plus a placebo, to a treatment that is only a placebo.
In acute cases such as those described at the beginning of the article, it is strongly recommended not to rely on the placebo effect...
All the answers are correct?
It seems that a combination of all the mentioned factors greatly strengthens the belief in the effectiveness of the treatment, even though it was not found to be effective in studies, that is, in reality.
The other secret ingredient - faith!
In the end, many people believe something because… they just do.
As the believers say: "For those who believe, no proof is required. For those who do not believe, no proof is sufficient."
Moreover, many belief systems are structured in a way that discourages the believer from questioning his belief. If he doesn't believe enough - it won't work. If he does not believe enough - he will be punished by higher beings.
The entire discussion was conducted on the subject of "faith-healing" or prayers, but it was equally possible to talk about many other illusory-based treatments that we are surrounded by from all sides (one only needs to bring the pile of research relevant to each such field, if at all carried out). When people choose to use them instead of treatments whose effectiveness and safety have been tested, it can end badly.
Here is an example Another case of a baby girl who ended her life at the age of 9 months, and parents who ended up in prison, this time due to homeopathic treatment. The baby suffered for a long time from an infection that got more and more complicated, but her parents chose not to give her conventional treatment (which would have saved her for sure). Instead, the father himself treated her with homeopathy - a field he also taught.
The judge stated that the father "demonstrated an arrogant attitude in his claims regarding the clear advantages of homeopathy compared to conventional medicine", and that "it was clear beyond any doubt that homeopathy would not be sufficient to treat the serious condition in which the baby was in".
It's one thing when people put their own lives in danger by believing in delusions. This is their choice. But when those without a choice like children and babies pay the price with their lives, it's already a crime!
28 תגובות
"... But when those without a choice like children and babies pay the price with their lives, it's already a crime!"
Defining behavior as a "crime" calls for legislation accordingly. Is a country that is moving delicately towards theocracy, and infected with holy coalitions with clerics from the beginning of its existence, capable of this?
Speaking of his wife:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gaid72fqzNE
Now it is clear why they failed to prove all these things,
Everyone is afraid of winning his piano, or mercifully, his wife...
Animated version of the second song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMNEP6Vwqs0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBUc_kATGgg
Hello David,
I did not understand how you interpreted that I claim that the body has no self-healing ability?
"The placebo effect can explain an improvement in the feeling and even in the physical condition in cases where a prayer or any other ritual is performed when the patient is aware of this and believes that this may help him. The very supportive human presence, the expectation of pain relief as well as a decrease in the level of mental stress - all of these probably contribute to improved activity of the immune system and physical coping with pain. " and so'.
This is exactly the body's natural recovery from the sham drugs you mentioned. I don't belittle it at all, on the contrary. But the placebo has a limited effect, both in potency, and as a result it doesn't work for everyone.
In short, I don't see any disagreement between what I wrote and what you said.
In medical research, and in particular in trials of new and life-saving drugs, it is customary for one group to receive the drug while another group receives a dummy drug (actually it is water with sugar). Many times it can be proven that some of the participants in the placebo group actually got better without receiving any other medicine even for diseases that were supposedly incurable, I want to say that any experimenter who conducts rigorous research under strict conditions of medical research can testify that there are things conceived.
From what is implied in your article that the body has no self-healing ability is like throwing sand in the eyes of yourself and the readers of your mishnah. However, by the same token I agree that for every prophet in his city there are a thousand charlatans who work for their own pockets and not for the benefit of those who turn to them for alms.
In conclusion, the body has the possibility to create what from a scientific point of view may be "impossible" only that it is better to study and research it than to turn to a charlatan who thinks/believes he knows.
Here's a new one from today:
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4170247,00.html
I don't know how representative it is, but it sure is scary!
Ronen,
What you wrote is based on penny statistics like those who say they are 200% sure of something. Actually not true, the latter say something meaningless while you say things that are not true. There are situations where lack of treatment leads to death, period. There are situations where the statistics are different. There are situations where the attending physician's attention, knowledge and experience will make the big difference in whether the patient receives the correct treatment or not. Doctors are also human, and they also have and of course have an effect. How much impact? This is an excellent topic for research (I wouldn't be surprised if there are studies on this topic).
It's not just the healers of sorts who are lucky.
The greatest luck of the doctors is that the patient is cured by himself in 96% of the cases
The problem is what happens in 5% of the cases, what happens if the bite on the leg does not heal on its own, it gets bigger
What happens if the neck swells and does not pass a year. What happens if your father starts seeing optical illusions.
From the experience, if you went to the doctor, there is a 50% chance that he will help and a 50% chance that you will start running between experts who each say the opposite.
It is indeed impossible to argue with the fact that the article brought (at least to me) a feeling of polishing and sharpening the girls.
My only argument is about the ongoing tone in articles of this type, but maybe that is also personal and subject to perception, at least I'll give you the benefit of the doubt...
I am another
I think the importance of such articles is at least to stimulate a real discussion.
What is allowed? What is forbidden? What is legal? What is illegal? What laws need to be changed?
what about me What's wrong with me? What is more dangerous? What is less dangerous?
What is proven? What is not proven?
How do you prove the effectiveness of treatment?
In what order are the treatments used? Is it anchored in some directive from the Ministry of Health?
Is it allowed to "decide for others" in such cases? Children? patients?
A lot of questions that I think deserve public awareness, debates, discussions, etc.
monument,
thanks for the detailed answer.
Usability = relief. This could be attributed to the placebo or to the therapist's charisma, or to the properties of aromatic oils. Perhaps if a conventional doctor had devoted the same time and treatment to the patient as an alternative therapist does, even then his condition would have improved to the same extent - perhaps, and perhaps there is something else here that they have not been able to quantify to this day. Science is constantly evolving, I hope one day this will be possible.
What I experienced and did myself does not fall into the categories you brought. This is about blood tests that have shown for years disease and after doing what I have been doing for the past 5 years shows complete health. This is not a retreat or a prayer for a green light...
Allow me to assume that it is not at all in the spectrum of your understanding or of those from whom you come that stays in the box of what is known and known. My doctor (for years and still) knows exactly what I did and his reaction was enough for me to understand that what I caused simply cannot be explained in the world of known medical concepts (currently). And there are other people in my close circle who did it for themselves.
However, this is indeed anecdotal - I have not done research and have no scientific background to do so but for me it is 100% and it is the same for anyone who experiences relief after some alternative treatment.
My problem with articles of your kind (and this is of course not personal, you represent a world view here) is that they close doors instead of opening them. Nothing wrong with experimenting, doesn't work for you? Try something else as long as you didn't risk life or hurt yourself or others - and by the way, this does not include unknown risks - we live with this all the time, medicines, cell phones, ceramic pans, etc., etc. You cannot deny a mature person the possibility to experiment (as it is his sole decision to cross the road or smoke).
As usual, I have the pleasure of reading your articles and debating with you even when there is no agreement.
Eagerly waiting for an enlightening article about placebo.
Thanks to all the responders,
I promise to try and reach as many and varied topics as possible in the future, including psychology, phenomena in conventional medicine, veganism and more. Everything just takes time. A lot of time. Sometimes it's a few days of work, sometimes much more.
I admit that this article is extremely extreme. But it has purposes:
1) Show how strong an unfounded belief can be.
2) To arouse enough interest to try and look for the reasons that can establish such a belief among the believers. In the end, the "techniques to believe" pretty much repeat themselves in all cases and fields, and I'm interested in any case, but then they come and say "the public has no interest in someone believing in the power of crystals". That's why I bring examples with more serious consequences.
To the other me:
"Alternative medicine is very useful in cases where conventional medicine *doesn't have an answer, and this is usually in the areas of damage to the quality of life as a result of pain or chronic diseases"
- What is the definition of "useful"? Is a good feeling enough? Is real healing required? And if so, is there any evidence for this? (any technique for the body of course).
"What's wrong with a massage with aromatic oils making it easier? What's wrong with that if shiatsu or acupuncture helps her?"
- Again, I referred to all kinds of biases that make a person believe that his condition has improved following treatment, even though when you isolate the biases it turns out that there is no improvement. And again - what is meant by "assistant"?
Your particular case can also definitely fall into the categories of the alternative explanations I gave.
Regarding the placebo - I will deal with it in more detail in the future. I am aware that his power is considerable. The questions surrounding it are mainly ethical. To what extent is it permissible to lie to the patient in order for the placebo effect to work? Is there another way?
"I will not rule out the possibility that there may have been sincere attempts to find proofs and explanations" - after all, all the studies I cite are attempts to find proofs of the phenomena. Their minority was carried out by people whose whole goal is to exclude. People don't dedicate their lives to it. People don't like to post articles that didn't get a positive result.
"But there are still not the tools or the methods to do this" - do you have better tools to prove the effectiveness of a treatment than is customary in clinical trials? And perhaps, if there are no suitable tools, that is, if we admit that the effectiveness of a treatment cannot be proven, is it better not to use it for the time being? If there are no tools to check efficiency, I doubt if there are tools to check risk. And if the risk is not known - it is all the better not to give this treatment for the time being. This is my opinion. Unless people are informed that they are participating in an experiment whose purpose is to test the effectiveness and risk of a new treatment. But that's not what alternative medicine providers do. Not as far as I know.
"Until then, I will remain in my mind because from my personal experience 100% success is not something to be underestimated" -
Of course, I'm not underestimating, and I don't think you can prove anything from one case, it's an anecdote.
As mentioned, even someone who feared a prayer and the next day won the lottery, can say that for him his prayer was 100% successful. This of course does not follow from the evidence.
I once liked the answer of a great rabbi who came to him with a medical problem - he answered (to my memory) what does it belong to me, if there is a medical problem go to the doctor I am a rabbi not a doctor.
