Ricky Williams - Battier Than You Realized

Williams credits his success and durability this season to a new type of alternative medicine. No, he doesn't mean weed, as we're all assuming. Ricky's "pranic healing" regimen is far stranger.

Prana is a sort of life force referenced in ancient Hindu texts, so that's not particularly weird on its own. Reiki, acupuncture, or even massage is based on similar principles. But Williams's pranic healer treats him even during games - from his home in Orange County, California. That's right: telepathic treatment.

Ricky will send me a text message saying, for example, to work on his ankle," [Daniel] O'Hara said. O'Hara, in Orange County, Calif., will then "visualize Ricky's ankle as if he's standing in front of me. I visualize him glowing. I make a sweeping motion over my ankle to remove the dirty energy from his ankle that's creating an abnormality and give his body fresh, revitalizing energy.''

"Ricky could be doing anything when I'm doing this — watching TV, sleeping,'' O'Hara said. "It's like a voodoo doll. I know it sounds strange.''

O'Hara said Williams then text messages him indicating how the body part feels. "He says it's a four, and I'll try to get it to a 10. It takes me four minutes with Ricky because he meditates and has positive energy. It could take 25 minutes with somebody else. He's special.''

You laugh, but O'Hara claims Ricky sprained an ankle last month, but his technique healed him completely by the time he got to the sideline. So considering the 7-second delay on live TV, pranic healing not only works a distance, but backwards through time.

Alternative Healing Helps Miami Dolphins' Ricky Williams Stay Fit [ Miami Herald]