SCIENCE DISCOVERS LINK BETWEEN
PHYSICAL HEALING AND RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT
healing and the faith factor
worldwide english feature
by jane hughes
edited by kleinfeldt
washington
september 2, 1997
introduction
science has discovered a link between a religious
commitment and physical healing. and that beliefs or
expectations can have a profound impact on our health.
scientists call this phenomenon the "placebo" effect,
which has been shown to heal from 50 to 80 percent of
many disorders. health reporter jane hughes has
details:
text according to a number of studies, people who regularly
attend church, for example, have 50 percent fewer deaths
from coronary artery disease and 74 percent fewer from
liver cirrhosis. a link has also been established
between religious beliefs and reduced stress and
depression. and one study showed that patients, who
were prayed for, had fewer complications after heart
surgery.
dr. david larson is the author of the teaching workbook,
"the forgotten factor" which discusses the relationship
between religion and health.
tape cut one - larson :11
"there is enough of a research base for us to look and
see that faith can make a difference -- whether it's in
prevention, coping with illness or recovering from major
interventions."
text many doctors are uncomfortable discussing a person's
faith and believe it is not their place to inquire about
it. however, nationwide polls show that a growing
number of americans want physicians to pay more
attention to their spiritual needs and are eager to
include spirituality in their treatment. according to
cnn, gallup, time and other polls, sixty to seventy
percent of americans say they would like to discuss
spirituality with their doctors. and, says dr. larson,
they also want their physicians to join with them in
prayer.
tape cut two - larson :19
"sixty-three percent of patients -- five out of eight --
want their doctor to pray with them. and, yet, only one
out of ten doctors ever even ask about spirituality.
faith and spirituality is not left out of these
practices because people are against it. it's because
they don't know what to do. they don't know how to ask
the questions."
text david larson hopes younger doctors can be trained to
talk comfortably about faith with their patients. he
founded the national institute for healthcare research
in rockville, maryland in 1994 to provide health
professionals with information about spiritual
approaches to healing. one sixth of the 126 medical
schools in the united states are now offering courses on
the element of faith in the healing process.
spirituality is part of the curriculum at george
washington university medical school, here in
washington. a popular course being offered at harvard
medical school is called "spirituality and healing in
medicine."
dr. herbert benson is author of the bestseller "timeless
healing." he says that physicians have long known that
belief can heal. and with 99 percent of americans
professing a belief in god, he is not surprised at the
studies that show a link between religious belief and
health. however, he says spirituality is just one part
of the total healing process.
tape cut three - benson :27
"you should view this kind of healing as being part of
an overall approach to medicine -- like a three-legged
stool, where one leg is drugs, another leg is surgery
and the third leg is what you can do for yourself. and
in that third leg, we have relaxation techniques, we
have belief, we have nutrition and exercise. belief is
definitely an important part of how we can help heal
ourselves."
text belief is at the heart of the "placebo effect" which is
improvement in the condition of a sick person who has
received a "sugar pill" -- an inactive substance --
rather than medication -- during a controlled medical
test.
dr. benson defines belief as being much broader than
belief in god. he emphasizes that the benefits of the
faith factor are not the exclusive domain of the devout.
he says people don't have to have a professed belief in
god to benefit from it.
how does the faith factor work? why does there seem to
be a connection between faith and healing? doctor
benson:
tape cut four - benson :32
"we are beginning to understand -- and i point this out
in my book, 'timeless healing' -- that we have patterns
of brain activity that remember sickness. other
patterns that remember being well. and, if you believe
that you can be well -- and i am not saying this is for
all diseases and in every case -- but, if you believe
you can be well, your brain will remember that, and the
mind-body connection will help develop that wellness in
your body. it should be used, in addition, again, to
pills and surgery."
text dr. herbert benson emphasizes that balance is the key.
he says he could not imagine a world without penicillin
or cataract surgery. he urges us to let our instincts
guide us, to follow them up with research, to find a
trusted physician, and to invest in self-care,
medications and surgery for maximum results. herbert
benson says in that way, we can make the most of the
faith factor.
(signed) jh/rpk
02-sep-97 4:11 pm edt (2011 utc) nnnn report 7-17315
source - voice of america
Jai Maharaj
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