'Telepathic' Chiropractor Surrenders His License - Charged $60/Hour

[matcom]

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Columbus - A chiropractor who was accused of medical malpractice this spring for charging patients $60 an hour to heal their pain telepathically surrendered his license Thursday.

Dr. James C. Burda of Athens had claimed he possessed the power to heal clients via techniques he dubbed "Bahlaqeem Vina" and "Bahlaqeem Jaqem," made-up terms that he said described his ability to go back in time to the date of an injury and realign bones and joints using telekinetic vibration.

After stumbling across his Web site, bahlaqeem.com, the Ohio State Chiropractic Board accused him of being a long-distance quack, charging that a psychological exam determined he was mentally ill and suffered from "delusional disorder, grandiose type."

In an interview in April, Burda, 58, said he discovered his "God-given gift" when his foot began to hurt while he was driving from Athens to Parkersburg, W.Va. He said he commanded it to stop and the pain went away.

He was back in his car Thursday when a reporter called to ask about the surrender of his license and his written admission that Bahlaqeem "is not an acceptable form of treatment according to acceptable and prevailing standards of chiropractic care."

"I really can't speak to you right now; I'm in my vehicle," he said.

"Maybe we can visit a little more when I'm not in my vehicle." He then hung up.

Burda was subjected to national ridicule after regulators filed disciplinary charges against him. He earned a "News of the Weird" entry and caused humorist Dave Barry to lament: "If only they could do this for prostate exams."

Burda's Web site promises "pain relief any time, anywhere . . . in the privacy of your home or other personal space" for $60 (checks and money orders accepted).

It includes a "testimonial" from a 10-year-old basset hound and says Burda chose the word Bahlaqeem to describe his technique because it has "a soothing vibrational influence and contains the very special number of nine letters." :rofl:

A section titled "Wonderments of the Body" includes this wonderment in answer to the question, "Why do the fingers bend down at an angle when I close my hand slowly?":

"The hand works like this in order to give you the most power between each finger and your thumb. The powerful, opposable thumb. It is human."

Burda had been practicing in Ohio since 1991.

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