This episode takes us to the Southwest….a spiritual Native American site. Every year, thousands of people make the pilgrimage to this sanctuary known as Chimayo. For over 200 years, this place held stories of miracles of people being healed by the dirt. YES…the dirt! Some believe they were healed by the earth where others associated the healing with the power of one’s own belief in God.

The miracle detectives decided to examine the healing of a woman, Deseree Martniez, who believed she was cured by the dirt. She had been diagnosed with cancer in approximately 20 different bones in her body. Not good! She was given a 10% chance of survival and started chemo within 2 weeks. One day she was focusing on pain in her knee when she recalled a visit to Chimayo and the healing properties of the dirt. She thought for a moment and then spit into the dirt and placed it on her knee. It felt better and the pain never returned! It was a sign that everything was going to be alright. Weeks later, the doctors ran a scan that showed the lesion in her knee had disappeared. She knew then she would be protected by God. 

Deseree’s doctor noted she had responded well to chemo, had a positive attitude and great family support. That in itself would help anyone recover. Her doctor felt there was nothing surprising about her recovery. For Dr. V, that was significant. She decided to analyze the soil. The only thing found was calcium carbonate which is found in common heartburn medication. This explained why people who ingest it felt better. So…faith is what is healing the people, not the dirt! Dr V saw the dirt as a placebo creating a positive attitude which reduced stress and in turn led their body to heal. What about Randall? He saw truth within Dr V’s ideas, yet he believed there was something deeper….a miracle! 

Now, let’s look at this… Dirt. Rubbing it on, fine. Eating it, NO WAY! Both miracle detectives had it right. There was nothing significant about the dirt and Deseree’s recovery was scientifically possible. It was the power of her faith, not a miracle that healed her. When someone believes dirt is healing them….it can. Both faith and optimism can be powerful! 

So I wonder…..is the power of faith a miracle in itself?