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The Forum > Article Comments > Spirituality: the new frontier in health research > Comments

Spirituality: the new frontier in health research : Comments

By Kay Stroud, published 20/3/2012

Even the WHO recognises spirituality as an integral part of health.

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If I only had a dollar for every idiotic religious apologist who completely misunderstands Einstein, and uses that particular quote without any inkling of what he actually meant.

There is also the distinct possibility that, while a great physicist, Einstein was a lousy philosopher; thus, his quote doesn't really merit much attention anyway.

But I would also like the author to explain her unjustified leap from the well-established principle that mental attitude can often be conducive to health, to claiming that 'spirituality' should be included in the medical canon.
Posted by Clownfish, Tuesday, 20 March 2012 12:01:18 PM
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I appreciate Ms Stroud's article. Readers may also be interested to hear what Jane Fonda has to say about aging, specifically "the Third Act" of life, which she likens to an upward staircase or the "upward ascension of the human spirit". See TED lecture at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaiCqsGgd0Q&feature=email.

We simply can't separate man from spirit.
Posted by Soul sense, Tuesday, 20 March 2012 12:51:19 PM
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Agree Clownfish...being happy and having a good mental approach does not require you to be religous at all...the article makes some valid points but degenerates into twaddle.

The author should recognise that while religion provides comfort and meaning for many people, it can also cause angst, guilt and stress too - which are hardly conducive to any sort of health.
Posted by Phil Matimein, Tuesday, 20 March 2012 1:36:19 PM
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Nah. It's just a commercial.

"Scientific research will guide most decisions on best practice in healthcare for all age groups into the future, and further research into the effects of spirituality and prayer on health seems advisable"

It is a call for money to be put towards "research". Their methodology will be fascinating, I suspect, if any independent source of funds turns out to be dumb enough to support it.

Mind you, the conclusion is pretty weak:

"The World Health Organisation's 2005 paper stating that 'health needs to be understood as an inclusive concept .... encompassing spiritual wellbeing'... should be the basis for further research into the effects of spirituality on diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's, as well as other human maladies; and into contemplation of the idea that spirituality and prayer may well be essential to perfect health."

The evidence so far is already pretty conclusive, I would have thought, without the need to throw money into a bucket for research.

Among my friends are a number of very spiritual, prayerful Christians. I know it is only a straw poll, but I would calculate that the percentage that enjoy "perfect health" is pretty much the same as amongst my friends who are as heathen as they come, and pray only when they approach a random breath test station - "Jesus Christ, a breatho, please don't pick me..."

Conversely, one of the most devout people I have ever known was sadly taken by pancreatic cancer at the age of 27. He didn't enjoy his perfect health long enough to prove one way or the other whether prayer is an effective defence against dementia.
Posted by Pericles, Tuesday, 20 March 2012 2:15:23 PM
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Well, Pericles, the efficacy of intercessory prayer has been tested, and the most reliable results don't support the author's claims at all.
Posted by Clownfish, Tuesday, 20 March 2012 3:22:34 PM
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I agree Pericles. I have seen many ill people in hospitals and the community for all my working life, and I never noticed any difference between the religious and non-religious people health-wise.

While I would always respect anyone's religious/spiritual needs during healthcare problems, I always wondered why these Gods they prayed so fervently to would not spare children,s lives at least, because even I would try prayer when I used to work in paediatric wards years ago.

I would agree that, as health professionals, we should be caring for patients in a holistic manner, which includes their physical and mental wellbeing, as well as any possible cultural or religious considerations.
We already do this, so we don't need any 'research' into spirituality in healthcare.

As far as I am concerned, we need even less research into this area nowadays than ever before, because there are considerably less religious people in our healthcare system today than there used to be.
Posted by Suseonline, Tuesday, 20 March 2012 3:25:22 PM
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