Patched Up!: Mysteries of Faith

By Rev. David Adams, Roper St. Francis Healthcare

Sharing news about an illness or upcoming surgery can be hard and sometimes scary but it seems every conversation ends a similar way. Family hugs. Friends express their love. And you might even hear, “I want to pray for you through this,” or “I will add you to my church’s prayer list.” Those are comforting words. They communicate connection and edification. But can they heal? That is the real question. Do words of prayer affect change as much as they bring comfort? Does prayer have that kind of power? A doctor near you might think so.

For example, several years ago Joe P. was scheduled to have his fourth heart surgery in as many years, an angioplasty and stent placement. Doctors were planning a common procedure done hundreds of times a day in hospitals, but it still carried a risk. “The risks are still there and some are big,” says Mitch Krucoff, MD, a cardiovascular specialist at Duke University. While Joe was in surgery, unknown to him, teams of religious people around the country were praying for him by first name and his medical team. Joe was part of a Spirituality in Medicine pilot study at Duke Medical School on the effects of intercessory prayer or “distant” prayer. It was part of a larger national study on the outcomes of prayer for patients undergoing high-risk surgeries. For Joe the outcome was positive. But is this a result of prayer?

Research shows it could be. Some studies are showing that not only are prayers effective but that those who hold religious beliefs tend to lead healthier lives. Some of the statistics are quite revealing:

• Hospitalized people who do not attend church have an average stay of three times longer than people who attended regularly.
• Elderly who never or rarely attend church are twice as likely to have a stroke as regular church goers.
• Heart patients were 14 times more likely to die following surgery if they did not participate in a religion.
• People who are more religious tend to become depressed less often and when they do become depressed they recover more quickly.

Harold Koenig, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Psychiatry at Duke and a colleague of Krucoff, joins others who are advocating that attending physicians learn the spiritual needs of the patient and have the hospital chaplain or patient’s minister provide spiritual encouragement and care during the surgery or illness.

How can I participate in my own healing?

So as we approach one of the most religious weeks of the calendar year for Christians, the question for us might simply be – “What can I do?”

• Pray. It really does not matter how you do it, just start. Most every religion has its own form of prayer.
• Meditate when you exercise. Regardless of how you exercise, what matters is how you think in exercise. To clear your mind, leave the phone at home. Turn the TV/computer off. Think about a spiritual word or short phase for the workout. Meditate on that.

 Trying these meditations in daily living may prove beneficial to your health and spirit. The promise of prayer has never been to take away pain, illness and suffering but it has always been that praying will walk with you through it. Finding your center of gravity in a relationship with a greater power will help you better navigate those ups and downs of life.

Want to learn more? Dr. Harold Koenig will be giving a seminar on Spirituality and Medicine at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital on Monday, April 16 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Call 402-CARE to register.

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