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Permalink Reply by Dave G on June 30, 2009 at 3:49pm

Imbuing water with 'happy thoughts' and 'positive energies'?
Water crystallization changing when bombarded with 'thought energy'?

If Dr Emoto had truly proven that thought can directly affect the physical form of water crystals, he'd have received a Nobel prize for his discovery. Not to mention that scores (if not more) of other scientists should have been able to replicate his results.

No, I'm afraid that Dr Emoto (and What The Bleep Do We Know, for that matter) is just another dose of woo. No more scientifically valid than homeopathy, The Secret, intercessory prayer, or perpetual motion machines.

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Permalink Reply by jen o on June 30, 2009 at 7:02pm

Yeah you are right about the nobel prize, I didn't think of that.
COOL well, that clears it up for me!

another question: what about sound vibrations on salt tables

could this be applied to the vibrations and sounds our body makes inside...example: our heart beat, speeding up and slowing down...does this have anything to do with how things evolved over time? i have heard that the universe is very loud.

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Permalink Reply by Dave G on June 30, 2009 at 9:54pm

The universe is quite loud, although that noise is electromagnetic radiation rather than vibratory energy. You can't really have sounds/vibrations traveling in a vacuum, after all. :)

As for how our evolution interacted with sound, there's certainly some interaction, as evidenced by our ability to hear. We're quite sensitive to sounds in certain vibratory ranges, and not just those that are in the range that we can hear. Sub-sonic vibrations, for example, have been shown to have an effect on our nervous systems, if I recall correctly. *quick google* Yep, there's still plenty of research to be done, but some is being undertaken.

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Permalink Reply by jen o on June 30, 2009 at 11:54pm

OH WOW! that is interesting! thanks for taking time to clear things up for me a bit. i still have lots to learn : ) hope everyone here doesn't mind me asking silly questions. i seem to be playing catch up on my science education *cough cough* I went to a christian school *cough cough

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Permalink Reply by Dave G on July 1, 2009 at 11:01am

Glad I could help, and ask away! The best way to learn is to ask questions. :)

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Permalink Reply by jen o on July 5, 2009 at 5:48pm

thank you Michel : )

something funny that i do not tell alot of people, but for most of my life i thought dinosaurs were never real. and just the other day i met a woman who told me that her teacher in 8th grade, at a school in my city, taught the kids that dinosaurs never existed! i couldnt believe it! i thought i was the only one that thought that once, apparently i am not the only one. its very sad. so that can give you an idea of just how much science i really learned...JACK SHIT! oh i am pissed about it. i feel lied to and robbed of my right to learn about whats true and real about the world around us. pathetic!

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Permalink Reply by jen o on July 5, 2009 at 5:57pm

OH MY GOSH! friday, someone came into the spa where i work with blue jugs of water saying that she has this machine from china (that is super popular over there) and it helps keep you young looking and keeps you from getting sick, she even said that it cures cancer patients!!!!! WTF!!!! and my co-workers were buying that shit for who knows how much! so this must be what she was selling, bullshit!

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Permalink Reply by Dave G on July 6, 2009 at 11:03am

That, or something similar. There's no lack of bogus 'miracle' cures around. Sadly, there are more than enough gullible people for the purveyors of such pablum to prey upon.

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Permalink Reply by paddo on July 9, 2009 at 1:30am

Hi jen o
I'm new to the forums here and think your post raises an interesting question.

I am certain that we cannot influence aqueous ultrastructure by our thoughts to the extent that I am also sure that I will have to bend down and pick up the book I just dropped no matter how much I wish it to float back onto the desk. As Dave G has already noted this smacks of homeopathy.

The question regarding attitude and effects on health, and the possibility that we are to blame for some of our illnesses is one that I see people struggling with every day, and I think well-intentioned people often make things harder for others by invoking the "power of positive thinking." It is something which I am very careful about these days.

When someone is diagnosed with something serious, it is tempting for their doctors, health workers, family and friends to encourage them to be positive in such a way thet they imply that the eventual outcome of their diease will be different depending on their attitude. We know that this is incorrect, at least for non-small-cell lung cancers (Schofeild, P et al: Cancer 100(6) 2006). In fact, for people with these kinds of diseases, the pressure to be positive is a burden which prevents them from going through the process of feeling absolutely shithouse: devastated, angry etc, which is first step on the way to dealing with their problem.

When it comes to mental illness, however, it does not seem equally wrong to tell someone with major depression that their illness will improve if they concentrate on thinking positively. I know it sounds tautological when phrased in this way, but can therapists and family be legitimately frustrated at someone who is not trying to dig themselves out of the hole? Is this where social stigma against mental illness comes from? The brain is (within limits) an organ capable of training itself, so we may postulate that it can heal itself of depression (for example) and many therapies seem geared towards this. I would be very keen to hear the thoughts of the many people who will be more qualified than me on this subject...

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Permalink Reply by Misty: Baytheist Living! on July 9, 2009 at 12:49pm

Meh. I can train my brain all I want. I've done so. I can respond verbally and mentally in different languages.
Training my liver and kidneys has proved to be harder.
I'm working on it, though.. believe me.
One drink at a time, bitches!

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Permalink Reply by GT on July 16, 2009 at 11:25pm

Water crystals. More from the CAM industry, selling FOG.

"What the Bleep Do We Know?" or "What the #$*! Dө ωΣ (k)πow!?" More from the cults, selling FOG.

It's all mumbo jumbo. Total crap.

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Permalink Reply by GT on July 17, 2009 at 12:48am

I also wanted to add re: thought. These questions regarding it that you raised are many faceted and are in fields that I have had no training. Thought is an intricate subject to put in a few words and much has been written.

All I would say is that watching and understanding our thought is a very complex game. Albeit probably one of the most difficult, yet interesting, challenging & important games we will ever play.

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