Headache of State

Rumors about Boris Yeltsin's health so alarmed Vladimir Trufanov that he decided a long-distance checkup was in order. The psychic healer, whose reputed restorative powers have made him a celebrity in the central Russian city of Tula, announced that he had "remotely" scanned the body of the Russian leader and concluded, "There are no grounds for concern." Trufanov did offer Yeltsin one piece of advice: It is important for the President to "protect his aura from energy attacks and other negative influences."

Yeltsin hardly needed a psychic to tell him that he was under attack last week. No sooner had the...