I might be mistaken, but I think the Sefer Hachinuch defines Kishuf as the mixing of different physical components in such a way that they create an effect in heaven. Since every object on this world has a spiritual counterpart in shamayim, "playing" with physical objects in certain ways mixes up their spiritual mirror as well.
<br><br>With this definition it seems more likely that pharmacology would be more likely Kishuf than any form of pseudo-science.<br><br>As a side note, I have an uncle who (I might add is very scientifically minded and) had some back problems which just wouldn't go away. I don't remember the exact story but through some chain of events (he knew someone who knew someone who had met this guy or something) he ended up going to this really quack of an alternative-medicine-guy, who made his problems go away almost entirely in just 2 or 3 sessions, so there is something to it, even if it's just the placebo effect.
<br><br>~Liron<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Jan 8, 2008 5:21 PM, Micha Berger <<a href="mailto:micha@aishdas.org">micha@aishdas.org</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
On Tue, Jan 08, 2008 at 06:42:58PM -0500, Moshe Y. Gluck wrote:<br>: Could your relative have been talking about applied kinesiology?<br><div class="Ih2E3d">: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_kinesiology" target="_blank">
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_kinesiology</a> As far as I can tell, it<br>: isn't Kishuf, for the simple reason that it doesn't work...<br><br></div>I'm missing something. Its purported mechanism is purely physical,
<br>something about smoothness of muscle movement and taste and smell<br>responses caused by imbalances in the body. How would applies kinesiology<br>even be a candidate to be called kishuf?<br><br>I won't get into questions of endangering patients who might be lulled
<br>out of seeking more effective treatments or geneivas da'as.<br><br>Tir'u baTov!<br>-Micha<br><font color="#888888"><br>--<br>Micha Berger Our greatest fear is not that we're inadequate,<br><a href="mailto:micha@aishdas.org">
micha@aishdas.org</a> Our greatest fear is that we're powerful<br><a href="http://www.aishdas.org" target="_blank">http://www.aishdas.org</a> beyond measure<br>Fax: (270) 514-1507 - Anonymous
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