Comments on: Hands Up – Anyone Believe In Palmistry?

By: Eshu

Eshu — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:25:34 +0000

Philena,

Thanks, I do try to be thorough.

It is actually impossible to prove psychic claims are true as results can vary from person to person.

The results of conventional medicines vary from person to person. That doesn’t stop them undergoing clinical trials and being thoroughly tested.

Crucially it doesn’t have to be “efficacious in every case”, just significantly better than chance when external factors (cheating, for example cold-reading) are eliminated.

By: Philena

Philena — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:45:19 +0000

Thank you Eshu,

I read the whole page and it seems as if you have done some good research on the subject. It is actually impossible to prove psychic claims are true as results can vary from person to person. That is I find it easier to read for some people than for others. When working psychically the results depend on the energetic behaviour of the client as well as the practitioner.

As for Palmistry I do it scientifically. Had I been interested in the research side of it, I could no doubt have by now numerous signed documents that what I told people 30 years ago has happened. However my interest does not lie in that direction. I have always tried to help people to the best of my ability to sort out their lives. I have numerous happy clients who come back to see me year after year.

Anyway thank you for mentioning me in your well thought out and well written article.

By: Eshu

Eshu — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:42:59 +0000

Ken,
Thanks for the links, I’ll investigate further.

Lynet,
Yes huge potential for Sherlock Holmes style deductions. I always thought he was a bit too confident with contrived little details however. For example he’d have assumed my wife is left-handed as she wears her watch on her right wrist!

By: Lynet

Lynet — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:57:52 +0000

I reckon looking at someone’s hands could tell you all sorts of things about them that people wouldn’t expect you to know. For instance, you can tell I hold my pen too tightly by the shiny patch on my middle finger. In earlier times when most people worked with their hands, you could pull a ‘Sherlock Holmes’ really easily. It wouldn’t have been hard to convince people you could see their fate, too.

By: Kenneth Lagerstrom

Kenneth Lagerstrom — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:25:49 +0000

You’re absolutely correct – Signs shown on the hands should be confirmed by more conclusive diagnostic techniques. Unfortunately many medical professionals have virtually no training in examining the hands as part of their diagnosis, and so can miss important warning signs (such as the size and color or the fingernail lunula.

Problem areas could relate to almost any area of the life – Every set of hands is unique, just like every personality. Some that show easily and are quite common are excessive worry, suppressed anger, impaired circulation, and mineral deficiencies.

Yes, several methods are testable. See http://www.pdc.co.il http://www.handresearch.com and http://www.humanhand.com/dispensation.html – The biggest limitation is the lack of serious research that follows scientific method.

By: Eshu

Eshu — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:57:39 +0000

Kenneth,

Thanks for dropping by. I can see how one might infer medical problems such as mineral deficiencies or jaundice from a person’s hands, but I surely this should only form part of a proper medical examination.

What do you mean by “problem areas in someone’s life”?

Are these methods testable?

By: Kenneth Lagerstrom

Kenneth Lagerstrom — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:36:59 +0000

Great post – Well said. I still don’t believe that palmistry can be effective for predicting future events, however it can be very useful in identifying health concerns and problem areas in someone’s life.