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This is Adam
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Adam on CBC's The Hour
December 4, 2007
Click here to watch a clip from the show
Adam appeared on The Hour from Vancouver this week. We asked the CBC's producer about the interview the week before and we got no response. It's really unfortunate that it would appear that the inquisitive minds at the CBC have been too busy to care about the fact that Dreamhealer is nothing more than a manipulative non-faith based non-healer who has zero credibility
How the hell did George Stroumboulopoulos ever get to the point in his life when all his staff did was to quote from one of Adam's book jackets. "Gifted energy healer" indeed.
This university student has been primed by forces that only he knows to continue his gig of mesmerizing audiences with bizarre claims and stage theatrics. If Adam truly believes that he can cure cancer by looking at a fax or picture of somebody across a continent then he has problems. If, and that is what I believe, he is lying to the public about his powers to heal or to empower others to heal themselves then I'd like to ask him to step forward and present the evidence. James Randi has offered him a million dollars to prove it, and he's been unable to come through with anything.
This is what the CBC has to say the day before the broadcast from Vancouver:
The Dream Healer
Ronnie Hawkins had cancer, then one day, it was gone. How did it happen? Hawkins attributes his miracle to one man, Adam the DreamHealer.
At 21 years old, Adam is known as a gifted energy healer. His teachings and workshops explain how to improve your control over your immune system through combining energy and aura.
Adam is the the best selling author of 3 books, 'Dreamhealer: A True Story of Miracle Healing', 'DreamHealer 2: A Guide to Healing and Self-Empowerment: Guide to Self-Empowerment', and 'The Path of the Dreamhealer: The Quantum World of Energy Healing'.
Letter sent to the CBC Ombudsman by Terry Polevoy, MD
Forget those scanners, just clone adam
Joe Schwarcz, PhD
McGill University - Director of Office for Science and Society
www.OSS.McGill.ca
Montreal Gazette
June 9, 2007
We spend millions of tax dollars on MRI imagers, CAT scanners, PET scanners and radiation equipment. Maybe we should rethink the way these funds are spent and use them instead to find a way of cloning Adam McLeod, a 20-year old British Columbian.
Why? Because Adam, it seems, doesn't need any of this sophisticated instrumentation to diagnose or treat illness. He manages to do it just by connecting to a person's "holographic energy system."
Testing Adam Dreamhealer’s claims
By Andrew MacLeod
Monday Magazine
May 23 2007
The article asks serious questions of scientists and noted authors and gets some serious answers. What does Adam bring to the article but more bullshit answers, generalizations, and statements that are so full of holes, that you could drive the whole Buffalo Sabres offense through with plenty of room to spare.
Comments on Global TV's three-part series
Response to Quantum Snake Oil - I saw something on the TV last night about a 20-year-old named Adam who calls himself DreamHealer(TM). He’s making a fortune selling the idea that he can heal people, or they can heal themselves, using the principles of quantum mechanics. If science is so suspect and inadequate, why work so hard to make is sound like your claims are scientifically valid? Because most people know that it was science that gave us the knowledge to cure diseases and put men on the moon.
The real tragedy is that all that money is not being spent on good science to find cures for diseases. It’s being handed over to someone who uses the pretense of science to sell people on the idea that his methods are beyond what science can measure, which puts it squarely in the realm of religion and voodoo.
Adam claims that his methods are backed by quantum physics. So I encourage everyone who gives money to Adam to give an equal or greater amount to the quantum physicists at your local university for the purpose of studying Adam’s claims.
After all, if you buy the idea that Adam is using the findings of quantum physics to heal (I don’t), then you should give quantum physicists even more money than you give Adam. More discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics will only further advance the field of quantum healing. Right?
Is the Dreamhealer giving false hope? - Jonathon Narvey
I was shocked to see Global Television running a three part series on the "DreamHealer".
Adam (evidently, he's kind of like Cher. No last name on his website or books. Um, manipulating auras? Healing powers? What's next, Global TV - a special on real-life werewolves? Magic tricks for entertainment purposes are one thing. Giving people false hope that your magical healing powers will help their sons or daughters walk again - or that they can make a tumor disappear - makes me sick.
SWIFT Newsletter of the JREF
October 13, 2006
Who gives a damn about Adam? - Dr. Terry Polevoy, of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, wrote a complaint to Global TV, a major media outlet in his country, following a 3-part series they recently did on a purported home-grown “healer,” Adam McLeod. They’d promised they would present skeptics’ views and a scientific examination of the claims – a promise only barely fulfilled by consulting with Canadian skeptics, but their contribution was edited down to insignificance. On the Global National News site, a report appeared.
