wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

What a gas. LL did ask whether this dude had followed up on any of the cures. Maybe that was too subtle for inquiring minds who fall for this baloney.

Perhaps you should re-read.

Thanks for the suggestions, Beth, but I'm quite familiar with QT and it is of no relevance to Reiki or to any other pseudoscientific nonsense (though cranks and quacks do often mistakenly believe they can hide behind its mathematical sophistication and counter-intuitive phenomenology).

Brian Greene is a well-known scientist whose book, The Elegant Universe and some of his other work http://arxiv.org/find/all/1/au:+Greene_Brian/0/1/0/all/0/1 I have already read. He has not descended into the mad dark world of the cranks and there is nothing in his work that would lend any (superficial) support to any of the pseudoscience and quackery either.

Lynne McTaggart is just a crank http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_McTaggart

Indeed, the study of science and mathematics (Quantum theory in specific)will shed light on the subject. May I suggest you review Brian Greene's books - 'The Fabric of the Cosmos', and 'The Elegant Universe', as well as Lynne McTaggart's 'Intention Experiment' which I sincerely hope will enlighten you.

“It wasn't so long ago that chiropracters were thought to be nuts.” --Beth Lowell

Many of them are deluded, yes, and some of them are positively dangerous. Reiki, homeopathy et al are utter, utter nonsense and their use on patients with serious illnesses is shameful in my view.

Maybe some listeners should expand their horizons by studying the beautiful and wonderful world of science and mathematics. Their ancestors did and that is why we are now likely to enjoy long, healthy and fulfilling lives.

I suspect LL was too dispirited by this interview to attempt to challenge Mr. Smith. More skepticism by the booking person, please ...

“Why didn't Leonard grill this guy, even a little bit?” --BG from NY

No point. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troglobite

This was a really fascinating show. You may know that Reiki practitioners also use the same universal energy as did Philip Smith to practice hands on healing. Reiki is used for cancer and AIDS care in hospitals all over the world, including the top hospitals in the United States. Dr. Mehmet Oz has used it during heart surgery. Reiki is only one method of harnessing this energy and I'm disappointed in the response about the show from other posters.

Complementary and alternative modalities like energy therapies are effective when used with traditional medicine and on their own. It wasn't so long ago that chiropracters were thought to be nuts.

Maybe listeners should expand their horizons - but my guess is they'd rather just take a pill.

I can't believe all you haters out there. Jeez... I think he's really showing some spine to tell his story, knowing he'd be holding himself up for potential ridicule from the likes of the above posters. He lived it and so he gets to tell it..

I found the segment fascinating, as someone who lived in Florida back then and attended home births as a midwife, I was introduced to some spiritual healers from clients who requested them at the births - nothing kooky or spooky, but a nice grounding energy.

Don't worry about not having a "normal" dad if you think that means a dad who "mows the lawn, drinks beer, and falls asleep in front of the tv". That's not normal.

This was a VERY disappointing "interview".
Why didn't Leonard grill this guy, even a little bit? Ugh. @ Rob from the Bronx: Nice use of a Sagan quote.

I think it's a fun show. You need a fun show like this every once in a while...

And yes, I agree with the above poster, Philip would be a great guest for Art Bell.

is there any proof of this?
what a ground breaking story!
or maybe they should reair this on april fool's day

What a preposterous guest!?! The guest claimed that there's no surgical correction to length discrepancy between extremities. This is a lie, Gavriel Ilizarov has been conducting corrective surgeries using a method called distraction osteogenesis since 1951. Not to mention the whole spiritualism BS. Please there's enough nonsense on the airways, you don't have to add any more.

Did Philip Smith get lost on his way to Coast to Coast AM :-)

Really Leonard, I am busily checking my calendar to see if it is April 1! Has any of these claims been independently verified? As Carl Sagan use to say: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

I'm surprised that Leonard Lopate has lowered himself to cover this kind of pseudoscience.

No offense, but is the author ever going to get around to saying anything of interest besides repeating the words "my father" over and over.

faith healers?

what is this....the radio version of the world weekly news?

are you kidding me?