Sunday, August 14, 2005
DR. ISSAM NEMEH
Lynne Thompson has a long article about Catholic faith healer Dr. Issam Nemeh in the current issue of "Cleveland" magazine. She began the investigation for the article by making an appointment for Dr. Nemeh to treat her painful foot, the result of a severe break. His treatments cost $250 each and involve "his own brand of acupuncture". She describes him as a "very public yet mysterious healer."
He began by placing Thompson's "foot on a massaging unit he invented using a subwoofer, amplifier and pulse generator" indicating to her that "Certain frequencies do certain things...they have different effects. Prior to turning on the device, he passed an infrared light across the top of her foot to increase blood flow and reduce inflammation. Thompson indicates that she was waiting "for some traditional outward signs of prayer: bowed head, closed eyes, clasped hands. But they never come."
According to Thompson Dr. Nemeh said "I don't need to recharge. I have the Almighty running in me" as an explanation for his hectic schedule including "marathon workdays, which often begin at 6 a.m. and continue into the wee hours of the morning."
Dr. Nemeh was not forthcoming with regard to his medical training. She does indicate he attended medical school in Poland, his five-year general surgery residency at Fairview Hospital which ended after three years when his contract was not renewed, and he was successful in work as an anesthesiologist at Richmond Heights General Hospital which he left after four months because he didn't agree with patient care. She also indicates that "According to the American Board of Anesthesiology, Nemeh was never board certified in the specialty. His current practice seems to be the result of a five-day training session in meridian regulatory acupuncture. The device he uses is non-FDA-approved.
Thompson gives a history of his healing services, stating:
The healing services began in 2000 when Nemeh asked Rev. Robert Welsh to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for one of his patients, a nun who had been successfully treated for cancer. It was held at the Brothers of the Holy Spirit, a basement chapel in the Brooklyn home of two brothers who invite ordained priests to celebrate Masses there.
The only information on Brothers of the Holy Spirit in Brooklyn that I could find online is the address.
Thompson cites Bishop Pilla's statement:
Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, who attended a service in February at St. Ignatius High School, indicates support of the events in a statement issued to the media. He says the services are conducted "in the context of a very legitimate spirituality" and the members of the core healing team "are just doing this as part of their faith commitment and their belief that God can heal."
There is a picture of a woman being "slain in the Spirit" with the caption: "Occasionally someone is 'slain in the Spirit' and volunteers catch each person as he or she collapses."
The writer describes a healing service held at St. Basil the Great Catholic Church in Brecksville where the atmosphere is casual thanks partially to the "timed tickets handed out by Nemeh's office and the parish" so as to eliminate milling crowds. One man arrives carrying a submarine sandwich in a plastic bag. To the accompaniment of piano and harp, those seeking healing sit quietly awaiting their turn to be ushered up to the communion rail.
When the reporter brought up his critics, Nemeh responded:
"I have no doubt whatsoever that they are a bunch of evil people, aiming at something that is so precious," he says heatedly, ignoring his wife's pleas in a foreign language. "They know I have been in here for more than 10 years, doing what I am doing. So many people getting healed, over and over, in the office, in the church! To go around and pick up things to destroy something that they cannot destroy otherwise tells me so much about those people! Do they have any love for the society that they live in? Are they really serving this country? Or are they serving some other country? They don't belong in here, to this society!"
And then Nemeh is calm and quiet again, sitting, eating his bagel in a room that has been silenced by his unexpected outburst. I manage to ask what he thinks the future holds for him.
"For the time being, I am doing what I am doing," he finally answers. "Then I will move on to something different--something that will serve more."
