Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing

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Journal content

The journal describes itself as addressing "the scientific principles behind, and applications of, evidence-based healing practices from a wide variety of sources, including conventional, alternative, and cross-cultural medicine." [5] According to the information for authors, papers "most likely to be published are those that present important new ideas and information on the healing arts, consciousness, spirituality, eco-environmental issues, and basic science as all these fields relate to health" as well as those on "new perspectives on the integration of complementary and alternative therapies". [6] Explore was started in 2005 and is published by medical and scientific journal publisher Elsevier. [5]

Explore has been heavily criticized both for the content it publishes and the beliefs of its editorial team. Its self-description and author information explicitly includes pseudoscientific topics well outside the mainstream of medical practice. Critics have noted this willingness to publish work in areas lacking a scientific basis, and have labelled it a "quack journal" which "doesn't limit itself to just one quackery, the way [the journal] Homeopathy does", a publisher of "truly ridiculous studies", and as a "sham masquerading as a real scientific journal". [2] [7]

Individual papers

Whole systems complementary and alternative medicine

In a discussion of publications coming from two NIH-funded studies undertaken by homeopathy proponent Iris Bell (a member of the editorial board of Explore), [8] David Gorski examined several publications from this research, [2] including the Explore-published paper on whole systems complementary and alternative medicine using complex systems theory. [9] This was an observational study which divided subjects into "flourishers" and "languishers", and was "not very interesting", according to Gorski. [2]

Distant intention

Dean Radin, the journal's co-editor-in-chief, [8] published a paper in Explore on the effect on mood of eating chocolate which had been imbued with positive intent; [2] [10] the paper was included in a Time magazine discussion that also explored Masaru Emoto's claims of imbuing water with positive intent. [11] Gorski criticized the study design and analysis and noted that Radin offers an explanation of results in terms of quantum mechanics and the observer effect [12] which reflects a well-known misconception about the effect. Emoto's work in this area has been extensively criticized, including in New Scientist [13] the Skeptical Inquirer , [14] [4] and Spirituality & Health magazine. [15]

In 2006 Radin and Emoto published a follow-up of these studies focused on "distant intention" on water crystal formation in Explore and another in the Journal of Scientific Exploration ; [12] [15] [16] [17] commentary on those papers characterized them as "water woo" [12] and noted that their data did not support their conclusions, and suggested that perhaps "Emoto is an evangelist who values the message of his images more than the particulars of science." [15]

Chico Xavier letters

In 2015 a paper about truthfulness of mediumship obtained automatic writing letters by the Brazilian spiritist medium Chico Xavier. Partially funded by FAPESP, [18] the paper was criticized by skeptics and citizen science journalists. Carlos Orsi  [ Wikidata ], in Galileu magazine and Maurício Tuffani, in the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo , put in question the credibility of results and conclusions presented, specially the methodological flaws of the publication. But they also criticized the article because of the low impact factor of Explore magazine. Tuffani published a posterous response from the parapsychologist Alexander Moreira-Almeida  [ Wikidata ], one of the authors of the article, but retained previous criticisms. [19] [20] [21] [22]

Editorial team

The executive editor of Explore is Larry Dossey, an advocate for faith healing and other alternative medicine approaches that have no grounding in science. [23] The co-editors-in-chief are Benjamin Kligler, who practices Ericksonian hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and herbalism, [24] and parapsychologist Dean Radin, who has been described by Steven Novella as having a "dedicated ideology and a poor history" and a "reputation for creatively massaging data." [25] Radin is the chief scientist of the Institute of Noetic Sciences which explores purported phenomena which "do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models." [26] He also works with the Parapsychological Association which describes itself as "a professional organization ... engaged in the study of psi (or 'psychic') experiences, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition." [26]

Sadri Hassani, a retired professor of physics who maintains the website Skeptical Educator, [27] said of the journal "The editorial board of Explore says it all! ... When the executive editor himself publishes books on 'knowing the future' and the 'healing power of prayer;' and when coeditors-in-chief engage in the exploration of phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models and do research on telepathy and psychic healing, what is the purpose of 'peer-review?'". [26]

