Four out of every 10 adults used complementary and alternative medicine, according to the 2007 National Health Interview. Complementary and alternative medicine refers to interventions that are not part of conventional medical treatment.
One type of complementary and alternative medicine interventions that patients may use is spirituality. The National Cancer Institute stated that in a large survey of cancer survivors, 61 percent reported using spirituality and prayer as a complementary treatment.
Zachariae et al. defined spiritual healing as “a systematic, purposeful intervention by one or more persons aiming to help another living being (person, animal, plant, cell or other living system) by means of focused intention to improve their condition.”
Spiritual healing includes intercessory prayer, also called distance healing and distance prayer. With intercessory prayer, the person praying asks a higher power to intervene to help a person, who may or may not be known by the prayer.
The University of Maryland Medical Center noted that this complementary treatment is difficult to study, but cited research on coronary care units in which patients who were prayed for had better health outcomes, such as less complications and death, than patients who were not prayed for.
Christina M. Puchalski, M.D., M.S. of The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health’s article “The Role of Spirituality in Health Care” reviewed studies on the effects of spirituality in medical treatment. In her review, she found studies investigating spiritual healing’s effect on mortality, coping and recovery.
The research on mortality found a connection between spirituality and living longer, with one hypothesis suggesting that religious commitment reduced people’s stress through social support and coping mechanisms. In regards to coping, spirituality was connected to comfort during difficult medical diagnoses and loss of a loved one.
The University of Maryland Medical Center added that several studies have linked spirituality to quicker recovery times from surgery and better coping with chronic illnesses.
While spiritual healing may have positive effects on health, they may also have negative effects. For example, when beliefs encourage lowered self-worth, fear and excessive guilt, or if prayer is substituted for conventional medical care, it may be harmful, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Puchlaski added that physicians can practice compassionate presence, but should not lead patients in prayer or advocate for particular spiritual practices.
References
Barnes, PM, Bloom, B and Nahin RL. “Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007.” National Health Statistics Report. 2008 December 10. Web. 19 January 2012
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19361005?dopt=Abstract
National Cancer Institute. Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Cancer Treatment. Web. 19 January 2012
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cam-cancer-treatment/patient/page2/Print
Zachariae, R et al. “The Effect of Spiritual Healing on In Vitro Tumour Cell Proliferation and Viability — An Experimental Study.” British Journal of Cancer. 2005 September 5. Web. 19 January 2012.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2361600
University of Maryland Medical Center. Spirituality. Web. 19 January 2012
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/spirituality-000360.htm
Puchalski, CM. “The Role of Spirituality in Health Care.” Proceedings (Baylor University Medical Center). 2001 October 14. Web. 19 January 2012
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1305900
Reviewed January 19, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith