Redpill, I am not discounting the experience of "healing hands". I have seen it work. I also know that pain is real, regardless of the source or cause - pain is pain.
What I am interested in is why healing hands work - what principles are at play.
With that said, I do believe that a person should approach and attempt alternative practices for managing pain only after a real doctor diagnosis. Unfortunately, I have known of people who went to a healer first - their pain disappeared but their undiagnosed cancer didn't. A responsible healer will always direct their patients to a medical doctor if they suspect a serious health problem