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Other common
name(s): spiritual healing, laying on of hands
Scientific/medical
name(s): none
Description
Faith healing is founded on the belief that certain people or
places have the ability to cure and heal—that someone or
something can eliminate disease or heal injuries through a close
connection to a higher power. Faith healing can involve prayer, a visit
to a religious shrine, or simply a strong belief in a supreme being.
Overview
Available scientific evidence does not support claims that
faith healing can cure cancer or any other disease. Even the
"miraculous" cures at the French shrine of Lourdes, after careful study
by the Catholic Church, do not outnumber the historical percentage of
spontaneous remissions seen among people with cancer. However, faith
healing may promote peace of mind, reduce stress, relieve pain and
anxiety, and strengthen the will to live.
How is it promoted for use?
According to proponents, there is little that faith healing
cannot do. Many religious sects claim faith can cure blindness,
deafness, cancer, AIDS, developmental disorders, anemia, arthritis,
corns, defective speech, multiple sclerosis, skin rashes, total body
paralysis, and various injuries. Christian Scientists, for instance,
believe that illness is an illusion that can be healed through prayer,
either for oneself or by trained practitioners.
What does it involve?
Faith healing can be practiced near the patient or at a
distance from the patient. When practiced from afar, it can involve a
single faith healer or a group of people praying for the patient. When
near to the patient, as in revivalist tent meetings, the healer often
touches, or "lays hands on," the patient while calling on a supreme
being. Faith healing can also involve a pilgrimage to a religious
shrine, such as the French shrine at Lourdes, in search of a miracle.
Christian Scientists train and use their own practitioners to heal sick
persons through prayer.
What is the history behind it?
Faith healing is believed to have begun even before the
earliest recorded history. In the Bible, both God and holy people are
said to have the power to heal. In Medieval times, the Divine Right of
Kings was thought to give royalty the ability to heal through touch.
Through the years, up to and including the twentieth century, there
have been numerous reports of saints performing miracle cures. Today,
several religious groups, including Christian Scientists, evangelical
Protestants, and some orthodox Jewish sects, practice faith healing.
What is the evidence?
Although it is known that a small percentage of people with
cancer experience remissions of their disease that cannot be explained,
available scientific evidence does not support claims that faith
healing can actually cure physical ailments. When a person believes
strongly that a healer can create a cure, a "placebo effect" can occur.
The placebo effect can make the person feel better, but it has not been
found to induce remission or improve chance of survival from cancer.
The patient usually credits the improvement in how he or she feels to
the healer, even though the perceived improvement occurs because of the
patient's belief in the treatment. Taking part in faith healing can
evoke the power of suggestion and affirm one's faith in a higher power,
which may help promote peace of mind. This may help some people cope
more effectively with their illness.
One review published in 1998 looked at 172 cases of deaths
among children treated by faith healing instead of conventional
methods. These researchers estimated that if conventional treatment had
been given, the survival rate for most of these children would have
been more than 90 percent, with the remainder of the children also
having a good chance of survival. A more recent study found that more
than 200 children had died of treatable illnesses in the United States
over the past thirty years because their parents relied on spiritual
healing rather than conventional medical treatment.
In addition, at least one study has suggested that adult
Christian Scientists, who generally use prayer rather than medical
care, have a higher death rate than other people of the same age.
Are there any possible problems or
complications?
People who seek help through faith healing and are not cured
may have feelings of hopelessness, failure, guilt, worthlessness, and
depression. In some groups, the person may be told that his or her
faith was not strong enough. The healer and others may hold the person
responsible for the failure of their healing. This can alienate and
discourage the person who is still sick.
Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or
delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health
consequences. Death, disability, and other unwanted outcomes have
occurred when faith healing was elected instead of medical care for
serious injuries or illnesses.
While competent adults may choose faith healing over medical
care, communities often become concerned when parents make such choices
for their children. This concern has sparked organizations to work
toward creating laws to protect children from inappropriate treatment
by faith healers.
Finally, a few "faith healers" have been caught using fraud as
a way to get others to believe in their methods. These people often
solicited large donations or charged money for their healing sessions.
Additional Resources
More information from your American Cancer
Society
The following information on complementary and alternative
therapies may also be helpful to you. These materials may be found on
our Web site (www.cancer.org)
or ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-2345).
References
Asser SM, Swan R. Child fatalities from religion-motivated
medical neglect. Pediatrics.
1998;101:625-629.
Barrett S. Some thoughts about faith healing. Quackwatch Web
site. Accessed at http://www.quackwatch.org/dantest/faith.html on May
23, 2008.
The Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science). Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance Web site. Accessed at
http://www.religioustolerance.org/cr_sci.htm on May 23, 2008.
Hickey KS. Lyckholm L. Child welfare versus parental autonomy:
medical ethics, the law, and faith-based healing. Theor Med Bioeth.
2004; 25:265-276.
National Institutes of Health. Alternative Medicine: Expanding
Medical Horizons: A Report to the National Institutes of
Health on Alternative Medical Systems and Practices in the United
States. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1994. NIH
publication 94-066.
US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Unconventional Cancer Treatments.
Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1990. Publication
OTA-H-405.
Note: This information may not cover
all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or
interactions. It is not intended as medical advice, and should not be
relied upon as a substitute for consultation with your doctor, who is
familiar with your medical situation.
Last Medical Review: 11/01/2008
Last Revised: 11/01/2008
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