Regarding veganism (the topic that came up here), as someone who is interested in the topic, in my opinion, the topic is too broad to answer yes or no since there are many "middle areas" and it is not completely black and white - I subscribe to Dr. Hochberg's trimonthly (veganism) and often find scientific innovations ( conventional medical treatments) that were recently found while he covered them many years ago. In addition, he recommends examining the lifestyle of the Hebrew Negroes who hardly suffer from heart disease, stroke, cancer (sounds good!) and they lead a vegan lifestyle - they drink a lot of bitter cocoa {there is To find out in total their life expectancy and that of vegans in general. I'm not at all sure that we will find that the lifespan of vegans is higher, if so it was famous and created many echoes and if there really is no extension of the lifespan then why? Veganism prevents a lot of enjoyment from good food (in the end they will die healthy and sad :)}. On the other hand, I was once amazed to see a program on the Science Channel that the death rate in animals that were fed organic fruits and vegetables was significantly higher than those that were fed "normal" fruits and vegetables?? The reason found - the lack of spraying caused the parasites to survive and live in the unsprayed food. As mentioned, there is no black and white on the subject.
fear, ignorance and obsession,
constitute the winning combination,
to keep winning.
Gilad Diamant
There is no lack of opposite examples, you will surely find on Google
For some reason, the health funds invest a lot of money in alternative medicine
"In what way"
Thanks! A fascinating article like all the previous articles you wrote here, I would only ask for one clarification regarding the sentence:
"Three studies... one of which (which was designed in an amateurish way) claimed positive results"
Could you detail in what sense the aforementioned research was amateurish?
I agree with Luke's request, I would like an article that investigates the issue of veganism from all sides, good and bad, and if possible, then an article without interests.
Thanks
monument,
The cases described in your article are indeed very tragic. Death of a child due to denial of treatment is stupid and pointless. Alternative healing is not intended for critical cases, prayer will not save a person from bleeding to death from an open artery (if we add to the cases you mentioned), emergency treatment will help.
However, the article (and other articles I've read here) exudes a spirit of complete denial of all alternative treatment. The tendency here is to see and show only one side.
Alternative medicine is very useful in cases where conventional medicine *doesn't* have an answer, and this is usually in areas of impairment of quality of life as a result of pain or chronic diseases. There are also people who combine the two forms of medicine to feel better. And they feel better.
What will a person do with a herniated disc? Will he take increasing doses of painkillers? What's wrong with a massage with aromatic oils making it easier? What will a woman with persistent and excruciating migraines do? Will you take pills (which have difficult side effects)? What's wrong with that if shiatsu or acupuncture helps her?
These are uncomplicated examples, let me share my experience which is even more sensational. I cured myself with an alternative method from a chronic disease that I was told I would suffer from for the rest of my life and later also from knee disabilities as a result of military service (blood tests unequivocally prove the healing from the disease and the disability percentages were taken from me with all the benefits associated with them - a price I gladly paid).
No one can tell me stories about how alternative medicine or the creation of reality or belief (of any kind that includes placebo) has no potential to heal - from my experience this is simply not true, and in the case of the placebo (and we have already had a discussion about this in the past) it is about scientific studies.
To come and present the stupidity and extremism of parents as a representative case - in my opinion, this is a yellowing of the whole issue.
From what I have read on this site, the approach to this issue by the scientists is mostly not serious and biased in advance, although I will not rule out the possibility that there may have been sincere attempts to find proofs and explanations but there are still not the tools or the methods to do so.
Until then, I will keep it in mind because from my personal experience 100% success is not something to be underestimated.
What about an article on veganism, I would love to receive information on the matter.
monument
How about some serious article on the subject: Is there any real value to psychology?
noName - it's not anti-mystic, it's for the sake of the children, that they won't die just because of their parents' superstition.
I will also note that the article is very interesting.
I personally was not aware of its devastating effect, and that people simply endanger and even lead to the death of their children.
This is a warning to everyone, after an article like this, I want to see a parent who would risk the lives of his children like this without being called a murderer.
nowhere,
People are not black or white and I would not be surprised that there are many readers who do not have a clear position and the factual information that Gilad bothers to bring here may help some of those people avoid putting their money (or their health) on the deer fund. There are also quite a few "believing" people who were captured when they were small or lost their faith when they were in a time of need and they are intelligent people that a collection of simple facts is enough to awaken in them the suppressed rational thinking and thus re-examine their beliefs. In my opinion, only these justify the publication of the articles, but I believe that it is of interest to most readers, even those who know that there are beliefs that are as valuable as the skin of garlic, what are the principles and thinking patterns that stand behind behavior whose irrationality is so extreme as to the loss of human life, sometimes the life of their child.
noname
As mentioned, there are quite a few people who have not formed an opinion about the same issue, most people have heard about the issue that it is presented in a super positive way, because that is how our media is structured, and this false image (in the sense that the full truth is simply not presented) needs to be fought.
To explain to people that supposedly what is shown as working, does not really work.
Why do you publish a lot of anti-mystical articles every now and then... such articles will not convince anyone who has not already been convinced... it's a waste of energy... invest your efforts in interesting things.... And there are enough interesting things