Faith Healing and PlaceboFaith healing is based on the belief that certain places or individuals have the power to heal and heal. This means that something or someone can cure an illness or heal an injury through its connection to a higher power. Faith healing may involve prayer, visiting a house of prayer or shrine, or simply a strong belief in a Supreme Being. Conventional scientific evidence does not support claims that faith healing can cure serious illnesses such as cancer. Some scientists even claim that the number of people claiming to have been healed by some form of faith is far lower than would be expected statistically, based on the actual percentage of spontaneous remissions occurring in people with serious illnesses. such as cancer or AIDS. Nevertheless, faith healing can bring peace of mind and reduce stress, pain and anxiety, thereby strengthening the will to live. According to proponents of faith healing, there is little it cannot do. Many religious sects claim to be able to cure blindness, cancer, AIDS and other diseases too numerous to list. Some of these sects believe that illness is an illusion that can be cured through prayer, either by the patient themselves or by a trained practitioner. Faith healing can be done either close to the patient or remotely. When practiced remotely, it may involve a single agent or a group praying for the patient. When in close proximity to the patient or in "tent revival" meetings, the healer typically touches or "lays hands" on the patient while imploring the Supreme Being for help. Faith healing may also involve a visit to a religious shrine, such as the French city of Lourdes or the Ukrainian city of Uman, in search of a miracle. O...... middle of paper ......g is widely practiced by Christian Scientists, Pentecostals, the Church of the Firstborn, the Disciples of Christ, and many small sects. Some of these believers reject all medical treatment in favor of prayer, the laying on of hands or the application of oils. Some perform exorcisms. Many deny the reality of physical illness as such, and when they refuse to treat their children, they may be guilty of neglect or even homicide. Until recently, U.S. law based on First Amendment rights protected these healers from prosecution, but the laws are changing, as is society's attitude toward religious freedom when it risks undermining children in danger. A new book by Cameron Smith, In the Name of God: The True Story of the Fight to Save Children from Homicide Through Faith Healing, provides the chilling details of this struggle..