ABC News Primetime - John Quinones - July 13, 2006
Medical 'Miracles' Not Supported by Science - Benjamin Radford - Many of the miraculous "healings" attributed to Dreamhealer seem to be simply the result of misunderstandings, poor logic, errors in critical thinking, and the common uncertainty of medical knowledge. In the end, of course, the results speak for themselves. Despite opinions to the contrary, the people that Primetime featured were hardly cured by Dreamhealer; one woman's affliction got worse, another's cancer came back, and the other two are still seriously ill.
ABC News Primetime Special Report: Adam the Healer? - Mind Power News archived the entire Primetime TV show in five parts and put it on YouTube.com. It was taken down because of copyright violations.
KLTV - Channel 7 review of the show - This 19-year-old claims to cure through touch and visualization. (ABC News)
Adam Dreamhealer is not your average 19-year-old. This Canadian college student makes more than most doctors do. He says he can heal people with just his hands.
ABC News estimates that Adam will make more than $1 million this year, and that doesn't include the income from his books, DVDs and $150 healing sessions he offers over the Internet.
The $1.2 million does include his seminar work in darkened rooms, with 600 people gathered before him. That's when Adam goes into a trancelike state and begins to work what some say is magic.
Primetime - ABC News - Adam is interviewed by John Quinones in this special show. Several people are given the opportunity to record their stories after attending his workshops. The show said that he probably grossed a million dollars last year, even without the book deal. Since his corporation is private they don't have to make their statement public. But, if they are obtaining money fraudulently, the government could demand an accounting. There was no mention about his disclaimer that it's not his fault if your condition is not cured or alleviated. His dad, who used to work as an engineer, now works entirely for Adam. Quinones gets an EEG from Paul Swingle and you'll have to watch the entire show to see it. And for those millions of people who were waiting with baited breath to find out his real name, don't expect it. But, we did get to see his biceps, tattoo and earing.
Adam McLeod criticizes ABC Primetime - He makes wild and unsupported claims that clearly indicate to me that he could be accused of practicing medicine without a license.
- Why does he mention that two people have gone from terminal pancreatic cancer to "cancer-free" through "healing visualizations"? He has built his reputation to become a millionaire on wild statements like this?
- He doesn't like the fact that ABC pointed out that he looked at his watch at his workshop.
- He states that more "scientific" proof will be offered - Now what does that all mean? Absolutely nothing as far as I am concerned. The "proof" provided by Paul Swingle, PhD provides no evidence at all.
- Adam says that he never "cured anybody", or claims to cure anybody. Then why the hell does he keep bringing up cases that have allegedly been cured? BTW - Ronnie Hawkins and the other woman on the show never had proved cancer of the pancreas. In other words, whatever was in their surgeon's hands, or on their scans was not cancer.
Skeptico Blog review of ABC Primetime
People most likely think Adam’s healing methods work for the same reasons people usually think woo therapies work, namely:
* Placebo
* Misdirection
* The cyclical nature of the illness (gets worse/gets better/gets worse/gets better…)
* Incorrect diagnosis to start with
* Temporary mood improvements due to the personal nature of the treatment
* Psychological investment of the patient in the success of the therapy
* Other medicines the patient is taking
* The illness just goes away by itself.
We saw most of those in this program.
Transcript of show when available - You can go to this link later this week to check on it.
Dreamhealer™
Canadian Corporate and Trademark Registrations
It's all here, except for the address for his parents, Francis and Elizabeth McLeod. The family asked the Federal government to keep it off the database. However, if you contact them to request that information they provide you with a UPS Store mailbox on Hastings Street in Vancouver.
Previous use of the name Dreamhealer around the world
HealthWatcher.net does not endorse the links in this section, but we place them here to point out that Dreamhealer has been used before Adam or his parents Trademarked it.
Dreamhealer™ threats to Free Speech
 -- Stop Dreamhealer™ Blogspot
HaloScan of Anti-Quackery & Science Blog
Religious-Science.com Forum
Free Speech v. Trademark Rights: Has the weather changed?When analyzing claims under the ACPA courts must decide whether preserving a domain name registrant’s right to free speech outweighs the mark owner’s trademark rights.
Is a cease-and-desist letter confidential?Answer: There is ordinarily no expectation of privacy or confidentiality in a letter sent to an adversary. Unless you have made a specific promise of confidentiality beforehand, such as in a protective agreement or NDA, a letter demanding confidentiality doesn't bind you.
