Preventive and Curative Medicine

Women today face an increasingly difficult situation when it comes to making decisions about medical exams and treatment – especially for the disease about which many are most afraid – breast cancer.

Recently, conflicting studies relating to the effectiveness of mammograms have been in the news.  An article in the Washington Post, “Mammograms Leading to Unnecessary Treatment,” states that “the routine use of mammograms has led to more than 1 million women being unnecessarily treated for breast cancer over the past three decades.” (1)

The study behind the article, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that “nearly one-third of women diagnosed with breast cancer would never have developed the full-blown disease if left untreated.” (1)

H. Gilbert Welch, coauthor of the study and a professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, said: patients have undergone invasive procedures such as surgery, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy which are “major medical interventions and certainly not something you would want to under go if you didn’t need to.” (1)

On the other hand, the American Cancer Society said the “study must be viewed with caution.”  Also, the American College of Radiology attacked the validity of the study, charging that it was spreading ‘misinformation’ and ‘the cost may be lost lives.’” (1)

All this information may leave women (and men) wondering just what is the right approach to preventing disease.  Who wants to go through unnecessary medical surgeries and procedures?  Then again, who wants to overlook a potential danger?

Two approaches to improved health that are on the rise, according to studies, are taking steps to be free of anger, resentment, guilt or other negative emotions and some regular practice of prayer. Both are approaches I’ve found effective. 

Daily prayer that acknowledges a relationship to God or higher power – a relationship between Creator and His/Her children (namely us) that can never be separated – is a powerful tool to improve our health. 

A friend of mine, whose mother had died of breast cancer, was awakened one night with a sharp pain in her breast and felt a lump had formed.  The pain was unbearable to the point she couldn’t speak. To make a long story short, she realized she was harboring anger, resentment, lack of forgiveness, and bitterness against some of her relatives. She felt they had played a part in her mother’s death.

As a starting point, she turned to God for answers.  She realized she had to overcome these unhealthy thoughts about the relatives.  She set out to sincerely love and forgive — to be obedient to Christ Jesus’ commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.  This friend was totally healed. 

“Traditional religious beliefs have a variety of effects on personal health,” says Harold Koenig, senior author of the, Handbook of Religion and Health, a new release that documents nearly 1200 studies on the effects of prayer on health.” (2)

“These studies show that religious people tend to live healthier lives. …In fact, people who pray tend to get sick less often, as separate studies conducted at Duke, Dartmouth, and Yale universities show.”  (2)

Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science and a 19th century healer wrote on the first page of her book, Science and Health with key to the Scriptures, “The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God, —a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love. Regardless of what another may say or think on this subject, I speak from experience.” (3)

I speak from experience!  Daily prayer in the form of love, forgiveness and peace is preventive and curative.

Kate is interested in blogging about health, spirituality, science, the importance of prayer to maintain a healthy mind and body.  She is a Christian Science practitioner and the media, legislative and public contact for Christian Science in the state of Maryland. 

 1.  washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/…

2.   http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/can-prayer-heal

3.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy.  Page 1, Line 1.