Spirituality And Health

"The needs of the spirit are as important to health as the needs of the body"
- Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was way ahead of her time in many ways. As a 19th century woman she was highly unusual simply because she was educated and had a career as a nurse. As a nurse she reformed hospitals and instituted sanitation procedures that resulted in enormous decreases in military hospital mortality rates. Florence Nightingale was also advanced in her view that health and healing were influenced by the spirit.

However, through most of the 20th century, the health care system functioned based on the premise that health is primarily a physical issue. With the advent of antibiotics, technology and increasingly advanced surgical procedures, the approach to health has become more about treating symptoms and illness rather than supporting balance in the human body to keep people healthy.

Fortunately, in more recent years, a lot more attention has been given to the role of spirituality in health. Time magazine had "Faith and Healing" as its cover story in June of 1996. Newsweek ran a "Faith and Healing" cover on November 10, 2003. A magazine titled Spirituality and Health is now in its 8th year of publication.

More importantly, hospitals and healthcare organizations are taking the role of spirituality more seriously as an element of patient care. There are hospitals that mention attending to the needs of their patients' bodies, minds and spirit in their mission statements. Spiritual Care departments and chapels and meditation rooms are available in non-religious healthcare institutions. Integrative Medicine departments, which offer a more holistic approach to health are on the rise. Even the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the major accrediting body for U.S. healthcare institutions includes standards that address how the organizations address their patient's spiritual needs.

What this means for those of us who embrace a spiritual approach to all aspects of our lives is that we have a choice. When choosing a hospital or even a doctor we can make inquiries into the commitment that the organization or physician has to attending to our spiritual needs. There ARE doctors that will pray with their patients. There are hospitals that have well developed spiritual care departments. Integrating your spiritual beliefs with your healthcare has been shown to have a positive and healing effect.

In study performed in 1995 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the degree to which heart surgery patients drew strength and comfort from their faith was one of the greatest predictors of survival. There are numerous studies over the past 30 years that show that churchgoers have lower blood pressure than non-churchgoers, that their risk of dying from coronary-artery disease is lower and that elderly churchgoers are less depressed and generally healthier than their non-religious counterparts. In a 1988 study at San Francisco General Hospital, a group of cardiology patients that was prayed for (anonymously and without their knowledge) required significantly fewer antibiotics and had fewer complications post-surgically.

For a healthy person, remembering Florence Nightingale's words, "The needs of the spirit are as important to health as the needs of the body", is a key element of maintaining good health. The "Relaxation Response" is a phrase coined by cardiologist Herbert Benson describing the relaxed state that is induced by meditation, meditative prayer, yoga, tai chi, chi qong, guided imagery and other practices. In this state, the body's innate healing abilities are enhanced and several studies at the Harvard Mind-Body Clinic have shown its positive effects. The relaxation effect can result in lower blood pressure, fewer doctor's visits, enhanced immune function, reduced pain and a resolution to infertility. For those of us who are healthy, regularly eliciting the relaxation can enhance peace of mind and strengthen our connection with our higher power resulting in continued good health and a profound sense of well-being.

© 2006, Davis Virtual Assistance. This article may not be reprinted or copied on any type of media either in part or in whole.

Author:  Dina Crawford