Dear David,
As you may know by now the Rocky Mountain Skeptics have been featured in many publications, including the enclosed Time article, for leading the charge in exposing "Therapeutic Touch" (TT). What began as our local effort to expose TT in Colorado institutions for the antiscience that it is, soon took on an international life of its own.
We would like to engage your organization in contributing to the worthwhile effort of exposing what amounts to an institutionalized declaration of war against science. If you think this is an exaggeration read what Patricia Moccia, Chief Executive Officer of National League for Nursing (the major accrediting agency for nursing schools) wrote in Time in response to the enclosed original article:
"The National League for Nursing, mentioned in your story, remains committed to supporting those who explore alternatives to the traditional approaches of Western medicine, which, for all its science, continues to make profits by assaulting the mind, body and spirit of patients. There is indeed more in the struggles around teaching Therapeutic Touch to nurses than meets the eye.... It's the fear of losing control on the part of those who have personal and professional investments in health care's status quo."
What we propose is that your organization survey hospitals and nursing schools to determine the extent TT has been institutionalized. If you think you can help with this please contact me as we are already working with skeptics in England, Australia and Canada.
Also, could you please announce to your members the formation of a new group that we hope can eventually become independent and dedicated to dealing with nursing issues. The group is Nurses for Rational Therapies. At this time their address is the same as ours [Box 7277, Boulder, CO 80306]. We hope to find nursing professionals who can become national leaders promoting sanity in this important area.
Best wishes,
Bela Scheiber, President
Rocky Mountain Skeptics
[If any REALL members are interested in participating in such a study, please let us know by contacting David Bloomberg. He will be responding to this letter to let the Rocky Mountain Skeptics know that we are interested.]
