# How did faith healers in ancient days do what they do **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 9, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-faith-healers-in-ancient-days-do-what-they-do/668447 "2013-09-09T22:15:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-faith-healers-in-ancient-days-do-what-they-do/668447/81 "2013-09-11T14:28:12Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > **runner pat** , how much credit would you say the new drugs get for chemotherapy compared to [other ways to manage and/or treat cancer?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_of_cancer) > > **Just because it’s a prescription doesn’t mean it is effective**. See Cecil’s report on anti-depressants, e.g… It’s hard to say how much effect the new drugs have had since treating most cancers is a multi-prong approach. Never said that prescription means effective. (Though with all the testing that’s done, there must be some effect to get approved) You’re lumping drugs that have not even reached human testing with approved drugs and then condemning the lot as not effective. That’s why so few drugs reach the market. They test out as not effective and don’t get approved. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-faith-healers-in-ancient-days-do-what-they-do/668447/82 "2013-09-11T14:31:19Z")
this disucssion of prescription, etc should be its own thread - its not related to ‘faith healing’ except on a tangent of ‘placebo/belief’ factors in medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-faith-healers-in-ancient-days-do-what-they-do/668447/83 "2013-09-11T14:33:49Z")
Are there any websites that make incredible claims about modern faith healing that actually provide information that can be checked out? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-faith-healers-in-ancient-days-do-what-they-do/668447/84 "2013-09-11T14:47:10Z")
\ I’d have to say that the discussion of the efficacy of various cancer treatments is straying far from the OP about faith healers and is therefore out-of-bounds. Which is not to say it’s not a worthwhile topic for discussion and I would encourage you to do so…in another thread. \ ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-faith-healers-in-ancient-days-do-what-they-do/668447/85 "2013-09-11T22:04:47Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Of course, that’s just one translation. I suppose it might also be rendered as “vitality,” unless Greek has a completely different word for that. Anybody know? The Greek word is _dynamis_. Incidentally, [I started a thread about Mark 5:25-34 a few years back](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=623271). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-faith-healers-in-ancient-days-do-what-they-do/668447.md?page=4)