The Efficacy of “Distant Healing”
Annals of Internal MedicinePublished 6 June 2000
John A. Astin, Elaine F. Harkness, Edzard Ernst
Citations321
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score3.38
SNIP3.27
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TL;DR
The objective of this systematic review was to summarize all available randomized clinical trials testing the efficacy of all forms of distant healing as a treatment for any medical condition.
Abstract
The methodologic limitations of several studies make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the efficacy of distant healing. However, given that approximately 57% of trials showed a positive treatment effect, the evidence thus far merits further study.
Keywords
PsychologyMedicine
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