To what extent do intent, attitude and touch affect healing?

A frequent question asked by people is "To what extent do intent, attitude and touch affect health outcomes?" These factors significantly affect the healing process.
Another study by Bengston and Krinsley revealed that after witnessing numerous cases of cancer remission associated with a healer who used "laying on of hands," one of the authors apprenticed in these techniques alleged to produce the healing effect.
The authors obtained five experimental mice with mammary adenocarcinoma, which had a predicted 100 percent fatality rate of between 14 and 27 days. These mice were treated using the healing techniques learned by the investigator. The treatments were given one hour per day for one month. The tumors developed a blackened area, then ulcerated, imploded, and closed. The mice lived their normal life spans.
Control mice sent to another city all died within the predicted time frame. Three replications using skeptical volunteer healers at two different institutions produced an overall cure rate of 87.9 percent in 33 experimental mice. Histological studies revealed viable cancer cells through all stages of remission.
When re-injections of cancer were given to the mice in remission, they did not "take" and the animals remained in remission. The authors surmised that the treatment might have stimulated an immunological response.
The authors reached the following tentative conclusions: "Belief in laying on of hands is not necessary in order to produce the effect; there is a stimulated immune response to treatment, which is reproducible and predictable; and the mice retain an immunity to the same cancer after remission"
Attitude also matters. Laughter and humour have been shown to have beneficial health effects as well. An investigation into humour-associated, mirthful laughter modulated certain neuroimmune parameters. Fifty-two healthy men participated in the study. Blood samples were taken 10 minutes before viewing an hour-long humor video. Additional blood samples were taken 30 minutes into the video, 30 minutes after the viewing was completed and 12 hours after the viewing.
Increases were found in natural killer cell activity: Immunoglobins G and M, with several immunoglobin effects lasting 12 hours after viewing the humor video. Other effects lasting at least 12 hours were increases in leukocyte subsets and cytokine interferon gamma. It was concluded, "Modulation of neuroimmune parameters during and following the humor-associated eustress [pleasant or curative stress] of laughter may provide beneficial health effects for wellness..."
Allergy patients who watched a Charlie Chaplin comedy had skin welts shrink, an effect not found in control subjects who watched weather reports.
So, the very act of touching, inherent in the healingl encounter, exerts a beneficial influence. Intent enhances this effect.
Furthermore, an upbeat, positive, empathic attitude will benefit everyone.
"One relatively consistent finding is that physicians who adopt a warm, friendly, and reassuring manner are more effective than those who keep consultations formal and do not offer reassurance."
Focus on your intent to allow the body to express its potential. It will significantly affect healing.

The Power of Prayer [1]

A patient lived about four to five hours away in a small community. She was concerned of a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis she had just received. She called to make an appointment but could not get in to see the doctor for six weeks. When she hung up the phone, she was absolutely confident that her prayer would be answered and she would get in sooner. She did not have one doubt in her brain. She did not relay this information to the patient coordinator. Within the hour, another patient who was scheduled to attend in four days called to cancel and she was able to get in. Every day there are miracles that occur that go unnoticed by most of us.

The Power of Prayer [2]

Researchers have found that people who are more involved with religious organisations seem to be able to cope with stress. Why? The healing power of prayer, of course. And even if conventional medicine doesn't get it, people certainly believe.

According to a poll, researchers found:

Prayer (90 percent) worked slightly better than drugs (89 percent) to control pain.

Such results are no surprise, to say the least, to vicars and doctors who have witnessed the impact personal faith has on a patient's reaction to different kinds of pain -- psychological or physical.

Spiritual Support

One doctor and pastor explained that prayer enables people to grab their mind and put it in a new perspective. Further, by focusing on prayer, believers are able to reduce stress and gain control over pain.

Conversely, advocates of conventional medicine find it difficult to assess the beneficial effects of prayer. A Columbia University psychologist says prayer is no better or more useful than any other activity designed to distract a patient from his or her pain. That opinion flies in the face of a recent study of sickle cell patients that found those who attended church weekly had the lowest pain scores.

The Power of Prayer [3]

Can Spirituality Improve Your Health? Interview with Larry Dossey, MD.

In US medical schools, one of the fastest growing areas of study is the healing power of... prayer. Seventy-nine of the nation's 125 medical schools now offer courses on prayer and spirituality. A decade ago, only three medical schools offered such classes.
If doctors now believe that prayer and spirituality should be addressed during their training, can patients also benefit by learning more?

