From Abracadabra to Zombies - 755 entries | View All
What's New?
See the most recent entries, updates, and reader comments
Sample the Skeptic's Dictionary
Hutchison hoax
The Hutchison hoax is named
after an eccentric Canadian, John Hutchison, a fan of Nikola Tesla and Tesla coils.
Hutchison claims to have discovered a
number of weird things, such as the levitation of heavy objects and the fusion
of metal and wood by forces heretofore undetected by normal scientists.
Hutchison calls these weird things "the Hutchison effect."
Some of the things he calls weird seem to be explainable in terms of
electromagnetism and other known physical forces, but he has more mysterious
explanations, such as zero point energy and electromagnetic fields
that cancel out gravity. >>more
sample Mysteries and Science (for kids 9 and up)
homeopathy
In a nutshell:б Homeopathy is water medicine. The science shows that there's nothing in homeopathic medicines that could cure anything. Still, many people say they've been helped by homeopathic potions.
Homeopathy is medical treatment by water. For example, if you have a rash, a homeopathic medicine will usually be made by taking a small amount of a plant that causes a rash and mixing it with 100 times as much water. The mixture is shaken and then one part of the mixture is added to 100 parts water. There is then more mixing, shaking, and diluting. The mixing, shaking, and diluting goes on until only a few or no molecules of the original plant remain in the last batch. Any medicine taken from the last diluted batch will be nothing but water.>>more
a blast from the past
Energy Healing:
Looking in All the Wrong Places
By
Robert Todd Carroll
б (This article was written in response to "The energy to heal" by Jenny Hontz, Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2004.)
How is it possible to get relief from swelling, pain, nausea, headaches, anxiety, and an assortment of other ailments without the use of medicine or surgery? It happens all the time and has been going on for centuries. ItБЂ™s called by many names but these days itБЂ™s mostly called БЂњenergy healing.БЂ« Whatever name it goes by, ultimately it amounts toб faith healing. The amazing thing about it is that the healer need not even touch the patient. In fact, the healer need not even be in the presence of the patient. Powerful medicine, no? Yes, very powerful and not completely understood, though there are many theories being offered, the most common ones these days being couched in terms of chi orб prana, meridians,б auras, andб chakras. Is there any evidence that there is a metaphysicalб life forceб (call it БЂњenergyБЂ« or БЂњchiБЂ« or whatever you want) that determines health depending on whether it is blocked or flowing? If there is, IБЂ™d like to see evidence for it that's not justб post hoc reasoningб andб begging the question.>>more