On an episode of "The Dr. Oz Show" (5 p.m. KTTV) this week, the good doctor stepped away from his usual attention to the science and practice of medicine and instead welcomed the self-proclaimed psychic medium John Edward. The pair discussed whether communicating with the dead may be therapeutic.

In this age of modern medicine, Dr. Mehmet Oz, arguably one of the country's most influential doctors, seemed to be promoting a medieval therapy for today’s patients. The condition Edward claimed to treat is grief.

“Grief is an energetic form of cancer,” Edward told the TV audience. “If it is not treated it will metastasize, and it will reach out and grow into other aspects of a person's life.”

And one therapy for this condition? Communication with the deceased through a medium can be “extremely therapuetic.”

Dr. Oz then called upon Katherine C. Nordal, executive director for the American Psychological Assn., who immediately disputed Edward’s description of grief.

“Grief is not a disease,” she said, rather sternly, “It's not a disorder and it doesn't need a pill and often times normal grief doesn't even need counseling.”

But any hope the skeptic may have had that this noted authority would raise critical questions about the practice of visiting psychics and mediums for therapy were soon dashed. The show jumped to the next segment when Edward began his process, which he referred to as “readings.”