Can Prayer Heal?

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I concede that prayer does not always seem to be effective in healing every patient. I would argue by the way, that neither does traditional medicine. My point is that not everyone’s definition of healing is the same, nor is their sense of well-being. You must admit that there is a thumbprint of the irrational in each of us.

Another problem we face in considering whether or not prayer creates healing is that we have yet to agree on our endpoints for measuring healing. I have no illusions that my patients will live forever. My care therefore, is not about maximizing the quality of life. Length of life is a limited measure in determining healing and most of the other parameters are subjective as well.

I have seen thousands of cases where the entire atmosphere in the exam room changed profoundly right after I prayed with my patient. The diabetes, cancer symptom, or more generalized pay may have remained, but the patient reported that they started to feel better. This improvement continued through their follow-up visit, they reported. It is my experience that prayer communicated caring on a deep and profound level and that patients respond positively to such caring by their doctor.

I work in the poorest, most desperate neighborhood in my city. Many of my patients have problems that would make you cringe. What I’ve noticed is that even among the most troubled and emotionally disturbed patients, if my manner suggests to them that I’m going to end the office visit without praying with them, quite often they’ll blurt out: “Aren’t I going to get my prayer before I have to go?” They may leave without taking their prescriptions. It’s exceedingly rare when they leave without getting their prayer. The degree to which my patients value player speaks volumes about its effectiveness. It’s even more impressive because many of them tell me they have never set foot in a church and they don’t consider themselves to be religious.

It is my studied opinion that each of us is made up of body, soul and spirit. We need to nourish each of those elements. To that end, I know of no better nourishment then prayer.

Prayer ministers to the spiritual aspect of a patient’s life. I feel I am providing the best care and doing all I can as a physician and a healer if I treat a patient’s body, soul and spirit in a holistic way. The most important tool in my medical bag, administered in conjunction with traditional methods, is prayer and its extraordinary power to heal.

But don’t take my word for it. I’ll put you in touch with a certain 24-year-old patient who’s now a father of two children; a healthy young man that the experts predicted would not live to see such joys.