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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 1998)
cnday • August 3,1998 The Battalion PINION ow I lay me down to sleep... inally ill patients should rely on healing powers of traditional medicine, not mystical power of prayer Alison Lackey columnist he August 8th issue of Woman’s World maga zine reports new research showing that no RiyvH matter what individuals ay for, better physical health , the result. The magazine re- '"“Htsthat spirituality and reli- t n ous beliefs can protect indi- k duals from disease, t Bandit* “Jeligious people are less ctorAcadJf tosufferfrom "reports PegVerone, ithor of Harness the Healing _ of Faith. the pjjthin Verone’s article, a , jjHampshire Dartmouth 1011 fl ed [cal Center study reports itilnts who had “strong faith” were 14 times less ly Aware (e iy to die after open heart surgery than those Uigeaw. r .| 0( |i t i not Anc j eac h 0 f the 37 patients in the nice and uc j, claimed to be deeply religious made a Mrirmn\. ' vm ‘J Sbiritual suggestions such as these are down- vaysdone« n g t h e significance and efficiency of modern pstaOT^j c j ne S pi r it ua i aspect of improving physi- str”^ jcjMealth should only, at most accompany mod- u :nhiedicine. It should not be the sole provider of t lh care. e love s T.T. . . , . , . . . Within the article, various statistics and reason- Mhr |g siic h as this explain why personal spiritual ahananfa® * 1 ^ 11S c i te< d to be a valid cure for terminal ill- nkrockr® However, the problem is that often times, the he industr pdity of Hie power of spiritual growth convinces ird mvst 1 ’fti ents t0 drop their modern medicinal thera- iince." ‘ es - [With the knowledge of these new studies, I tould religious leaders feel relieved to know they a I ClKnll not have a serious illness? It is absurd to think is true. hat constitutes strong faith anyway? It seems dividuals do not all have an equal value of faith, e intensity of faith is different for each person, erefore, these studies seem to be without credi- .nieveliss levil neet L’rned ate fV- so h t | S fcW resentl y. our traditional concept of cancer is ^ .TBingchallenged by researchers and doctors who 1 Use spiritual and religious methods. However, discoveries of traditional science suggest the causes of cancer are ge netic or chromosomal dam age from radiation and chem icals. Modern science also suggests cancer leads to death if not treated. There fore, it is important to find it early and treat it by killing diseased tissue with surgery, chemotherapy, etc. With these methods, there are several questions and problems that some cru saders of spiritual and reli gious healing have with modern medicine. Teachers of spiritual healing seem to believe other issues prompt cancer and other terminal diseases. Geerd Ryke Hamer, Ger man physician, dubbed “the German faith healer,” be lieves the causes of cancer are a “person’s life situation, his or her practical, emotional and social problems.” It is a challenge to believe attending a religious service or meditating on a living room rug can significantly improve one’s chances of not developing cancer. These things do not protect an individual from cancer. Of course, it would be a spiritually uplifting ex perience to meditate or pray, but the link between the physical and the spiritual concerning protect ing oneself from cancer and heart disease seems non-existent. It is understandable that when individuals face intense pain accompanied by the threat of death, prayer and meditation allow the patient to cope with the disease. However, it seems a patient would be open to alternative concepts of healing. Patients undergoing the horrific strain of termi nal illness will exhaust options. His or her deter mination and desperation creates validity for any type of method. However, it is important to stress that a spiritual life of prayer does not cure or protect an individ ual from cancer. Furthermore, individuals should not take this specific plan of action to ensure that disease will not dominate and complicate their lives. This type of use and abuse of prayer for future physical well in mm rni M ^ wmw Graphic Bv Timothy Kang / The Battauon being is manipulative. It is understandable if someone already afflict ed with disease would pray and seek spiritual healing to accompany his or her modern medical plan. But, the healing power of faith should not be a patient’s only plan. Patients should rely on healing powers of traditional medicine. Alison Lackey is a senior English major. Jst, all wiif t the Itel r of cete®l '11 die m ey got a 1C n cirrhosis! >d from oil after spaj he 1960s s| at least 351 times dmi h-defyinf' he admit vydrinfc ® HOW COULD A SHOOTING LIKE THIS HAVE HAPFENEP AT CAPrfOL? HAND !Y\E something to nnipe EYES. (JjBrmnwfeii (TiimK Vou.j pack, nds thr« : .500 point m 1 Park on rroumfci cers as rry jubil* e thru-h- half-gaB lt A'aymail [TiehorrificmurdersthathaveH heifers taken place in the nation’s Capi- s just as® - to! down** Juki appall 3 pullsai Americans. ledia ignores consequence lyspecula- canletthe i n 14 st<l estigators sr into the Jeff Downing guest columnist hafferv -ntionsof 10 nC [deprived s.ppalact lividualwho Emitted the his first 1 tcherous rail tosh me. World' 1 Perhaps the nePacih irderer’s in- uldnh ! 'donssim- <5o I stil are an extension of tlie disgust "p e ;: ttoriginates in the public’s percep- -iake mO ,l0 Hhe U.S. government through like tlC ( e 7 es 311 inadequate media. The iia, a necessary facet of American can sometimes disappoint the nsum er of accurate, informed tvs. The latest approval ratings of Pres- -nt Bill Clinton have reached 67 tcent. However, one must ask if is rating gives the public a true mea- He of his performance concerning tissues facing our country, or if it is Pleasure of his “Hollywood” appeal. I Clinton is not alone when it comes f being critiqued by the prying eyes 'the media. Public figures such as ewt Gingrich or even someone luch further down the totem pole of influence, a presidential intern for ex ample, also are victims of the dumb ing down of the American people by an uncaring media. This is not to say the media are the sole reason for the degradation of American life, although the quality of those elected to public office has de clined to nothing more than mediocre, and the media are largely responsible. The