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Other common name(s): Religion, spiritual healing
Scientific/medical name(s): None
Description
Spirituality is generally described as an awareness of something greater than the individual self. It is often expressed through religion and/or prayer, although there are many other paths of spiritual pursuit and expression.
Overview
Studies have found spirituality and religion are very important to the quality of life for some people with cancer. Although available research has not supported claims that spirituality can cure cancer or any other disease, the psychological benefits of praying may include reduction of stress and anxiety, promotion of a more positive outlook, and the strengthening of the will to live.
How is it promoted for use?
Proponents of spirituality claim that prayer can decrease the negative effects of disease, speed recovery, and increase the effectiveness of medical treatments. Faith and religious beliefs are also thought to improve coping and provide comfort during illness. Religious attendance is sometimes linked with improvement of various health conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, stroke, colitis, uterine and other cancers, and overall health status. Scientific evidence is mixed.
Some religious groups, such as Christian Scientists, claim prayer can cure any disease
(see faith healing.) These groups often rely entirely on prayer in place of conventional medicine. This belief is based on a spiritual rather than a biological explanation of how disease develops. There have been some reported cases that prayer has lead to tumor regression.
Many people believe the spiritual dimension is important when a person is coping with serious illness. The ability to find meaning in life can be helpful when dealing with cancer, even though it cannot cure the disease. Spirituality may also help us accept death, both our own and of those we love.
What does it involve?
Spirituality has many forms and can be practiced in many ways. Prayer, for example, may be silent or spoken out loud and can be done alone in any setting or in groups (as in a church or temple). Regular attendance at a church, temple, or mosque may involve prayer which focuses on one's self (supplication) or on others (intercessory prayer). In this type of setting, the entire congregation may be asked to pray for a sick person or the person's family.
Some religions set aside certain times of the day and special days of the week for praying. Standard prayers written by religious leaders are often memorized and repeated during private sessions and in groups. Prayer is also practiced individually and in informal groups, without a specific religion or denomination, and on no particular schedule. Prayers often ask a higher being for help, understanding, wisdom, or strength in dealing with life's problems.
Spirituality can also be practiced without a formal religion. Meditation, 12-step work (as practiced in Alcoholics Anonymous and similar groups), and seeking meaning in life all involve spirituality. Even simple practices such as silent observation, listening, or gratitude can become part of an open-ended spirituality that can infuse everyday life. Some people express their spirituality by spending time with nature, doing creative work, or by serving others.
Many medical institutions and practitioners include spirituality and prayer as important components of healing. In addition, hospitals have chapels, and contracts with ministers, rabbis, clerics, and voluntary organizations to serve their patients' spiritual needs.
What is the history behind it?
Since the beginning of recorded history all cultures throughout the world have developed systems of religion and spirituality. Earlier religions of ancient Egypt and Greece have given way to more modern religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism.
Within each culture, some form of spirituality and prayer has served as the institutionalized means of seeking assistance from the supreme being or beings perceived as powerful enough to alter nature, health, and disease. Different religions hold different beliefs about a supreme being. Today, spirituality is practiced by billions of people throughout the world both with and without formal religion.
What is the evidence?
Studies done on the impact of prayer and spirituality often focus on the effect of religious beliefs and behavior on health, survival, and quality of life and the effects of intercessory prayer. The results of many of these studies have been mixed. Although some research has found that religious groups with orthodox beliefs and behavior have lower cancer death rates, other studies have not found any health benefits related to religion and survival.
The US Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) reported that a survey of issues of the Journal of Family Practice spanning 10 years found that 83% of studies on religiosity found a positive effect on physical health. Another study on 12 years of issues of two major psychiatric journals found that for the studies that measured religiosity, 92% showed a benefit for mental health, 4% were neutral, and 4% showed harm. Religiosity was measured by participation in religious ceremony, social support, prayer, and belief in a higher being.
