One of the first studies to confirm the power of prayer was conducted in 1988 and involved 192 patients who were prayed for by volunteers across the country. Without any personal contact and or any knowledge that they were prayed for, the patients had fewer cases of congestive heart failure, less pneumonia, less need for antibiotics, and fewer heart attacks that did 201 other patients in the same hospital unit that were not prayed for.

For those whose beliefs do not include prayer or who simply have an interest in it, meditation seems to induce a "relaxation response" that has healing effects similar to those of prayer.

Dr. Herbert Benson, president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute of Boston's Deaconness Hospital and Harvard medical School, has sought to prove that meditation has a positive effect on healing and well-being. He has demonstrated that meditation's effects have benefits to those suffering from chronic pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and PMS.

Benson is still a strong advocate of medicine, but emphasizes the importance of "other forms of self-care" such as spending 10 to 20 minutes a few times a day in meditation.

Whether your choice is prayer or a few minutes of stress-relieving meditation, directing your intention toward either may help you, or someone you love, make a faster journey toward recovery.

www.bergen.com, April 1, 1999