Health Benefits of Prayer and Spirituality

In your heart, you may believe prayer can help heal you; now scientists are researching the health benefits of prayer and its effects on heart health.

n your heart, you may believe prayer can help heal you; now scientists are researching the health benefits of prayer and its effects on heart health.

Research Findings on Prayer and Health

A sizable body of literature has demonstrated positive benefits of religious practices and spirituality on health, but study results have been mixed.

• The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) reviewed issues of the Journal of Family Practice over a 10-year period and found that 83 percent of studies on religiosity showed a positive effect on physical health.
  
• Another study looking at 12 years of two major psychiatric journals found that 92 percent of the studies reported benefits of spirituality on mental health, 4 percent were neutral, and 4 percent showed harm.

In these reviews, spirituality or religiosity was measured by participation in religious ceremony, social support, prayer, and belief in a higher being.

Although research doesn’t support spirituality as a cure for cancer or other diseases, the psychological benefits of praying can reduce stress and anxiety, promote a more positive attitude and strengthen the will to live. Here are some of the indicators that prayer can be healthy:

	Studies have shown that spirituality can profoundly affect mental health.

• Brain imaging studies have shown the brain activity changes during prayer, and research has shown that blood pressure and heart rate can decrease as a result of praying.¹
  
• In a 7-year study of seniors, religious involvement was associated with less physical disability and less depression. ²
  
• Another study showed that the elderly who regularly attend religious services had healthier immune systems than those who did not attend. ³
  
• Patients undergoing open-heart surgery who received strength and comfort from their religion were three times more likely to survive than those having no religious ties.⁴

Prayer can Provide Strength for Living

Dealing with life’s curve balls often requires families and individuals to rely on their faith as a means of coping. Religious beliefs and prayer can help fight feelings of helplessness in the face of adverse health news. A sense of spiritual support can help restore meaning and regain a sense of control in difficult situations. Studies have shown that spirituality can profoundly affect mental health.

• In a study of men who were hospitalized, nearly 50 percent rated religion as helpful in dealing with their illness. ⁵
• A study measuring levels of hope and optimism showed these were key factors to fight depression and were most often found in people who had strong religious beliefs and practices. ⁶

Prayer as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

For thousands of years people have used prayer and spiritual practices to improve their health or the health of loved ones. Today is no exception. In the largest study to date of Americans’ use of complementary and alternative medicine, a survey of more than 31,000 adults showed prayer was the therapy most commonly used among all the CAM therapies included in the survey. Among the respondents:

• 45 percent had used prayer for health reasons
• 43 percent had prayed for their own health
• Almost 25 percent had had others pray for them
• Almost 10 percent had participated in a prayer group for their health ⁷

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has prayer on the list of CAM practices that are now being funded and studied with rigorous and detailed scientific approaches.