To find out about the recent surge of interest, a leading expert in the healing power of prayer, Larry Dossey, MD said:

Is there any scientific evidence to support the use of prayer in the prevention or treatment of disease? Researchers have conducted approximately 200 scientific studies on prayer and health. About two-thirds of these studies have shown positive results in patients with chest pain, heart attack and AIDS.

How was the research conducted? One of the most impressive studies is being conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. The research, which will soon be published in the American Journal of Cardiology, shows how prayer affects heart patients.

When patients with severe chest pain were admitted for emergency treatment, they were given the option of participating in the study. Of those who joined the study, half were randomly assigned to a group that was prayed for, while the other half was not prayed for. Neither the patients nor their doctors knew who was being prayed for. Both groups received identical medical treatment.

The names of those in the prayed-for group were sent to prayer gatherings around the world, in every major religious tradition -- Buddhists in Tibet, Jews in Jerusalem, Hindus in India, Catholics and Protestants in the US and so on.

Those in the prayed-for group had half as many or, in some cases, no side effects or complications from invasive medical treatments, such as cardiac catheterization and angioplasty. This study will surely make headlines -- and rightly so. It illustrates with exacting scientific methodology that prayer has a positive effect on recovery from serious illness.

Some people argue that the "placebo effect" is a factor -- that prayer may work because patients expect it to work. Has this point been considered in the research? That concern is best addressed by studies that look at the effect of prayer on nonhumans. Researchers have examined how prayer influences the healing of surgical wounds in mice and the growth rate of microbes in test tubes.

The positive results of these studies overcome the objections of sceptics, who argue that the effects of prayer are caused by the power of suggestion or positive thinking. These factors do not exist in nonhumans.

How does prayer work? Medical scientists, including some Nobel Prize winners, have advanced many theories that attempt to explain the scientific mechanics of "intercessionary" prayer -- when individuals are being prayed for by others rather than praying for themselves.

My favourite example is that put forth by David Chalmers, PhD, a cognitive scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson. In a paper published in 1995 in Scientific American, Chalmers asserts that there is a large body of scientific evidence suggesting that consciousness is a fundamental element of the universe -- like matter and energy. It's a medium that is neither made by the brain nor dependent on the brain for its existence.

If you accept that consciousness exists in this way, you can see how intercessionary prayer could affect the health of a person being prayed for. I don't know if this hypothesis will prevail, but it shows the approach that distinguished scientists are taking in their attempts to explain how prayer works.

Is a belief in God -- or some other higher being -- required in order to benefit from prayer? Scientific studies on nonhumans show that you don't have to have faith or belief for intercessionary prayer to work for you.

If you are praying for someone else, however, double-blind studies show that the effectiveness of prayer is influenced by empathy, love and compassion. If you believe prayer is a sham, it's unlikely you'll muster the requisite feelings that seem to make prayer work.

The same principle applies when praying for yourself (petitionary prayer).
You must first accept the efficacy of prayer -- regardless of whether you think it works because of a supreme being or simply as a result of caring and empathy.
What is the best prayer method? The crucial factor is not what you do, but your attitude -- genuine concern is a fundamental element in the success of prayer. Scientific studies show that it's irrelevant to whom you are praying.
What is the best way to start praying? To begin praying, choose a practice that matches your temperament...

Extroverted, results-oriented people often pray for specific outcomes, such as make my heart disease better... or regulate my blood sugar.

Introverted, inner-directed people are often reluctant to dictate an outcome. Instead, they are typically more comfortable with an accepting approach, such as let thy will be done... or may the best thing happen.

Is there an ideal time or place for prayer? Concentration contributes to effective prayer. If you're thinking about what to make for dinner, you're not praying.
That's why many people who pray set aside a time of day when they won't be disturbed. They also tend to pray in a quiet place, such as a church or synagogue, a special corner of the house or in a park.

While these rituals aren't necessary for effective prayer, they may benefit your own health. Getting quiet and praying for yourself or another person is a highly effective way to induce healthy physiological changes that scientists refer to as the "relaxation response." This occurs when blood pressure falls, heart rate drops and the body requires less oxygen.

Does anything inhibit the effectiveness of prayer? There's no formula that dictates a "best" or "only" way. If you're sincere, it's hard to pray incorrectly.