Medical Study Questions Power of Prayer
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| Sat, 04-01-2006 - 1:02am |
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/31pray.html?_r=1&incamp=article_popular&oref=slogin
This is a fairly groundbreaking study, and people are bound to want to talk about it! Interesting. I tend to focus on sending "good thoughts" or "positive energy" these days. I have a natural gut reaction to anything that strikes me as a "should" from the halls of religion. How do others here feel about this article a/o about praying?
A snip of the article below. If you can't see the entire article at the site, you may need to register. Don't worry, it's a painless, free, and very simple process. If you'd rather not register, let me know, and I'll be happy to e-mail you the copy.
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"Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found.
And patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of post-operative complications like abnormal heart rhythms, perhaps because of the expectations the prayers created, the researchers suggested.
Because it is the most scientifically rigorous investigation of whether prayer can heal illness, the study, begun almost a decade ago and involving more than 1,800 patients, has for years been the subject of speculation.
The question has been a contentious one among researchers. Proponents have argued that prayer is perhaps the most deeply human response to disease, and that it may relieve suffering by some mechanism that is not yet understood. Skeptics have contended that studying prayer is a waste of money and that it presupposes supernatural intervention, putting it by definition beyond the reach of science.
At least 10 studies of the effects of prayer have been carried out in the last six years, with mixed results. The new study was intended to overcome flaws in the earlier investigations. The report was scheduled to appear in The American Heart Journal next week, but the journal's publisher released it online yesterday."

Interesting.
Hi
I have read these research things a couple of times, but this is the first time, that it says that if people knew they were being prayed for that complications appeared.
I wondered what it was going to say on that website (don't know where it is now?) that will tell us/you/me... if something is a fable and lie or the truth, as I have also read researches? which say the opposite? That it has contributed to quicker healings, for people who had been prayed for, whether they knew about it or not.
I always think/feel that it is better to pray for the people/family who can't let go, if it is in the better interest of a parent's or child's or spouse's welbeing not to be healed.
I sometimes see people getting soo desperate for healing of a loved one and what I see then, is that the ill person, suffers more, to the benefit of that person, who doesn't want their loved one to die.
Tis not a new research this one, I have read it several times over the last number of years and defenitely longer than 6 years.
greets from that old brush?
I rank this study right up there with
Still an interesting article! The study has raised a lot more questions, than provided answers, and I think that's a good thing. I find the link between patients' progress, and prayer requests/expectations, "Am I so sick that I need to be prayed for," especially fascinating. It's worth thinking about, and nothing to feel threatened by, that's for sure.
I agree with the Unity spiritual director Bob Barth, that the research on prayer, and spirituality are only just beginning. Meantime, you know what they say, no need to fix something that isn't broken! ;o)
xxoox
Susan
I just got back from 10 days in Belize for spring break, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for the sun/beach thing with a lot of culture and Mayan ruins everywhere you turn! So, jumping back in here....
Ok, my beliefs on prayer--- I believe thoughts are extremely powerful, they are pure energy and almost have form to them. I believe it is the INTENT behind a thought, or a prayer, that gets carried. Therefore, every thought, that comes from love, does send a healing to the person being prayed for or thought about. Love is the most powerful thought form. Does that always transfer to a physical healing we can physically see? No! That may not be what that soul needs at this point in time. But do I firmly believe that the person receives a blessing on a soul level? yes!
I also think that a lot of prayers hold a tremendous amount of fear in them as well, and that this is carried through the airwaves. I think it is important to prepare oneself for prayer, do a meditation to get in a calm, loving space before praying for another, to keep as much pure love flowing as possible. Once upon meditating, I heard this very clearly, and in a voice not my own: "Never underestimate the extreme power in every loving thought." I have never forgotten that.
Hugs,
Nikki
I also think that a lot of prayers hold a tremendous amount of fear in them as well, and that this is carried through the airwaves.
I hadn't thought of that Nikki, but it's an excellent point.
I think thoughts are powerful, but only to a degree. One thing that separates us from other animals, is our ability to reason. We can determine which thoughts we want to maintain, and form ideas with them, or not, and we can decide to let some thoughts slip through the save filter, especially if we decide they aren't serving us well.
What do you mean when you say that, "thoughts are pure energy, and almost have form to them?"
Thanks! :)
Susan
xxoox