Religious commitment boosts health
Preventing illness could be as simple as practicing a religion, according to a recently published report. Religious practice helps deter mental and physical illness and speeds a patient's recovery, according to the data. Dale A. Matthews, MD, and a research team at Georgetown University of Medicine in Washington, DC, published the findings in the March/April 1998 issue of Archives of Family Medicine.
"Surveys of the U.S. population during the past 60 years have established that religion holds a central place in the lives of Americans," the researchers note.1 Statistics reveal that 95% of Americans believe in God, 50% pray each day, and more than 40% attend church services every week.
Results indicate religious commitment reduces risk of:
· depression;
· suicide;
· substance abuse;
· cancer;
· cardiovascular disease.
Matthews and colleagues suggest "that adherence to health-promoting behaviors, such as abstaining from alcohol, red meat, and tobacco, could partially explain the lower incidence of disease that has been observed among members of conservative religious groups."
Religious commitment improves coping skills when illness occurs, the research team adds. Physicians can recommend the patient continue religious practices such as prayer, church attendance, and study of spiritually-based literature, the researchers say.
Reference
1. Matthews D, McCullough M, Larson D, et al. Religious commitment and health status: a review of the research and implications for family medicine. Archives of Family Medicine, 1998:118-124.
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