what's the harm?

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368,379 people killed, 306,096 injured and over $2,815,931,000 in economic damages

What's the harm in dowsing?

Some claim they can find hidden items such as water or oil, or even answer questions using rods held in their hands. No scientific test has ever shown it to work.  Read more about dowsing

Here are 6 people who were harmed by someone not thinking critically.


Heather Charles

Bloomsbury, Central London, England

Inadequate treatment
June 8, 2002

She saw a doctor for a throat infection and an injured ankle. The doctor used dowsing to select a homeopathic remedy. Her throat did not improve and she had to get antibiotics in another city. The doctor was disciplined. Read more & more

Russell & Ruby Grafton

Age: 77 & 74
Carman, Illinois

Dowser could not find them
January 5, 1983

They drove to visit friends on Christmas. Their journey turned into an odyssey. While they were gone, the family turned to a dowser (using a map) to try to find them. The dowser failed, but they turned up fine a few days later. Read more

Christine Jessop

Age: 9
Queensville, Ontario, Canada

Investigation of her abduction delayed
October 3 - 18, 1984

When she was abducted, psychics and dowsers flooded the police with tips to her location. Meanwhile a credible eyewitness report of a girl struggling in a car went uninvestigated for weeks. An inquiry concluded the investigation was botched. Read more

Kira Jinkinson

Age: 11 months
Bloomsbury, Central London, England

Misdiagnosed gastroenteritis
October 22, 2000

Kira had an upset stomach. Her doctor used dowsing to choose a homeopathic remedy, claiming that geopathic stress patterns beneath her home were to blame. The baby was later found to be suffering from gastroenteritis. The doctor was disciplined. Read more & more

U.S. taxpayers

Washington, DC

$408,750 wasted
2002

The U.S. Department of Energy spent time and money testing a system called PMRAM that was clearly based on dowsing. The Inspector General investigated and included the technology was "implausible" and the money had been wasted. Read more

 
 
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