Breatharian yogi's doc finds signs of normal physiognomy, amazed at yogi's self-control

[BurtWorm]

Amazed, in other words, that the yogi can make his body act as though it's cheating on his breatharian diet of air and air alone. :eyes:

This is from Pharyngula:


http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/CW3u0wFbuqM/physiology_explains_it_all.php

That Indian yogi who claims to never eat has a page on EsoWatch, the wiki of irrational belief systems, and it has some interesting content. Some of the actual medical data from observations of crazy yogi have been published — nothing as blatant as catching him in the act of eating, but the signs are all there. Sonograms showed urine in the bladder and feces in the colon that later disappeared, somehow. And the blood work taken by the credulous MD, Sudhir Shah, show changes symptomatic of starvation.

Some (if not all ?) blood parameter of the november 2003 examination are shown on the webpages of Sudhir Shah. The values presented show an increase in serum urea, and a drop three days after the examination. The same is true for serum sodium, serum chloride and serum potassium. The hematocrit is also increasing. This is a clear sign of dehydratation and hemoconcentration, compatible with a period of starvation and thirst. Blood sugar is decreasing, and serum acetone is increasing. This is also a sign of starvation. At the beginning and three days after the test, values are normal.

But, instead discussing such a starvation period (and not a long lasting esoteric inedia) as a very plausible source for the blood values shown, these are explained by neurologist Sudhir Shah to be amazing and to show a sort of medicine wonder. But in fact they show a normal behaviour of a subject, compatible with actual knowledge in physiology and bioenergetics. Examinator Shahs words sound different: "We have reached a hypothesis which confirms that Jani's body has certainly undergone a biological transformation due to yogic kriyas. And he can control his inner organs' functions, which itself is intriguing."

No, it's not. It's obvious. I can change my "inner organs' functions", too, just by fasting for a day or strolling down to Dairy Queen and pigging out on fats and sugars. It isn't magic, it's physiology.

It is rather appalling that this doctor can't tell the difference, though.