Friday 20 July 2012

Mercola's Magical Meanderings with Emotional Freedom Techniques


              Another dubious claim from the world of quackery this week comes in the form of (Osteopathic) Dr.  Joseph Mercola’s claim that the American Psychological Association is considering approving Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). This often debunked therapy claims to treat almost any mental illness by balancing the “subtle energies” of the body. This is supposedly accomplished through tapping of specific “meridian points” while thinking about your emotional issue and repeating positive affirmations. According to EFT supporters, this procedure relieves emotional blocks in the body’s electromagnetic bioenergy system and restores normal balance.

                While this idea might seem ludicrous to a reasonable individual, Mercola (in a rather petty move, I will not be referring to him as “Dr.” from here on in) believes it is a magical cure-all that conventional practitioners are hiding from the general public. This is not surprising when you consider Mercola’s background. An osteopath is basically a trained witch-doctor who believes that most of the body’s ailments are caused by abnormalities in bones, muscles and joints. The NHS on the other hand states that osteopathy may be useful for low back pain or recovery after hip or knee operations but nothing else. Some of Mercola’s other rather “alternative” views include his opposition to vaccination and prescription drug-use, his denial that HIV infection is the cause of AIDS and his claim that sunscreen actually causes skin cancer. Mercola has also obtained the rather dubious honour of being named the Huffington Post’s “Ultimate Wellness Game Changer” in 2009. Mercola’s website also features a contribution from Dawson Church. Church, a founder of the Soul Institute and the Institute for Epigenetic Medicine, obtained his doctorate in “Integrative Medicine” (pronounced “assorted quackery”) from the non-accredited Holos College. Here at the cheery Holos College, they specialise in educating their students about the “subtle energies” and “Universal Principles of Spirituality and Holistic Health”. For me, that’s basically enough to ignore any form of nonsense promoted by Mercola but I’ll continue anyway.

                EFT was invented by Gary Craig (an engineer!) in 1993 and was inspired by his time training with Dr. Roger Callahan. EFT is remarkably similar to Callahan’s discredited “Thought Field Therapy”. Callahan was surely slightly miffed when Craig basically stole his idea despite signing the confidentiality agreement required before beginning training. His anger was probably eased somewhat by the $100, 000 Craig forked over for the course and the thought of having to explain why he needed a confidentiality agreement in court if he took further action. In a classic new-agey, alternative medicine tactic, Craig claims that EFT is based on the fundamental principles of acupuncture and dates back over 5,000 years. Acupuncture, however, only has a recorded history dating back 2,000 years and has been proved largely ineffective.

Mercola’s claim that the APA is reviewing its position on EFT seems completely baseless. According to Mercola himself, the APA is still enforcing a ban imposed 12 years ago on awarding continuing education credits for EFT. While he provides references for many of the claims in his article, there is no mention of anyone from the APA even discussing EFT. In fact Rhea Faber, an APA spokesperson, is quoted only days ago stating that “tapping therapy” is not currently considered effective. Why Mercola does not provide the source of his information is unclear and it’s difficult to imagine anyone from the APA providing information about upcoming decisions to such a dangerous quack. The only other conclusion is that Mercola simply made it up for the sake of interesting article during a slow day at the office.

Despite dramatic claims of effectiveness from CAM practitioners, EFT has no scientific basis. While a number of studies have been published, they are generally extremely flawed and provide little more than an impressive looking citation. The aforementioned Dawson Church has claimed that EFT produced improvement in soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder but his study was conducted in only seven participants without any kind of control. In a similarly flawed study, Church has also claimed that EFT improved athletic performance. Contrastingly, a controlled study from 2003 found that EFT was no more effective a placebo treatment. More significantly, the researchers found that the meridian points had no effect as participant’s experienced a similar benefit by tapping on their arm or even tapping on a doll. Furthermore, in a review of EFT and other forms of energy psychology published in 2009, the authors found that there was no evidence to support their use and called on psychologists and professional organisations to alert the public about the dangers of engaging in these practices. 

Contrary to the claims of its proponents, the effects of EFT are completely due to a combination of the placebo effect and commonly used psychological techniques such as systematic desensitisation and distraction. By thinking about their emotional issue in a safe and supportive environment, the patient is gradually exposed to the cause of their distress. Combined with positive affirmations, relaxation and distraction the patient is enabled to gradually reduce the distress or anxiety evoked by these thoughts so they can learn to manage them and the negative effects they may have on their life.

While practice of EFT may seem harmless, it is worth remembering that supporters claim it will treat a variety of mental illnesses including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. These are often extremely distressed and vulnerable individuals who require supportive and well-validated care from a variety of health professionals. Practitioners of EFT, however, must either be well-meaning idiots, who believe the quackery but are completely under-qualified to deal with the problem, or exploitative and calculating conmen. Having personally experienced depression and anxiety, I understand how difficult it can be to determine the best route back to mental health. This is helped in no way by the misinformation and exploitation propagated by alternative medical practitioners.



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