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FAITH AND HEALING

Hundreds of studies on faith and healing have been conducted over the years—and none have been conclusive. But if you ask the faithful, they’ll say faith and healing are inextricably linked, and there’s no better way to weather a health crisis.

It’s a hot topic. More than 70 medical schools in the United States now offer courses on faith and healing to students, proof that the topic is becoming more important to the country’s next class of doctors, along with patients and family members like Michelle Pinto.

Michelle grieves the loss of her mother who died a month ago after a tragic car accident left her with severe health complications. “She had a deep faith in God and I believe prayer gave her a lot of peace,” says Michelle.

During her last days, Michelle did everything she could to ease the pain of her mother’s suffering. “I did try to organize a lot of people to come to her bedside and pray because it made her very happy,” Michelle states.

Over the past decade, researchers have tried to scientifically measure the power of prayer and faith and its effects on health and healing. Is there such a thing as faith healing? Can religion speed recovery from surgery? Slow cancer? Can belief in god delay death? While the verdict is not yet out for certain, some medical experts have seen firsthand, how patients lean on prayer for hope and healing.

Dr. Fred Smith, Chief of Internal Medicine at North Shore University Hospital, says, “A lot of people believe in the power of faith in healing. I get patients who say they pray all the time and that they feel like that’s what got them through illnesses like cancer more than the medical treatment.”
Some studies have actually shown that attending religious services can reduce mortality. “People who attend religious services regularly do seem to live longer than people who don’t and I think you can probably explain that based on the kind of support systems that religious congregations offer to people and the cohesiveness, the value,” says Dr. Smith.

More and more the medical community is acknowledging that in time of health crisis, religion can provide significant comfort for patients and their families. In fact, medical schools are offering courses in spirituality.

“If a patient feels that their religious life is very important to them, they should let their doctor know that. We need to help people be able to deal with all those emotions and feelings,” says Dr. Smith.
Sadly, Michelle’s mother eventually went into a coma. “Some very primal place in her heart she understood that someone was praying for her and whatever mental state she was in, it gave her great peace at the end.”

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