What is the purpose and effect of a cease and desist (C&D) notice in an alleged case of trademark infringement?
Does the First Amendment protect online speech?
Trademark Lawsuits: The Price of Online Griping
Scores of disgruntled customers who criticize businesses on Internet "gripe sites" are finding themselves entangled in costly court battles with companies charging trademark infringement.
But the courts aren't buying the trademark argument, and have consistently upheld the free speech rights of people who vent about companies on the Internet. Critics charge that companies are merely attempting to wear down defendants through costly litigation.
German and English lyrics of Dreamhealer | Traumheiler - Will Mr. MacDonald go after the lyricist, too?
Adam - The Dream Healer - Thoughts on Adam and his work by The Forgotten Word Ministries. Note that they used a huge Trademarked banner right on their web site and were very critical of Adam. Did MacDonald go after them, too?
Frivolous and vexatious attacks by lawyer for Dreamhealer™
On June 14, 2005, I received an e-mail and a fax from Adam Dreamhealer's attorney in Vancouver and he asked me to remove the images of his client from my web site. He claims that the photographs were taken at an event that prohibited pictures being taken were totally false. The pictures were not taken at any event. I believe that they were taken on the campus of a the University of Victoria. Here is what he had to say:
We are retained as legal counsel on behalf of the individual that you identify as "Adam Dreamhealer" on the above captioned web page("Adam")
We write in order to request that you immediately remove all of the photographs of Adam that you have recently published on the web page. As you are aware, these photographs were not taken with Adam's consent. You are also no doubt aware that the event at which the photographs were taken established a policy prohibiting such photography.
We have instructions to commence legal proceedings against you and any entity through which you broadast and/or publish the photographs in the event that you fail to remove them from the webpage by the end of business this Friday June 17, 2005.
It has been over two years since that communication and I have still not been sued.
In early May, 2006 I received a registered letter from a lawyer named Allan A MacDonald who apparently feels that it is within his rights to threaten the existence of this web site. Instead of taking me to court for violating some libel or defamation laws, he used the name "Dreamhealer™" as in the Trademark of the name "Dreamhealer™" to threaten two of my ISPs. Mr. MacDonald cited some the Canadian Trade Marks Act, R.S. 1985, c. T-13, as if I had actually violated it. In my opinion and that of many others, I have used the named trademark within the law:
".. but no registration of a trade-mark prevents a person from... making of any accurate description of the character or quality of his wares or services."
The trademarked name represents an individual, a corporation, their collective intellectual property, and their marketing arms. The fact that their claims are unproved, and in fact bogus to many people is the important issue here. To depricate something that would be considered bogus, or fraudulent, or deceptive is the job of the press, and this is guaranteed to all of us in a free society.
None of his allegations have been proved in a court of law. Nobody has the right to restrict the use of any name in a review of a company, or individual who is in the public's eye. Adam whatever his name really is, happens to be a teenage boy who lives in suburban Vancouver. He and his parents are still in the business of promoting their books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, and workshops. One could easily surmise that they have been able to conduct their business over the years with little interference from the law or the courts, despite their ridiculous and unproved claims. One can also assume that together they have been able to earn a fair sum of money using the name Dreamhealer, even before it was Trademarked as "Dreamhealer™" just a few years ago.
A trademark infringement violation is supposed to be used to protect a company or an individual from somebody else who uses that name to compete with a product or service that resembles the original name. Healthwatcher has not interfered or competed in any way with the trademark.
I am not using the name "Dreamhealer™" to compete with the name. I have clearly used the name "Dreamhealer™" to expose the history of this secret organization, and its indivuduals (as yet unnamed), who have attempted for the major part of a decade to earn money by claiming that they were able to perform things that they could not possibly accomplish.
Over the last few years, nothing has stopped anyone and/or any organizations, or media outlets, from promoting Adam and his bogus claims. These claims include statements that he has the power to diagnose and cure cancer, that he can uncover illnesses and disease conditions without one shred of evidence that they can do any of it. This has not stopped publishers from promoting his books. As far as I know, Adam's trips across North America have never been cancelled because an organization, college or university felt that they shouldn't have him at their events, or on their campuses. No hotel has boycotted his workshops that we know of. Everyone around Adam's entourage seems to have profitted from his presence. Their auditoriums and meeting rooms are overflowing with people who wish to shell out $99.00 to be subjected to the mesmerizing performance of this latter day miracle worker.
