Say "Amen" to Stress

Whenever you sneeze chances are people will respond with a hearty, "God bless you". Why is that? We all know it's a sign of good manners, but those three little words point to what may be the best medicine of all: Good faith. Religious and spiritual approaches to healing have long been overshadowed by the promises of science and technology, but lately health care professionals are bringing the benefits of good faith to light.

In December of 1999, CBS News reported on a number of research projects on good faith's healing power. Dartmouth Medical School found elderly non-religious patients three times more likely to die within six months of surgery than those comforted by religion. At Duke University, a correlation between increased immune function and regular participation in religious services was found. Yet perhaps the most fascinating and controversial research to date belongs to the Mid America Heart Institute where patients who were unknowingly prayed for by volunteers fared better than patients who were not prayed for.

Panic and Prayer

Research findings may support that religious and spiritual practices help decrease sickness and help protect against earlier death, but prayer is no quick-fix miracle drug. People who become believers after the discovery of a life-threatening illness may not be able to reap as many benefits available to those who have been religious or spiritual their whole life.

Prayer cannot be expected to change medical outcomes when used as a last resort, although it can provide great comfort. Many turn to prayer when all else fails for the reassurance of it helping. We know the benefit that being at peace can bring to people. Often prayer, or having faith, provides that sense of inner peace. This should not be minimized. Family healing often results as well.

Two aspirins may be more effective than just one, but saying a thousand prayers or meditating non-stop cannot reliably give you better medical results. However, it is possible that a belief can be more effective if it is greater in terms of personal meaning and significance. Good faith has to do with the individual's own religious and spiritual history and a belief system where faith is integrated into daily living.

We know that spontaneous healing for the afflicted has been documented, often being called miraculous. The hope of healing, along with prayer often provides the motivation people need for the healing process.

The Benefits of Believing

Whether it's Buddha, Brahma, Yahweh, Mohammed, Krishna, Jehovah or just plain God, believing in a greater force or a higher power generally leads to less destructive lifestyles:

• Smoking, drinking, high-fat diets and other harmful vices are less common among the devout, particularly among strict religious groups such as Seventh-day Adventists and Mormons.
• Loneliness and social isolation are less common due to a shared sense of belonging and fellowship.
• Religious and spiritual experiences tend to yield positive, uplifting, and supportive feelings that involve hope, love, joy and patience. Research suggests that stress hormones diminish in response to positive emotional states.

When studied over a consecutive five-year period, people who pray or meditate regularly suffer less serious illnesses and proved to be overall healthier than people who do not pray or meditate. In regards to his patients, those who pray or meditate for at least fifteen minutes everyday seem to experience the most benefits. Weekly attendance of formalized or structured religious and meditative practices also seem to strengthen the belief system.

Stress often makes us feel overwhelmed. Saying "Amen" to stress by confronting stressful situations with prayer or meditation rather than anger or anxiety won't "poof!" problems into thin air, but doing so will help you get into a frame of mind that will make the process of working things out seem a little easier and a lot less stressful.