REALL News - Vol 07 No 06 - 1999

Magazine Overview

Title: The REALL News
Issue: Volume 7, Number 6
Date: June 1999
Publisher: REALL
Author of featured article: David Bloomberg

This issue of The REALL News focuses on the prevalence of pseudoscience and irrational beliefs, particularly as observed at a holistic health fair. The tone is skeptical and critical of practices that lack scientific basis.

Selling Irrationality at a Holistic Health Fair

By David Bloomberg, Chairman of REALL

David Bloomberg recounts his experience attending a Holistic Health Fair on April 24th at the Signature Inn in Springfield. He describes feeling like a "fish out of water" as a skeptic in an environment he perceived as lacking in rationality. Bloomberg notes that he was likely the only skeptic present and also one of the few men attending, observing that the booths were predominantly staffed by women, and the attendees were also mostly women, with the exception of some who were accompanied by female partners.

He observed that the fair's setup seemed to target women, with pink-hued handouts and displays of women's jewelry. Despite his intention to blend in, he found it impossible due to his perceived difference from the attendees and vendors.

Bloomberg collected various flyers and observed the services offered. He was surprised to find four Tarot card readers among the approximately 16 booths. Some Tarot readers also offered other services, such as ufology. One reader, Colleen, was noted as a "Doctor of Metaphysics" and was recommended by the late Greta Alexander. Bloomberg suggests that these practitioners were present because the attendees of a holistic health fair are likely to be receptive to psychic readings, echoing a sentiment that "They know their audience."

He further observed that some participants did not distinguish between health and spiritual matters, with one vendor advertising "Advanced Pranic Healing" alongside "Contact with the Spirit Realm."

Observations on Various Practices:

Bloomberg details several specific examples of the pseudoscientific offerings:

• Radonics: A flyer equated the "sub-conscious nervous system" with the "Spiritual ‘Being’" and claimed that "Every organ in the body has it's (sic) own unique energy frequency field." This practice reportedly uses "the vibrational energy of natural herbal oils" for "healing" and employs "a psychic body analysis" to identify "frequency disruptions."
• Tarot Reader/Ufologist: Flyers quoted Deepak Chopra, discussed "symbolic dream language," and stated that understanding UFOs and alien abductions is a "single most important aspect of human evolution." The reader hoped to form an abductee support group.
• Reiki: Four flyers on Reiki were found. One described a special "attunement process" where a practitioner becomes an "open conduit and minister of the energy of Reiki, the Breath of Spirit," linking it to "the hands of Christ" and a symbol revealed to a "Japanese Christian." Another Reiki flyer focused on "Universal Life Force" rather than religious connections, presenting Reiki as a "complement" to both medicine and "all spiritual belief systems." A third described Reiki as an "ancient healing art" revived in the 20th century, emphasizing that practitioners do not "actually heal" but allow the body to do the work. A Reiki newsletter claimed "Science Measures the Human Energy Field," asserting that scientists have moved from denying to being "absolutely certain" of such fields. It suggested that a "huge pulsating biomagnetic field emanated from the hands of a TT practitioner," comparable to brain waves. However, the article cited supposed scientific articles without providing a reference list, instead offering the authors' contact information.
• Fruit and Vegetable Rinse: One company sold a rinse claimed to remove pesticides, heal warts, kill lice, and deter ticks. They also offered "whole foods" for "regenerating your body back to better health," which the vendor stated could be given to infants.
• Regenesis: This practice was linked to Wilhelm Reich and "orgone energy." It involves "mobilizing and directing the flow of cellular energy" for healing, drawing energy from the "fetus to create itself." A Regenesis flyer noted that Continuing Education Units (CEUs) were available for RNs and LVNs from the California Board of Registered Nursing.
• Chironomy: A local couple offered this therapy, apparently related to Reiki, which claims to "flush toxins and fat." They also sold plastic pieces for fortune-telling. In conversation, the woman promoting Chironomy suggested that President Clinton uses Neuro-Linguistic Programming to influence public opinion.
• Ear Coning: This practice involves inserting a paper cone into the ear and lighting it to "help with a variety of problems related to the ears." The presence of wax in the cone after the procedure was presented as proof of its efficacy.

Conclusion

Bloomberg concludes that he learned "not a whole lot beyond what I already knew." He found no voice of rationality at the "health fair" and observed it as a marketplace for "a wide variety of nonsense for up for sale, and the buyers were only too happy to oblige."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme in this issue is the critique of pseudoscience, irrational beliefs, and the commercialization of unproven therapies, particularly within the context of holistic health and New Age practices. The editorial stance, as represented by David Bloomberg and The REALL News, is clearly skeptical and critical, advocating for rationality and scientific evidence. The magazine aims to expose and debunk what it considers to be nonsensical or fraudulent claims presented as legitimate health or spiritual practices.