I think we can agree on this, Joe. Regardless of which direction a person wants to take to look into health needs, it's always a good idea to do some thoughtful reading and research, keep an open mind, and practice a bit of critical inquiry. There are indeed health and medical matters that can respond to more than scalpels, pills and powders. Simple laughter and a positive attitude can work wonders. As far as Gary Nutt is concerned, I'd never heard of him before you mentioned his name. I looked him up on Wikipedia and Google. Anyone interested might want to do the same.

I want to add, Joe, that while discussion is noted as an important part of Lunch's mission, I seldom see much of it, as in a civil and friendly exchange of viewpoints and ideas. Our discussion here has been, for me, a pleasure.

Modern Medicine cannot cure everything. When we get older, many ailments can be managed with treatment but there are no cures. The question then becomes " What modality is best for managing my illness or condition?" I suspect that this will be different for each individual. I believe in doing medical research, talking with people through the prism of user groups and having more than one doctor so that a consensus opinion can be formulated over time. Dr. Gary Null is an alternative medicine/complementary practitioner. He knows quite a lot about nutrition. His seminars are always filled to capacity. I've read some of his writings and they make sense in terms of my own knowledge and personal experience. The Journal of the Lancet is a wonderful resource for researching complex medical issues. Good luck to everyone out there who seeks to feel better and will work tirelessly toward that end.

My own research on agoraphobia, in order to prove or disprove my theories on curative energy therapy (CET), was also of interest. I took two patients who had been certified as agoraphobics by a panel of impartial physicians and psychiatrists to the top of a high cliff. One I pushed over; the other I brought back. The study proved conclusively that the person I pushed over the cliff was, upon landing, immediately cured of his phobia, as well as his lung cancer and migraine headaches. The person I walked back with from the cliff showed no signs of alleviation of his agoraphobic condition, or any secondary curative impact on his various other medical issues. However, he showed renewed energy and focus by running away at high speed from me. I'm now working to reduce the irritating screams coming from my cliff drop energy therapy (CDET) patients. : - )

Take a look at this clinical trial study of TFT. The results seem to support the efficacy of the therapy. Source: Clinicaltrials.gov- Study # NCT00932919


Detailed Description: Thought field therapy is an alternative treatment method that has shown, by casuistic reports, to give good results when applied for anxiety disorders. In this study 72 patients will be randomized to three groups. 24 patients will receive cognitive therapy as a control method, 24 patients will receive thought field therapy. The remaining 24 patients will wait three months, and then be randomized to either of the two therapies. Before inclusion all patients will be diagnosed with M.I.N.I. and SCID II. They will fill out self evaluation forms for symptoms and quality of life, before and after treatment, and one year after treatment.

All patients will undergo an interview with ADIS on panic and agoraphobic diagnosis and symptoms before starting treatment, and on panic and agoraphobic symptoms immediately after and one year after treatment. These interviews will be done by psychologists who are blinded for which type of treatment the patients have got. Eligibility Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years and older Genders Eligible for Study: Both Accepts Healthy Volunteers:


No Criteria Inclusion Criteria: * Patients ages 18 years or older, * Patients with agoraphobia, * Patients with a score on Mobility Inventory "Alone" of 2.5 or more, * Patients who give a written consent to participate. Exclusion Criteria: * Psychosis (past or present), * Drug abuse or dependency, * Moderate or high score on suicidal behaviour on the M.I.N.I., * Patients who have another illness (other than panic disorder or agoraphobia) and are in need of immediate treatment.

Contacts and Locations Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00932919

Locations Norway Sorlandet Hospital Arendal, Norway, 4809 Sponsors and Collaborators Sorlandet Hospital HF Investigators Principal Investigator: Audun C Irgens, MD Sorlandet Hospital HF, Norway More Information No publications provided Responsible Party: Svein Gunnar Gundersen, Sorlandet sykehus HF ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:

NCT00932919 History of Changes Other Study ID Numbers: SSHF-70343-AUIR-2 Study First Received: July 3, 2009 Last Updated: July 27, 2011 Health Authority: Norway: The National Committees for Research Ethics in Norway Keywords provided by Sorlandet Hospital HF: Agoraphobia Cognitive therapy Thought field therapy Psychotherapy research

Additional relevant MeSH terms: Agoraphobia Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 11, 2011

I would be both skeptical and cautious before writing a check for either the book or a treatment. This is not a criticism of JSMaresca or his well-organized review.

-------Quoting from Wikipedia, that impeccable source of information and which lists sources in the footnotes, “Thought Field Therapy, or TFT, (just one of the therapies described) is a fringe psychological treatment developed by an American psychologist, Roger Callahan. Its proponents say that it can heal a variety of mental and physical ailments through specialized "tapping" with the fingers at meridian points on the upper body and hands. There is no psychological evidence that TFT is effective, and the American Psychological Association has stated that it "lacks a scientific basis."

-------The article goes on. “Callahan states that the process can relieve a wide variety of psychological issues, including posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, addiction and phobia. A typical treatment session lasts up to fifteen minutes, and is not repeated. Callahan has also stated that TFT can treat or prevent physical problems, including atrial fibrillation. In 1985 in his first book on TFT, he wrote that specific phobias could be cured in as little as five minutes.

-------“Callahan also asserts that his most advanced level, Voice Technology (VT) can be performed over the phone using an undisclosed "technology". Training for the advanced VT is provided by Callahan. The fee listed on Callahan's website for this training is $100,000.”

-------Far be it from me to even hint that this sort of thing cannot be helpful (except perhaps as a placebo) other than in lightening your wallet. Based on the Wikipedia article as well as more research I would undertake, I would never turn a child of mine over to such a “psychologist.”  And if a person has “atrial fibrillation” (abnormal heart beats, which I have), I’d walk as fast as I could from him, unless the prospects of a stroke somehow seemed intriguing.

-------As far as the author of this book goes, you might check out IAFEH (International Association for Energy Healers). Linnie Thomas is the founder. She says she is a “certified healing touch” practitioner, but neglects to say who did the certifying. Thomas believes that there is a need for the “modalities of energy healing” to work together.

-------I believe, in the words of P. T. Barnum, that there’s one born every minute.