Mr. MacDonald claims that I have people are "diverted" to this HealthWatcher.net web site instead of going to one of his web sites. What a bunch of baloney that claim is. The lawyer claims that I offer books for sale on my site, and advertise my lecturing services. Well, I'll be damned and spend the rest of my days rotting in purgatory. What an evil guy I am. Can you imagine Dr. Terry Polevoy selling books and giving lectures around the world. Wow, what a vivid imagination that lawyer has. Of course this whiz kid who claims to have cured an aging rock star of his non-existant pancreatic cancer will never disavow the fact that he did no such thing, but this lawyer accuses me of the dastardly act of selling books and giving lectures.
A Google or Yahoo search engine provides ample opportunity to explore the world of health, alternative health, scams and quackery at the same time. Oh my, he says that my HealthWatcher.net page devoted to his client comes up only "third" in Google rankings. Well by mid-June my page is now #2 according to some rankings.
If an internet search uncovers the name "Dreamhealer™" it is because anyone is free to discuss, criticize or praise the individual, corporation, or entity that the name represents. If a writer wanted to criticize, paise or comment on The DaVinci Code, would they be barred from using that name in a sentence, on a web site, etc.? The entire complaint to my ISP is bogus, vexatious and frivolous.
Complaints to my ISPs
Links to Law Society of British Columbia
- Dishonesty, crime or fraud of client
3. A lawyer has a duty to be on guard against becoming the tool or dupe of an unscrupulous client or of persons associated with such a client and, in some circumstances, may have a duty to make inquiries.
6. A lawyer must not engage in any activity that the lawyer knows or ought to know assists in or encourages any dishonesty, crime or fraud, including a fraudulent conveyance, preference or settlement.3
Why is Adam's web site dangerous?
If you were told that you had terminal cancer and of your own free will decided to fly from Hamilton, Ontario to Vancouver, BC during your last days on earth to see Adam McLeod at one of his workshops nobody had the power to stop you. It's a free country. What if it would help? Now that's the real question, isn't it?
Assume for a moment that you found Adam's web site back in March 2005 and noticed that he had a page devoted to all sorts of treatments and possible cures for cancer.
So, let's take a look at some archived pages that are still floating around cyberspace:
It's tough to see merit of 'bubble wrap' remedy
by Adrian Chamberlain
Victoria Times-Colonist - April 8, 2006
Book review with honest critical comments about all of this bunk.
Nineteen-year-old Adam, a self-described healer, is a mysterious fellow. After reading Adam's new book, I've come to the conclusion the whole thing is a load of bunk. Don't waste your money, folks. People don't get healed because someone stares at their photo and thinks happy thoughts. This may seem painfully obvious. Nonetheless, Adam is getting plenty of support -- monetary and otherwise -- for being a "distant-energy healer."
But come on, folks. What riles me is that many journalists have reported on Adam in an unquestioning way, which tends to confer credibility. Meanwhile, Adam continues to reap the rewards of not only book sales but fees from those attending his workshops.
Original article
Full text
The Big Bird, the Big Lie, God and Science
by Jill Neimark
Skeptical Inquirer - March/April 2006
A young man claims to have amazing distant-healing powers, but a skeptical look at the facts raises serious questions.
Ms. Neimark has posted the full-text on her own web site.
Comments: Ms. Neimark protected Adam's identity.
“I know what I’m experiencing is real"
By Claire Crighton
The McGill Daily - October 6, 2005
Your capacity to become conscious of the energy flowing through your body is what – bear with me here – a 19-year-old pre-med student thinks can change the face of healing in the western world.
B.C. pre-med student heals beyond the borders of western medicine
Professor Wiseman thinks that Adam’s method of healing is a questionable money-making scheme that capitalizes on the gullibility of individuals desperately seeking medical help. “To me this Adam appears to be one of those charlatans who is trying to make money out of ignorance. Like many in this area, he couches his writing in complex scientific terms that appear to lend credibility to what he is saying. In my opinion, he is trying to make money in a very disingenuous way,” Wiseman maintains.
More Quantum healing links |
Listen to Adam
News for the Soul Live WebcastAdam "the high school healer" who, at the age of 15, cured Canada music legend Ronnie Hawkins of pancreatic cancer, is an amazingly gifted distant energy healer, best selling author & speaker. Now 18, he lives anonymously on the west coast, not ever revealing his gifts or 'identity' to any of his friends or |
