S

saints, healing powers attributed to See CASEY,
THE REVEREND SOLANUS.

salve In folk and other herbal remedies, a mix-
ture of beeswax and vegetable oil for preserving
herbs and spices.

samagni The Ayurvedic term for the balance of
appetite, digestion, and metabolism.
See also AYURVEDA.

sangoma A male or female shaman, or healer, of
southern Africa. In the Zulu culture, for example,
the inyangatreats physical disease; the sangomais
concerned with the psychic world but may use sim-
ilar media. After a calling to their roles by ancestors
and a training period of either several months, five
to seven years, or up to 25 years, sangomas(also
called diviners) try to diagnose illness and its cause
and to ward off evil spirits and antisocial individu-
als. The sangoma, who may otherwise lead a normal
life and perhaps have a second job, uses various
diagnostic methods, such as “throwing the bones.”
Part of the diviner’s attire is a “swatch” made from
the hair of an animal’s tail. In the past, when a dis-
tant friend or relative became ill, the sangoma
known and trusted by the family was consulted in
respect of absent healing. Also, a wooden or leather
doll would be created, named, and dressed for the
ill person. Any of the ill person’s belongings would
be added to the doll as a symbol of the link
between it and the person, and the sangomawould
perform healing methods on the doll. The healer
would then take the doll, place it in a beautiful
model hut, feed it, sprinkle or fill it with medicinal
plants, and through it try to communicate with the
absent ill person. Not unlike distant Reiki or other
energy medicine that may be conducted despite

distance between the healer and healee, this form

of healing is still viable in many parts of southern

Africa and is believed to be particularly effective

when the patient is an inmate in a prison or men-

tal institution. The dolls may also be used to call

back a runaway spouse.

See also VOODOO.

Selye, Hans The Vienna-born physiologist, physi-

cian, and pioneering stress researcher (1907–1982)

who developed a theory of stress known as the

“general adaptation syndrome” (GAS), which

involves the stimulation of the hypothalamic-pitu-

itary-adrenal axis when exposed to stress, or the

“flight-or-fight response.” Working in Montreal,

Canada, for 50 years, Selye maintained that chronic

stress experienced by an individual could eventually

wear down both physical and emotional defenses,

exacerbate aging, and cause illness. In 1979 Selye

and Alvin Toffler, D.Sc., founded the Canadian Insti-

tute of Stress (CIS), now an international leader in

preparing workplaces, communities, and individuals

in the risk management strategies required for suc-

cessful, not stressful transitions to their planned

futures. While in his second year of medical school

(1926), Selye recognized the influence of stress on

people’s ability to cope with and adapt to the physi-

cal and emotional pressures of injury and disease.

He discovered that patients with a variety of ail-

ments manifested many similar symptoms, which

he ultimately attributed to their bodies’ efforts to

respond to the stresses of being ill. He called this col-

lection of symptoms—this separate stress disease—

stress syndrome, or the general adaptation

syndrome (GAS). Selye continued researching GAS

and wrote 30 books and more than 1500 articles on

stress and related problems, including Stress without

Distress(New York: New American Library, 1975)

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