Mother is in a Pentecostal religion. She was always "fasting and praying" for her children. Lot's of time, I think she would fast with tea, chicken broth, and water. I don't know if it helped us children be any better, but it did seem to make her feel better.
When we were sick, another belief of hers was to rub us down with olive oil that had been prayed over. As you know, olive oil is becoming one of the main ingredients in many lotions. Must have been something to it?