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Pendulum and radiesthesia

last update:

20 Jan 2004

Dowsing humbug?

Many people question the working of dowsing; see for example "Dowsing - Science or Humbug?"

An article that adds to doubts whether dowsing can yield objective information with homeopathy was published by McCarney R, Fisher P, Spink F, Flint G, van Haselen R. (2002). "Can homeopaths detect homeopathic medicines by dowsing? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial."

J. of the Royal Society of Medicine, 95(4), 189-91. (Abstract)

Dowsing is a method of problem-solving that uses a motor automatism, amplified through a pendulum or similar device. In a homeopathic context, it is used as an aid to prescribing and as a tool to identify miasm or toxic load. Scientific experiments into dowsing have yielded mixed results.

Research into its use in medicine has been limited to veterinary practice.

In one study of homeopathic theory, several UK-based homeopaths were asked to distinguish between a homeopathic remedy and placebo by ingesting both and observing their effects (Vickers A et al. Br Homeopathic J 2001;90:126-130).

The 12c potency used in this study was selected because it is 'ultramolecular'. It is a dilution of 10-24, so that it is very unlikely to contain any molecule of the starting material. One homeopath, unable to determine which was which by this method, attempted to use dowsing to differentiate between the two bottles.

From this observation, the following hypothesis was formulated: homeopaths with experience of dowsing can distinguish between Bryonia in a 12c potency and placebo by use of dowsing alone.

McCarney R et al. J Roy Soc Med 2002;95:189-191, tested this hypothesis. The study was designed as a double-blind trial. Six participating homeopaths were each sent 26 bottle pairs, plus the reference set for which the randomised code had been broken. For each bottle they were asked to state whether bottle 1 or bottle 2 contained Bryonia and their level of confidence in distinguishing Bryonia from placebo (high/low/purely a guess).

All participants responded with either 'high' or 'low' confidence and were thus included in the main analysis. In this study, all used a pendulum.

The homeopathic medicine Bryonia was correctly identified in 48.1% of bottle pairs (n=156; 95% confidence interval 40.2%, 56.0%; P=0.689). These results, wholly negative, add to doubts whether dowsing in this context can yield objective information.

Summary taken from http://www.ava.com.au/content/avavic/VicVet/VicVetSpring02.pdf page 22

The above example shows that under the given circumstances the use of a pendumum does not give any useful information. There are many examples of research work in the area of what one calls subtle energies, that shows that postulated methods of measuring, phenomena, etc. do not work.

On the other hand there are so many examples of for example the use of a pendulum, which shows that the pendulum is a valuable tool and information could be obtained that could not be obtained in an other way easily.

Instead of fighting who is right, it may be better to investigate the possible cause that explains this discrepancy. It happens that as soon as an "alternative" method must prove itself for the eyes of a group of sceptical people, it does not work. This is analogous to the situation that people who are healed by a method which relies on subtle energies, critical comments such as "that is not possible, that is all nonsense" by an "authority" at the beginning of the healing phase can stop and revert the healing immediately.

For those interested in the possible explanation of homeopathy (the extreme dilutions) see http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/homeop.html

There is mentioned: The 280-molecule icosahedral water cluster also offers explanations concerning the dilution effect in homeopathy.

See also the website about Water Cluster Pseudoscience