Prayer's healing studied

Thu, May 26, 2005
By Matt Conn
Marshfield News-Herald

Some medical research supports what the faithful have long believed - prayer not only can help heal the sick and soothe the spirit, it may also prevent health problems.

Throughout the United States, about 45 percent of the adult population prayed for health in 2002, according to estimates released last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whether praying for herself or others, 59-year-old Karen Mitchell, a nurse practitioner at Marshfield Clinic, said a day doesn't go by without it.

"I feel more centered, I think, with it. More sure of my direction," said Mitchell, who is a member of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Marshfield. "I don't make any big decisions without it."

In medical classification, prayer is part of research supported by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health that examines a broad range of therapies and beliefs previously considered separate from traditional medicine, such as prayer, meditation, acupuncture or herbal remedies.

Researchers have unearthed a growing body of evidence linking the body and mind, and through "mind-body medicine," which includes prayer, the NCCAM is continuing to study spirituality and its potential effect on physical mechanisms in combination with traditional medicine.

These methods are not a panacea, according to the NIH. Thus far, various researchers have defined prayer, spirituality and related concepts in different ways, and say that religious practices and their beneficial effect may be a product of stress reduction, which itself produces health benefits, according to the NIH.

But many faithful attribute the benefits of prayer to the hand of God.

"Maybe I'm in a situation where I need help from the outside in what I can do, and when I ask God to help me, God does," said John Freel, senior pastor of the Believers Church in Marshfield. "It's a huge benefit to know that there's someone outside myself that can bring all kind of resources to bear in a situation."

At the church, prayer is encouraged for a vast array of situations, such as for healing, wisdom or simply God's intervention, Freel said.

"When I pray, sometimes God immediately gives me the answer or insight or drops something in my mind to go on," he said. "I know that when I pray, when every Christian talks to God about things, or when you're not a Christian and you talk to God about things, I think it brings peace, love and grace. It helps people feel better."

In a study published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers found that of 134 adolescents from a suburban high school who completed a questionnaire evaluating spirituality, 89 percent reported a belief in a higher power, and those with spiritual well-being - even if it was not religious - had fewer depressive symptoms and fewer risk-taking behaviors.

Faith can also create a desire to help others.

After several trips to Honduras through Missionary Health Service, Mitchell, of the town of Green Valley said prayer helped her reach a major decision. After a nearly 20-year-long career at the Marshfield Clinic, she has decided to retire and volunteer in Honduras until the spring of 2008.

Mitchell said she had originally been saving for retirement, but will instead use that money to help fund her trip. As a nurse practitioner, she will act as a medical provider for an orphanage, as well as work at a clinic for Missionary Health Service, both about a half hour from Trujillo.

"This is something that I've wanted to do since I was in college," she said. "I was going to do it after I retired in five years, but I just decided that the time was now." "I think my faith plays a big role in this," she said.

Marshfield News Herald - Prayer's healing studied