Thai Massage is not the only healing modality in Thailand. There are quite a few unusual healers here. Some spit red betel juice on afflicted areas, some use magical eggs, others prepare herbal mixtures, and some prescribe amulets and other objects that are supposed to be infused with healing power.
Healing magic or scam?
Many or most of these healing methods seem strange or unbelievable to the western mind. The question is: do they really work? Is there some real magic involved or is it quackery?
The answer is not what you expect: It does not matter so much if it is ‘real’ or not.
Healing and the placebo effect
May I remind you that it has been scientifically proven that placebos work almost as well or in some cases equally well as the real thing.
There have been plenty of studies where some patients were given the actual pill, and another group were given sugar pills. They all believed that they took the real pills, and both groups showed very similar improvement.
