Abstract
According to a recent Time magazine article, a 1995 study at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center found that one of the best predictors of survival among 232 heart-surgery patients was the degree to which the patients said they drew comfort and strength from religious faith. Those who did not had more than three times the death rate of those who did (June 24, 1996, pp. 59–68) Likewise, according to the article, numerous studies have found lower rates of depression among the religiously committed.
The article goes on to state that patients with chronic health problems are failing to find relief in a doctor's office, and the increasing use of high-tech scans and tests of modern medicine leave patients feeling uncared for and alienated.
Dr. Herbert Benson, President of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Boston's Deaconess Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in his book, Timeless Healing, demonstrated the role of meditation and spirituality in patients battling chronic illnesses. A 5-year study found that those who claimed to feel the intimate presence of a higher power had better health and more rapid recoveries.
As clinicians, we were not trained to recognize or teach our patients how to act on the role of faith and hope in healing. However, as researchers, we cannot dismiss the possibility that there is a definite relationship.
The following commentary is offered to you as food for thought. Today, as we continue to seek ways to reduce health care costs while still providing effective methods of treating illness, we must not rule out factors such as faith and hope in meeting our ultimate goal of healing the sick.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.