48 Hours

Desperate Measures

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

June 24, 1999 / 4:17 PM EDT / CBS

Imagine that you have an incurable disease and you are searching for a solution. Is there any path you wouldn't take, any remedy you wouldn't try, when you're desperate for a cure? CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at some unusual and alternative healing methods. Do these strategies work? Or are they fool's gold, sold to those who are most in need of real help?

Miraculous Oil? When the religious pictures at her home in Worcester, Mass., started dripping oil, Linda Santos decided that it was a sign from God. Now her house is mobbed by pilgrims, many desperate for a cure. But is this a "miracle" or a hoax?

Cancer Cure, Or Snake Oil? Some cancer patients think that 714-X is a wonder drug. They say it got rid of their disease when traditional methods couldn't. But the drug has never been tested, and is illegal in the United States. Does it work?

Alternative Medicine Online The Web has a plethora of information about alternative medicine. We've gathered some of the best sites here.

Feel The Energy: Gene Egidio says that his touch can heal. He's created a big business out of it. But does it work? And how often?

Healing Sounds: Can a soothing sound help cure cancer or relieve chronic pain? Some people, including some respected doctors, say yes. How does this novel treatment work?

Email us: Do you know a great story that you think 48 Hours should cover? Let us know. Or, just tell us what you thought of this week's show and site.

Produced by David Kohn and Aaron Wertheim;