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.
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Jeff
Downing
guest columnist
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10 nC [deprived
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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.