Impact

According to the Journal Citation Reports , the journal has a 2016 impact factor of 1.363. [28] [ needs update ]

Related Research Articles

Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability or evidence of effectiveness. Unlike modern medicine, which employs the scientific method to test plausible therapies by way of responsible and ethical clinical trials, producing repeatable evidence of either effect or of no effect, alternative therapies reside outside of medical science and do not originate from using the scientific method, but instead rely on testimonials, anecdotes, religion, tradition, superstition, belief in supernatural "energies", pseudoscience, errors in reasoning, propaganda, fraud, or other unscientific sources. Frequently used terms for relevant practices are New Age medicine, pseudo-medicine, unorthodox medicine, holistic medicine, fringe medicine, and unconventional medicine, with little distinction from quackery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parapsychology</span> Study of paranormal and psychic phenomena

Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near-death experiences, synchronicity, apparitional experiences, etc. Criticized as being a pseudoscience, the majority of mainstream scientists reject it. Parapsychology has also been criticised by mainstream critics for claims by many of its practitioners that their studies are plausible despite a lack of convincing evidence after more than a century of research for the existence of any psychic phenomena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Committee for Skeptical Inquiry</span> Organization examining paranormal claims

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the U.S. non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims." Paul Kurtz proposed the establishment of CSICOP in 1976 as an independent non-profit organization, to counter what he regarded as an uncritical acceptance of, and support for, paranormal claims by both the media and society in general. Its philosophical position is one of scientific skepticism. CSI's fellows have included notable scientists, Nobel laureates, philosophers, psychologists, educators, and authors. It is headquartered in Amherst, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reiki</span> Pseudoscientific healing technique

Reiki is a pseudoscientific form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine originating in Japan. Reiki practitioners use a technique called palm healing or hands-on healing through which, according to practitioners, a "universal energy" is transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient, to encourage emotional or physical healing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepak Chopra</span> Indian-American alternative medicine advocate

Deepak Chopra is an Indian-American author and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthiest figures in alternative medicine. His discussions of quantum healing have been characterised as technobabble – "incoherent babbling strewn with scientific terms" derided by those proficient in physics.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is a United States government agency which explores complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It was initially created in 1991 as the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM), and renamed the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) before receiving its current name in 2014. NCCIH is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chico Xavier</span> Spiritualist and philanthropist from Brazil (1910–2002)

Chico Xavier or Francisco Cândido Xavier, born Francisco de Paula Cândido, was a popular Brazilian philanthropist and spiritist medium. During a period of 60 years he wrote over 490 books and several thousand letters claiming to use a process known as "psychography". Books based on old letters and manuscripts were published posthumously, bringing the total number of books to 496.

Dean Radin investigates phenomena in parapsychology. Following a bachelor and master's degree in electrical engineering and a PhD in educational psychology Radin worked at Bell Labs, as a researcher at Princeton University and the University of Edinburgh, and was a faculty member at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He then became Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) in Petaluma, California, USA, later becoming the president of the Parapsychological Association. He is also co-editor-in-chief of the journal Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. Radin's ideas and work have been criticized by scientists and philosophers skeptical of paranormal claims. The review of Radin's first book, The Conscious Universe, that appeared in Nature charged that Radin ignored the known hoaxes in the field, made statistical errors and ignored plausible non-paranormal explanations for parapsychological data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masaru Emoto</span> Japanese pseudoscientist (1943–2014)

Masaru Emoto was a Japanese businessman, author and pseudoscientist who claimed that human consciousness could affect the molecular structure of water. His 2004 book The Hidden Messages in Water was a New York Times best seller. His ideas had evolved over the years, and his early work revolved around pseudoscientific hypotheses that water could react to positive thoughts and words and that polluted water could be cleaned through prayer and positive visualization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edzard Ernst</span> German academic physician and researcher (born 1948)

Edzard Ernst is a retired British-German academic physician and researcher specializing in the study of complementary and alternative medicine. He was Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, the world's first such academic position in complementary and alternative medicine.

