Hi Tryptofish, I understand why you reverted my edit (I didn't see the note before), and I won't contest it. However, there are a number of medical doctors who advocate fasting listed here who don't belong in either the pseudoscientific category or the researchers category (usually they are well versed in the work of researchers and have the scientific background to support their interest). So I'm going to create another category for this specific group of doctors. I'm thinking of Medical Doctors who advocate fasting (or support fasting). It's long but specific. Then I will move the MDs there. Let me know what you think.-Classicfilms (talk) 23:55, 6 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231106235500","author":"Classicfilms","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Classicfilms-20231106235500-regarding_fasting_advocates_cat","replies":["c-Classicfilms-20231106235600-Classicfilms-20231106235500"]}}-->

P.S. I'm thinking that otherwise it's potentially a WP:BLP issue.-Classicfilms (talk) 23:56, 6 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231106235600","author":"Classicfilms","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-Classicfilms-20231106235600-Classicfilms-20231106235500","replies":["c-Tryptofish-20231107001100-Classicfilms-20231106235600"]}}-->

Thanks for understanding. (For watchers, we're talking about [3].) I'm going to ping Psychologist Guy, who created the category and pays close attention to the subject area. Basically, I agree with that approach. The only concern that I can think of is whether an MD who is not a researcher but who makes public pronouncements about the medical benefits of fasting is really not engaging in pseudoscience. There's a difference between reducing caloric intake and actually fasting. I appreciate the BLP issue, but if there is solid sourcing it's not necessarily a BLP violation. I'll also welcome any other of my talk page participants to offer their takes on this question. --Tryptofish (talk) 00:11, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107001100","author":"Tryptofish","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-Tryptofish-20231107001100-Classicfilms-20231106235600","replies":["c-Classicfilms-20231107001800-Tryptofish-20231107001100"]}}-->

Got it. MDs read research on many subjects and apply it to to their clinical work. For example, if an MD recommends a vegetarian diet because the research indicates that it is healthy, is that pseudoscience? I appreciate that this is a subject open to debate, so perhaps what I will do is take the cat off of MDs in general which basically will solve the problem.-Classicfilms (talk) 00:18, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107001800","author":"Classicfilms","type":"comment","level":4,"id":"c-Classicfilms-20231107001800-Tryptofish-20231107001100","replies":["c-Tryptofish-20231107002100-Classicfilms-20231107001800"]}}-->

There are MDs who make public recommendations when it's not what the research indicates. --Tryptofish (talk) 00:21, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107002100","author":"Tryptofish","type":"comment","level":5,"id":"c-Tryptofish-20231107002100-Classicfilms-20231107001800","replies":["c-Classicfilms-20231107002500-Tryptofish-20231107002100"]}}-->

True, but again this is the case in many areas related to health, so it feels a little like WP:OR if we apply this issue to one area of health and not another. Again I think we run into WP:BLP here. Though I get the basic issue that is being addressed.-Classicfilms (talk) 00:25, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107002500","author":"Classicfilms","type":"comment","level":6,"id":"c-Classicfilms-20231107002500-Tryptofish-20231107002100","replies":["c-Tryptofish-20231107003100-Classicfilms-20231107002500"]}}-->

It's not OR if there are reliable secondary sources that say that a particular MD is a quack. Since you've started off by asking me, I'd be more comfortable if you would wait and see if anyone else replies, before taking action with recategorization. I'm not that familiar with the topic area. --Tryptofish (talk) 00:31, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107003100","author":"Tryptofish","type":"comment","level":7,"id":"c-Tryptofish-20231107003100-Classicfilms-20231107002500","replies":["c-Classicfilms-20231107003400-Tryptofish-20231107003100"]}}-->

Sure, that's fine. Or we can move this to the cat talk page. -Classicfilms (talk) 00:34, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107003400","author":"Classicfilms","type":"comment","level":9,"id":"c-Classicfilms-20231107003400-Tryptofish-20231107003100","replies":["c-Randy_Kryn-20231107003600-Classicfilms-20231107003400"]}}-->

I almost reverted the category, but since a discussion is taking place will address it here. Fasting, either a daily fast or a longer fast, is certainly not pseudoscience. I've known fasters, and those who advocate fasting, and since 1988 have done a 14-17 hour daily fast, etc. Highly recommended. I started doing that immediately upon learning something which may or may not be accurate (Swami Satchidananda wrote that a daily 14 hour fast gives seven hours of digestion followed by seven hours of the same organs working on toxic cleansing) but made sense. In any case, fasting works on several levels (and saves money on late night munchies). But pseudoscience? Doesn't seem an accurate descriptor, although some may disagree. Randy Kryn (talk) 00:36, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107003600","author":"Randy Kryn","type":"comment","level":10,"id":"c-Randy_Kryn-20231107003600-Classicfilms-20231107003400","replies":["c-Psychologist_Guy-20231107004700-Randy_Kryn-20231107003600"]}}-->

All the people in the fasting advocates category [4] were nearly all naturopaths and others promoting pseudoscientific views about fasting (it can cure all diseases etc), they were not research scientists. The fasting researchers category is for actual nutritional researchers, scientists and historians who have done basic research or clinical studies on fasting which is not pseudoscience [5]. There's obviously a big difference between someone like Francis Gano Benedict who was studying fasting in a laboratory and publishing under peer review than Wallace Wattles who was writing nonsense about fasting invoking mystical powers. It's best to keep the researchers and scientists in one category whilst all the people making pseudoscientific claims about fasting in another. Psychologist Guy (talk) 00:47, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107004700","author":"Psychologist Guy","type":"comment","level":11,"id":"c-Psychologist_Guy-20231107004700-Randy_Kryn-20231107003600","replies":["c-Randy_Kryn-20231107005400-Psychologist_Guy-20231107004700"]}}-->

What about those who advocate for fasting who are not professionals in the field. The before mentioned Swami Satchidananda for example, would he qualify or be lumped in with pseudoscience? A thin line? Randy Kryn (talk) 00:54, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107005400","author":"Randy Kryn","type":"comment","level":12,"id":"c-Randy_Kryn-20231107005400-Psychologist_Guy-20231107004700","replies":["c-Psychologist_Guy-20231107011100-Randy_Kryn-20231107005400"]}}-->

Swami Satchidananda had some sensible things to say about diet but he was also a believer in Mucoid plaque and believed in something similar to colon cleansing. I believe his views on fasting were pseudoscience although I could be wrong. I did a lot of research into historical fasting and all I found was that it was heavily associated with alternative medicine claims, there is a good historical paper about it [6]. I used to be interested in documenting alternative fringe diets but it doesn't really interest me anymore. If you want to remove any mention of pseudoscience from fasting advocates category, it wouldn't bother me. I guess you could just use the category to add anyone who is an advocate. Historically I have never come across a non-pseudoscientific fasting advocate, the problem with the topic is all the extreme claims that come with it. Psychologist Guy (talk) 01:11, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107011100","author":"Psychologist Guy","type":"comment","level":13,"id":"c-Psychologist_Guy-20231107011100-Randy_Kryn-20231107005400","replies":["c-Classicfilms-20231107141700-Psychologist_Guy-20231107011100"]}}-->

So to clarify, are we all in agreement to remove "pseudoscience" from the fasting advocates category? Or do you want to wait for more possible input from other editors? I'm fine to wait.-Classicfilms (talk) 14:17, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"20231107141700","author":"Classicfilms","type":"comment","level":14,"id":"c-Classicfilms-20231107141700-Psychologist_Guy-20231107011100","replies":[]}}-->