[Avodah] [Areivim] alternative therapies

[Zev Sero]

In a message to Areivim, which Newman,Saul Z sent on 1-Aug-2007, but
which didn't make it from kungfu.dreamhost.com [66.33.216.126] to
mail3.zoneedit.com until 28-Sep-2007, he wrote:

> Special Note Three:  Incredibly, even in our day and age, the ugly head 
> of avodah zarah--idolatry--has infiltrated the Jewish community.  In 
> fact, we learned of one bioenergy healer who puts what are apparently 
> innocuous herbs on his patients' backs.  Prior to doing so, he offers 
> the herbs on an altar in another room.

I wonder whether there's any real problem with this  -  it's assur to
benefit from something sacrificed to avodah zarah, and it's possible
that these herbs do indeed fit within the technical definition of that,
but what benefit is the "patient" receiving from them?  It's not as if
they're actually doing him any good.  All they're really doing is
transferring money from his pocket to that of the practitioner.  True,
he *thinks* he's being helped, and therefore goes away feeling good,
and that feeling itself may have an actual healing effect, but is that
attributable to the herbs themselves, or just to the "treatment" in
general, with the herbs merely a prop that can be ignored in our
halachic evaluation?

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                      	                          - Clarence Thomas