A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".

Articles

Articles Pages

Added May 13 2008

Added Apr 28 2008

Added Apr 21 2008

Added Apr 09 2008

Added Apr 04 2008

Added Apr 02 2008

Added Mar 31 2008

Added Mar 20 2008

Added Mar 19 2008

Added Mar 03 2008

Added Feb 27 2008

Added Jan 31 2008

Added Jan 30 2008

Added Jan 16 2008

Added Jan 07 2008

Added Dec 30 2007

Added Dec 15 2007

Added Dec 13 2007

Added Nov 28 2007

Added Nov 20 2007

Added Nov 08 2007

Added Nov 04 2007

Added Oct 27 2007

Added Oct 19 2007

Added Oct 10 2007

Added Oct 07 2007

Added Oct 05 2007

Added Sep 23 2007

Added Sep 21 2007

Added Sep 10 2007

Added Sep 03 2007

Added Sep 01 2007

Added Aug 22 2007

Added Aug 19 2007

Added Aug 17 2007

Added Aug 15 2007

Added Aug 14 2007

Added Aug 08 2007

Added Jul 12 2007

Added Jul 08 2007

Added Jun 29 2007

Added Jun 11 2007

Added May 30 2007

Added May 29 2007

Added May 26 2007

Added May 09 2007

Added May 02 2007

Added May 01 2007

Added Apr 29 2007

Added Apr 21 2007

Added Apr 14 2007

Added Apr 11 2007

Added Apr 02 2007

Added Mar 30 2007

Added Mar 25 2007

Added Mar 14 2007

Added Mar 01 2007

Added Feb 28 2007

Added Feb 27 2007

Added Feb 25 2007

Added Feb 08 2007

Added Feb 06 2007

Added Feb 04 2007

Added Jan 12 2007

Added Jan 10 2007

Added Jan 03 2007

Added Dec 31 2006

Added Dec 29 2006

Added Dec 19 2006

Added Dec 14 2006

Added Dec 07 2006

Added Dec 05 2006

Added Dec 03 2006

Added Nov 29 2006

Added Nov 27 2006

Email: "Not a Good Woman........."

A man describes the tragic impact a Browne reading had on his life.

Press photo of Dr. Dean Edell

Press photo of Dr. Dean Edell.

"She tells my wife that I am poisoning her...... That her husband has found a clever way to slowly poison her......"

- Email author

Background

Dr. Dean Edell is an M.D. who hosts the nationally syndicated "The Doctor Dean Edell Show", a phone-in radio show where callers ask Edell's advice on various medical matters.

He generally starts the show with a segment where he comments on some of the news of the day. Back in January of 2007, he spoke in his opening segment about Sylvia Browne's then-recently-discovered false prediction about Shawn Hornbeck.

Later in the show Dr. Edell took a call from listener Greg, who told a distressing tale of how Sylvia Browne's advice to his wife had a horrific impact on their lives.

At the end of the call, Dr. Edell recommended that Greg contact me here at Stop Sylvia Browne and share his story.

The Email

Months later, I received the following email from Greg.

Subject: not a good woman.........
From: "Greg [last name]" <[email address]>
Date: Thu, Aug 09, 2007 10:40 am
To: <[email address]>

Here's a short story for you about my experience with Sylvia Browne

My wife and I had been married 30 years........ We loved each other very much and have two extraordinary sons....lt was during a time we weren't seeing eye to eye on some issues Even discussed whether we wanted to stay together........ I know this can be pretty normal in some empty nest situations as partners try to refocus after the kids have gone......

My wife was a big "new age" fan for lack of a better term....I'm not...which is one of the problems in our marriage.. She went to Sylvia Browne and paid her a lot of money to have a personal meeting/ reading or whatever they call it....... During this time my wife was also not feeling particularly well.... hadn't been feeling top notch for a few months.....

Soooo... this person Sylvia Browne tells my wife....... and this is just unbelievable.....it caused a lot of grief in my family.......She tells my wife that I am poisoning her...... That her husband has found a clever way to slowly poison her....... My wife buys into it...... comes home and accuses me of poisoning her...... I'm absolutely floored !! I deny it of course because it was crazy but my wife continued to believe that it was a possibility.......

Sooo..... Ten months later my lovely wife was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. No wonder she wasn't feeling well............. by this time she had moved out of our home.......things were never quite the same......... she died about a year later....... we did reconnect which was a blessing, and I moved in with her towards the end and helped her... and she died with great dignity........

If I could meet Sylvia Browne...... I would love to punch her right in the face..... about 10 times in a row...... I know that wouldn't do any good, I'd be arrested and go to jail..... she should be the one in jail......... Oh well..... I guess there are suckers born every day.......

Analysis

We do not have a recording of the reading which Greg's wife had with Browne, so we cannot know what was said. For example, it is possible that Browne said "your husband is poisoning you" and meant it metaphorically.

However Browne meant it, apparently the wife took it literally.

Aside from the horrific impact this had on the marriage, another question arises. If Browne had not "diagnosed" the woman's symptoms as from being poisoned by her husband (literally or metaphorically), would the wife have sought medical attention earlier, resulting in an earlier diagnosis of the cancer?

Conclusion

Browne has absolutely no business giving medical diagnoses. She does this often on the Montel Williams Show as well as in her phone readings and lectures. To my knowledge, she has absolutely no medical training, and yet she gives diagnoses and recommends medications and supplements at the drop of a hat. This can cause people to ignore doctor's advice, or to delay their seeking such advice.

Even some of the seemingly benign medical advice she gives could easily backfire if given to the wrong person. For example, she frequently recommends the supplement lecithin. While generally safe, some lecithins are manufactured using soybean oil which may cause severe allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition) in people with soybean allergies.

Those who believe in Browne's "abilities" might argue that Browne would know whether or not the person she is "diagnosing" has such an allergy. Even if we accept that (I do not), Browne herself claims to be only 87% accurate. Her track record shows her to be far, far worse than that. Not what a person would want when their health - or life - may be on the line.

My thanks to Greg for sharing his story.

Related Links

Clicking on any of these links will load a separate browser window for viewing the linked page.

StopSylviaBrowne.com is not responsible for the content of any of these linked pages.