Irish "Healers"

GlynD

Cotta wrote: »

If it's done for free it's less of a problem, however those who are making a lucrative living from it also cause issues.

I also feel for the sick going to such people who are genuinely hopeful of a cure.

I see what you're saying but don't you think if someone has the necessary faith, then the very act of having that mental attitude can be helpful?

There's even been a lot of scientific exploration of this and as far as I'm aware the boffins agree that the power of the mind is considerable. So in many cases if someone thinks they have been cured the power of their mind is such that they can actually heal themselves. The faith healer is just the conduit to start the mental process off.

There have even been cases of individuals curing themselves of cancer. Hard to believe I know but it is true. Of course there are those who jump on that bandwagon too, such as this guy who has a site specifically for the purpose: http://www.canceractive.com/cancer-active-page-link.aspx?n=1862

The danger connected to this of course is, as Qwert Yuiop pointed out in posts #3 and #7 that, because a person feels they can cure themselves simply through the power of the mind or visiting a faith healer that they neglect professional medical advice or don't seek proper treatment. There are many noted cases where this too has happened.

So it seems there is a fine line where common sense can be over-ridden by someone's faith, to their detriment.

mezza101

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

Truth is, we're not that far from societies we consider less advanced than ours. What's the difference between "a cure" here and what a voodoo master from Haiti or a Zulu witch doctor might offer? The Haitian or the Zulu patient might just not be able to afford proper medical care. Ours is free. So we're worse.

free if you have never worked and paid your nat ins!

mezza101

donnac2558 wrote: »

GlynD wrote: »

Like most people I think it's bunkum but I don't scoff at anyone who has faith because I think if you believe in something it's a great comfort. I've also heard stories where individuals can actually heal themselves through the power of their own mind although they will attribute the cure to the person who laid hands on them.

My mother has gone to faith healers. She's obviously very old school and still has superstitions which us "youngsters" generally don't have. I can remember when I was a wean when traveller women (we called them gypsys then) would come round selling heather or clothes pegs, my mum would always buy to get the blessing that came with the purchase because she believed that a curse from a gypsy would be a terrible thing. Apparently if you didn't buy something they would curse you on your own doorstep.

We called them Tinkers(they did not rank gypsies), just begging door to door. I had one come to my door in the 80s, I was going out. Said no thanks and she started mumbling about bad luck. I told her you curse me, I'll curse you back! She walked away very quickly.

Ticked

GlynD wrote: »

But can you blame the so called Faith Healers for using the power of their gift to extract a living from the gullible? I don't think I could do it but then again I'm not the 7th son of a 7th son. If I were I might think differently. Imagine: all you have to do it put your hand on somebody's head 20 or 30 times a day and you're earning a fortune. That's a big incentive.

If I was 6' 6" tall and weighed 15 stone I could use my 'gift' to extract money from passers by but then I'd be called a mugger.

I don't scoff at faith and the power of the mind can make or break any individual. It's preying on the faith and/or fears of others that I find distasteful.

flipperNI_2

thefreckle wrote: »

I wouldn't be a believer in any of that but I was taken to something like this as a child - I had warts on my hands and some fella heated up a needle and traced it around the contours in the warts. They were gone within a week or two if I remember correctly and I've had no bother with them since

While i don't believe in faith healers i had a similar experience as Freckle. My daughter had a lot of warts on her hands for a long time. My dad rubbed them with a potato then buried the potato. All her warts went inside 2 weeks and never returned

So who knows what effect the brain can have on the body.

bingo_bango

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

Is there a Waiting List?

You jest I'm sure, but just to give you an idea....

I was speaking to my mother a few weeks ago and she was talking about a medical issue one of my nieces has.

My mother's answer was to contact a healer for an appointment. Earliest one available? End of April 2014. So it appears the NHS might not be that bad after all!

Cotta

bingo_bango wrote: »

You jest I'm sure, but just to give you an idea....

I was speaking to my mother a few weeks ago and she was talking about a medical issue one of my nieces has.

My mother's answer was to contact a healer for an appointment. Earliest one available? End of April 2014. So it appears the NHS might not be that bad after all!

You may need to wait at least an hour to see Aidan Wrynne and he has two house clinics per week in the evening and is on the road the rest of the time.

His sessions last between 5 - 10 minutes.

GlynD

I still say it's good work if you can get it.

ooo000ooo

My wife went to see a "kinesiologist" in Holywood a couple of times, IIRC it was about 30 quid for a half hour session. She got her chakras realigned and her hip was apparently a bit wonky so she pushed it back into place. Each trip was then followed up with a recommendation to buy some herbal remedies from the shop conveniently located below. apparently she diagnosed a wheat allergy as well which seemed to be a recurring theme when talking to others.
She didn't offer a cure for the hiccups caused by my laughing at the gullibility of her customers.

Nada666

Cotta wrote: »

If it's done for free it's less of a problem, however those who are making a lucrative living from it also cause issues.

The deaths of children whose parents do not take them to a real doctor - nope, not really a problem.