Alternative Health - Prayer Power

Scientific research on faith's health effects

What constitutes a “dose” of prayer? How does one define prayer? Is channeling Buddhist intention or reiki energy the same thing as praying to a Judeo-Christian God? And how do you determine whether it was prayer that made a patient better, or something else? There are enormous methodological and conceptual problems with the studies of distant prayer,” said Dr. Richard Sloan, a professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University in Manhattan . The study of distant healing was once the realm of eccentric scientists, but the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has spent $2.2 million on studies of distant healing and intercessory prayer since 2000 – a fraction of the agency's annual budget, which totaled $117 million in 2004.

The 10 most commonly used forms of alternative medicine in the U.S., according to a government survey of 31,000 adults: Prayer for own health – 43%; Prayer for others for patient's health – 24%; Natural products (herbs, botanicals, enzymes) – 19%; Deep-breathing exercises – 12%; Prayer group participation – 10%; Meditation – 8%; Chiropractic – 8%; Yoga – 5%; Massage – 5%; Diets (Atkins, Pritikin, Omish, Zone) – 4%

(Source: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)