How do you stay connected with your loved ones while you are traveling?
Deepak provides a series of examples to keep a strong connection with
your family while you are abroad--such as discussing the good and the bad
parts of each day, performing rituals or prayers together, and having the

How do you stay connected with your loved ones while you are traveling? Deepak provides a series of examples to keep a strong connection with your family while you are abroad--such as discussing the good and the bad parts of each day, performing rituals or prayers together, and having the intention to be connected. And with this intention,

How do you stay connected with your loved ones while you are traveling?
Deepak provides a series of examples to keep a strong connection with
your family while you are abroad--such as discussing the good and the bad
parts of each day, performing rituals or prayers together, and having the

What’s the best way to communicate with a family member who is away at war? Deepak Chopra emphasizes how to use modern communication methods to convey support with love, attention, care, and hope.

 

How do you stay connected with your loved ones while you are traveling? Deepak provides a series of examples to keep a strong connection with your family while you are abroad--such as discussing the good and the bad parts of each day, performing rituals or prayers together, and having the intention to be connected. And with this intention, situations, circumstances and encounters will follow.

The first scientific study on the power of prayer to heal may have led to unexciting results, but it hasn't deterred the tenacity of those who believe. In a recent essay in Science and Theology, Dónal P. O'Mathúna, co-author of Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook and lecturer of health care ethics at the School of Nursing in Dublin, points out several flaws in the STEP study (study of the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer).

In the wake of this week's massive study refuting prayer's ability to impact healing comes a little study that gives hope back to the faithful. Led by Daniel Hall, a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center doctor and ordained Episcopal priest, the report found that those who attend regular religious services (regular = weekly) have life expectancies that are comparable to those who exercise regularly and/or take statin medications.

In a study that spanned a decade and included more than 1,800 patients, researchers have concluded that prayer is not effective in speeding recovery after surgery. This is big news for those who have relied on prayer as legitimate aspect of complementary and alternative medicine.

The study, which was scheduled to run in this week's addition of the American Heart Journal (but was published online late last week), found that prayer was not only ineffective in helping post-operative recovery, but it also had a detrimental affect on patients. Those who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of post-operative complications like abnormal heart rhythms. Researches attribute this to the expectations the prayers created.

 

The influence of faith and prayer on health and recovery is a topic that's not going anywhere. In fact, it's only growing stronger. Last year the NCCAM (National Center for for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) spent roughly $800,000 on research into prayer, general spirituality and distant healing.

As founder of the George Washington University Institute for Spirituality and Health, Christina Puchalski M.D. is dedicated to connecting the spiritual with the medical.

This month's Prevention Magazine online examines Puchalski's work and the power of prayer in medicine.