Could Jesus Have Healed People by the Power of Suggestion?

Mark 1:29–34

Doctors note that sometimes people can have a psychologically induced illness, and if they get a new purpose or direction for living, they show relief from the symptoms—they don’t need the illness anymore. 

For some others, the “placebo effect” can have visible results. That is, if you think you’re going to get better, you often do get better. And when people came to Jesus, they believed he could heal them, so he did. But the fact remains: Regardless of how he did it, Jesus did heal them.

Of course, even if you hold to this explanation for some cases, that doesn’t explain all of Jesus’ healings. Often a psychosomatic healing takes time; Jesus’ healings were instantaneous. 

Vitamin T for Sex

Hot, hot hormones.

Reviewed by Craig H. Kliger, MD

Testosterone has been the subject of controversy recently, fueled partly by an April cover story in The New York Times Magazine. Author Andrew Sullivan extolled the effects of the hormone as treatment for his HIV-induced deficiency. Citing bursts in libido, confidence, and energy as a result, he refers to his testosterone injections as "a biweekly encounter with a syringe full of manhood."