Rustum Roy was a physicist, born in India, who became a professor at Pennsylvania State University and was a leader in materials research. As an advocate for interdisciplinarity, he initiated a movement of materials research societies and, outside of his multiple areas of scientific and engineering expertise, wrote impassioned pleas about the need for a fusion of religion and science and humanistic causes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Hall</span> American medical doctor and skeptic (1945–2023)

Harriet A. Hall was an American family physician, U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, author, science communicator and skeptic. She wrote about alternative medicine and quackery for the magazines Skeptic and Skeptical Inquirer and was a regular contributor and founding editor of Science-Based Medicine. She wrote under her own name or used the pseudonym "The SkepDoc". After retiring as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Hall was a frequent speaker at science and skepticism related conventions in the US and around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gorski</span> Science-based medicine advocate

David Henry Gorski is an American surgical oncologist and professor of surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He specializes in breast cancer surgery at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. Gorski is an outspoken skeptic and critic of alternative medicine and the anti-vaccination movement. A prolific blogger, he writes as Orac at Respectful Insolence, and as himself at Science-Based Medicine where he is the managing editor.

<i>Science-Based Medicine</i> Website covering issues in science and medicine, focusing on quackery

Science-Based Medicine is a website and blog with articles covering issues in science and medicine, especially medical scams and practices. Founded in 2008, it is owned and operated by the New England Skeptical Society, and run by Steven Novella and David Gorski.

<i>Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine</i> Academic journal

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering alternative medical treatments. It publishes case reports, original research papers, and systematic reviews. It was established in 1995 by founding editor Larry Dossey and is published bimonthly by InnoVision Health Media. The current editor-in-chief is Andrew W. Campbell.

Larry Dossey is a physician and author who propounds the importance for healing of prayer, spirituality, and other non-physical factors.

Benjamin E. "Ben" Kligler is an American academic physician and researcher who has been active in leading integrative medicine initiatives for over 20 years. He is a Professor in the Department of Family and Medicine and Community Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, as well as the former Vice Chair and research director of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Department of Integrative Medicine and the director of the Beth Israel Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine. He is also the co-editor-in-chief of the integrative medicine journal Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing.

<i>The Hidden Messages in Water</i> 2004 book by Masaru Emoto

The Hidden Messages in Water is a 2004 New York Times Bestseller book, written by Masaru Emoto advancing the pseudoscientific idea that the molecular structure of water is changed by the presence of human consciousness nearby, backed by "exhaustive and wildly unscientific research" claiming to back this conjecture.

