The Sentinel from Carlisle, Pennsylvania • 4

A4 The Sentinel, Carlisle, Wednesday, April 1, 1998 Young scientist tests 'touch' therapists; they fail "I do not believe age should be a Fourth-grader's results published in leading medical journal methodology," she said. She said the designer Emily should not have been the one to conduct it, and the 21 subjects were too few and unrepresentative. The validity of therapeutic touch has been established in numerous doctoral dissertations and "innumerable" clinical studies, said Ms. Krieger, who has written two books about it. The practice has been safe and helpful in improving conditions from premenstrual syndrome, headaches, burns and bone fractures to asthma, reproductive problems, cancer and AIDS, according to one of her books.

Dr. George Lundberg, editor of JAMA for 16 years, said he handled the editing of Emily's report and found the research to be sound. She got a blue ribbon like everyone else. The research was never intended to be published, Rosa said. But word spread, and the PBS show "Scientific American Frontiers" featured Emily's tests on Nov.

19. Dr. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch based in Allentown, suggested submitting the findings to JAMA. Dolores Krieger, professor emeritus of nursing science at New York University and co-founder of therapeutic touch in 1972, said she was "astounded" JAMA published the study. "It's poor in terms of design and bar on anything, either young or old," he said.

"It's the quality of the science that matters." Patricia Abrams, 59, said therapeutic touch saved her life 17 years ago after conventional doctors had given up on treating her for agno-genic myloid fibrosis, a fatal, incurable blood disorder. "I've never been healthier," said Mrs. Abrams, co-owner of an educational publishing company in Washington, Conn. She said she underwent therapeutic touch weekly for two years, along with meditation and visualization. She later learned therapeutic touch herself and uses it in her volunteer work with hospice patients.

"It truly changed my life," Mrs. Abrams said. guessing, authors said. "To our knowledge, no other objective, quantitative study involving more than a few therapeutic touch practitioners has been published, and no well-designed study demonstrates any health benefit from therapeutic touch," the study concluded. "These facts, together with our experimental findings, suggest that therapeutic touch claims are groundless and that further use of therapeutic touch by health professionals is unjustified." Emily's mother, Linda Rosa, acknowledged she is a longtime skeptic of the practice.

Emily said she conducted her study for a school science fair two years ago because she was a bit skeptical herself and "just wanted to see if they could feel the human energy field." There were no winners in the fair who works to uncover quackery. Those who practice the technique say an energy field emanates from every person and is detectable above the skin through a tingling sensation or a feeling of hot or cold. The healer moves his or her hands over the patient's body to modify the field. Touching the patient isn't necessary. More than 100,000 people worldwide have been taught the technique, including at least 43,000 health-care professionals, the study said.

Emily set up a cardboard screen through which practitioners put their hands. With their sight blocked, she asked them to identify which of their hands was near one of hers. The 21 practitioners chose the correct hand 44 percent of the time. That was slightly less than the 50 percent chance they would have had of choosing the correct hand by CHICAGO (AP) It was as simple as a test could be. Since healers that practice therapeutic touch claim they can manipulate a patient's "energy field" to treat everything from burns to cancer, they were asked to prove it.

The 9-year-old girl that devised the test for her fourth-grade science fair concluded 21 practitioners of the widely taught practice were unable to detect the "energy field." Emily Rosa's study was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It immediately drew fire from supporters of the practice, who say it is respected worldwide. Therapeutic touch is practiced in at least 80 North American hospitals and taught in more than 100 colleges and universities in 75 countries, said the study written by the Loveland, fourth-grader, her parents and a Pennsylvania doctor Spotz Continued from A1 Pop foppQff Credit union bill nears vote Mom impounded with car CHICAGO (AP) Bruce Wexler says he still can't believe how his sports car was towed away from a grocery store parking lot with his elderly mother sitting in the front seat. He's suing the company that did it for $3 million. Neither the tow-truck driver nor the employees of the auto pound noticed Ruth Wexler in the car on March 13.

But after paying $105 to retrieve his car, he trudged through the pound and found the 85-year-old "She was scared. She fienred she was better off stavine in the car and Sutherland, a spokesman for the Credit Union National Association, said afterward. Today's vote was coming only hours before lawmakers were expected to leave town for a two-week spring break. Although the Senate hasn't yet acted on a similar bill, massive approval by the House likely would generate momentum for that. The credit union bill, approved overwhelmingly by the Banking Committee last Thursday, is a compromise measure that would allow the expanded customer base for federal credit unions but also would subject them to fair-lending requirements similar to those imposed on banks.

The credit unions would retain their exemption from federal taxes a status that has brought bitter complaints from the banking industry. All current credit union customers would be allowed to keep their accounts. of the House Banking Committee, predicted the credit union measure could clear the House today by an overwhelming vote, perhaps as many as 400 of the chamber's 435 lawmakers. That's a far cry from the financial overhaul legislation. House Republican leaders, overcome by GOP defections and resistance from Democrats, abruptly abandoned the effort Tuesday to dissolve half-century-old legal barriers between banks, brokerage houses and insurance companies.

It was the latest setback in a 20-year effort to get such legislation through Congress. The GOP leaders had tried to boost its chances for passage by tying the credit union bill to it. Senior Democrats led by Rep. John LaFalce of New York said that was like "buying the credit unions a ticket on the Titanic." The Republicans' about-face was "a spectacular outcome," Scott WASHINGTON (AP) After being stripped from a measure that would revamp laws governing the nation's financial industry, a bill to help credit unions appeared headed for easy passage in the House. The measure would supersede a recent Supreme Court decision by letting federal credit unions continue to include more than one group in their memberships, within certain limits.

