Since
the time of Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642
– 20 March 1727) scientists have been laboriously climbing the steep precipice
of truth, seeking an ultimate understanding of reality. If they ever reach
the top they will find the spiritual leaders who have been patiently waiting
for them for centuries.
The
power of prayer: Believing in God can help . Benefit is not confined
to a specific religion.
Belief in God may
improve treatment for those suffering with depression, says a new study.
Faith in a higher being
has been found to significantly improve treatment for people suffering with a
psychiatric illness, according to research carried out by McLean Hospital in
Belmont, Massachusetts.
Researchers followed 159
patients over the course of a year at the Behavioral Health Partial Hospital
program at McLean to investigate the relationship between a patient's
level of belief in God, expectations for treatment and actual treatment
outcomes.
Each participant was
asked to gauge their belief in God as well as their expectations for treatment
outcome on a five-point scale.
Levels of depression,
wellbeing, and self-harm were assessed at the beginning and end of their
treatment program.
Researchers found that
patients with 'no' or only 'slight' belief in God were twice as likely not to
respond to treatment than patients with higher levels of belief.
And more than 30 per
cent of patients claiming no specific religious affiliation still saw the same
benefits in treatment if their belief in God was rated as moderately or very
high.
Researchers concluded
that a belief in God is associated with improved treatment outcomes in
psychiatric care.
The study, published in
the Journal of Affective Disorders, said : 'Our work suggests that
people with a moderate to high level of belief in a higher power do
significantly better in short-term psychiatric treatment than those without,
regardless of their religious affiliation.
Belief was associated
with not only improved psychological wellbeing, but a decrease in depression
and intention to self-harm, explained David Rosmarin, McLean Hospital
clinician and instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical.
He added: 'I hope
that this work will lead to larger studies and increased funding in order to help
as many people as possible.'
Previous studies have
highlighted the power of prayer on a person's health.
Research at San
Francisco General Hospital monitored the effects of prayer on 393 cardiac
patients.
Patients were asked if
they wanted to take part in the trial but were not told whether they would be
the subject of prayers.
Half were prayed for by
a group of strangers who only had the patients' names.
Those who were prayed
for had fewer complications, fewer cases of pneumonia and needed less drug
treatment.
They also improved more
quickly and were able to leave hospital earlier.
A separate study, at
Columbia University in New York, asked people in Australia, the U.S. and Canada
to pray for named people undergoing IVF treatment in Korea.
Of the group in Korea,
half had prayers said about them by the foreign strangers.
Among this half, the
success rate for implantation of the embryo in the womb went up from 8 per cent
to 16 per cent.
Cases of successful
conception - where the fetus started developing - went up from 25 to
50 per cent.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2314781/Believing-God-help-treat-depression.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2314781/Believing-God-help-treat-depression.html