An analysis of 43 studies on people with advanced cancer noted that those who reported spiritual well-being were able to cope more effectively with terminal illnesses and find meaning in their experience. Major themes of spiritual well-being included: self awareness, coping with stress, connectedness with others, faith, empowerment, confidence, and the ability to live with meaning and hope.
There also has been research done on the effects of intercessory prayer (praying for others) in coronary care patients. In the late 1980s a study in San Francisco found that heart patients who were prayed for appeared to have fewer complications, although length of hospital stay and death rates did not differ between those who had prayer and those who didn't. A larger study at a Kansas City hospital coronary care unit reported similar findings. Although overall length of hospital stay and time in the critical care unit did not differ between groups, the group that had been prayed for had 11% fewer complications. These results suggested that prayer might be helpful when used with conventional medical care, although more research was needed. The studies got a lot of public attention, and several other studies were done to confirm the findings. Results were mixed. When a research group re-analyzed 14 of these studies, they concluded that the studies showed no effect of intercessory prayer on any medical outcomes.
In an attempt to find out for sure, some Harvard researchers studied more than 1,800 patients who were undergoing heart surgery in 2006. The patients were randomly assigned to three groups. The first group was told that prayers would definitely be said for them, while the second and third groups were told that they may or may not have prayers said for them. The first and second groups received prayer, and the third group did not. Complications occurred within 30 days for 59% of the first group, 52% of the second group, and 51% of the third group. Prayer did not reduce complications for those who had heart surgery in this large, well-controlled scientific study. At this point, available scientific evidence does not support claims of reduced complications in those who receive prayer.
Are there any possible problems or complications?
Patient consent is important before conducting any activity that may affect health. Those who do not believe in prayer and those who do not wish to be healed are among those who may not want to be the object of intercessory prayer.
Relying on this type of treatment alone, and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care, may have serious health consequences.
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 ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-2345).
References
Aetna InteliHealth.Prayer. Available at http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8513/34968.html#ghijkl. Accessed 3/23/07.
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.
Benson H, Dusek JA, Sherwood JB, et al. Study of the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: a multicenter randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer. Am Heart J. 2006 Apr;151(4):934-42.
Breitbart W. Spirituality and meaning in supportive care: spirituality- and meaning-centered group psychotherapy interventions in advanced cancer. Support Care Cancer. 2002 May;10(4):272-80. Epub 2001 Aug 28.
Brussat F, Brussat MA. Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life. New York, NY; Simon and Shuster: 1996.
Byrd RC. Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care unit population. South Med J. 1988;81:826-829.
Chao CS, Chen CH, Yen M. The essence of spirituality of terminally ill patients. J Nurs Res. 2002 Dec;10(4):237-45.
Dwyer JW, Clarke LL, Miller MK. The effect of religious concentration and affiliation on county cancer mortality rates. J Health Soc Behav. 1990;31:185-202.
Harris WS, Gowda M, Kolb JW, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients admitted to the coronary care unit. Arch Intern Med. 1999;159:2273-2278.
Kurtz E, Ketcham K. Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Journey to Wholeness. New York, NY; Bantam Books:1992.
Lin HR, Bauer-Wu SM. Psycho-spiritual well-being in patients with advanced cancer: an integrative review of the literature. J Adv Nurs. 2003 Oct;44(1):69-80.
Marcus A. Lord, please heal whatshisname: anonymous prayer helps heart patients, study finds. HealthScout Web site. Available at: http://www.healthscout.com. Accessed October 15, 1999.
Masters KS, Spielmans GI, Goodson JT. Are there demonstrable effects of distant intercessory prayer? A meta-analytic review. Ann Behav Med. 2006 Aug;32(1):21-6.
Mytko JJ, Knight SJ. Body, mind and spirit: towards the integration of religiosity and spirituality in cancer quality of life research. Psycho-Oncology. 1999;8:439-450.
Spencer JW, Jacobs JJ. Complementary/Alternative Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc; 1999.
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.
Revised: 03/26/2007
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