The bill enjoyed wide bipartisan support, including the backing of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. Credit unions, a $300 billion industry with some 70 million members, have portrayed their fight with the banking industry which brought the lawsuit that ended up in the high court as a David vs. Goliath struggle. They have been able to compete with banks by often providing lower-cost loans and other services at more favorable rates for members. Rep.

Jim Leach, R-Iowa, chairman Enhanced bank security photographs objected to by the defense should not have been admitted into evidence. Hoffer erred in denying a motion for a mistrial after evidence was introduced that Spotz was on parole. Hoffer failed to caution the jury on the admissibility of evidence from the other three murders. Hoffer improperly instructed the jury that prior crimes could be considered to prove motive and intent. Hoffer should have allowed a proposed defense instruction to the jury regarding second-degree murder.

Hoffer erred in not allowing a proposed defense instruction during the penalty phase relating to other mitigating circumstances. Hoffer failed to inform the jury there is no parole given for a life in prison sentence. Andrews said Spotz's appeal last year in York County was denied and is now before the state Supreme Court. He said he is not sure of the status of his appeal in Schuylkill County, but noted the court just appointed a public defender to represent Spotz in Clearfield County where he was tried in his brother's death. Hoffer did not indicate when he would not rule on the Cumberland appeal.

Spotz remains on death row at the State. Correctional Institution in. not going out in the cold and snow," Wexler said Tuesday after filing his lawsuit against Phillips Towing Service Inc. The lawsuit claims the elderly woman who has been undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia suffered physical and emotional stress because of the tow company's alleged negligence and misconduct. "I have a see-through top.

There was no way you could miss her," said Wexler, 54, an insurance broker. The day after the incident, Mary Ann Phillips, manager at Phillips Towing, called the mix-up "an honest mistake." Rin T. Tindoesn 't cut it SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) It's been a tough year for Bozo and Bozette Clown. They aren't getting a state tax refund.

Neither is Rin T. Tin and Lassie Collie. Those were among the names used in bogus tax returns submitted by auditors with New Mexico's Legislative Finance Committee, who wanted to test the state's new tax computer system. John Chavez, the Taxation and Revenue Department secretary, is upset that the committee sent the fake returns before clearing it with his agency. "It's blatantly illegal," Chavez said Monday.

"The computer caught them. But if the computer hadn't caught them, they would have done a whole report on how bad we are." Manu Patel, performance audit manager for the committee, said he wanted to see whether the computer system is worth its projected $30 million cost. "It is the responsibility of the Legislative Finance Committee to find out if we are we getting our moneys worth or not," Patel said. Beavers told to get dam permit STANTON, Mich. (AP) Dam building is serious business and state officials hate it when it happens without their permission.

Try telling that to some of nature's best construction workers beavers. Michigan environmental officials notified of dams on Spring Pond reacted accordingly: they sent a cease-and-desist letter. "It has come to the attention of the Dept. of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced piece of property," read a notice the DEQ sent to the landowner. "A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity." The property owner responded with a letter denying responsibility: "Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers or do you require all dam beavers throughout this state to conform to said dam request?" Excerpts of the letters were published Monday by The Wall Street Journal, where an editorial said the agency was worthy of an "Award for Environmental Lunacy." DEQ spokesman Ken Silfven said the case was prompted by a complaint from a neighbor concerned about flooding After the department investigated and discovered beavers were to blame, it dropped the case.

Said Silfven: "It probably would have been a good idea to do the inspection before we sent the notice." Greene CQurjty; The Sentinel Published dally by Cumberland Pub-Ushers 457 E. North Carlisle, 17013. Second class postage paid at Carlisle, Pa. U.S.P.S. No.

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'Mm ilJ r-fttisszZL 1 i Michael BuppThe Sentinel Workers check Great Bear seats Tuesday at Hersheypark. i i 01 The Sentinel is a member of the News Going Out of Business paper Association of America, Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association and the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Great Bear Postmaster: Send address changes to The Sentinel, P.O. Box 130, Carlisle, MELDE SJwdUr MmS mA I i iii tn i mil 17013. Continued from A1 away from the area where the Great Bear is now located, she says.

This has caused concessions and support facilities in other portions of the park to be overloaded, she says. It is hoped the placement of the Great Bear will equalize that load. The parks other roller coasters are the sooperdooperLooper, The Wildcat, The Comet, Sidewinder and Trailblazer. land. Budgeon says the firm is the "Cadillac" of the roller coaster industry.

Hersheypark public relations coordinator Kathy Burrows says the company has placed the ride in a section of the park where fewer people had been going in recent years. Newer attractions, such as Midway America a nostalgia theme area including a Ferris Wheel and Whip ride had drawn visitors 43-QD -tB (ID Entire Stock OFF ith feet dangling as the support platform drops from underneath them. Since the ride is less than three-minute, it will be able to transport up to 1,300 passengers an hour. "I think it's going to be a different experience," says Hersheypark Facilities Manager Jeff Budgeon. On certain turns, it will be "you, the world and the sky," he adds.

Between now and May 23, the day the Great Bear goes on-line for the public, workers will finish the control wiring and conduct test runs. The ride is held in place with about 214 columns and more than 4,500 yards of concrete. The Great Bear was designed by Bolliger and Mabillard of Switzer FTS 129 W. High Street Downtown Carlisle Mon Sat. 10 5 License 140 Spring HmeUps JL.

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