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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.
Attendance at religious events and services 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. 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 led to tumor regression.
(See our document, Faith Healing
for more information.)
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 the deaths 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 that
focuses on one's self (called supplication) or on others (called
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 day and days of the
week for prayer. Standard prayers written by religious leaders are
often memorized and repeated in 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, twelve-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 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 a
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 within and outside the framework of 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 and the effects
of intercessory prayer on health, survival, and quality of life. For
many of these studies, results 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 U.S. Office of Technology Assessment reported that a
survey of articles published in the Journal of Family Practice over ten
years found that 83% of studies on religiosity found a positive effect
on physical health. Another study of 2 major psychiatric journals over
12 years 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 forty-three 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.
Research has also been conducted on the effects of
intercessory prayer in coronary care patients. In the late 1980s, a
study in San Francisco found that heart patients who were prayed for by
others appeared to have fewer complications, although length of
hospital stay and death rates did not differ between those who were
prayed for and those who were not. 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 to confirm that. The studies drew a great deal of public
attention, and several other studies were done to confirm the findings,
with mixed results. When a research group reanalyzed 14of these
studies, they concluded that intercessory prayer had no effect on any
medical outcomes.
In a further study, a group of Harvard researchers studied
more than 1,800 patients who were undergoing heart surgery in 2006. The
patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups. The first group was told
that prayers would be said for them, while the second and third groups
were told that they might or might 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 for cancer 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 found on
our Web site (www.cancer.org)
or ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-2345).
References
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;151:934-942.
Breitbart W. Spirituality and meaning in supportive care:
spirituality- and meaning-centered group psychotherapy interventions in
advanced cancer. Support
Care Cancer. 2002;10:272-80.
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;10:237-245.
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, Strychacz CP, Vacek JL, Jones PG,
Forker A, O’Keefe JH, McCallister BD. 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 Search for Meaning.
New York, NY; Bantam Books:1993.
Lin HR, Bauer-Wu SM. Psycho-spiritual well-being in patients
with advanced cancer: an integrative review of the literature. J Adv Nurs.
2003;44:69-80.
Marcus A. Lord, please heal whatshisname: anonymous prayer
helps heart patients, study finds. HealthScout Web site. Accessed at
http://www.healthscout.com on October 15, 1999. Content no longer
available.
Masters KS, Spielmans GI, Goodson JT. Are there demonstrable
effects of distant intercessory prayer? A meta-analytic review. Ann Behav Med.
2006;32:21-26.
Mytko JJ, Knight SJ. Body, mind and spirit: towards the
integration of religiosity and spirituality in cancer quality of life
research. Psychooncology.
1999;8:439-450.
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.
Prayer. Aetna InteliHealth Web site. Accessed at
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8513/34968/360051.html on
May 23, 2008.
Spencer JW, Jacobs JJ. Complementary/Alternative
Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach. St. Louis, MO:
Mosby; 1999.
US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Unconventional
Cancer Treatments: OTA-H-405. Washington, DC: US Government Printing
Office; 1990.
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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