References

  1. ↑ "Faculty Profile – Benjamin E. Kligler, M.D." Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Gorski, David (November 19, 2012). "Getting NCCAM's money's worth: Some results of NCCAM-funded studies of homeopathy". Science-Based Medicine . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ Radin, Dean; Hayssen, Gail; Emoto, Masaru & Kizu, Takashige (September 2006). "Double-Blind Test of the Effects of Distant Intention on Water Crystal Formation". Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing. 2 (5): 408–411. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2006.06.004. PMID   16979104.
  4. 1 2 Poppy, Carrie (2014). "A Grain of Truth: Recreating Dr. Emoto's Rice Experiment". Skeptical Inquirer .
  5. 1 2 "About Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing". Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing. Elsevier . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Your Paper Your Way". Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing. Elsevier . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  7. ↑ Gorski, David (May 5, 2009). "When big pharma pays a publisher to publish a fake journal..." ScienceBlogs . Seed Media Group . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Editorial Board". Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing. Elsevier . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  9. ↑ Otto, Laurie Menk; Howerter, Amy; Bell, Iris R. & Jackson, Nicholas (2010). "Exploring measures of whole person wellness: Integrative well-being and psychological flourishing". Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing. 6 (6): 364–370. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2010.08.001. PMC   2975622 . PMID   21040885.
  10. ↑ Radin, Dean; Hayssen, Gail & Walsh, James (2007). "Effects of Intentionally Enhanced Chocolate on Mood". Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing. 3 (5): 485–492. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2007.06.004. PMID   17905358.
  11. ↑ Elias Kornfeld, Alana B. (March 26, 2009). "Mind over Chocolate". Time . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 Gorski, David (March 30, 2009). "Dr. Emoto's water woo metastasizes". ScienceBlogs . Seed Media Group . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  13. ↑ Matthews, Robert (April 8, 2006). "Water: The quantum elixir". New Scientist (2546).
  14. ↑ Hall, Harriet (2007). "Masaru Emoto's Wonderful World of Water". Skeptical Inquirer . 31: 49–51.
  15. 1 2 3 Kiesling, Stephen (May–June 2009). "Latest message from water: Is Dr. Emoto a spiritual Madoff?". Spirituality & Health. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  16. ↑ Radin, Dean; Hayssen, Gail; Emoto, Masaru & Kizu, Takashige (2006). "Double-Blind Test of the Effects of Distant Intention on Water Crystal Formation". Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing. 2 (5): 408–411. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2006.06.004. PMID   16979104.
  17. ↑ Radin, Dean; Lund, Nancy; Emoto, Masaru & Kizu, Takashige (2008). "Effects of Distant Intention on Water Crystal Formation: A Triple-Blind Replication" (PDF). Journal of Scientific Exploration . 22 (4): 481–493.[ unreliable source? ]
  18. ↑ Rocha, Alexandre Caroli; Paraná, Denise; Freire, Elizabeth Schmitt; Lotufo Neto, Francisco & Moreira-Almeida, Alexander (2014). "Investigating the Fit and Accuracy of Alleged Mediumistic Writing: A Case Study of Chico Xavier's Letters". Explore. 10 (5): 300–308. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2014.06.002. ISSN   1550-8307. PMID   25103071.
  19. ↑ Orsi, Carlos (2015). "Um estudo realmente provou que Chico Xavier se comunicava com os mortos?". revistagalileu.globo.com (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on May 26, 2019.
  20. ↑ Orsi, Carlos (2015). "Um estudo realmente provou que Chico Xavier se comunicava com os mortos? (parte II)". revistagalileu.globo.com (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. A conclusão, a esta altura, deve ser óbvia: o artigo não só falha em estabelecer o que parte da mídia diz que estabelece – a realidade da comunicação de Chico Xavier com os mortos – como ainda é fraco demais, até mesmo, para cumprir a tarefa mais modesta que lhe foi dada pelos próprios autores: a de enfraquecer a tese científica dominante de que a mente não passa de uma função do cérebro.
  21. ↑ Tuffani, Maurício. "A pesquisa sobre cartas de Chico Xavier". Folha de S.Paulo - Blogs (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Apesar desses cuidados, concordo com o seguinte comentário feito no Facebook pelo professor de filosofia Ari Tank Brito, da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso. "No caso dessa pesquisa, há um grande erro de procedimento. Mesmo que seja comprovado que as informações passadas pelo médium aos seus consultantes tenham sido totalmente verdadeiras e mesmo que algumas delas fossem ainda desconhecidas por eles, não procede dizer que essas informações obrigatoriamente tenham sido obtidas por qualquer meio psíquico sem antes comprovar que o dito médium de maneira nenhuma poderia tê-las obtido por outras vias tidas como normais. Isso não foi feito. No caso em questão, tratava-se de um brasileiro com parentes, amigos e conhecidos. Deixar de lado a primeira e óbvia hipótese, a de que as pessoas que conheceram o falecido sabiam coisas sobre ele e as contavam, é partir de uma base falsa e melar todo o empreendimento."
  22. ↑ Tuffani, Maurício (2015). "Autor de pesquisa sobre Chico Xavier responde". Maurício Tuffani - Folha de S.Paulo - Blogs (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on September 29, 2017.
  23. ↑ Gorski, David (January 11, 2010). "Be careful what you wish for, Dr. Dossey, you just might get it". Science-Based Medicine . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Profile: Benjamin Kligler, MD". Duke Integrative Medicine. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  25. ↑ Novella, Steven (March 27, 2009). "Magic in the Huffington Post". Neurologica. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  26. 1 2 3 Hassani, Sadri (December 22, 2015). "Peer-review: A New Signature of Quack Science". Skeptical Educator. pp.  1, 2, 3 . Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  27. ↑ Hassani, Sadri. "Skeptical Educator – About this Site". Skeptical Educator. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Explore: The Journal of Science & Healing". 2016 Journal Citation Reports. Web of Science (Science ed.). Thomson Reuters. 2017.
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