Prayer and other forms of distant healing stand up to the scrutiny of science, concludes a University of Maryland School of Medicine researcher, who has viewed dozens of studies on this topic. Patients who receive distant healing show a positive effect, says John A. Astin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Medicine's Complementary Medicine Program, writing in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. He based his conclusions upon an analysis of 23 clinical studies which included placebos and met standard scientific standards.
He found that 57 percent of the studies showed a positive impact, such as less pain or a faster-than-expected recovery time. This percentage of success far exceeds chance expectations.
Of the various methods studied, non-contact therapeutic touch had the highest number of positive results.
A second study conducted by Duke University suggests that people who pray daily may live longer. The research, conducted by Harold Koenig, a family physician at the University's medical center, and published in the Journal of Gerontology, followed 4,000 senior citizens for six years.
At the end of that time, those who indicated that they never prayed had a 50 percent greater chance of dying than those who prayed or meditated at least once a month. This risk factor held constant even when taking into account other risk factors such as smoking and social isolation. In a report on the research reported in USA Today, Dr. Koenig attributed the power of prayer and meditation to the physical destressing effects of deep relaxation.
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