media play a large role in how information, or misinformation as the case may be, concerning the state of the nation gets circulated to citi zens. Party differences are tearing apart the fabric that holds the nation together, and it seems the nightly news does nothing but display the latest sexual escapades of public offi cials on Capitol Hill. This is not to say the moral con stitutions of individuals in elected positions are of no importance; however, issues concerning the well being of the nation, such as tobacco legislation or health care reform, should take precedence in the news world over the party line quibblings and character debates that are commonplace in Wash ington, DC. Few media representatives take the initiative to ask the question, “Should we take this as far as we can?” The media report their stories with out taking into consideration the hurt it might bring to those involved. There must be some line the press cannot cross. I am not calling for lim its or restrictions on the press (for all of you who are screaming First Amendment Rights). I am calling for some self-evaluation on the part of those who bring Americans the news. And Americans, as a caring public, must demand more of the media they are subjected to. The social fabric of this country can be tom by misinformation. It is the patriotic responsibility of those who consider themselves members of the media to bring the American public enough accurate information so the average citizen can be well in formed in regard to the government under which he or she resides. Beyond providing relevant infor mation to the polity, media represen tatives must sort through the infor mation and use their moral and civic minded judgment to decide what is newsworthy and what is rubbish. It must also be stated the Ameri can public is not without blame. The news reported is enough to satisfy the majority of the citizens who want nothing more than tabloid stories and “Jerry Springer” excitement. The nation must demand more of its media and the media must not con form the ebbing demands of the American public. Jeff Downing is a junior political science major. Medical studies, science draw parallel between prayer, health I t really is not surprising to hear the claim that prayer can con tribute to quicker, fuller re coveries for illness and surgery. Nor is the boast that people of faith are happier and health ier than their faithless counterparts as tounding. What is surprising to many people, though, is that science is the entity making these claims. Several recent medical studies have indicated some thing we all learned in Sunday school — prayer is good medi cine for the body and soul. As these studies show, contrary to popular opinion, science and religion can make good bedfel lows. A study at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth Medical Center found patients who had “strong faith” were 14 times less likely to die after open-heart surgery than those who didn’t. Furthermore, each of 37 pa tients who described them selves as “deeply religious” made full recoveries. Harold G. Koenig, director of the Center for the Study of Reli gion, Spirituality and Health at Duke University,said behavior surrounding religious beliefs can contribute to better health. “We’re beginning to see that having faith in God or a higher power can be a powerful force in healing,” Koenig said. Whether these improve ments in recovery were because of divine intervention or some sort of placebo effect is irrele vant. The fact is, some sort of connection exists between faith and health. But this connection is not news. After all, the faithful al ways believed God can heal sickness. The real news is that science is in agreement with what faithful people already knew. This assumption that science and religion cannot stand in agreement is a fallacy. People often make the mistake of as suming science and religion are diametrically opposed. Too often, we are made to choose one or the other— evo lution or creationism, natural phenomenon or miracles, sci entific fact or religious faith. But saying the universe is completely bound by observ able scientific principle trivial izes religion and exaggerates Whether these im provements were because of divine in tervention or some sort of placebo effect is irrelevant. The fact is, some sort of con nection exists between faith and health. what science can do. On the flip side, claiming religion is the end all, be all of describing the universe causes us to commit intellectual suicide and leads to blind faith. Actually, science and religion and religion are, in many re spects, very similar beasts. Both involve a search for truth. Both attempt to describe the uni verse in which we live. And both attract a throng of devoted fol lowers. As the Dartmouth study shows, science and religion sometimes do work in similar directions. Actually, the Dartmouth study is not the first instance where the secular world has ac knowledged faith can be a means toward recovery from sickness. Consider Alcoholics Anony mous (AA). Since 1935, AA has helped more than two million alcoholics recover from their disease. AA has garnered re spect and praise around the world and has inspired the sim ilar 12-step programs for other addictions. Interestingly, AA’s 12-step program is based around a be lief that God can help an alco holic overcome his or her addic tion. Consider step two of AA’s program, where the alcoholic “comes to believe that a power greater than himself can restore his sanity.” Step 11 in the AA plan takes an even more drastic step. In it, the alcoholic “seeks through prayer and meditation to im prove our conscious contact with God as he understands Him, praying only for knowl edge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” Here is an extraordinarily successful program that has for the past 63 years been helping alcoholics recover by encourag ing them to seek help from God. Yet, AA is widely accepted as a legitimate method of treating alcoholism despite the fact that it encourages its members to seek healing through religious faith. If faith in God can heal peo ple from alcoholism, surely it can heal them of other ail ments. This seems to be the conclusion medical science is just discovering. Maybe there really is some thing to faith healing after ail. John Lemons is a graduate student in electrical engineering.